Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asynchronous Data-driven Classification of Weapon Systems F

This paper addresses real-time weapon classification by analysis of asynchronous acoustic data, collected from m icrophones on a sensor network. The weapon classification algori thm consists of two parts: (i) feature extraction from time-series data using Symbolic Dynamic Filtering (SDF), and (ii) pattern classification based on the extracted features using Langua ge Measure (LM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The proposed algorithm has been tested on field data, generated by fir ing of two types of rifles. The results of analysis demonstrate hi gh accuracy and fast execution of the pattern classification al gorithm with low memory requirements. Potential applications include simultaneous shooter localization and weapon classificati on with soldier-wearable networked sensors.
Dynamic Imbalance Analysis and Stability Control of Galloping Gait for a Passive Quadruped Robot

Some imbalance and balance postures of a passive quadruped robot with a simplified mathematical model are studied. Through analyzing the influence of the touchdown angle of the rear leg on the posture of the trunk during the flight phase, the stability criterion is concluded: the closer are the two moments which are the zero time of the pitching angle and the peak time of the center of mass, the better is the stability of the trunk posture during the flight phase. Additionally, the validity of the stability criterion is verified for the cat, greyhound, lion, racehorse, basset hound, and giraffe. Furthermore, the stability criterion is also applicable when the center of the mass of body is shifted. Based on the stability criterion, the necessary and sufficient condition of the galloping stability for the quadruped robot is proposed to attain a controlled thrust. The control strategy is designed by an optimization dichotomy algorithm for seeking the zero point of the balance condition. Through the control results, it is demonstrated that the imbalance posture of the trunk could be stabilized by adjusting the stiffness of four legs.
Focusing on the Long-term: It's Good for Users and Business

Over the past 10+ years, online companies large and small have adopted widespread A/B testing as a robust data-based method for evaluating potential product improvements. In online experimentation, it is straightforward to measure the short-term effect, i.e., the impact observed during the experiment. However, the short-term effect is not always predictive of the long-term effect, i.e., the final impact once the product has fully launched and users have changed their behavior in response. Thus, the challenge is how to determine the long-term user impact while still being able to make decisions in a timely manner. We tackle that challenge in this paper by first developing experiment methodology for quantifying long-term user learning. We then apply this methodology to ads shown on Google search, more specifically, to determine and quantify the drivers of ads blindness and sightedness, the phenomenon of users changing their inherent propensity to click on or interact with ads. We use these results to create a model that uses metrics measurable in the short-term to predict the long-term. We learn that user satisfaction is paramount: ads blindness and sightedness are driven by the quality of previously viewed or clicked ads, as measured by both ad relevance and landing page quality. Focusing on user satisfaction both ensures happier users but also makes business sense, as our results illustrate. We describe two major applications of our findings: a conceptual change to our search ads auction that further increased the importance of ads quality, and a 50% reduction of the ad load on Google's mobile search interface. The results presented in this paper are generalizable in two major ways. First, the methodology may be used to quantify user learning effects and to evaluate online experiments in contexts other than ads. Second, the ads blindness/sighted-ness results indicate that a focus on user satisfaction could help to reduce the ad load on the internet at large with long-term neutral, or even positive, business impact.
Generalized Kripke Models for Epistemic Logic

In this paper a generalization of Kripke models is proposed for systemizing the study of the many different epistemic notions that appear in the literature. The generalized Kripke models explicitly represent an agent's epistemic states to which the epistemic notions refer. Two central epistemic notions are identified: objective (S5) knowledge and rational introspective (KD45) belief. Their interaction is determined and a notion of justified true belief is explained in terms of them. The logic of this notion of justified true belief is shown to be S4.2, which is in accordance with a conjecture by Wolfgang Lenzen. The logic of justified belief is also determined.
Local Search for Satissability (sat) Problem

The satissability problem (SAT) is a fundamental problem in mathematical logic, constraint satisfaction , VLSI engineering, and computing theory. Methods to solve the satissability problem play an important role in the development of computing theory and systems. Traditional methods treat the SAT problem as a constrained decision problem. During past research, the number of unsatissable clauses as the value of an objective function was formulated. This transforms the SAT problem into a search problem | an unconstrained optimization problem to the objective function. A variety of iterative optimization techniques can be used to solve this optimization problem. In this paper, we show how to use local search techniques to solve the SAT problem. The average time complexity analysis and numerous real algorithm executions were performed. They indicate that the local search algorithms are much more eecient than the existing SAT algorithms for certain classes of conjunctive normal form (CNF) formulas.
Tool for Metadata Extraction and Content Packaging as Endorsed in OAIS Framework

Information generated from various computerization processes is a potential rich source of knowledge for its designated community. To pass this information from generation to generation without modifying the meaning is a challenging activity. To preserve and archive the data for future generations it’s very essential to prove the authenticity of the data. It can be achieved by extracting the metadata from the data which can prove the authenticity and create trust on the archived data. Subsequent challenge is the technology obsolescence. Metadata extraction and standardization can be effectively used to resolve and tackle this problem. Metadata can be categorized at two levels i.e. Technical and Domain level broadly. Technical metadata will provide the information that can be used to understand and interpret the data record, but only this level of metadata isn’t sufficient to create trustworthiness. We have developed a tool which will extract and standardize the technical as well as domain level metadata. This paper is about the different features of the tool and how we have developed this. Keyword—Digital Preservation, Metadata, OAIS, PDI, XML.
Output Filter Aware Optimization of the Noise Shaping Properties of ΔΣ Modulators Via Semi-Definite Programming

The Noise Transfer Function (NTF) of ΔΣ modulators is typically designed after the features of the input signal. We suggest that in many applications, and notably those involving D/D and D/A conversion or actuation, the NTF should instead be shaped after the properties of the output/reconstruction filter. To this aim, we propose a framework for optimal design based on the Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov (KYP) lemma and semi-definite programming. Some examples illustrate how in practical cases the proposed strategy can outperform more standard approaches.
Diverse Responses of Neurons and Monocytes to Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure

Introduction: The toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) in neurons occurs by glutamate signaling via N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Although cellular uptake of TiO2NPs may lead to oxidative stress in macrophages, it is not known whether TiO2NPs have toxic effects on U937 monocytic cell line. Material and Methods: Human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and U937 human monocytic cell lines were exposed to 25nm and 10nm TiO2NPs, in medium with or without fetal bovine serum (FBS). Mitochondrial metabolic activity was assessed using the MTT-assay before and after treatment with 15 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and 0. 1μM or 10μM neopterin.
Identifying the Exact Bug Fixing Actions

In-spite of the principle of good programming practice which stipulates that a commit should include only modifications belonging to one task, programmers submit tangled commits consisting of modifications related to two or several distinct tasks. Some researches show that between 11 and 39% of bug fix commits are tangled and at least 16.6% of all the commits are incorrectly associated to bug reports. Tangled commits make historical analysis of the project less reliable, and impede the extraction of bug fix pattern because most mining software repository techniques are designed with the assumption that each commit includes only modifications for a single task. In this paper, we are proposing a method that identifies precisely the modifications that are related to a bug fix. We validate our solution on a real world system with real bugs and bug-fixes.
Non-Canonical Notch Signaling in Cancer and Immunity

Canonical Notch signaling is initiated by γ-secretase-mediated cleavage of the Notch receptor, leading to the release of the active intra-cellular domain of Notch that migrates to the nucleus and interacts with RBP-Jκ, resulting in the activation of downstream target genes. While canonical Notch signaling is well known to play an active role in several steps during development as well in multiple cell fate decisions, recent evidence from both invertebrate and vertebrate systems indicates that non-canonical, RBP-Jκ-independent signaling is important in several cellular processes including oncogenesis and activation of T lymphocytes. These observations raise the possibility that, through an understanding of non-canonical Notch signaling, novel strategies for inhibiting Notch signaling may prove useful in the design of therapies targeted to block aberrant Notch activity. In this mini-review, we will examine the current data demonstrating a non-canonical role for Notch signaling in both cancer and the immune system and suggest a better understanding of non-canonical signaling may reveal novel strategies to block Notch signaling in disease.
Education, Work, and Crime: Theory and Evidence

This paper develops and empirically examines a dynamic model of decisions to work, invest in human capital, and commit crime. By making all three activities endogenous, the model makes a number of new and interesting contributions to the study of crime. First, the model explains why older, more intelligent, and more educated workers tend to commit less of some property crimes than others. Second, the model is useful for analyzing the impacts of education, training, and work subsidies on criminal behavior. Third, unobserved age differences in on-the-job skill investment explain why wages and crime are more negatively correlated at older ages. Fourth, the model predicts a rise in youth crime should accompany the recent rise in returns to skills. Finally, the model suggests that law enforcement policies increase education, training and labor supply, while reducing criminal activity.
Copper-Deficiency in Brassica napus Induces Copper Remobilization, Molybdenum Accumulation and Modification of the Expression of Chloroplastic Proteins

During the last 40 years, crop breeding has strongly increased yields but has had adverse effects on the content of micronutrients, such as Fe, Mg, Zn and Cu, in edible products despite their sufficient supply in most soils. This suggests that micronutrient remobilization to edible tissues has been negatively selected. As a consequence, the aim of this work was to quantify the remobilization of Cu in leaves of Brassica napus L. during Cu deficiency and to identify the main metabolic processes that were affected so that improvements can be achieved in the future. While Cu deficiency reduced oilseed rape growth by less than 19% compared to control plants, Cu content in old leaves decreased by 61.4%, thus demonstrating a remobilization process between leaves. Cu deficiency also triggered an increase in Cu transporter expression in roots (COPT2) and leaves (HMA1), and more surprisingly, the induction of the MOT1 gene encoding a molybdenum transporter associated with a strong increase in molybdenum (Mo) uptake. Proteomic analysis of leaves revealed 33 proteins differentially regulated by Cu deficiency, among which more than half were located in chloroplasts. Eleven differentially expressed proteins are known to require Cu for their synthesis and/or activity. Enzymes that were located directly upstream or downstream of Cu-dependent enzymes were also differentially expressed. The overall results are then discussed in relation to remobilization of Cu, the interaction between Mo and Cu that occurs through the synthesis pathway of Mo cofactor, and finally their putative regulation within the Calvin cycle and the chloroplastic electron transport chain.
Long-Term Housing and Intimate Partner Violence

For survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), safe, affordable, long-term housing is a critical aspect of establishing a life free from abuse. New permanent housing models for IPV survivors, which are emerging across the United States, are designed to meet the basic need of shelter and must at the same time be focused on meeting the needs of survivors of IPV. Using an in-depth qualitative case study of a new supportive housing program serving 10 IPV survivors and their children, our research project examines how housing helps residents heal from trauma. We use constructivist grounded theory and a feminist perspective to give voice to the women and construct an in-depth understanding of their perspectives. Data collection spanned 7 months and included two rounds of individual interviews and four focus groups. Data analysis utilized open-ended coding and constant comparison to inform theories on trauma and trauma-informed care. Our findings indicate that safe, affordable housing is related to the ability of IPV survivors to recover from past trauma. Based on our findings, theories and practice frameworks should consider housing stability as an integral component in the healing process. We also discuss policy and practice implications to incorporate trauma-informed practices in housing models.
Use of Multiple Social Media Platforms in Relation to Psychological Functioning in Emerging Adults

The current study examined relationships between different types of social media platforms used and psychological functioning in a diverse, national U.S. sample of emerging adults (18–22 years). Participants completed surveys online in the spring of 2014. Findings from a path analysis model suggested that individuals who used a higher number of different social media platforms reported more anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, total alcohol consumption, and drug use. Facebook use was associated uniquely with depressive symptoms and Snapchat use with substance use. Neither Instagram use nor Twitter use was associated with any measures of psychological functioning. Gender differences also were not observed. Findings highlight the importance of considering the number of different social media platforms used, as well as the specific platform itself, when conceptualizing the relationship between social media use and psychological functioning in emerging adults.
A monolithic Si PCS-CDMA power amplifier with an impedance-controllable biasing scheme

This paper for the first time presents a monolithic Si PCS-CDMA power amplifier (PA) capable of delivering 28.2 dBm output power with 30% power-added efficiency (PAE) and -45 dBc adjacent-channel-power ratio (ACPR) at 1.9 GHz and 3.6 V supply voltage. The PA implemented in a 30 GHz BiCMOS process incorporates a novel impedance-controllable biasing scheme to control class of operation and bias impedance of the output stage.
Task Allocation for Crowdsourcing Using AI Planning

Crowdsourcing is a relatively new phenomenon in computer science and software engineering. In crowdsourcing a task is delivered to a crowd of participants who will work on this task. Task allocation is then an important aspect in the context of crowdsourcing. If done properly, it delivers successful results based on the answers provided by the crowd. However, task allocation in crowdsourcing is not a trivial problem. Factors like a task’s requirements, the knowledge required for its resolution, and the size and heterogeneity of the participants in the crowd all impact task allocation, and therefore, the expected quality of the task results. In this case, the execution of actions from a plan, which assist the dynamic tasks’ allocation in crowdsourcing systems, become relevant as an alternative solution. This paper formalizes task allocation in crowdsourcing scenarios as an artificial intelligence planning problem. Our results suggest that task allocation has several challenges when it is observed in distributed, undefined and dynamic environments, like in crowdsourcing scenarios. Our goal is to evaluate if automated planning is appropriate for providing a plan to match skills of crowd workers for the right tasks in software engineering projects. Preliminary results are presented in this paper,
The SMC SNR 1E0102.2-7219 as a calibration standard for x-ray astronomy in the 0.3-2.5 keV bandpass

The flight calibration of the spectral response of CCD instruments below 1.5 keV is difficult in general because of the lack of strong lines in the on-board calibration sources typically available. We have been using E0102, the brightest supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud, to evaluate the response models of the ACIS CCDs on the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), the EPIC CCDs on the XMM-Newton Observatory, the XIS CCDs on the Suzaku Observatory, and the XRT CCD on the Swift Observatory. E0102 has strong lines of O, Ne, and Mg below 1.5 keV and little or no Fe emission to complicate the spectrum. The spectrum of E0102 has been well characterized using high-resolution grating instruments, namely the XMM-Newton RGS and the CXO HETG, through which a consistent spectral model has been developed that can then be used to fit the lower-resolution CCD spectra. Fits with this model are sensitive to any problems with the gain calibration and the spectral redistribution model of the CCD instruments. We have also used the measured intensities of the lines to investigate the consistency of the effective area models for the various instruments around the bright O (570 eV and 654 eV) and Ne (910 eV and 1022 eV) lines. We find that the measured fluxes of the O VII triplet, the O VIII Ly-a line, the Ne IX triplet, and the Ne X Ly-a line generally agree to within ±10% for all instruments, with 28 of our 32 fitted normalizations within ±10% of the RGS-determined value. The maximum discrepancies, computed as the percentage difference between the lowest and highest normalization for any instrument pair, are 23% for the O VII triplet, 24% for the O VIII Ly-a line, 13% for the Ne IX~triplet, and 19% for the Ne X Ly-a line. If only the CXO and XMM are compared, the maximum discrepancies are 22% for the O VII triplet, 16% for the O VIII Ly-a line, 4% for the Ne IX triplet, and 12% for the Ne X Ly-a line.
Sub-Domains of Ricin’s B Subunit as Targets of Toxin Neutralizing and Non-Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies

The B subunit (RTB) of ricin toxin is a galactose (Gal)−/N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNac)-specific lectin that mediates attachment, entry, and intracellular trafficking of ricin in host cells. Structurally, RTB consists of two globular domains with identical folding topologies. Domains 1 and 2 are each comprised of three homologous sub-domains (α, β, γ) that likely arose by gene duplication from a primordial carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD), although only sub-domains 1α and 2γ retain functional lectin activity. As part of our ongoing effort to generate a comprehensive B cell epitope map of ricin, we report the characterization of three new RTB-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). All three mAbs, JB4, B/J F9 and C/M A2, were initially identified based on their abilities to neutralize ricin in a Vero cell cytotoxicty assay and to partially (or completely) block ricin attachment to cell surfaces. However, only JB4 proved capable of neutralizing ricin in a macrophage apoptosis assay and in imparting passive immunity to mice in a model of systemic intoxication. Using a combination of techniques, including competitive ELISAs, pepscan analysis, differential reactivity by Western blot, as well as affinity enrichment of phage displayed peptides, we tentatively localized the epitopes recognized by the non-neutralizing mAbs B/J F9 and C/M A2 to sub-domains 2α and 2β, respectively. Furthermore, we propose that the epitope recognized by JB4 is within sub-domain 2γ, adjacent to RTB’s high affinity Gal/GalNAc CRD. These data suggest that recognition of RTB’s sub-domains 1α and 2γ are critical determinants of antibody neutralizing activity and protective immunity to ricin.
An unsupervised face detection based on skin color and geometric information

A robust algorithm is proposed for face detection in a complex scene in which parts of some faces are overlapped one another, some faces are posed differently, and image contains many different patterns. The algorithm starts from extraction of skin pixels and then segments facial regions overlapping into several separate ones. The divided region is determined whether it contains a face or not by geometric relationship between the extracted lip and eye components. Lip segmentation is proposed based on wavelet multi-scale edge detection across discrete Hartley transform. Eyes are determined with the help of cues of the extracted lip components. Comparative study with some existing face detection algorithms has indicated the superior performance of the developed algorithm from experimental results
SCFAs Induce Mouse Neutrophil Chemotaxis through the GPR43 Receptor

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have recently attracted attention as potential mediators of the effects of gut microbiota on intestinal inflammation. Some of these effects have been suggested to occur through the direct actions of SCFAs on the GPR43 receptor in neutrophils, though the precise role of this receptor in neutrophil activation is still unclear. We show that mouse bone marrow derived neutrophils (BMNs) can chemotax effectively through polycarbonate filters towards a source of acetate, propionate or butyrate. Moreover, we show that BMNs move with good speed and directionality towards a source of propionate in an EZ-Taxiscan chamber coated with fibrinogen. These effects of SCFAs were mimicked by low concentrations of the synthetic GPR43 agonist phenylacetamide-1 and were abolished in GPR43−/− BMNs. SCFAs and phenylacetamide-1 also elicited GPR43-dependent activation of PKB, p38 and ERK and these responses were sensitive to pertussis toxin, indicating a role for Gi proteins. Phenylacetamide-1 also elicited rapid and transient activation of Rac1/2 GTPases and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6. Genetic and pharmacological intervention identified important roles for PI3Kγ, Rac2, p38 and ERK, but not mTOR, in GPR43-dependent chemotaxis. These results identify GPR43 as a bona fide chemotactic receptor for neutrophils in vitro and start to define important elements in its signal transduction pathways.