Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timelike Killing spinors in seven dimensions

We employ the G-structure formalism to study supersymmetric solutions of minimal and SU(2) gauged supergravities in seven dimensions admitting Killing spinors with an associated timelike Killing vector. The most general such Killing spinor defines a SU(3) structure. We deduce necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a timelike Killing spinor on the bosonic fields of the theories, and find that such configurations generically preserve one out of 16 supersymmetries. Using our general supersymmetric ansatz we obtain numerous new solutions, including squashed or deformed anti-de Sitter solutions of the gauged theory, and a large class of Goedel-like solutions with closed timelike curves.
Cochlear Function Monitoring After Spinal Anesthesia

Background The aim of the study was to examine the effect of spinal anesthesia on the function of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs), determined by means of objective distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing. To the best of our knowledge, our study was the second OAE-based analysis of cochlear function during spinal anesthesia, and the only experiment including such a large group of patients. Material/Methods The study included 20 patients (18 men and 2 women) subjected to a scheduled uretherorenoscopic lithotripsy with routine spinal anesthesia with 10 mg (2 ml) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine and 50 μg (1 ml) of fentanyl. The levels of DPOAEs and background noise at 1000–6000 Hz were recorded prior to and immediately after the anesthesia, and on the postoperative day 2. Results We did not find significant differences between DPOAEs values recorded prior to and immediately after the anesthesia. The only exception pertained to 5652 Hz, at which a significantly higher level of DPOAEs was observed immediately after the anesthesia. The levels of DPOAEs at 2002 Hz and 2380 Hz collected on the postoperative day 2 were significantly higher than the respective baseline values. Irrespective of the frequency and time of testing, we did not find any significant differences between the recorded levels of background noise. Conclusions Our findings point to the lack of a detrimental effect of spinal anesthesia on objectively evaluated cochlear function, and thus suggest that this method is safe, even for OHCs, which are extremely susceptible to exogenous and endogenous injuries.
HYPERSENSITISATION OF OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES: TOWARDS INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The intrinsic 244nm photosensitivity of boron-codoped germanosilicate optical fibres is enhanced using 355nm hypersensitisation. Hypersensitisation through standard polymer coating is also demonstrated. Under optimal conditions no OH formation is introduced, adding further support to a model based on hydrogen catalysis. Bulk hypersensitisation is demonstrated using ultra-low power UV lamps. The possibility of incorporating hypersensitisation into a commercial production environment is discussed.
Reducing problem-solving variance to improve predictability

prover as an assistant. A formal development, in this case, is the derivation of an implementation from a formal specification through a n u m b e r of formally proven steps. It is only practical, as we well know, if there is a tool to check that the formal chain is not broken and to provide some guidance. The authors consider VDM developments and the corresponding proof obligations for each development step, mainly data'verification and operation decomposition. The case study is a robot controller and the tool used is the B theorem prover. The V D M development was expressed as a set of B rules; the tool was then able to automatically generate the proof obligations (and to prove some of them automatically). • What is especially interesting in this case study is that the formalization in B of the V D M development is independent of the case study and can be reused for other problems. Another interesting by-product is the possibility of reusing parts of proven formal developments. It turned out that B alone is not sufficient and that more expertise on VDM development would allow more guidance in the development. However, the authors demonstrate that supporting formal development is now feasible, even if it is not yet as easy as it must be some day for widespread use. • Wileden, Wolf, Rosenblatt and Tarr propose a solution for an old, yet important, problem in software development and reuse: the interoperability of components developed in different languages and/or running on different machines. Their article presents a guided tour of various existing approaches for making heterogeneous software components communicate. The authors then present their own approach, which is based on the notion of abstract data types. It looks quite natural since the notion of information hiding is relevant here. Thus, the proposed method provides a way to allow interoperability at the specification level. A notation for describing abstract data types and language bindings of such types is provided. A prototype is described which allows type definition, language bindings, and provides a library of most common datatypes. It is clear that this approach will be of high interest for the next generation of development environments since many different types of objects, manipulated via different languages, must be managed in a convenient and transparent way. • The experience reported by Prieto-Dfaz discusses the implementation of a classification scheme for …
Employment Tribunals: Their Growth and the Case for Radical Reform

Employment tribunals began life as industrial tribunals in the mid 1960s. Since then, their jurisdiction has expanded considerably under the Race Relations Act, equal pay legislation, the Sex Discrimination Act, various EU directives, legal judgments and the incorporation into UK law of the European Convention on Human Rights. They now have jurisdiction over more than eighty types of complaint. The number of applications, which has been rising rapidly, was over 130,000 in 2000-2001. Professor Shackleton examines the role of these tribunals and considers whether they can be justified in present-day conditions or whether they are a 'sixties leftover', as 'out-of-date as kaftans and love beads'. He considers several proposals for reform that have been put forward, none of which he finds appealing. He then looks at the possible benefits of a return to voluntarism, with a deregulated labour market and employers contracting freely. Moves in this direction are, he believes, the only way to turn back the growth of tribunal applications.
Accuracy of dementia diagnosis—a direct comparison between radiologists and a computerized method

There has been recent interest in the application of machine learning techniques to neuroimaging-based diagnosis. These methods promise fully automated, standard PC-based clinical decisions, unbiased by variable radiological expertise. We recently used support vector machines (SVMs) to separate sporadic Alzheimer's disease from normal ageing and from fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). In this study, we compare the results to those obtained by radiologists. A binary diagnostic classification was made by six radiologists with different levels of experience on the same scans and information that had been previously analysed with SVM. SVMs correctly classified 95% (sensitivity/specificity: 95/95) of sporadic Alzheimer's disease and controls into their respective groups. Radiologists correctly classified 65–95% (median 89%; sensitivity/specificity: 88/90) of scans. SVM correctly classified another set of sporadic Alzheimer's disease in 93% (sensitivity/specificity: 100/86) of cases, whereas radiologists ranged between 80% and 90% (median 83%; sensitivity/specificity: 80/85). SVMs were better at separating patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease from those with FTLD (SVM 89%; sensitivity/specificity: 83/95; compared to radiological range from 63% to 83%; median 71%; sensitivity/specificity: 64/76). Radiologists were always accurate when they reported a high degree of diagnostic confidence. The results show that well-trained neuroradiologists classify typical Alzheimer's disease-associated scans comparable to SVMs. However, SVMs require no expert knowledge and trained SVMs can readily be exchanged between centres for use in diagnostic classification. These results are encouraging and indicate a role for computerized diagnostic methods in clinical practice.
Extraction of Text under Complex Background Using Wavelet Transform and Support Vector Machine

A method based on wavelet transform and support vector machine (SVM) for detecting text under complex background is proposed. First, the image is decomposed by wavelet, and then the texture characteristic of text is extracted by using SVM on low-frequency approximate sub-space and high-frequency energy sub-space. Combining wavelet transform and SVM not only reduces the number of input training samples but also accelerates the speed of SVM for learning and classification. This method utilizes the characteristic that SVM is suited to high-dimension space work and improves the efficiency of extracting text. Experimental results show that the current proposed method can correctly and effectively locate text region in the digital image
Changing Topics of Dialogue for Natural Mixed-initiative Interaction of Conversational Agent based on Human Cognition and Memory

Mixed-initiative interaction (MII) plays an important role in conversation agent. In the former MII research, MII process only static conversation and cannot change the conversation topic dynamically by the system because the agent depends only on the working memory and predefined methodology. In this paper, we propose the mixed-initiative interaction based on human cognitive architecture and memory structure. Based on the global workspace theory, one of the cognitive architecture models, proposed method can change the topic of conversation dynamically according to the long term memory which contains past conversation. We represent the long term memory using semantic network which is a popular representation for storing knowledge in the field of cognitive science, and retrieve the semantic network according to the spreading activation theory which has been proven to be efficient for inferring in semantic networks. Through some dialogue examples, we show the usability of the proposed method.
Modular organization of cellular networks

We investigated the organization of interacting proteins and protein complexes into networks of modules. A network-clustering method was developed to identify modules. This method of network-structure determination was validated by clustering known signaling-protein modules and by identifying module rudiments in exclusively high-throughput protein-interaction data with high error frequencies and low coverage. The signaling network controlling the yeast developmental transition to a filamentous form was clustered. Abstraction of a modular network-structure model identified module-organizer proteins and module-connector proteins. The functions of these proteins suggest that they are important for module function and intermodule communication.
Numerical and spatial patterning of yeast meiotic DNA breaks by Tel1

The Spo11-generated double-strand breaks (DSBs) that initiate meiotic recombination are dangerous lesions that can disrupt genome integrity, so meiotic cells regulate their number, timing, and distribution. Here, we use Spo11-oligonucleotide complexes, a byproduct of DSB formation, to examine the contribution of the DNA damage-responsive kinase Tel1 (ortholog of mammalian ATM) to this regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A tel1Δ mutant had globally increased amounts of Spo11-oligonucleotide complexes and altered Spo11-oligonucleotide lengths, consistent with conserved roles for Tel1 in control of DSB number and processing. A kinase-dead tell mutation also increased Spo11-oligonucleotide levels, but mutating known Tel1 phosphotargets on Hop1 and Rec114 did not. Deep sequencing of Spo11 oligonucleotides from tel1Δ mutants demonstrated that Tel1 shapes the nonrandom DSB distribution in ways that are distinct but partially overlapping with previously described contributions of the recombination regulator Zip3. Finally, we uncover a context-dependent role for Tel1 in hotspot competition, in which an artificial DSB hotspot inhibits nearby hotspots. Evidence for Tel1-dependent competition involving strong natural hotspots is also provided.
Two-ways Adaptive Failure Detection with the f Failure Detector

It is widely recognized that distributed systems would greatly benefit from the availability of a generic failure de tection service. Such a service can however prove useful only if it can adapt simultaneously to changing network conditions and conflicting application requirements. This paper presents a novel approach to adaptive failure detectors, calledφ-failure detectors, which dynamically adapts to application requirements, as well as network conditions. The key idea is as follows. Traditionally, failure detectors maintain a set of suspected processes. The information is hence of boolean nature, that is, some process p is suspected if and only if it belongs to this set. In contrast , a φ-failure detector associates a value φp to every known processp. The valueφp increases according to a normalized scale which represents the degree of confidence that processp has crashed. The scale is dynamically adapted from the current network conditions, and each application can trigger suspicions according to a threshold which corresponds to its own requirements. We describe a possible implementation for such a service, although some specific questions remain open where this work is still in progress.
Privacy: Essentially contested, a family resemblance concept, or a family of conceptions?

The status of the concept of privacy is disputed. In this paper I consider arguments by Daniel Solove, that privacy is a family resemblance concept (in the sense of Wittgenstein, and by Deirdre Mulligan et al that it is an essentially contested concept (in the sense of Gallie). I argue that, although there are good reasons for taking it as a family resemblance concept, that this only explains agreement, not disagreement. Hence the theory will not serve Solove's purposes, and is rather consistent with agreement. Similar considerations suggest that privacy is not a normative concept, and hence that it is cannot be essentially contested. I argue instead that there are multiple conceptions of privacy, and furthermore disagreement about privacy are explained by the existence of parallel conversations about privacy that take place at 7 levels.
Defect analysis of degraded InGaP/GaAs HBTs

The reliability of InGaP/GaAs HBTs has been investigated widely. In order to understand the degradation mechanism, degraded HBTs were analysed in TEM and the diffusion behaviour of elements was investigated with EDXS. Dislocations were observed having their origin in the base emitter junction. Similarities with dislocations in degraded LEDs and LDs were observed. Indium diffusion out of the emitter can be detected, whereas dislocations in the emitter seem to block the out diffusion of indium. No carbon precipitations were found in the base-emitter junction area of the degraded HBTs.
Impact of NLOS propagation upon ranging precision in UWB systems

The ultra wideband (UWB) radiolocation functionality usually relies on the ability to perform a very precise estimation of the time of flight (TOF). Unfortunately, in spite of the fine performances demonstrated by the UWB systems, indoor dense multipath channels may alter the precision of the range estimate from severe blockage situations. This paper addresses the general problem of non line of sight (NLOS) errors in the specific context of UWB range estimation. Typical ranging errors due to the NLOS propagation are exhibited by deriving experimental results from real indoor VNA measurements into realistic statistical error models.
The effects of foreign debt and fiscal balance on economic performances during the Eurozone crisis

In this project, the research question ‘Can the amount of foreign debt incurred by governments be considered as a more relevant variable than their fiscal balance in determining member states’ economic performances during the Eurozone Crisis? ’ will be addressed. For this, three hypotheses have been formulated in order to test the influence of changes in fiscal balances and foreign debt levels on economic performances during the Eurozone Crisis. The context of the study is provided by the extensive implementation of austerity measures in EU member states since the onset of the crisis. The resulting academic debate, which is made up of supporters and critics of austerity as a response to the financial crisis, focuses on the respective effects of expansionary and contractionary fiscal measures to induce an improvement in economic performances. One train of thought which departs from this line of reasoning holds that the policy debate gives the role of fiscal balances too much focus and neglects other variables which might have a larger impact on economic performances. The neglected variable is foreign debt where the claim is that the amount of foreign debt a country holds is more important than its fiscal balance in determining its economic prospects. The research picks up on this claim and aims to examine whether foreign debt can be seen as a more relevant indicator which has not been given enough attention in the overall policy debate.
Market Neutral Portfolio Selection: A Pedagogic Illustration

This paper considers market neutral portfolio selection, which is an advanced investment topic. It draws on an idea in the investment literature that short selling a stock in practice is like investing in an artificially constructed security. Such an idea allows this paper to extend textbook coverage of portfolio selection without short sales to a realistic long-short setting. Spreadsheet illustrations are provided, with and without using the derived analytical results. Thus, the pedagogic materials as covered in this paper can accommodate investment courses with different levels of analytical rigor.
Privacy Statements as a Means of Uncertainty Reduction in WWW Interactions

Grounded in Uncertainty Reduction Theory, the present study analyzes the content of 50 privacy policies from well-known commercial Web sites with a view to identifying starting points for improving the quality of online privacy policies. Drawing on traditional content analysis and computer-assisted textual analysis, the study shows that privacy policies often omit essential information and fail to communicate data handling practices in a transparent manner. To reduce Internet users’ uncertainty about data handling practices and to help companies build stable relationships with users, privacy policies need to explain not only the data collection and sharing practices a company engages in but also those practices in which companies do not engage. Further, more exact lexical choice in privacy policies would increase the transparency of data handling practices and, therefore, user trust in World Wide Web (WWW) interactions. The results also call for less verbose texts and alternatives to the current narrative presentation format.
Opportunistic Parasites among Immunosuppressed Children in Minia District, Egypt

A total of 450 stool samples were collected from inpatient and outpatient clinics of Pediatric Department, Minia University Hospital, Minia District, Egypt. Two groups of patients were studied, including 200 immunosuppressed and 250 immunocompetent children. Stool samples were subjected to wet saline and iodine mounts. A concentration technique (formol-ether sedimentation method) was carried out for stool samples diagnosed negative by wet saline and iodine mounts. Samples were stained by 2 different methods; acid fast stain (modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain) and Giemsa stain. Total 188 cases (94%) were diagnosed positive for parasitic infections among immunosuppressed children, whereas 150 cases (60%) were positive in immunocompetent children (P<0.0001). The most common protozoan infection in immunosuppressed group was Cryptosporidium parvum (60.2%), followed by Blastocystis hominis (12.1%), Isospora belli (9.7%), and Cyclospora caytenensis (7.8%). On the other hand, Entamoeba histolytica (24.6%) and Giardia lamblia (17.6%) were more common than other protozoans in immunocompetent children.
Multiprocessor information concealment architecture to prevent power analysis-based side channel attacks

Side channel attackers observe external manifestations of internal computations in an embedded system to predict the encryption key employed. The ability to examine such external manifestations (power dissipation or electromagnetic emissions) is a major threat to secure embedded systems. This study proposes a secure multiprocessor architecture to prevent side channel attacks, based on a dual-core algorithmic balancing technique, where two identical cores are used. Both cores use a single clock and encrypt simultaneously, with one core executing the original encryption, whereas the second executes the complementary encryption. This effectively balances the crucial information from the power profile (note that it is the information and not the power profile itself), hiding the actual key from the adversary attempting an attack based on differential power analysis (DPA). The two cores normally execute different tasks, but will encrypt together to foil a side channel attack. The authors show that, when our technique is applied, DPA fails on the most common block ciphers, data encryption standard (DES) and advanced encryption standard (AES), leaving the attacker with little useful information with which to perpetrate an attack.
SYSTRAN's Pure Neural Machine Translation Systems

Since the first online demonstration of Neural Machine Translation (NMT) by LISA, NMT development has recently moved from laboratory to production systems as demonstrated by several entities announcing roll-out of NMT engines to replace their existing technologies. NMT systems have a large number of training configurations and the training process of such systems is usually very long, often a few weeks, so role of experimentation is critical and important to share. In this work, we present our approach to production-ready systems simultaneously with release of online demonstrators covering a large variety of languages (12 languages, for 32 language pairs). We explore different practical choices: an efficient and evolutive open-source framework; data preparation; network architecture; additional implemented features; tuning for production; etc. We discuss about evaluation methodology, present our first findings and we finally outline further work. Our ultimate goal is to share our expertise to build competitive production systems for "generic" translation. We aim at contributing to set up a collaborative framework to speed-up adoption of the technology, foster further research efforts and enable the delivery and adoption to/by industry of use-case specific engines integrated in real production workflows. Mastering of the technology would allow us to build translation engines suited for particular needs, outperforming current simplest/uniform systems.
Generalized Matching : a new approach to concurrent logic optimization and library binding

In this work we describe a novel approach to the classical problem of library binding. We de ne the concept of generalized matching, a Boolean constraint whose satisfaction allows us to nd all possible input assignments for which a library element matches a given Boolean relation. Completely and incompletely speci ed Boolean functions are treated as particular cases. Generalized matching supports the simultaneous matching of more than one single-output cell (or the optimal use of multi-output cells) and allows the optimization of pin-assignment dependent cost functions. We describe a fully symbolic procedure for generalized matching, and we discuss the related e ciency issues. The advantages of generalized matching over traditional Boolean matching are then discussed by means of examples.