Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Piecewise-Linear Distance-Dependent Random Graph Models

: In this paper, we propose a form of random graph (network) model in which the probability of an edge (link) is dependent on a real-valued function on pairs of vertices (nodes). In general, we expect this function to satisfy the triangle inequality, and hence to take the form of a distance metric, although this is not essential. It may reflect physical distances between vertices, dissimilarity measures, or other functions. We relate the distance metric d ( x , y ) to the probability p ( x , y ) of an edge existing between vertices x and y using a piecewise-linear function defined by the triple of parameters ( q , a , b ):
¿Cómo son los MOOC sobre educación? Un análisis de cursos de temática pedagógica que se ofertan en castellano

En esta investigacion se analizan MOOCs cuya lengua vehicular es el castellano y que versan sobre tematicas pedagogicas/educativas. El analisis, de clara inspiracion cualitativa, se centra en 5 dimensiones: 1) Datos basicos (titulo, tematica, objetivo, institucion y plataforma que lo aloja), 2) Metodologia, 3) Recursos, 4) Tipos de videos y 5) Evaluacion. Los resultados muestran las tematicas hegemonicas en los cursos, asi como la clara presencia de una metodologia magistral, apoyada en videolecciones donde predomina el modelo de “busto parlante”. A pesar de usarse otro tipo de recursos (presentaciones, foros, infografias, guias, etc.), se detecta que en muchas de estas ofertas formativas no se explotan, en su totalidad, las herramientas de interaccion/comunicacion que ofrecen las plataformas. Y el uso de los cuestionarios de evaluacion sigue siendo dominante. Las conclusiones senalan que necesitamos seguir investigando la arquitectura pedagogica de los MOOC, localizando las barreras que existen para que estos respondan a su genuina finalidad de crear una comunidad de aprendizaje, lo que supone, sin duda, alejarnos de los modelos pedagogicos mas tecnicos. El trabajo se enmarca en el proyecto ECO ( E-learning, Communication Open-Data: Massive Mobile, Ubiquitous and Open Learning ) promovido por la Comunidad Europea.
EasyChair Preprint No 563 Space Wars : An AugmentedVR Game

Over the past couple of years, Virtual and Augmented Reality have been at the forefront of the Mixed Reality development scene, whereas Augmented Virtuality has significantly lacked behind. Widespread adoption however requires efficient low-cost platforms and minimalistic interference design. In this work we present Space Wars, an end-to-end proof of concept for an elegant and rapid-deployment Augmented VR platform. Through the engaging experience of Space Wars, we aim to demonstrate how digital games, as forerunners of innovative technology, are perfectly suited as an application area to embrace the underlying low-cost technology, and thus pave the way for other adopters (such as healthcare, education, tourism and e-commerce) to follow suit.
HOW FIT FOR DEVELOPMENT IS THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK ? DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has recently bec om a relevant development player; nevertheless, its theoretical competence to operate in developing countries has not been scrutinised and proven. This paper aims, f irst, to reconstruct the development argument of EIB, i.e. to map how EIB claims its inv estments to contribute to economic development of developing countries. EIB’s texts are analysed in order to carry out the stated aim. Second, the reconstructed development discourse of EIB is confronted with development economics theories in a n effort to identify its theoretical inspirations. Third, Critical Discourse Analysis is applied with the aim of identifying EIB’s discoursive practices. It is argued in the pa per that EIB’s development discourse is inspired predominantly by the Washingt o Consensus, is minimalist and underdeveloped, and uses discoursive techniques tha t enable it to promote and perpetuate EIB’s hegemonic and ideological positions . The paper concludes that, from a development economics perspective, EIB is theoret ically limited and unqualified.
Automatic Configuration of OpenFlow in Wireless Mobile Ad hoc Networks

A Mobile wireless Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) is a decentralized wireless network in which mobile wireless nodes either directly communicate with each other or communicate via other wireless nodes in the network. In addition, OpenFlow has disruptive potential in designing a flexible programmable network which can foster innovation, reduce complexity and deliver right economics. In recent years, there are significant interests from research communities to deploy OpenFlow in MANETs. This paper proposes a configuration method with which OpenFlow can be deployed automatically in a MANET without any manual configuration. The proposed configuration method is tested in an emulated MANET created on the Fed4FIRE testbed using Mininet-WiFi (an emulator for wireless software-defined wireless networks). Experimentation includes automatic configuration of OpenFlow in linear, sparse, and dense mobile ad hoc networks. Results show the effectiveness of the method in configuring OpenFlow in wireless mobile ad hoc networks.
Analysis of Different Footprints for JPEG Compression Detection

Due to the wide availability of image editing software, it becomes more easy for people to tamper with image content. This makes authentication of digital images a problem of paramount importance for forensic researchers. Therefore, a lot of methods have been proposed to detect tampering process, and many of these algorithms are based on the analysis of traces left by JPEG compression. As an important part of digital image forensics, JPEG compression detection can be used to make a first judgment of the authenticity of images. In the light of this consideration, this thesis focuses on the analysis of JPEG compression detection, i.e., the ability of blindly understanding whether an image has been JPEG compressed or not from pixel analysis. More specifically, in this work we focus on the analysis of two specific stateof-the-art algorithms for JPEG compression detection: one based on pixel domain analysis; another one based on Fourier transform domain analysis. After proposing a modification that enhance the performance of one detector, we compare all the implemented methods showing pros and cons of these algorithms by means of a simulative campaign. Finally, in this work we also propose a graphical user interface to enable non-expert forensic investigators to use the implemented JPEG-based tools for image analysis.
Vision-based Autonomous Feeding Robot

This paper tackles the problem of vision-based indoor navigation for robotic platforms. Contrary to methods using adaptions of the infrastructure (e.g. magnets, rails), vision-based methods try to use natural landmarks for localization. However, this imposes the challenge of robustly establishing correspondences between query images and the natural environment which can further be used for pose estimation. We propose a monocular and stereo VSLAM algorithm which is able to, first, generate a map of the target environment and, second, use this map to robustly localize a robot. Our hybrid VSLAM approach is able to utilize map points from the previously generated map to (i) increase robustness of its local mapping against challenging situations such as rapid movements, dominant rotations, motion blur or inappropriate exposure time, and to (ii) continuously assess the quality of the local map. We evaluated our approach in a real-world environment as well as using public benchmark datasets. The results show that our hybrid approach improves the performance in comparison to VSLAM without an offline map.
Providing Contextual Assistance in Response to Frustration in Visual Analytics Tasks

This paper proposes a method for helping users in visual analytic tasks by using machine learning to detect and respond to frustration and provide appropriate recommendations and guidance. We have collected an emotion dataset from 28 participants carrying out intentionally difficult visualization tasks and used it to build an interactive frustration state detection model which detects frustration using data streaming from a small wrist-worn skin conductance device and eye tracking. We present a work-in-progress design exploration for interventions appropriate to different intensities of frustrations detected by the model. The interaction method and the level of interruption and assistance can be adjusted in response to the intensity and longevity of detected user states.
New mobile , field based continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer system for automated denitrification studies

Terrestrial denitrification, the reduction of oxidized nitrogen (N) to nitrous oxide (N2O) and dinitrogen (N2), is considered the least well understood process in the global nitrogen cycle. This study introduces a novel continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IR-MS) system that can be deployed in the field and continuously measure N2 and N2O emissions. Utilizing the N gas flux method this system can provide a better understanding of terrestrial denitrification. The system was tested over 14 days on 2 different agricultural soils (vertosol and ferrosol) which were fertilized with the equivalent of 100 kg ha of N added in the form of KNO3 where the N was 60 at. % N. Total gaseous N losses over the 14 day monitoring period resulted in 14.1± 0.53 kg ha and 5.7± 0.92 kg ha for the ferrosol and vertosol soils, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate the ability of the field based IR-MS to measure N2 and N2O emissions from denitrification under field conditions. This system has the potential to improve our understanding of terrestrial denitrification and improve efforts to reduce gaseous N emissions from agricultural systems.
Optimal Experimental Designs in the Flow Rate of Particles.

This paper focuses on analysing the process of jam formation during the discharge by gravity of granular material stored in a 2D silo. The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, optimal experimental designs are computed, in which four approaches are considered: D −optimality, a combination of D−optimality and a cost /gain function, Bayesian D −optimality and sequential designing. These results reveal that the e fficiency of the design used by the experimenters can be improved dramatically. A sensitivity analysis with respect to the most important parameter is also performed. Secondly, estimation of the unknown parameters is done using least squares, i.e. assuming normality, and also via maximum likelihood assuming the exponential distribution. Simulations for the designs considered in this paper show that the variance, the mean square error and the bias of the estimators using maximum likelihood are in most cases lower than those using least squares.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Noncognitive Skills on the Gender Wage Gap ∗

Prior research finds that noncognitive skills have a moderate effect on gender wage differences. I ask if existing studies underestimate this effect because noncognitive skills affect worker productivity (the direct effect) and occupational choice (the indirect effect). Using data from the National Child Development Study and jointly modeling gender-specific occupational attainment and wage determination, I find that the magnitude of the contribution of noncognitive skills to the gender wage gap is underestimated by 18 percentage points when the indirect effect is overlooked. I also show that this contribution differs with age. At age 33, women directly benefit because of higher productivity in noncognitive skills, while, at age 50, women benefit indirectly because they have sorted into occupations that reward these skills. I conclude that noncognitive skills are indeed significant for explaining the gender wage gap, particularly among mid-career workers. JEL Classification: J24, J31
Hypervariable Mutation Detection with Mutation Surveyor ®

Introduction Organisms contain areas in the genome with hypervariability. A bacteriophage that infects Bordetella bronchiseptica, a relative of the bacterium that causes whooping cough, contains genes to specifically change its proteins thus permitting binding to different cell receptors (1). These genes allow the phage to rapidly evolve new variants that can recognize and attack bacteria that may have become resistant to the previous phage. Similarly, infection by the influenza virus requires receptor binding through cellspecific tropism (2). Several strains of Helicobacter pylori, the organism responsible for many cases of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer, show antibiotic resistance possibly due to efficiency of DNA repair or DNA polymerase (3). Additional causes for high mutation frequency come from antigenic variation found in sexually transmitted HIV (4) and the development of drug resistance mutations as in the case of the blood borne pathogen Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
A Bottom Up Discovery of Generalized Web Browsing Patterns

Web mining of browsing patterns including simple sequential patterns and sequential patterns with browsing times has been studied recently. However, most of these works focus on mining browsing patterns of web pages directly. In this work, we introduce the problem of mining generalized browsing patterns on cross-levels of a taxonomy comprised of web pages. An algorithm called based on bottom up approach is proposed to discover these cross level generalized browsing patterns. Example demonstrating the proposed approach is given. Comparison with the Generalized Sequential Patterns (GSP) [16] and Apriori-Level algorithms show that our approach generates fewer candidate sequences. The proposed algorithm thus promotes the efficiency of discovering coarser granularity of web browsing patterns. KeywordsWeb Mining, Browsing Patterns, Generalized Sequential Patterns, Cross-Level Sequential Patterns
Supplementary Materials for Unified Visual-Semantic Embeddings

This supplementary material is organized as follows. First, in Appendix A, we provide more details for the implementation of our model and the training method. Second, in Appendix B, we provide the experiment setups, metrics, baseline implementations, qualitative examples and analysis for each experiment we discussed in the main text. We end this section with the visualization of the learned unified VSE space of different semantic levels.
LIMSI/VOCAPIA SPEAKER VERIFICATION SYSTEM FOR NIST SRE 2012

where SCVr represents the SCV of the r target speaker obtained by projecting his/her GMM super-vector,GSVr , on vector space, P. The vector space, P, is built by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of pooled GMM super-vectors from many speakers and can be thought as analogous to the total variability space in state-of-theart speaker verification system using i-vector concept [2]. During test, SCV of the test utterance is scored against the claimant specific SCV obtained during training. Before scoring, SCVs are conditioned for session variability compensation. GMM super-vector is calculated with respect to a Universal Background Model (UBM) with 3 iterations of MAP adaptation technique for a given speech data. We use a UBM with 512 Gaussian components and 47 dimensional features in this system. It gives 512 × 47 = 24064 dimensional GMM-super-vector. The vector space P is calculated by PCA using 21621 utterances (i.e. 21621 GMM super-vectors) from 1871 speakers over various SRE databases. For session variability compensation, we use recently proposed Eigen Factor Radial (EFR) algorithm in [3] for conditioning the SCVs. EFR iteratively normalize the length of the SCV (i.e. w) to handle the session variability compensation as in Eq.(2).
Operating System Noise : Linux vs .

Computers are often used as a tool to measure time in various experiments. Benchmarking and hardware performance evaluation are very common examples. There one typically needs to measure the duration of certain computer operation. The precision of hardware clocks is typically more than satisfying for this purpose but the measured time is also influenced by other factors such as the used operating system. In this paper, we evaluate how does the variance of benchmark results depend on the operating system. We developed a set of benchmarks to measure the characteristics of memory subsystem, the cost of task preemption and the cost of task migration between CPU cores/sockets. We run the benchmarks on NOVA microkernel as well as on two different configurations of Linux, in all cases on x86 architecture. We captured the data from several tenths of hours of running experiments and compare the obtained results. The mean measured values are in all cases similar. Besides the mean values, we compare the variance of subsequent runs of the benchmark. The results vary depending on the experiment, but there is a clearly visible trend in all experiments – the noise generated by the microkernel is in most cases the lowest, Debian/Linux sits in the middle and the highest noise is produced by a minimal configuration of the Linux kernel.
Cieślik 1 IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACTIVE SAFTY SYSTEMS TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ACCIDENTS WITH VULNERABLE ROAD USERS-THE PROJECT PROSPECT ( PROACTIVE SAFETY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS )

Accidents involving Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) are still a very significant issue for road safety. ́PROactive Safety for PEdestrians and CyclisTs ́ is a collaborative research project funded by the European Commission. The objective of PROSPECT was to improve significantly the effectiveness of active VRU safety systems compared to those currently on the market by: (i) expanding the scope of urban scenarios addressed (ii) improving the overall Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Autonomous Emergency Steering (AES) system performance (iii) proposing extensive validation methodologies for consumer testing, simulation and acceptance studies with tools for testing. Concepts for sensors and control systems were shown in three vehicle demonstrators and a mobile driving simulator and tested with novel VRU dummy specimen. Those systems address the well-known barriers of current AEB systems such as limited sensors field-of-view, fuzzy path prediction, unreliable intent recognition and slow reaction times for the actuation. User acceptance tests with the participation of drivers were also crucial in PROSPECT for the success of all active safety systems. Driving simulator studies were then used in a controlled and repeatable environment for the collection of data regarding the interaction between the driver and the safety function. Finally, project consortium implemented a novel benefit estimation methodology that includes an assessment of the combined effect of active and passive safety measures of PROSPECT-like systems.
HAIR SILVER MEDIAN DERIVATIVES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SILVER EXPOSURE , OVEREXPOSURE , AND TOXICITY

Silver was analyzed in the hair of 213 occupationally non-exposed subjects (87 men, 126 women) with the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). Median hair Ag concentration was 0.070 μg/g for both sexes combined; but women's hair have more Ag than that of men (p < 0.05, Chi square test). The hair silver below 0.010 μg/g and 0.015 μg/g for men and women, respectively, appeared to be toxicologically irrelevant, and to only reflect random silver distribution between the other biochemical compartments of the human body. Above that concentration level hair silver concentration diverges upward, first for men and then for women and rose rapidly in a parallel type biological assay pattern, indicating the physiological saturation mechanism. These two distinct parallel saturation curves for men and women would converge back to the common sigmoid overexposure plateau at 0.210 μg/g and 0.358 μg/g for men and women, respectively. Combined with the medical history, our data indicate the hair silver of 2.00 μg/g to reflect clinical sub toxicity, and its concentrations above 4.00 μg/g an overt neurotoxicity. РЕЗЮМЕ. Методом масс-спектрометрии с индуктивно связанной плазмой (ИСП-МС) было проанализировано содержание серебра в волосах у 213 пациентов, не имевших производственного контакта с этим химическим элементом (87 мужчин, 126 женщин). Медианная концентрация Ag в волосах в указанной выборке без деления по полу 28 МИКРОЭЛЕМЕНТЫ В МЕДИЦИНЕ: ОРИГИНАЛЬНЫЕ СТАТЬИ составила 0,070 мкг/г, однако у женщин уровень Ag был выше, чем у мужчин (р < 0,05 по критерию хи-квадрат). Уровень серебра в волосах ниже 0,010 и 0,015 мкг/г для мужчин и женщин соответственно оказался не имеющим токсикологического значения, а лишь отражающим случайное перераспределение серебра между биохимическими компартментами человеческого тела. Выше этого уровня начинался быстрый рост концентрации серебра в волосах, сначала у мужчин, затем аналогично у женщин, что указывает на наличие маханизмов физиологического насыщения. Затем параллельные кривые насыщения для мужчин и женщин вновь сходились к общему сигмовидному плато на уровне 0,210 и 0,358 мкг/г соответственно. Будучи сопоставленными с историями болезни, наши данные показали, что содержание серебра в волосах на уровне 2,00 мкг/г отражает состояние клинической субтоксичности, а его концентрация выше 4,00 мкг/г соответствует выраженной нейротоксичности.
Multitask Classification and Segmentation for Cancer Diagnosis in Mammography

Annotation cost is a bottleneck for collecting massive data in mammography, especially for training deep neural networks. In this paper, we study the use of heterogeneous levels of annotation granularity to improve predictive performances. More precisely, we introduce a multi-task learning scheme for training convolutional neural network (ConvNets), which combines segmentation and classification, using image-level and pixel-level annotations. In this way, different objectives can be used to regularize training by sharing intermediate deep representations. Successful experiments are carried out on the Digital Database of Screening Mammography (DDSM) to validate the relevance of the proposed approach.
Study and Implement of MPI based Parallel Database System

As the hardware technology approaching its physical limitation, building a parallel DBMS becomes the only way to improve the performance of database at present. In addition to introducing the conceptions relevant to the parallel database system, topics are discussed in physical structure of parallel database system. The implementation of a prototype of parallel database system is given as well.
Position Paper for CHI 2019 Workshop on Challenges Using Head-Mounted Displays in Shared and Social Spaces

This is a position paper for the Challenges Using Head-Mounted Displays in Shared and Social Spaces for CHI ’19, reflecting the author’s position regarding some of the significant challenges for usage and acceptability of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) in shared, social and public spaces. It also describes the some of the author’s interests, relevant background work and potential discussion topics.
Flexible Network Plan and Its Computer Simulation Algorithm

The arc length in traditional network plan is fixed.This kind of network model is unsuitable for construction process analysis.After discusson of the defects of rigid network plan,the concept of Flexible Network Plan (FNP) is adopted corresponding to the random in work procedure.Based on statistics,the probability models of main processes in civil engineering project are suggested and their key parameters are determined.Then, the computer simulation algorithm for FNP analysis is put forward in the form of flow chart.The random generators create one value for each arc in one turn of simulation.The generators are coinciding with the probability model for the same work procedure. For one turn of simulation,the rigid network plan algorithm is used.After enough turns of simulation,the distribution of the total work period can be determined,at the same time the critical path can be found in the probability concept.