Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intercepting Rogue Robots: An Algorithm for Capturing Multiple Evaders With Multiple Pursuers

We propose a distributed algorithm for the cooperative pursuit of multiple evaders using multiple pursuers in a bounded convex environment. The algorithm is suitable for intercepting rogue drones in protected airspace, among other applications. The pursuers do not know the evaders’ policy, but by using a global “area-minimization” strategy based on a Voronoi tessellation of the environment, we guarantee the capture of all evaders in finite time. We present a decentralized version of this policy applicable in two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D environments, and show in multiple simulations that it outperforms other decentralized multipursuer heuristics. Experiments with both autonomous and human-controlled robots were conducted to demonstrate the practicality of the approach. Specifically, human-controlled evaders are not able to avoid capture with the algorithm.
Basin of Attraction of Associative Memory as it Evolves from Random Weights

We apply genetic algorithms to fully connected Hop eld associative memory networks. Previously, we reported that a genetic algorithm can evolve networks with random synaptic weights to store some number of patterns by pruning some of its synapses. The associative memory capacity obtained in that experiment was around 16% of the number of neurons. However the size of basin of attraction was rather small compared to the original Hebb-rule associative memory. In this paper, we present a new version of the previous method trying to control the basin size. As far as we know, this is the rst attempt to address the size of basin of attraction of associative memory by evolutionary processes.
Twitter As a Multilingual Source of Comparable Corpora

This article describes a new method to build comparable corpora from Twitter. Our strategy relies on the fact that Twitter is one of the most popular online social microblog allowing large audiences to express their thoughts and reactions about specific events or breaking news in various languages. Given two languages and a particular topic, We propose the exploitation of tweets in the two selected languages whose content is focused on the selected topic from the microblog Twitter in order to construct a comparable corpus.
PATTERNS AND COINCIDENCES IN THE LIGHT CURVES OF ACTIVE GALAXIES

We draw attention to some intriguing coincident patterns in the optical light curves of NGC 4151 and NGC 5548. Inspecting the light curves of these two classic Seyferts, we find evidence for at least five occurrences of a similar sequence of variations. This pattern consists of a ~ 2 yr long sequence of shorter flares, with a total energy of 3--5 10^{50} ergs in the B-band. We predict that the on-going monitoring campain on NGC 5548 should soon reveal more occurrences of this general pattern if it is truly recurrent. We speculate on the possibility that this pattern is associated with a fundamental/universal `unit' of variability in active galaxies, and discuss a possible connection with the variability properties of QSOs.
Explaining Chief Executive Empowerment: EU Summitry and Domestic Institutional Change

One of the most prominent trends in the organisation of European parliamentary democracies is the empowerment of chief executives. This article submits that an important reason contributing to this development is summit decision-making in the European Union, which requires states to confer additional authority, discretion and resources on chief executives. The effects are long-term shifts in the domestic institutional balance of power between the executive and the legislature, as well as within the executive branch. The explanatory power of this argument is tested through a case study of chief executive empowerment in Sweden, as well as comparative qualitative evidence from a broader set of European states. The findings carry implications for research on the presidentialisation of politics, the domestic implications of international cooperation, and the Europeanisation of EU member countries.
Uveal melanoma: epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of primary disease

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignancy and arises from melanocytes in the iris, ciliary body, or choroid. Early diagnosis and local treatment is crucial, as survival correlates with primary tumor size. However, approximately 50% of patients will develop metastatic disease with 6–12 months’ survival from metastatic diagnosis. Genomic analyses have led to the development of gene-expression profiles that effectively predict metastatic progression; unfortunately, no adjuvant therapy has been shown to prolong survival to date. New insights into the molecular biology of UM have found frequent activating mutations in genes encoding for the G-protein α-subunit, GNAQ and GNA11, and improved understanding of the downstream signaling pathways MAPK, PI3K/Akt, and Hippo have afforded an array of new targets for treatment of this disease. Studies are under way with rationally developed regimens targeting these pathways, and novel agents are under development. We review the diagnosis, management, and surveillance of primary UM and the adjuvant therapy trials under way.
Competition Trade-offs of Two Bloom Algae under Experimental Non-Steady State Nutrient Limitation

Two bloom algae of Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz(Microcystis) and Scenedesmus obliquus (Turp.) Kutz(Scenedesmus) were cultured under experimental non-steady-state conditions, using the "pulse" adding method. The result obtained of tests showed that Microcystis was almost always the predominant algae as pulse was 1d with regardless of availability of nutrients, Microcystis showed susceptible Nitrogen under Nitrogen(N) and Phosphorus(P) limits. The N:P supply ratio have a strong effect on species compositions. The symbiosis of two species was only observed under two different supply pulse(1d and 8d) under NP limits. Cells size of Scenedesmus increased as nutrient concentration decreased, becoming larger when NP nutrients limited. However, Microcystis cells size was not changed so significantly as Scenedesmus, and difference of which was no more than 3 μm2 with whatever nutrient availability. Analysis of the results indicated that competition between the two algae was related to pulses under different nutrient limits. According to theory of gleaner-opportunist trade-off, Microcystis showed the characteristics of an "opportunist" and Scenedesmus was more likely to be a "gleaner". The symbiosis of two bloom species coincided with the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH). The two algae might change their cell size and shape to strive for more nutrients.
Neural networks for fitting PES data distributions of asphaltene interaction

Neural networks methodology is a tool to get potential energy surface (PES) in cases where there is too much dispersion of data; hence, a binding energy fitting can be found with this methodology on asphaltene-asphaltene molecular interaction. A data distribution of intermolecular pair potential (UAA) interaction in a vacuum between two molecular asphaltenes systems using compass classical force field has been previously reported (Energy Fuels 2006, 20, 195). In the latter, all possible interactions between the species were taken into account. Focusing in their data distribution, we have applied neural networks on the following molecule-molecule geometry orientations with the purpose of obtaining energy vs. contact distance, which is the minimum distance where the interacting species is not equal to zero: i) face-to-face distribution of asphaltene-asphaltene interactions; ii) all geometry asphaltene-asphaltene discrete distributions, and iii) the random distribution of asphaltene-asphaltene interactions. Neural networks fit provide a potential energy surface through a function approximation, for a data distribution of high dispersion; hence a binding energy is found with this methodology.
Will ToR Achieve Its Goals in the "Future Internet"? An Empirical Study of Using ToR with Cloud Computing

With the wide development and deployment of mobile devices and gadgets, a larger number of users go online in so many aspects of their daily lives. The challenge is to enjoy the conveniences of online activities while limiting privacy scarifies. In response to the increasing number of online-hacking scandals, mechanisms for protecting users privacy continue to evolve. An example of such mechanisms is the Onion Router (ToR), a free software for enabling online anonymity and resisting censorship. Despite the fact that ToR is a dominant anonymizerin the current Internet, the emergence of new communication and inter-networking trends such as Cloud Computing, Software Defined Networks and Information Centric Networks places a question mark whether ToR will fulfil its promises with these trend of the "Future Internet". This paper aims at answering the question by implementing ToR on a number of Cloud platforms and discussing the security properties of ToR.
A Dead End: A Review of Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and malignant cancers of the central nervous system (CNS). GBM tumors are derived from glial cells, the most common cell type in the CNS. Glial cells and neuronal cells, the other category of CNS cells, work in concert to produce a functional nervous system. Neuronal cells work to transmit signals to and from the brain, while glial cells act as the “glue” of the CNS. Glial cells help to maintain homeostasis, generate myelin, and support and protect neuronal cells (Society for Neuroscience). Different types of glial cells include astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and Schwann cells. When a glial cell becomes cancerous, it develops into a glioma, or a glial-derived tumor (Society for Neuroscience). GBM is derived specifically from astrocytes, and is therefore a type of astrocytoma (American Brain Tumor Association). This review will focus on the epidemiology, risk factors, pathology, and treatment of GBM. The molecular basis of GBM, including EGFR amplification and PTEN mutation, will also be discussed, as well the ways in which the molecular understanding of GBM has led to future treatments for this fatal disease.
Malicious sniffing systems detection platform

Among various types of attacks on an Ethernet network, a "sniffing attack" is probably one of the most difficult attacks to handle. Sniffers are programs that allow a host to capture any packets in an Ethernet network, by putting the host's network interface card (NIC) into the promiscuous mode. When a host's NIC is in the normal mode, it captures only the packets sent to the host. Since many basic services, such as FTP and SMTP, send passwords and data in clear text in the packets, Sniffers can be used by hackers to capture passwords and confidential data. This paper presents the design and implementation of two different techniques which can be used to detect any host running a sniffer on an Ethernet network. The first technique, ARP (address resolution protocol) detection, attempts first to send trap ARP request packets with fake hardware addresses, to a suspicious host. Then, based on the generated responses (ARP reply packets) and the operating system (OS) of the suspicious host, a decision is made on whether or not the suspicious host is running a sniffer. The second technique, RTT detection, uses the measurement of the RTT (round-trip time) of ICMP packets sent to suspicious hosts. Then, using a statistical model (the z-statistics) a probabilistic decision is made. The two techniques are implemented in two tools that automatically give system administrator a helping hand regarding the detection of sniffers on an Ethernet network. Related and future works are discussed.
The rearrangement of synaptic actin networks after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus and pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling

Post status epilepticus (SE) and chemical kindling are two widely used animal models for epileptic studies The pilocarpine-treated C57BL/6 mice exhibited stereotypical alterations of F-actin networks, including a severe reduction of F-actin in area CA1-CA3 and in the hilum. By contrast, F-actin networks seemed less affected by pentylenetetrazol kindling, and almost no remarkable alterations were noted in area CA1 or in the hilum. The overall labeling of F-actin in the hippocampus was generally consistent with the pathological observations on dendritic spines reported in both the epileptic models. Because the reorganized F-actin network can lead to long-term stabilization of synaptic changes and to consolidation of the enhanced neuronal activity, the alterations of F-actin networks may be related to the aberrant hyperexcitability in the epileptic animals.
A Versatile Method for Immunofluorescent Staining of Cells Cultured on Permeable Membrane Inserts

Background Obtaining high-quality images of cellular structures via immunofluorescence staining is critical for cellular localization studies. Often, these studies cannot be performed in parallel with certain oncology, virology, pharmacokinetic, and drug absorption studies due to model system technicalities requiring the cells to be cultured on porous membranes rather than glass or plastic. Material/Methods Here, we report a method of immunofluorescent staining of cells cultured on permeable membranes. Results As proof of principle, HeLa cells grown on Transwell® membrane supports were stained with fluorescently labeled antibodies using this modified immunofluorescence staining method and visualized by fluorescent microscopy. Conclusions This protocol is a convenient alternative to staining cells on glass coverslips, thereby expanding the scope and applications of this important research tool.
Intrinsic Capacity of Random Scattered Spatial Communication

We consider information transfer under spatially constrained wireless communication through a scattered random environment. We show that the capacity of the channel is dominated by the free-space separation of the transmit and receive regions from the scattering environment. We show that the free-space separation produces a compact random channel operator whose information rate may be estimated via a water-pouring result. We apply our results to the dense-scattered spatial channel, to provide a novel upper-bound on the capacity of information transfer in a scattered environment
Comparison of the aetiology of stillbirth over five decades in a single centre: a retrospective study

Objective To compare the rates and aetiologies of stillbirth over the past 50 years. Study design We reviewed all autopsy reports for stillbirths occurring between 1989 and 2009 at the McGill University Health Centre to determine the pathological aetiology of stillbirths. We also reviewed maternal characteristics. We compared our results with a previous study published in 1992 on aetiologies of stillbirth from 1961 to 1988 at the same institution. Results From among the 79 410 births between 1989 and 2009, 217 stillbirths were included in our study. The mean maternal age was 31.05 (±5.8) years. In 28.1% of cases, there was a history of subfertility. The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 32.69 (±5.58) weeks, with a birthweight of 1888 (±1084) g. The main causes of stillbirth were unknown (26.7%), placental factors (19.8%) and abruptio placentae (12.9%). Other causes included haematogenous or ascending infection (10.6%), fetal malformations (8.3%), maternal hypertension (3.2%), intrauterine growth restriction (2.8%), diabetes (1.8%) and intrapartum asphyxia (1.4%). Other fetal causes were found in 12.4% of cases. Conclusions Owing to detailed pathological examination of most stillbirth cases over the past five decades at our tertiary obstetrical centre, we could study the trends in the aetiology of stillbirths in a cohort of more than 150 000 births. In 50 years, the rate of stillbirth has decreased from 115 to 32 cases/10 000 births from the 1960s to 2000s, which represents a reduction of 72%. Stillbirth from unknown cause remains the most common contributor, with 40% of these cases occurring in late pregnancy.
Phase-resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4—3658

We present new results based on RXTE observations of the millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4−3658, carried out during the decay of the 1998 April outburst. The X-ray spectrum can be fitted by a two-component model. We interpret the soft component as blackbody emission from a heated spot on the neutron star, and the hard component as coming from Comptonization in plasma heated by the accretion shock as the material collimated by the magnetic field impacts on to the neutron star surface. The hotspot is probably the source of seed photons for Comptonization. The hard component illuminates the disc, giving rise to a reflected spectrum. The amount of reflection indicates that the disc is truncated at fairly large radii (20–40Rg), consistent with the lack of relativistic smearing of the spectral features. The inferred evolution of the inner radius is not consistent with the magnetic field truncating the disc. Instead, it seems more likely that the inner disc radius is set by some much longer time-scale process, most probably connected to the overall evolution of the accretion disc. This disc truncation mechanism would then have to be generic in all low-mass accretion rate flows both in disc accreting neutron stars and black hole systems. The phase-resolved spectra show clearly that the blackbody and hard Comptonized spectra pulse independently. This obviously gives an energy-dependent phase-lag. Full general relativistic effects are not required to explain this. The soft blackbody component is optically thick, so its variability is dominated by its changing projected area, while the Doppler shifts (which are maximized 90° before the maximum in projected area) are somewhat stronger for the translucent column. We do not detect Compton reflection from the neutron star surface, though we predict that it should be present in the X-ray spectrum. This would give an unambiguous observational measure of M/R if there is any iron on the neutron star surface which is not completely ionized.
A hybrid approach to deriving selectional preferences

A hybrid approach to automatic derivation of class-based selectional preferences is proposed. A lexicon of selectional preferences can assist in handling several forms of ambiguity, a major problem for MT. The approach combines knowledge-rich parsing and lexicons, with statistics and corpus data. We illustrate the use of a selectional preference lexicon for anaphora resolution.
Modeling and solving the train pathing problem

In a railroad system, train pathing is concerned with the assignment of trains to links and tracks, and train timetabling allocates time slots to trains. In this paper, we present an optimization heuristic to solve the train pathing and timetabling problem. This heuristic allows the dwell time of trains in a station or link to be dependent on the assigned tracks. It also allows the minimum clearance time between the trains to depend on their relative status. The heuristic generates a number of alternative paths for each train service in the initialization phase. Then it uses a neighborhood search approach to find good feasible combinations of these paths. A linear program is developed to evaluate the quality of each combination that is encountered. Numerical examples are provided.
A multiple threshold for image secret sharing based on Cauchy matrix

Image secret sharing is an important research topic in the field of information security. Compared to a lot of digital information, images are favored in the network due to having a vivid, visual characteristics. However, most image secret sharing schemes without considering the characteristics of the image just regard the image as a series of general data and directly using the common secret sharing method for data. Based on the fact that the image has a high redundancy characteristic, a multiple threshold image secret sharing scheme is proposed in this paper. The quality of the recovered image varies as the number of shares, and this program with good usability is in authority managements and other aspects.
Stereo calibration in vehicles

In this paper we present a self-calibration approach that updates the extrinsic parameters and the focal lengths of a stereo vision sensor. We employ a recursive estimation algorithm based on an Extended Kalman Filter. To improve the self-calibration process, we introduce a robust innovation stage for the Kalman filter: A Least Median Squares estimator is employed to eliminate outliers and thus to achieve better performance. The algorithm gives promising results on experiments with synthetic and natural imagery.
Exploiting multi-flow diversity for mitigating intra-flow interference in wireless mesh networks

We consider the problem of improving network capacity in wireless mesh networks from the angle of multi-flow diversity. As consecutive packets on a multihop path can interfere with one another within their interference range, the number of concurrent transmissions is limited, thereby degrading throughput performance. This intra-flow interference can be alleviated by enhancing multi-flow diversity in wireless mesh networks. Hence, we propose the use of a fair queueing policy to evenly distribute the traffic load to achieve fair bandwidth allocation among the flows. Through ns-2 simulations we subsequently show that CHOKe can effectively reduce intra-flow interference and improve throughput performance.
Oviposition Decision of the Weevil Exapion ulicis on Ulex europaeus Depends on External and Internal Pod Cues

Understanding mechanisms underlying insects’ host choice and plant susceptibility is important to the study of plant-insect interactions in general, and in the context of plant invasions. This study investigates the oviposition and feeding choices of the specialist weevil Exapion ulicis on the invasive plant species Ulex europaeus, gorse. To do so, we studied the oviposition and feeding preferences of the weevil in choice experiments, using pods and flowers, respectively, from gorses grown in a common garden. The plants used came from regions with different infestation histories: Brittany and Scotland belong to the native range, where the weevil is present, while Reunion and New Zealand belong to the invasive range, where the weevil was not initially introduced with gorse. Results of these experiments suggest that the oviposition choice of E. ulicis females is driven by cues located at the surface of pods and inside them, including pod size and pod seed content. Feeding-choice experiments showed a different pattern of preference compared to oviposition. Taken together with previous studies, our results reveal that E. ulicis uses several traits to choose its host, including whole-plant traits, flower traits and pod traits.
SemantiCode: using content similarity and database-driven matching to code wearable eyetracker gaze data

Laboratory eyetrackers, constrained to a fixed display and static (or accurately tracked) observer, facilitate automated analysis of fixation data. Development of wearable eyetrackers has extended environments and tasks that can be studied at the expense of automated analysis. Wearable eyetrackers provide 2D point-of-regard (POR) in scene-camera coordinates, but the researcher is typically interested in some high-level semantic property (e.g., object identity, region, or material) surrounding individual fixation points. The synthesis of POR into fixations and semantic information remains a labor-intensive manual task, limiting the application of wearable eyetracking. We describe a system that segments POR videos into fixations and allows users to train a database-driven, object-recognition system. A correctly trained library results in a very accurate and semi-automated translation of raw POR data into a sequence of objects, regions or materials.