Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Architecture for Fast and Accurate Control of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

This paper presents a new control architecture for fast, accurate force control of antagonistic pairs of shape memory alloy wires. The main components are: a differential-mode controller which controls the output force, an anti-slack mechanism, a rapid-heating mechanism and an anti-overload mechanism. The closed-loop response is fast and accurate, even in the presence of large external motion disturbances. There is no sign of limit cycles, and the performance is unaffected by large load inertias. This paper also presents an architecture for position control, in which a position feedback loop is added to the force control architecture. Experimental results show force control accuracies as high as 1 mN in a 13 N range, force output rates as high as 50 N s 21 , and highly accurate position control with steady-state errors below the resolution of the position encoder.
Dynamical biomechanical model of the shoulder for muscle-force estimation

A biomechanical model of the human shoulder complex is proposed for quasi-static and dynamic estimation of the muscle forces and joint reaction forces in the glenohumeral joint. The model bases itself on the Garner & Pandy model but adds a dynamic layer. The muscle forces are estimated using a two stage approach. First, a set of joint motions are estimated using a minimal set of coordinates. Second, inverse dynamics combined with static optimization are used to estimate the associated muscle forces. To improve the solution, the muscle force estimation problem is decomposed into two parts solved sequentially: i) the forces in the muscles spanning the glenohumeral joint are found and ii) the rest of the forces are found so as to satisfy the equilibrium condition. The minimal set of coordinates are also found using the same decomposition of the system. The muscle-force and joint reaction force results are compared to values found in the literature.
Japanese vowel recognition based on structural representation of speech

Speech acoustics varies from speaker to speaker, microphone to microphone, room to room, line to line, etc. Physically speaking, every speech sample is distorted. Socially speaking, however, speech is the easiest communication media for humans. In order to cope with the inevitable distortions, speech engineers have built HMMs with speech data of hundreds or thousands of speakers and the models are called speaker-independent models. But they often need to be adapted to the input speaker or environment and this fact claims that the speaker-independent models are not really speaker-independent. Recently, a novel acoustic representation of speech was proposed, where dimensions of the above distortions can hardly be seen. It discards every acoustic substance of speech and captures only their interrelations to represent speech acoustics structurally. The new representation can be interpreted linguistically as physical implementation of structural phonology and also psychologically as speech Gestalt. In this paper, the first recognition experiment was carried out to investigate the performance of the new representation. The results showed that the new models trained from a single speaker with no normalization can outperform the conventional models trained from 4,130 speakers with CMN.
Robust malware detection with Dual-Lane AdaBoost

As an effective algorithm that integrates weak learners into a strong one, AdaBoost has found its application in various fields. Traditional AdaBoost works under the supervised learning scenario. Typically, with a limited number of labeled instances available, the learning performance is jeopardized. In this paper, we propose a novel Dual-Lane AdaBoost algorithm, which introduces semi-supervised learning into AdaBoost. On one hand, weak learners pass the weights on the labeled instances to the subsequent ones. On the other hand, the unlabeled instances with high confidence are recommended from one weak learner to another. From the perspective of information flow, we establish a dual-lane path between the weak learners. In this way, both the labeled and the unlabeled instances are fully explored and exploited. Consequently, the integrated strong learner can be remarkably improved. Experimental results on the malware dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Supergravity approach to tachyon potential in brane-antibrane systems

Using an exact supergravity solution representing the , it is demonstrated that one can construct a supergravity analogue of the tachyon potential. Remarkably, the (regularized) minimum value of the potential turns out to be V(T0) = −2m with m denoting the ADM mass of a single Dp-brane. This result, in a sense, appears to confirm that Sen's conjecture for the tachyon condensation on unstable D-branes is indeed correct although the analysis used here is semi-classical in nature and hence should be taken with some care. Also shown is the fact that the tachyon mass squared m2T (which has started out as being negative) can actually become positive definite and large as the tachyon rolls down toward the minimum of its potential. It indeed signals the possibility of successful condensation of the tachyon since it shows that near the minimum of its potential, tachyon can become heavy enough to disappear from the massless spectrum. Some cosmological implications of this tachyon potential in the context of ``rolling tachyons'' is also discussed.
Towards Automating Grammar Equivalence Checking EPFL-REPORT-206921

We consider from practical perspective the (generally undecidable) problem of checking equivalence of context-free grammars. We present both techniques for proving equivalence, as well as techniques for finding counter-examples that establish non-equivalence. Among the key building blocks of our approach is a novel algorithm for efficiently enumerating and sampling words and parse trees from arbitrary context-free grammars; the algorithm supports polynomial time random access to words belonging to the grammar. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm for proving equivalence of context-free grammars that is complete for LL grammars, yet can be invoked on any context-free grammar, including ambiguous grammars. Our techniques successfully find discrepancies between different syntax specifications of several real-world languages, and is capable of detecting fine-grained incremental modifications performed on grammars. Our evaluation shows that our tool improves significantly on the existing available state of the art tools. In addition, we used these algorithms to develop an online tutoring system for grammars that we then used in an undergraduate course on computer language processing. On questions involving grammar constructions, our system was able to automatically evaluate the correctness of 95% equivalence questions: it disproved 74% of cases and proved 21% of them. This opens up the possibility of using our tool in massive open online courses to introduce grammars to large populations of students.
Supernova Remnants in the AKARI IRC Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present the near- to mid-infared study of supernova remnants (SNRs) using the AKARI IRC Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC survey observed about a 10 square degree area of the LMC in five bands centered at 3, 7, 11, 15, and 24 \micron using the Infrared Camera (IRC) aboard AKARI. The number of SNRs in the survey area is 21, which is about a half of the known LMC SNRs. We systematically examined the AKARI images and identified eight SNRs with distinguishable infrared emission. All of them were detected at $\gtrsim 10$ \micron and some at 3 and 7 \micron, too. We present their AKARI images and fluxes. In the 11/15 \micron versus 15/24 \micron color-color diagram, the SNRs appear to be aligned along a modified blackbody curve, representing thermal emission from dust at temperatures between 90 and 190 K. There is a good correlation between the 24 \micron and X-ray fluxes of the SNRs. It was also found that there is a good correlation between the 24 \micron and radio fluxes even if there is no direct physical connection between them. We considered the origin of the detected mid-infrared emission in individual SNRs. We conclude that the mid-infrared emissions in five SNRs that show morphologies similar to the X-rays are dominated by thermal emission from hot dust heated by X-ray emitting plasma. Their 15/24 \micron color temperatures are generally higher than the Spitzer 24/70 \micron color temperatures, which suggests that a single-temperature dust model cannot describe the full spectral energy distribution (SED) of the SNRs. It also implies that our understanding of the full SED is essential for estimating the dust destruction rate of grains by SNR shocks.
A Wideband Supply Modulator for 20 MHz RF Bandwidth Polar PAs in 65 nm CMOS

Polar modulated RF amplifiers have the potential to enhance efficiency while achieving sufficient linearity for a signal having non-constant envelope. However, switching modulators used in such architectures to generate the envelope signal are difficult to implement because of the high bandwidth and low switching ripple requirement, while achieving high efficiency even at large power back-off. This paper presents a wideband supply modulator for a 20 MHz RF bandwidth polar modulated PA. Realized in 65 nm CMOS, it consists of a cascoded nested Miller compensated linear amplifier and a class D switching amplifier. The class-AB linear amplifier with cascoded Miller compensation in the modulator reduces the output switching ripple to 4.3 mVrms at a switching frequency of 118 MHz. With an optimized design the modulator achieves a maximum efficiency of 87.5% and a small signal -3 dB bandwidth of 285 MHz. At 10 dB back-off the efficiency is more than 40%. The modulator can deliver 22.7 dBm output power to a 5.3 Omega load. It satisfies the linearity requirement of IEEE 802.11g WLAN signal when tested in a real polar modulated amplifier.
Locally Adaptive Products for All‐Frequency Relighting

Triple product integrals evaluate the shading at a point by factoring the reflection equation into incident illumination, visibility, and BRDF. By densely sampling the space of incident directions, this approach is capable of highly accurate rendering scenes lit by high‐frequency environment lighting, containing complex materials and featuring intricate shadows. Efficient evaluation of triple product integrals using Haar wavelets enables near‐interactive rendering of such scenes, while dynamically changing the lighting and the view. Although faster methods have been proposed in the recent real‐time rendering literature, the approximations employed in these methods typically limit them to lower frequency phenomena.
Wikification of Concept Mentions within Spoken Dialogues Using Domain Constraints from Wikipedia

While most previous work on Wikification has focused on written texts, this paper presents a Wikification approach for spoken dialogues. A set of analyzers are proposed to learn dialogue-specific properties along with domain knowledge of conversations from Wikipedia. Then, the analyzed properties are used as constraints for generating candidates, and the candidates are ranked to find the appropriate links. The experimental results show that our proposed approach can significantly improve the performances of the task in human-human dialogues.
Structure, Elemental Composition and Isotopic Composition of Presolar Silicates in MET 00426

Introduction: Other than nanodiamonds, silicates are the most abundant circumstellar condensate grains found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles [1]. Laboratory analyses of these grains can provide complementary information to telescope-based IR-spectroscopy studies of grains in circumstellar disks, as well as inform our understanding of the circumstel-lar condensation process. The 10-micron region of the IR spectra of most circumstellar disks appears devoid of sharp features, which is consistent with a predominance of amorphous grains [2]. However, crystalline fractions above 50% have been estimated for some disks [3]. Previous transmission electron microscopy studies of circumstellar silicates are limited to ~ 18 grains in total, of which 4 were olivine [4-7], 1 a me-tastable grain with a perovskite-like structure and py-roxene composition [8], and the remainder amorphous to finely nanocrystalline [6, 9-12]. The laboratory analysis and astronomical observations appear to be in general agreement over the predominance of amorphous grains. However, further work is needed to understand whether the laboratory data are biased by choice of host meteorite, targeting of larger grains, or other effects, and to look for signatures of post-condensation processes, such as radiation or grain-grain collisions effects. By performing coordinated analysis of in situ silicates in primitive meteorites using secondary ion mass spectrometry for isotopic identification , Auger electron spectroscopy for high-spatial resolution surface composition measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for structure and cross-section composition measurements, we aim to address the range of circumstellar dust primary mi-crostructures and elemental compositions, and any correlation with the type of progenitor star. Here we report TEM analysis of two grains from the MET 00426 CR3 chondrite, previously characterized by NanoSIMS and Auger spectroscopy [13]. Experimental: We targeted three grains identified as isotopically anomalous for focused ion beam lift-out and subsequent TEM study. The isotopic compositions of the grains were measured using the Cameca NanoSIMS at Washington University. Elemental spectra of the surface of these grains were obtained with the Washington University Auger Nanoprobe, and quantified based on sensitivity factors for olivine and pyroxene standards.
The Effect of Guidance and Counseling Programs on the LearProcesses of Visually Impaired High School Students

Guidance and counseling programs aim to lead and guide students by assisting them to achieve developmental tasks. This study investigated the role and effect of a guidance and counseling program on the learning processes of visually impaired students in an inclusive educational setting. The study also investigated the implementation of the principles and services of the program for such students. The respondents were visually impaired students and their teachers and counselors. The study was conducted at several senior high schools providing inclusive education in Bandung and the surrounding areas. In line with the characteristics of the investigated challenges, this study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results of this study showed various problems in the learning processes of visually impaired students. To solve these problems, both teachers and counselors provided guidance and counseling to help students in their learning process. The programs also encouraged students to enter university by helping them develop selfconfidence. Keywords: guidance and counseling, blind students, inclusive education
The Swift BAT X-Ray Survey. III. X-Ray Spectra and Statistical Properties

In this concluding part of the series of three papers dedicated to the Swift BAT hard X-ray survey (BXS), we focus on the X-ray spectral analysis and statistical properties of the source sample. Using a dedicated method to extract time-averaged spectra of BAT sources, we show that Galactic sources have, generally, softer spectra than extragalactic objects and that Seyfert 2 galaxies are harder than Seyfert 1s. The averaged spectrum of all Seyfert galaxies is consistent with a power-law with a photon index of 2.00 ± 0.07. The cumulative flux-number relation for the extragalactic sources in the 14-170 keV band is best described by a power-law with a slope α = 1.55 ± 0.20 and a normalization of 9.6 ± 1.9 × 10−3 AGNs deg−2 (or 396 ± 80 AGNs all-sky) above a flux level of 2 × 10−11 ergs cm−2 s−1 (~0.85 mcrab). The integration of the cumulative flux per unit area indicates that BAT resolves 1%-2% of the X-ray background emission in the 14-170 keV band. A subsample of 24 extragalactic sources above the 4.5 σ detection limit is used to study the statistical properties of AGNs. This sample is composed of local Seyfert galaxies (z = 0.026, median value) and ~10% blazars. We find that 55% of the Seyfert galaxies are absorbed by column densities of NH > 1022 H atoms cm−2 but that none is genuinely bona fide Compton thick. This study shows the capabilities of BAT to probe the hard X-ray sky to the millicrab level.
Competition among Sellers Who Offer Auctions Instead of Prices

In this paper we study a large market in which sellers compete by offering auctions to buyers instead of simple fixed price contracts. Two variants of the model are studied. One extends a model first analyzed by Wolinsky (1988) in which buyers learn their valuations only after meeting sellers. The other variant extends the model of McAfee (1993) in which buyers know their valuations before they choose among available auctions. The equilibrium array of auctions is characterized for each case and the efficiency properties of the equilibria are analyzed.
Testing the Link between Functional Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in a Minnesota Grassland Experiment

The functional diversity of a community can influence ecosystem functioning and reflects assembly processes. The large number of disparate metrics used to quantify functional diversity reflects the range of attributes underlying this concept, generally summarized as functional richness, functional evenness, and functional divergence. However, in practice, we know very little about which attributes drive which ecosystem functions, due to a lack of field-based tests. Here we test the association between eight leading functional diversity metrics (Rao’s Q, FD, FDis, FEve, FDiv, convex hull volume, and species and functional group richness) that emphasize different attributes of functional diversity, plus 11 extensions of these existing metrics that incorporate heterogeneous species abundances and trait variation. We assess the relationships among these metrics and compare their performances for predicting three key ecosystem functions (above- and belowground biomass and light capture) within a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment. Many metrics were highly correlated, although unique information was captured in FEve, FDiv, and dendrogram-based measures (FD) that were adjusted by abundance. FD adjusted by abundance outperformed all other metrics in predicting both above- and belowground biomass, although several others also performed well (e.g. Rao’s Q, FDis, FDiv). More generally, trait-based richness metrics and hybrid metrics incorporating multiple diversity attributes outperformed evenness metrics and single-attribute metrics, results that were not changed when combinations of metrics were explored. For light capture, species richness alone was the best predictor, suggesting that traits for canopy architecture would be necessary to improve predictions. Our study provides a comprehensive test linking different attributes of functional diversity with ecosystem function for a grassland system.
A Time Series Study of Lophelia pertusa and Reef Megafauna Responses to Drill Cuttings Exposure on the Norwegian Margin

As hotspots of local biodiversity in the deep sea, preservation of cold-water coral reef communities is of great importance. In European waters the most extensive reefs are found at depths of 300 – 500 m on the continental margin. In Norwegian waters many of these reefs are located in areas of interest for oil and gas exploration and production. In this study drilling was carried out in the Morvin drill field in proximity to a number of small Lophelia pertusa coral reefs (closest reefs 100 m upstream and 350 m downstream of point of waste drill material release). In a novel monitoring study, ROV video surveys of 9 reefs were conducted prior, during, immediately after and >1 year after drilling operations. Behavior of coral polyps inhabiting reefs exposed to differing concentrations of drill cuttings and drilling fluids (waste drilling material) were compared. Levels of expected exposure to these waste materials were determined for each reef by modelling drill cutting transport following release, using accurate in-situ hydrodynamic data collected during the drilling period and drill cutting discharge data as parameters of a dispersal model. The presence / absence of associate reef species (Acesta excavata, Paragorgia arborea and Primnoa resedaeformis) were also determined from each survey video. There were no significant differences in Lophelia pertusa polyp behavior in corals modelled to have been exposed to pulses of >25 ppm drill cutting material and those modelled to be exposed to negligible concentrations of material. From the video data collected, there were no observed degradations of reef structure over time, nor reductions of associate fauna abundance, regardless of modelled exposure concentration at any of the surveyed reefs. This study focused exclusively on adult fauna, and did not assess the potential hazard posed by waste drilling material to coral or other larvae. Video data was collected by various ROV’s, using different camera and lighting setups throughout the survey campaign, making comparison of observations prior, during and post drilling problematic. A standardization of video monitoring in future monitoring campaigns is recommended.
A study of the population of LMXBs in the bulge of M 31

Aims. We explore the population of X-ray point sources in the bulge of M 31 to contrast properties of various subpopulations, such as persistent and transient sources and primordial LMXBs and dynamically formed ones. Methods. Based on the data from 26 archival Chandra observations we study the source content and properties of various subpopulations of X-ray sources to a maximum distance of 12´ from the centre of M 31. Results. To a limiting luminosity of ${\sim} 10^{35}$ erg s -1 we find 263 X-ray point sources, with ${\sim} 1/3$ of these being background galaxies. A study of the spatial distribution and the luminosity function of the X-ray sources shows that the distribution of primordial LMXBs is consistent with the distribution of the K -band light and that their luminosity function flattens below ${\sim} 10^{37}$ erg s -1 to the ${\rm d}N/{\rm d}L\propto L^{-1}$ law in agreement with the behaviour found earlier for LMXBs in the Milky Way and in Cen A. Within a radius of $12\arcmin$, the luminosity function is independent of distance to the centre of M 31, in contrast to earlier Chandra studies. The LMXBs located in globular clusters and within ${\sim} 1\arcmin$ from the centre of M 31 are presumably created via dynamical interactions. The dynamical origin of the $r< 1\arcmin$ sources is strongly suggested by their radial distribution which follows the $\rho^2_\textit{*}$ profile rather than the K-band light distribution. Their luminosity function shows a prominent fall-off below $\log(L_{\rm X})\la 36.5$. Although the statistics is insufficient to claim a genuine low-luminosity cut-off in the luminosity function, the best fit powerlaw with a slope of $-0.6\pm0.2$ is significantly flatter than the ${\rm d}N/{\rm d}L\propto L^{-1}$ law. We also searched for transients and found 28 sources that varied by a factor larger than 20. Their spatial distribution follows the distribution of the persistent LMXBs within the accuracy allowed by the limited number of transients.