Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multivariate analysis for probabilistic WLAN location determination systems

WLAN location determination systems are gaining increasing attention due to the value they add to wireless networks. In this paper, we present a multivariate analysis technique for enhancing the performance of WLAN location determination systems by taking the correlation between samples from the same access point into account. We show that the autocorrelation between consecutive samples from the same access point can be as high as 0.9. Giving a sequence of correlated signal strength samples from an access point, the technique estimates the user location based on the calculated probability of this sequence from the multivariate distribution. We use a linear autoregressive model to derive the multivariate distribution function for the correlated samples. Using analytical analysis, we show that the proposed technique provides better location accuracy over previous techniques especially for the highly correlated samples in a typical WLAN environment. Implementation of the technique in the Horus WLAN location determination system shows that the average system accuracy is increased by more than 64%. This significant enhancement in the accuracy of WLAN location determination systems helps increase the set of context-aware applications implemented on top of these systems.
The Survivin saga goes in vivo.

Survivin is a bifunctional protein that suppresses apoptosis and regulates cell division (1). This protein has garnered great interest as a potential drug target because its expression is among the most tumor-specific of all human gene products (2). While fetal tissues contain abundant Survivin mRNA and protein, most normal adult tissues do not. In contrast, the vast majority of tumors express Survivin protein at high levels, suggesting that reactivation of SURVIVIN gene expression occurs commonly in cancers (3). The mechanisms by which Survivin regulates cell death and cell division are highly controversial. Indeed, even the premise that Survivin regulates apoptosis has been challenged, primarily on the grounds that Survivin homologues in yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans operate as regulators of cell division but not cell survival (reviewed in refs. 4, 5). Heretofore, the preponderance of evidence that mammalian Survivin suppresses apoptosis was based on overexpression of the protein in cultured cell lines. The absence of in vivo data on this point has now been remedied with a paper in this issue of the JCI by Altieri and colleagues (6). In an accompanying paper (7), the same investigators show how emerging knowledge about Survivin regulation might be use to develop a new gene therapy strategy for cancer. Seeking to model events in tumors, Grossman et al. (6) placed the Survivin cDNA under the control of the keratin 14 (K14) promoter and generated transgenic mice that produce Survivin constitutively in epidermal keratinocytes. The skin is an easily accessible tissue that displays the full gamut of events relevant to tumorigenesis, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Betting persons might have placed their wagers on seeing a defect in cell division or differentiation in K14-Survivin mice, but such was not the case. Instead, the keratinocytes of these Survivin-overexpressing mice demonstrated resistance to apoptosis, thus providing the first evidence that Survivin can suppress cell death in vivo. Specifically, overexpression of Survivin significantly reduced the numbers of apoptotic cells generated in the epidermis following exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation (sunburn). While these data do not go as far as to establish a role for Survivin in homeostatic programmed cell death, they do at least indicate that the overexpression of Survivin (which is seen in many tumors) can result in an antiapoptotic state in vivo.
A variational formulation for frame-based inverse problems

A convex variational framework is proposed for solving inverse problems in Hilbert spaces with a priori information on the representation of the target solution in a frame. The objective function to be minimized consists of a separable term penalizing each frame coefficient individually, and a smooth term modelling the data formation model as well as other constraints. Sparsity-constrained and Bayesian formulations are examined as special cases. A splitting algorithm is presented to solve this problem and its convergence is established in infinite-dimensional spaces under mild conditions on the penalization functions, which need not be differentiable. Numerical simulations demonstrate applications to frame-based image restoration.
Visualization methods for metric studies

Metric studies are based on complex, voluminous and heterogeneous data. In order to obtain meaningful results, human guided analysis is therefore needed and can be achieved with information visualization methods. In this paper, we survey visualization methods traditionally used in informetrics and present recent achievements in this domain. We also outline some potentially interesting visualization tools from machine learning
Morphology and dynamics of the Malekhu Khola, Dhading district, central Nepal

Rivers have always been an indispensable part of the human civilization. They play a vital role in daily life purposes to big engineering constructions such as dams, reservoirs or hydropower projects. It is mandatory to understand the morphology and dynamics of the river before initiating any projects for easier planning and to prevent possible damage to structures. The Malekhu Khola area is one of the potential areas for urbanization and has already been undergoing development of settlement and other infrastructures. This paper describes the morphology and dynamics of the Malekhu Khola to classify and characterize the river's behavior and competency. The Malekhu Khola is a sixth-order river having its total length of 24.83 km, watershed area of 101.28 km2 and the average gradient of 0.041 m/m. Various morphological parameters were measured with the aid of topographic maps, aerial photographs and Geographic Information System (GIS). The hydraulic parameters, channel sediment and slopes were measured at 10 different transects sites through field surveys. The river was classified using the Rosgen's Level II criteria. The river reaches have been classified as A4-, B4and C4-type streams. A4and B4-type streams are moderate-gradient gravelly and low sinuosity rivers whereas C4-type streams are low-gradient gravelly meandering river. The Malekhu Khola gradually changes from A4to B4-type streams up to 12 km downstream, and then to C4-type stream further downstream, but B4-type streams reappear within the distance of 15 km to 19 km from the origin. This study presents temporal changes in river channel, and flow competence and aggrading/degrading potential evaluation of the Malekhu Khola.
Geometry of Dynamical Systems and Topological Stability: from bifurcation, Chaos and Fractals to Dynamics in Natural and Life Sciences

The aim of this article is to review some basic concepts of the geometric theory of dynamical systems and stability. In this context, we also consider the related fundamental notions of broken symmetry, bifurcation and chaos. That of bifurcation is a very sophisticated mathematical concept, which displays a number of local and global behaviors of those spaces within which a large variety of natural forms unfold. The suited theoretical framework for understanding deeply the concept of bifurcation is the study of singularities of mappings, their topological structures and their classification into equivalence classes. Furthermore, we consider the fundamental role played by the phenomena of breaking symmetry and chaos in the evolution and organization of various natural and living systems. In the last part of the paper, we present some striking features and results of nonlinearity and stability in the framework of the geometrical theory of dynamical systems.
Signal detection for orthogonal space-time block coding over time-selective fading channels: a PIC approach for the G/sub i/ systems

One major assumption in all orthogonal space-time block coding (O-STBC) schemes is that the channel remains static over the entire length of the codeword. However, time selective fading channels do exist, and in such case the conventional O-STBC detectors can suffer from a large error floor in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cases. This paper addresses such an issue by introducing a parallel interference cancellation (PIC) based detector for the G/sub i/ coded systems (i=3 and 4).
Pragmatic evaluation of folksonomies

Recently, a number of algorithms have been proposed to obtain hierarchical structures - so-called folksonomies - from social tagging data. Work on these algorithms is in part driven by a belief that folksonomies are useful for tasks such as: (a) Navigating social tagging systems and (b) Acquiring semantic relationships between tags. While the promises and pitfalls of the latter have been studied to some extent, we know very little about the extent to which folksonomies are pragmatically useful for navigating social tagging systems. This paper sets out to address this gap by presenting and applying a pragmatic framework for evaluating folksonomies. We model exploratory navigation of a tagging system as decentralized search on a network of tags. Evaluation is based on the fact that the performance of a decentralized search algorithm depends on the quality of the background knowledge used. The key idea of our approach is to use hierarchical structures learned by folksonomy algorithm as background knowledge for decentralized search. Utilizing decentralized search on tag networks in combination with different folksonomies as hierarchical background knowledge allows us to evaluate navigational tasks in social tagging systems. Our experiments with four state-of-the-art folksonomy algorithms on five different social tagging datasets reveal that existing folksonomy algorithms exhibit significant, previously undiscovered, differences with regard to their utility for navigation. Our results are relevant for engineers aiming to improve navigability of social tagging systems and for scientists aiming to evaluate different folksonomy algorithms from a pragmatic perspective.
Using the quantitative genetic threshold model for inferences between and within species

Sewall Wright's threshold model has been used in modelling discrete traits that may have a continuous trait underlying them, but it has proven difficult to make efficient statistical inferences with it. The availability of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods makes possible likelihood and Bayesian inference using this model. This paper discusses prospects for the use of the threshold model in morphological systematics to model the evolution of discrete all-or-none traits. There the threshold model has the advantage over 0/1 Markov process models in that it not only accommodates polymorphism within species, but can also allow for correlated evolution of traits with far fewer parameters that need to be inferred. The MCMC importance sampling methods needed to evaluate likelihood ratios for the threshold model are introduced and described in some detail.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms Dis Aquat Org Emerging Infectious Disease in Sea Stars: Castrating Ciliate Parasites in Patiria Miniata

INTRODUCTION The spread of infectious pathogens may be enhanced by direct human dispersal or through indirect facilitation such as climate change (Dobson & Foufopoulos 2001). Such emergent diseases have important implications for natural and managed ecosystems (Krkosek et al. 2007). When emergent diseases interact with invasive host species, pathogens may limit the spread of these hosts or merely use them as a reservoir for propagation into native host populations (e.g. Beard & O'Neill 2005, Garner et al. 2006). The holotrich ciliate Orchitophrya stellarum Cépède, 1907 (order Scuticociliata) is a facultative pathogen of male sea stars (Bouland & Jangoux 1988, Clareboudt & Bouland 1994). These ciliates seasonally invade developing testes, consume the sperm, and ravage the ger-minal epithelium. Heavily infected males are functionally castrated, and high castration rates can result in effectively unisexual populations of females (Leighton et al. 1991, Byrne et al. 1997). Known hosts are mainly Japanese and north Atlantic species of Asterias Lin-naeus, 1758 (family Asteriidae). Spread of O. stellarum to other habitats and host species could have significant consequences for ecologically important sea stars. In North America, recently described pathogenic infections of asteriid hosts (Leighton et al. 1991, Stickle et al. 2001, 2007a,b), including the keystone predator Pisaster ochraceus Brandt, 1835, have been attributed to inadvertent anthropogenic introduction of O. stel-larum; some P. ochraceus populations in Canada have been devastated. Deliberate introduction of O. stel-larum into Tasmania has been proposed as a biocontrol measure to eradicate invasive populations of A. amurensis Lütken, 1871 (Goggin & Bouland 1997), but the desirability of such an effort depends in large part on the potential effect of O. stellarum on native Tas-manian sea stars (Byrne 1996, Byrne et al. 1997), especially endangered and endemic species such as Parvu-lastra vivipara (family Asterinidae) that represent much of the asteroid diversity of Australia (Byrne 2006). Here we report the first occurrence of a ciliate resembling Orchitophrya stellarum in an asterinid host species, the bat star Patiria miniata. Infection of P. miniata represents a significant phylogenetic extension of the host range of such parasites from asteriids (order Forcipulatida) to asterinids (order Valvatida). The generalist nature of host use by O. stellarum-like ABSTRACT: Orchitophrya stellarum is a holotrich ciliate that facultatively parasitizes and castrates male asteriid sea stars. We discovered a morphologically similar ciliate in testes of an asterinid sea star, the northeastern Pacific bat star Patiria miniata (Brandt, 1835). This parasite may represent a threat …
Vision-based traffic measurement system

We present a vision-based traffic measurement system. The system automatically counts the vehicles passing through a designated segment of roadway and measures their speeds. Based on the obtained number of vehicles and their speeds, a variety of traffic parameters are readily calculated. A number of experiments with the video sequences taken under different weather, illumination and traffic conditions have been conducted. The results have revealed that the proposed system could perform well under different conditions.
Warnings about simulation revisited: Improving operations in Congonhas Airport

This paper highlights some of the primary concerns about simulation recently raised by academics and practitioners. These concerns influenced the creation of a successful simulation project that improves the check-in at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil. Use of simulation was essential in Congonhas because, although significant growth in the number of passengers has occurred over the last decades, Congonhas has limited capacity for expansion due to its location. Two major airlines, which represent 88% of the market share of Congonhas, were considered in this study. Output results demonstrated that a majority of future customers will experience excessive wait times to check in. Therefore, improvement scenarios were proposed in order to meet comfort levels required by international organizations.
Role of wound instillation with bupivacaine through surgical drains for postoperative analgesia in modified radical mastectomy

Background and Aims: Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM) is the commonly used surgical procedure for operable breast cancer, which involves extensive tissue dissection. Therefore, wound instillation with local anaesthetic may provide better postoperative analgesia than infiltration along the line of incision. We hypothesised that instillation of bupivacaine through chest and axillary drains into the wound may provide postoperative analgesia. Methods: In this prospective randomised controlled study 60 patients aged 45-60 years were divided into three groups. All patients were administered general anaesthesia. At the end of the surgical procedure, axillary and chest wall drains were placed before closure. Group C was the control with no instillation; Group S received 40 ml normal saline, 20 ml through each drain; and Group B received 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine and the drains were clamped for 10 min. After extubation, pain score for both static and dynamic pain was evaluated using visual analog scale and then 4 th hourly till 24 h. Rescue analgesia was injection tramadol, if the pain score exceeds 4. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 13. Results : There was a significant difference in the cumulative analgesic requirement and the number of analgesic demands between the groups (P: 0.000). The mean duration of analgesia in the bupivacaine group was 14.6 h, 10.3 in the saline group and 4.3 h in the control group. Conclusion : Wound instillation with local anaesthetics is a simple and effective means of providing good analgesia without any major side-effects.
Intelligent plant inspection by using foveated active vision sensor

Industrial inspection robots, which are to move around a nuclear power plant and carry out inspection tasks, must follow a given route while observing static and dynamic features of the environment. The vision system for such a robot needs to execute efficiently and mutually the tasks that are necessary for carrying out inspection reliably and flexibly while safely moving, and the following attributes are desirable: (1) for inspection, high-resolution images, (2) for obstacle-avoidance during motion a very wide field of view, and (3) to enable reaction to dynamic situations, real-time visual information feedback.
IMPROVING THE GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE AREZZO TOTAL RECOVERY WASTE TREATMENT PLANT

The effectiveness of an existing integrated waste treatment plant aimed at the total recovery of waste to replace primary energy was investigated. The cumulative energy demand (CED) (MJ) was quantified using a life cycle approach. Mass and energy balances were determined for all the main inlet and outlet energetic and mass flows from the integrated plant. The current scenario was compared with a modified one where the amount of bio-waste processed was increased by using a new anaerobic digestion section for bio-methane production. The main results showed that there was a higher positive CED for the chemicals needed for operating the flue gas cleaning system. In particular urea gave the highest CED. In both the base and modified case the CED replaced by the recovered energy and fuels was higher than all the CED associated with the inlet flows, leading to a negative value of the net CED.
Design and implementation of a new motorized-mechanical exoskeleton based on CGA Patternized Control

Exoskeleton is an active external mechanical structure attached to a part of human body to augment power or increase mobility of that body part. The exoskeleton is frequently used in military or rehabilitation purposes. In this study, we are focusing on the design and development of a novel mechanical design of the extremity lower-limb exoskeleton for the patients with spinal cord injury. The design is based on our lower-limb biomechanical analysis which a new concept of using a spring system for energy storage is employed in the designed exoskeleton to compensate the peak torques required at each joint. Our exoskeleton is consisting of 9 degree-of-freedoms covering the hip, knees and ankles. The introduced control algorithm for the exoskeleton is called “Patternized Control Approach,” based on the Clinical Gait Analysis (CGA). A set of demonstrating results is shown, and is able to conclude a satisfactory performance of the system.
Point of attachment selection in heterogeneous radio access technology environments

Load balancing through cell-site selection in wireless networks has gained much attention as an efficient way to utilize scarce wireless resources. This paper considers a Point of Attachment (PoA) selection problem which is an extension of the cell-site selection problem. The PoA selection problem deals with an extended environment where each user device is with a different radio access technology (RAT) capability including multiple wireless network interface cards (WNICs). The goal of this paper is to formulate the problem that aims to maximize the network-wide utility under the environment of multi RATs and heterogeneous user device capabilities. To solve this problem, we first prove the problem is NP-Hard and propose a heuristic algorithm. Through extensive simulations, we evaluate the performance of our proposed algorithm against two received signal strength based approaches.
Refinement and Hierarchical Coarsening Schemes for Triangulated Surfaces

We present a refinement and a coarsening (also simplification or decimation) algorithm for the adaptive representation of bivariate functions. The algorithms have proved to be efficient tools in numerical methods such as finite element method or image processing, [Pla00, Sua01b]. In this paper we particularize the algorithms and apply to the generation of levels of detail of terrain models. The refinement algorithm is very simple and of linear complexity in the number of vertices, and proceeds uniformly or locally in triangular meshes. The coarsening algorithm shows a complexity of O(logn) and obtains an adaptive hierarchical representation of the input terrain. We provide the most important features of the algorithms as well as the application to generate levels of detail of regions in the Gran Canaria island, an island where the topography is of great irregularity. Several experimental data are presented, including times of the meshes generated, rendering times, error evolution, suitability of the meshes and size of the generated meshes. The algorithms have been tested for VRML visualization showing a real time generation of levels of detail, and this fact is showed in the numerical experiments.