Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bundle Adjustment using Conjugate Gradients with Multiscale Preconditioning

Bundle adjustment is a key component of almost any feature based 3D reconstruction system, used to compute accurate estimates of calibration parameters and structure and motion conﬁgurations. These problems tend to be very large, often involving thousands of variables. Thus, efﬁcient optimization methods are crucial. The traditional Levenberg Marquardt algorithm with a direct sparse solver can be efﬁciently adapted to the special structure of the problem and works well for small to medium size setups. However, for larger scale conﬁgurations the cubic computational complexity makes this approach pro- hibitively expensive. The natural step here is to turn to iterative methods for solving the normal equations such as conjugate gradients. So far, there has been little progress in this direction. This is probably due to the lack of suitable pre-conditioners, which are con- sidered essential for the success of any iterative linear solver. In this paper, we show how multi scale representations, derived from the underlying geometric layout of the problem, can be used to dramatically increase the power of straight forward preconditioners such as Gauss-Seidel. (Less)
Analysis of a Multichannel Filtered-x Set-Membership Affine Projection Algorithm

The paper provides an analysis of transient and steady-state behavior of a multichannel filtered-x set-membership affine projection algorithm, suitable for multichannel active noise control. The analysis relies on energy conservation arguments and it does not apply the independence theory nor it imposes any restriction to the signal distributions. The analysis results show that the filtered-x set-membership affine projection algorithm can reduce the computational complexity without trading residual mean-square-error and convergence speed
Physical-layer network coding with non-binary channel codes

We apply non-binary coding to the two-way relay channel and evaluate two decoding schemes for the multiple-access phase at the relay: joint decoding for both users and separate decoding for a linear combination of both packets. We evaluate several efficient modulation schemes which combine favorably with non-binary coding and find that joint decoding can offer significant performance benefits.
The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Spray-Dried Plasma Is Mediated by a Reduction in Mucosal Lymphocyte Activation and Infiltration in a Mouse Model of Intestinal Inflammation

Spray-dried preparations from porcine and bovine plasma can alleviate mucosal inflammation in experimental models and improve symptoms in patients with enteropathy. In rodents, dietary supplementation with porcine spray-dried plasma (SDP) attenuates intestinal inflammation and improves the epithelial barrier function during intestinal inflammation induced by Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB). The aim of this study was to discern the molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory effects of SDP. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with 8% SDP or control diet (based on milk proteins) for two weeks, from weaning until day 33. On day 32, the mice were given a SEB dose (i.p., 25 µg/mouse) or vehicle. SEB administration increased cell recruitment to mesenteric lymph nodes and the percentage of activated Th lymphocytes and SDP prevented these effects). SDP supplementation increased the expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) or transforming growth factor- β (TGF-β) compared to the SEB group. The SEB challenge increased six-fold the expression of mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1); and these effects were attenuated by SDP supplementation. SEB also augmented NF-κB phosphorylation, an effect that was prevented by dietary SDP. Our results indicate that the anti-inflammatory effects of SDP involve the regulation of transcription factors and adhesion molecules that reduce intestinal cell infiltration and the degree of the inflammatory response.
1-30-2012 A significance test for the lasso

In the sparse linear regression setting, we consider testing the significance of the predictor variable that enters the current lasso model, in the sequence of models visited along the lasso solution path. We propose a simple test statistic based on lasso fitted values, called the covariance test statistic, and show that when the true model is linear, this statistic has an Exp(1) asymptotic distribution under the null hypothesis (the null being that all truly active variables are contained in the current lasso model). Our proof of this result assumes some (reasonable) regularity conditions on the predictor matrix X, and covers the important high-dimensional case p > n. Of course, for testing the significance of an additional variable between two nested linear models, one may use the usual chi-squared test, comparing the drop in residual sum of squares (RSS) to a χ21 distribution. But when this additional variable is not fixed, but has been chosen adaptively or greedily, this test is no longer appropriate: adaptivity makes the drop in RSS stochastically much larger than χ21 under the null hypothesis. Our analysis explicitly accounts for adaptivity, as it must, since the lasso builds an adaptive sequence of linear models as the tuning parameter λ decreases. In this analysis, shrinkage plays a key role: though additional variables are chosen adaptively, the coefficients of lasso active variables are shrunken due to the l1 penalty. Therefore the test statistic (which is based on lasso fitted values) is in a sense balanced by these two opposing properties—adaptivity and shrinkage—and its null distribution is tractable and asymptotically Exp(1).
Heterozygosity is linked to the costs of immunity in nestling great tits (Parus major)

There is growing evidence that heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs) are more pronounced under harsh conditions. Empirical evidence suggests a mediating effect of parasite infestation on the occurrence of HFCs. Parasites have the potential to mediate HFCs not only by generally causing high stress levels but also by inducing resource allocation tradeoffs between the necessary investments in immunity and other costly functions. To investigate the relative importance of these two mechanisms, we manipulated growth conditions of great tit nestlings by brood size manipulation, which modifies nestling competition, and simultaneously infested broods with ectoparasites. We investigated under which treatment conditions HFCs arise and, second, whether heterozygosity is linked to tradeoff decisions between immunity and growth. We classified microsatellites as neutral or presumed functional and analyzed these effects separately. Neutral heterozygosity was positively related to the immune response to a novel antigen in parasite-free nests, but not in infested nests. For nestlings with lower heterozygosity levels, the investments in immunity under parasite pressure came at the expenses of reduced feather growth, survival, and female body condition. Functional heterozygosity was negatively related to nestling immune response regardless of the growth conditions. These contrasting effects of functional and neutral markers might indicate different underlying mechanisms causing the HFCs. Our results confirm the importance of considering marker functionality in HFC studies and indicate that parasites mediate HFCs by influencing the costs of immune defense rather than by a general increase in environmental harshness levels.
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics in cosmology: a comparative study of implementations

We analyse the performance of 12 different implementations of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) using seven tests designed to isolate key hydrodynamic elements of cosmological simulations which are known to cause the SPH algorithm problems. In order, we consider a shock tube, spherical adiabatic collapse, cooling flow model, drag, a cosmological simulation, rotating cloud-collapse and angular momentum transport. In the implementations special attention is given to the way in which force symmetry is enforced in the equations of motion. We study in detail how the hydrodynamics are affected by different implementations of the artificial viscosity including those with a shear-correction modification. We present an improved first-order smoothing-length update algorithm that is designed to remove instabilities that are present in simple forward prediction algorithms. Gravity is calculated using the adaptive particle–particle, particle–mesh algorithm. For all tests we find that the artificial viscosity is the single most important factor distinguishing the results from the various implementations. The shock tube and adiabatic collapse problems show that the artificial viscosity used in the hydra code prior to version 4.0 performs relatively poorly for simulations involving strong shocks when compared to a more standard artificial viscosity. The shear-correction term is shown to reduce the shock-capturing ability of the algorithm and to lead to a spurious increase in angular momentum in the rotating cloud-collapse problem. For the disc stability test, the shear-corrected and previous hydra artificial viscosities are shown to reduce outward angular momentum transport. The cosmological simulations produce comparatively similar results, with the fraction of gas in the hot and cold phases varying by less than 10 per cent amongst the versions. Similarly, the drag test shows little systematic variation amongst versions. The cooling flow tests show that implementations using the force symmetrization of Thomas & Couchman are more prone to accelerate the overcooling instability of SPH, although the problem is generic to SPH. The second most important factor in code performance is the way force symmetry is achieved in the equation of motion. Most results favour a kernel symmetrization approach. The exact method by which SPH pressure forces are included in the equation of motion appears to have comparatively little effect on the results. Combining the equation of motion presented by Thomas & Couchman with a modification of the Monaghan & Gingold artificial viscosity leads to an SPH scheme that is both fast and reliable.
A short-time performance analysis in table tennis

: a method of table tennis performance analysis is proposed. The key features of the proposed method is (1) the data collecting operation does not require a lot of time nor heavy workload, (2) providing performance indicators for the scoring possibility depends on the shot number. In the analysis, shot number of scoring is collected and used to automate collecting other kinds of data based on the assumption that each player hits the ball alternately. Moreover, shot number of scoring is also used to compute scoring percentage and losing percentage at each shot number. An analysis example verifies the proposed method can be performed in a short time and provide the data for performance analysis in table tennis.
The Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease in the Diabetic (Compared to the Non-Diabetic) Population: A Systematic Review

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetes is a life threatening complication resulting in a poor prognosis for patients as well as high medical costs. The aims of this systematic review were (1) to evaluate the incidence of ESRD due to all causes and due to diabetic nephropathy in the diabetic population and differences between incidences of ESRD with respect to sex, ethnicity, age and regions, (2) to compare incidence rates in the diabetic and non-diabetic population, and (3) to investigate time trends. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA group guidelines by performing systematic literature searches in the biomedical databases until January 3rd 2015; thirty-two studies were included. Among patients with incident type 1 diabetes the 30-year cumulative incidence ranged from 3.3% to 7.8%. Among patients with prevalent diabetes, incidence rates of ESRD due to all causes ranged from 132.0 to 167.0 per 100,000 person-years, whereas incidence rates of ESRD due to diabetic nephropathy varied from 38.4 to 804.0 per 100,000 person-years. The incidence of ESRD in the diabetic population was higher compared to the non-diabetic population, and relative risks varied from 6.2 in the white population to 62.0 among Native Americans. The results regarding time trends were inconsistent. The review conducted demonstrates the considerable variation of incidences of ESRD among the diabetic population. Consistent findings included an excess risk when comparing the diabetic to the non-diabetic population and ethnic differences. We recommend that newly designed studies should use standardized methods for the determination of ESRD and population at risk.
Retracking CryoSat-2, Envisat and Jason-1 radar altimetry waveforms for improved gravity field recovery

1 . The arrival time estimated from the ﬁt of the analytical model to the nadir-pointing SAMOSA data agreed to better than 1 mm in absolute range. The σ parameter from the least-squares model ﬁt shows a good linear relationship with the SWH for the SAMOSA data with a misﬁt at smaller SWH due to the detailed shape of the point target response function not being fully characterized by our Gaussian analytic formulation. This comparison conﬁrms that our model is a good description of the single-look, nadir-pointing case.
Dietary nitrate increases arginine availability and protects mitochondrial complex I and energetics in the hypoxic rat heart

Exposure to environmental hypoxia, at high altitude or in a chamber, impairs cardiac energetics and alters mitochondrial function. Inorganic nitrate, a ubiquitous dietary constituent, improves mitochondrial efficiency, lowering the oxygen cost of exercise, whilst elevated circulating nitrogen oxide levels in high‐altitude natives enhances blood flow. Here we report that dietary nitrate supplementation prevents hypoxia‐induced changes in cardiac mitochondrial function and energetics, whilst ameliorating oxidative stress, suggesting improved tissue oxygenation. Furthermore, nitrate supplementation suppresses cardiac arginase expression and increases tissue l‐arginine levels under both hypoxic and normoxic conditions, underpinning a novel mechanism to enhance the availability of nitric oxide. Nitrate supplementation may thus be of benefit to individuals exposed to hypobaric hypoxia at altitude or in patients with diseases characterised by tissue hypoxia and energetic impairment, such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or in the critically ill.
A 45nm SOI-CMOS dual-PLL processor clock system for multi-protocol I/O

As processors emerge with multiple wireline interfaces for high-performance digital media, a common multi-protocol clock system is essential for cost and power reduction. We present a 45nm SOI-CMOS system that clocks an 8-lane processor I/O designed for PCI Express®, DisplayPort, and TMDS. Its ring-VCO PLL (RO-PLL) achieves 0.99ps rms jitter that can be reduced further to 0.55ps upon switching to its auxiliary LC-VCO PLL (LC-PLL). As seen in Fig. 13.2. 1, the clock system contains the two independent frequency synthesizers, an arrangement of programmable dividers to provide the required frequencies, and clock distribution circuitry. Furthermore, design-for-test features are embedded to correct for PVT variation for optimum jitter performance and to monitor PLL bandwidth and jitter peaking.
Internet skeptics: an analysis of intermittent users and net dropouts

The digital divide has often been discussed with respect to the two opposite sides of the spectrum: the "haves" and "have-nots". However there is a gray area which consist of two particular categories: a) Internet users who did use the Internet at one time and have since stopped, or b) the large number of Internet users who stopped using the Internet but then restarted using it. Such Internet users have not received much academic attention. Studies of the digital divide would be incomplete without an analysis of these categories. This study has been a descriptive investigation of the populace that is neither a digital-have or nor a digital-have-not.
Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation bei alkoholabhängigen Patienten mit komorbiden posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen

Zusammenfassung Ziel Das Ziel dieser Studie war es, Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation bei alkoholabhängigen Patienten mit komorbider komplexer posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung (KPTBS) im Vergleich zu alkoholabhängigen Patienten mit komorbider posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung (PTBS) zu vergleichen. Methodik N=106 Patienten mit Alkoholabhängigkeit und komorbider posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung nach DSM-5 wurden in die Studie eingeschlossen. Die Diagnose einer KPTBS wurde anhand des Interviews zur Erfassung der komplexen Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung erhoben, Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation wurden mit der Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale erfasst. Ergebnisse Patienten mit komorbider KPTBS als auch Patienten mit komorbider PTBS wiesen Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation auf. Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation nahmen mit zunehmender Schwere der posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung zu. Patienten mit komorbider KPTBS wiesen im Vergleich zu Patienten mit komorbider PTBS größere Schwierigkeiten im Bereich der Aufmerksamkeit für die eigenen Emotionen auf. Schlussfolgerung Schwierigkeiten der Emotionsregulation sollten in der Behandlung von Patienten mit Alkoholabhängigkeit und komorbider posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung berücksichtigt werden. Bei Patienten mit KPTBS sollte die Aufmerksamkeit für die eigenen Emotionen besonders geschult werden.
Instantaneous Non-Local Computation of Low T-Depth Quantum Circuits

Instantaneous non-local quantum computation requires multiple parties to jointly perform a quantum operation, using pre-shared entanglement and a single round of simultaneous communication. We study this task for its close connection to position-based quantum cryptography, but it also has natural applications in the context of foundations of quantum physics and in distributed computing. The best known general construction for instantaneous non-local quantum computation requires a pre-shared state which is exponentially large in the number of qubits involved in the operation, while efficient constructions are known for very specific cases only. We partially close this gap by presenting new schemes for efficient instantaneous non-local computation of several classes of quantum circuits, using the Clifford+T gate set. Our main result is a protocol which uses entanglement exponential in the T-depth of a quantum circuit, able to perform non-local computation of quantum circuits with a (poly-)logarithmic number of layers of T gates with quasi-polynomial entanglement. Our proofs combine ideas from blind and delegated quantum computation with the garden-hose model, a combinatorial model of communication complexity which was recently introduced as a tool for studying certain schemes for quantum position verification. As an application of our results, we also present an efficient attack on a recently-proposed scheme for position verification by Chakraborty and Leverrier.
A State-Free Directional Geographical Routing Protocol in Dynamic Wireless Sensor Networks

Highly dynamic sensor networks, such as wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs), have been applied in various kinds of application scenarios. WMSNs always work in the harsh environment, so the connectivity among the nodes changes rapidly. Traditional state-based protocols, designed for static networks, suffer excessive delay in updating their routing or neighborhood tables, leading to severe packet loss and communication delay in the highly dynamic situations. To provide robust and timely communication under dynamic circumstances, a multipath optimized state-free implicit forwarding protocol (MPSIF) is proposed, based on the concept of the multipath directional geographical forwarding. We compared our work against the directional geographical routing protocol (DGR) under two kinds of dynamic circumstances by simulation, the result shows that MPSIF achieves a distinct improvement in the delivery ratio and significant reduction in the end-to-end delay.
Perception of emotion and emotional intensity in humanoid robots gait

Humanoid robots progress everyday closer and closer to a more stable walking suitable for a human environment as the researchers in the Humanoid robotics field focus their effort on the understanding of the human locomotion. Nonetheless for Social Robotics researchers, humanoid robots might have another use, such as being our companions from birth to nursing home. Designing social humanoid robots is one critical step if we want the robots to be active in our society. However, to our knowledge, only a few studies in the area of humanoid robotics have addressed emotion expression with robot gaits. In this paper we propose to assess different emotional gait patterns and the perception of the emotion intensity in those patterns. Actors' emotional movement were captured and then normalized for our robot platform. Several robot simulations were shown to human observers who completed a survey questionnaire in which they indicated their assessment of the portrayed emotion by the robot simulation. The surveyed emotions consist of Sadness, Happiness, Anger, Fear with different intensities (Intermediate, High and Exaggerated). We achieved a high recognition rate of emotions (72.32%). Even if the intensities were less well recognized (33.63%), our study indicates that the intensity might help the recognition of emotional walking.
Nonparametric inference for second order stochastic dominance

This paper deals with nonparametric inference for second order stochastic dominance of two random variables. If their distribution functions are unknown they have to be inferred from observed realizations. Thus, any results on stochastic dominance are in uenced by sampling errors. We establish two methods to take the sampling error into account. The first one is based on the asymptotic normality of point estimators, while the second one, relying on resampling techniques, can also cope with small sample sizes. Both methods are used to develop statistical tests for second order stochastic dominance. We argue, however, that tests based on resampling techniques are more useful in practical applications. Their power in small samples is estimated by Monte Carlo simulations for a couple of alternative distributions. We further show that these tests can also be used for testing for first order stochastic dominance, often having a higher power than tests specifically designed for first order stochastic dominance such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test or the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. The results of this paper are relevant in various fields such as finance, life testing and decision under risk.
Learning from User Workflows for the Characterization and Prediction of Software Crashes

Reducing as much as possible the rate of software crashes is crucial especially in medical applications. In this paper, we make the assumption that crashes result from the user workflow, that is to say the sequence of user actions. Our objective is thus to identify root causes of crashes and to anticipate them in real-time, based on the analysis of the sequences of user actions. For these purposes, we introduce two methods. The first one consists in using graph-based representations to detect combinations of user actions having a high probability to provoke a software crash, thus identifying crash signatures and helping for problem resolution. The second one, based on clustering of user sessions, is a real-time monitoring method, computing a crash probability at each new user action. Test cases show promising results for both methods. Our representation of user session as 'Graph-of-Actions' enabled the identification of some significant crash signatures while revealing the impact of successive actions dependence on crash causes. Likewise, our clustering based method for session monitoring resulted in promising values of sensitivity and specificity for some specific clustering configurations.