Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communities of Communication: Making Sense of the “Social” in Social Media

As social media usage permeates people's lives, an increasing portion of their daily behavior leaves digital traces to be used by researchers. Social scientists can hope to gain new insight into the previously hidden but digitally recorded aspects of our digital social lives. Beyond aggregate and individual-level studies of user behavior, the digital traces also enable scientific examination of the structure of social interaction through networks. At the same time, the large scale and networked nature of social media data pose a new set of challenges to be overcome through the development of sound methodologies. We take stock of current methodological promises and challenges in social media analysis. Community detection, a set of methods for the discovery of closely knit groups, is then presented as an intermediary step that enables application of existing traditional and network analytical approaches in a smaller setting more suited to social scientific questions. In closing, we argue that this network proximity-based clustering is often more useful for social media analysis than demographic grouping.
Cooperation and competition of agents in the auction of computer bridge

The auction in contract bridge is a game with incomplete information. This paper models the process as an interaction among agents with a hypothetical reasoning mechanism. The criterion for the action of each agent is defined as “maximizing gain by cooperating with the partner and minimizing loss by competing with the opponents. ” An agent with the following characteristics is created. Based on the course of bidding, the hands of both sides are estimated by hypothetical reasoning. Then flexible bids are made in an effort to obtain the contract with the greatest gain or smallest loss of points. Experiments show that in a game with incomplete information, it is useful not only to send information to the partner, but also to disrupt information exchange by the opponents. The effect of ambiguity of information on the behavior of both sides is discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 86(12): 76–86, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjc.10144
Study on Modeling of Container Terminal Logistics System Using Agent-Based Computing and Knowledge Discovery

Container terminal is the transfer hinge of land-sea intermodal transportation. Container terminal logistics system (CTLS) is the central handling platform of container logistics in logistics network as the computer system is the core processing node to information flow in internet. Quay side is its “central processing unit (CPU)” of handling platform and storage yard is its “main memory. ” CTLS is a highly complex system which includes parallel, negotiation, and competition relations etc. in operation so that this paper introduces agent based computing (ABC) and knowledge discovery in database (KDD) to model CTLS. Logistics, information flow, and decision flow are the kernel of transaction and operation of container terminals which are developing into professional third party logistics (TPL) and seized of enormous business data which are accumulated by the inner information infrastructure and the public electronic commerce (EC) platform. Through the analysis to the handling operation and container logistics of CTLS, we refer to the design thinking of computer organization and architecture and introduce the resource scheduling thinking of the operation system, and draw an analogy between CTLS and parallel computer architecture based on Harvard architecture, map and carve up the production, and scheduling system of CTLS into fourteen kinds of agents: berth allocation agent, quay crane allocation agent, storage yard management agent, yard crane allocation agent, container truck dispatch agent, tugboat dispatch agent, gate house management agent, berth agent, quay crane agent, yard agent, yard crane agent, container truck agent, tugboat agent, and gate house agent according to the entities and their mutual relations. We bring forward the modeling framework of CTLS based on multi-agent and KDD which provides the engine to drive the model accordingly. This modeling thinking and framework, which serves the turn to the queuing theory inherently and possesses the top-ranking flexibility and robustness to the computational intelligence (CI), can help to set down the production scheduling plan and support the important decision-making of the port. A simulation to the quay side is implemented by the AnyLogic 6.2 and SQL Server 2005 and berth allocation based on practical data is given emphasis to discuss. The simulation result precedes the quondam research and actual data to 5.14% and 26.82% through the dynamic priority scheduling. In addition, a series of similar simulations are executed to support the decision on the proportion between berth and quay crane. All verify the feasibility and creditability of the above idea and the effective scheduling strategy in the framework will be further discussed and studied when the container terminal is provided with the multifarious characteristics in the future.
"Utterly content in each other's company": Semantic prosody and semantic preference

In this paper I wish to examine the two related concepts of semantic prosody and semantic preference. I will begin the section on each with a definition, attempt a review of relevant current positions and then describe a number of corpus-based experiments I conducted to throw light on the two phenomena. Finally, I will try to draw some conclusions about the relationship between them.
Fk yea I swear: cursing and gender in MySpace

Youth-orientated social networking sites, like MySpace, are important venues for socialising and identity expression. Analysing such sites can, therefore, provide a timely insight into otherwise hidden aspects of contemporary culture. In this paper, MySpace member home pages are used to analyse swearing in the US and UK. The results indicate that almost all young MySpaces, and about half of middle-aged MySpaces, contain some swearing, in terms of both males and females. There was no significant gender difference in the UK for strong swearing, especially for younger users (16–19). This is perhaps the first significant evidence of gender equality in strong swearing frequency in any informal English-language context. By contrast, US male MySpaces contain significantly more strong swearing than those of females. The assimilation by UK females of traditional male swearing in the informal context of MySpace, suggests deeper changes in gender roles in society – possibly related to the recent rise in `ladette cul.
Demonstration of the highly reliable Hikari router network based on a newly developed disjoint path selection scheme

Integration of multiprotocol label switching functions and multiprotocol lambda switching functions can enhance the throughput of IP networks and remove bottlenecks that are derived from electrical packet processing. To enhance the packet forwarding capability, NTT proposed a photonic MPLS concept that includes MP/spl lambda/S, and demonstrated IP, MPLS, and photonic MPLS integrated router systems called the photonic MPLS router. This router system is now called the Hikari router. The word Hikari is Japanese meaning beam, light, lightwave, optical, photonic, and sunshine. The amount of IP data traffic has grown remarkably. Massive IP routers and flexible route control mechanisms are now required to cope with the increased amount of traffic. The Hikari router can offer two solutions utilizing photonic switching technologies, and photonic network operation and management technologies. The first solution is utilizing photonic switching technologies realized using optical-switch-based crossconnect systems. The other solution is realized using the MPLS and MP/spl lambda/S signaling protocol and photonic network protection functions. In this article we report on the implementation of the Hikari router systems, propose a newly developed disjoint path selection scheme for generalized MPLS networks with shared risk link group constraints, and demonstrate the signaling protocol and network protection functions. The demonstration system achieves a distributed optical path set-up/tear-down protocol with an extended constraint-based routing label distribution protocol. Fast self-healing through automatic protection switching and a new restoration scheme are also implemented. These functions are successfully implemented, and the performance is verified on a demonstration network. The protection switching scheme achieves protection in less than 20 ms, and the optical path restoration scheme achieves restoration in less than 500 ms.
Adaptive systems for the dynamic run-time optimization of programs.

Abstract : This thesis investigates adaptive compiler systems that perform, during program execution, code optimizations based on the dynamic behavior of the program as opposed to current approaches that employ a fixed code generation strategy, i.e., one in which a predetermined set of code optimizations are applied at compile-time to an entire program. The main problems associated with such adaptive systems are studied in general: which optimizations to apply to what parts of the program and when. Two different optimization strategies result: an ideal scheme which is not practical to implement, and a more basic scheme that is. The design of a practical system is discussed for the FORTRAN IV language. The system was implemented and tested with programs having different behavioral characteristics.
Assessment of the total precipitable water from a sun photometer, microwave radiometer and radiosondes at a continental site in southeastern Europe

Abstract. In this study, we discuss the differences in the total precipitable water (TPW), retrieved from a Cimel sun photometer operating at a continental site in southeast Europe, between version 3 (V3) and version 2 (V2) of the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) algorithms. In addition, we evaluate the performance of the two algorithms comparing their product with the TPW obtained from a collocated microwave radiometer and nearby radiosondes during the period 2007–2017. The TPW from all three instruments was highly correlated, showing the same annual cycle, with lower values during winter and higher values during summer. The sun photometer and the microwave radiometer depict the same daily cycle, with some discrepancies during early morning and late afternoon due to the effect of solar zenith angle on the measurements of the photometer. The TPW from V3 of the AERONET algorithm has small differences compared with V2, mostly related to the use of the new laboratory-based temperature coefficients used in V3. The microwave radiometer measurements are in good agreement with those obtained by the radiosonde, especially during night-time when the differences between the two instruments are almost negligible. The comparison of the sun photometer data with high-quality independent measurements from radiosondes and the radiometer shows that the absolute differences between V3 and the other two datasets are slightly higher compared with V2. However, V3 has a lower dependence from the TPW and the internal sensor temperature, indicating a better performance of the retrieving algorithm. The calculated one-sigma uncertainty for V3 as estimated, from the comparison with the radiosondes, is about 10 %, which is in accordance with previous studies for the estimation of uncertainty for V2. This uncertainty is further reduced to about 6 % when AERONET V3 is compared with the collocated microwave radiometer. To our knowledge, this is the first in-depth analysis of the V3 TPW, and although the findings presented here are for a specific site, we believe that they are representative of other mid-latitude continental stations.
Lapped block decoding for vector quantization of images

We have investigated an improved decoding paradigm for vector quantization of images. In this new decoding method, the dimension of the code vectors in the decoder is higher than that of the input vectors at the encoder, so that the area covered by each output vector extends beyond the input block of pixels into its neighborhood. The image is reconstructed as an overlapping patchwork of output blocks (code vectors), where the pixel values in the lapped region are obtained by summing the corresponding elements of the overlapping code vectors. With a properly designed decoder codebook, this lapped block decoding technique is able to improve the performance of VQ by exploiting the interblock correlation at the decoder. We have developed a recursive algorithm for designing a locally optimal decoder codebook from a training set of images, given a fixed VQ encoder. Computer simulation with both full search VQ and tree structured VQ encoders demonstrated that, compared to conventional VQ decoding, this new decoding technique reproduces images with not only higher SNR, but also better perceptual quality.
Voice/Data Integration Using Circuit Switched Networks

This paper assesses the impact of integrating voice and data over circuit switched networks. Three main types of circuit switching are considered: 1) traditional circuit switching, 2)fast circuit switchingemploying advanced switching speeds, and 3) enhanced circuit switchingemploying time assigned speech interpolation (TASI) and adaptive data multiplexing (ADM) techniques. The circuit switching networks are evaluated in terms of two main network performance parameters: transmission efficiency and delay. In addition, an evaluation is made of such things as protocol and error control, precedence and preemption, routing and flow control, synchronization, voice continuity, probability of error or loss, and classmarking flexibility. One of the main conclusions of this paper is that circuit switching technologies have several deficiencies associated with providing integrated voice/data service and that the future lies in the effective use of packet and hybrid (circuit/packet) switching technologies.
Upgrading to Web 2.0

Wikis are one of the newest features of Web 2.0. This article describes the implementation of a project in a marketing course in which students created an interactive textbook using wiki software. Several surprises encountered along the way are described, and the unique problem of grading individual contributions to a wiki is discussed. The author concludes that the wiki work improved the collaboration skills of students, but effects on learning could not be assessed. Strategies are provided that other instructors interested in using a wiki in the classroom can use to make the experience fulfilling for both instructor and students. The article ends with a call for the development of better grading methods and for assessment of the impact of wikis on learning.
Superscalar performance in a multi threaded microprocessor

Multithreaded processors, having hardware support for the concurrent execution of fine-grained threaded computations, are noted for their latency tolerance and low-cost synchronization. Multithreading is a technique for improving the utilization of processing elements (PEs) in parallel processing systems, thereby reducing cost/performance ratios. With increasing integrated circuit densities it is becoming feasible to integrate several PEs onto a single die, and further diminish the physical dimensions of parallel systems. However, by eliminating the artificial on-chip PE boundaries and sharing expensive resources in a more tightly coupled multithreaded architecture, even greater performance can be achieved from similar hardware. A multithreaded processor architecture (Concurro) was designed for possible microprocessor implementation with the objective of multiple instruction issues per cycle-sustained superscalar performance-by means of multithreading. This thesis considers the trade-offs necessary for such architectures to achieve high throughput and hardware utilization under scalability and cost constraints. A detailed simulation study was carried out to characterize the architecture and evaluate the impact of implementation decisions. The key to efficiency in Concurro is asynchronous, zero-time context switching among a limited set of contexts, promoting effective use of the storage hierarchy. A 64-bit, register-based, load/store instruction set architecture is augmented with thread manipulation primitives and ! structure synchronization operations. Novel cache architectures and controller algorithms were designed for enhancing latency tolerance in the processor, while maximizing utilization of the most costly resources. When tested on a variety of numerical and integer workloads, Concurro was able to sustain superscalar instruction issue rates for multithreaded operation, yet showed scalar RISC performance on single-thread code. Even with a simple threading strategy it was frequently possible to extract full utilization from functional units or the instruction cache. The architecture showed size scalability to an order of magnitude while remaining binary compatible across these configurations. Performance of large configurations was shown to be limited ultimately by the bandwidth available from critical shared resources. With an appropriate memory system Concurro attained supercomputer-level floating point throughput operating out of uncached memory. The hardware requirements for this performance are expected to be comparable with those ofVLIW machines with similar datapaths.
A Hough Transform Technique for Extracting Lead Features from Sea Ice Imagery

Abstract : Infrared imagery from polar-orbiting satellites provides a synoptic and long-term view of lead patterns in Artic pack ice: The large quantity of satellite data in image form suggests the use of automated methods for compiling lead statistics from imagery. A Hough transform technique for the semi-automated extraction of lead orientation and spacing is described and first results are presented.
Frequency Domain Characterization of Signals and Systems

This chapter investigates the frequency-domain characteristics of a few biomedical signals and the corresponding physiological systems, with particular attention to the phonocardiogram (PCG) and the cardiovascular system. Frequency-domain analysis via power spectral density (PSD) and parameters derived from PSDs can enable one to view the signal from a different perspective than the time domain. Certain signals such as the PCG and electroencephalogram may not lend themselves to easy interpretation in the time domain and, therefore, may benefit from a move to the frequency domain. PSDs and their parameters facilitate investigation of the behavior of physiological systems in terms of rhythms, resonance, and parameters that could be related to the physical characteristics of anatomical entities (for example, the loss of elasticity of the myocardial muscles due to ischemia or infarction, the extent of aortic valvular stenosis, or the extent of calcification and stiffness of bioprosthetic valves). Pathological states may also be derived or simulated by modifying the spectral parameters or representations of the corresponding normal physiological states and signals. The design of biomedical signal analysis techniques requires a thorough understanding of the characteristics and properties of the biomedical systems behind the signals, in addition to detailed knowledge of mathematical principles, computer techniques, and digital signal processing algorithms.
Are decision trees way around some statistic methods?

We are trying to find a replacement for the statistical method of finding significant attributes, using a set of data and a well know method from the field of machine learning-decision trees. The data used for testing contained 90 records, each described by 24 attributes, measured before and after surgery. The surgery was performed on children aged from 2 to 10 years. The purpose of making these measurements was to find those attributes which are significant for determining a predisposition to two forms of acidemia: metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis. By applying various statistical methods to the set of records we established which attributes are statistically significant. These results were then compared to results obtained from using the same data set to build different decision trees. We showed that some statistical methods and decision trees can give almost identical results, and the decision trees do not require special knowledge of statistics. The results were also carefully examined by medical experts.
QoS Specification in Software Architecture for QoS-aware Applications

QoS-aware applications have become urgently demanded especially in service oriented computing environment. Specifying software architectures of QoS-aware applications is not a trivial task because such architectures are complex and dynamic, evolving at runtime according to QoS values and changes. To specify architectures of QoS-aware applications requires to solve two problems i.e. how to specify QoS in the architectures and how to specify the dynamism of the architectures. The dynamism of the architectures can be modelled with primitive actions of Archware π-ADL. In this paper, through the definition of QoS enhanced architecture styles, π-ADL is extended with QoS specifications to facilitate the architecture modelling of QoS-aware applications, in which QoS specifications are handled as first class entities. The QoS-based architectural mismatch check is developed to detect some QoS violations at the stage of architecture design. A case study is given to illustrate how to describe QoS-aware architectures and how to do the QoS-based architectural mismatch check.
Design of Low Pass Filters Using Corrugated Waveguide for Satellite Communications

In this paper, low pass filters(LPF) using corrugated waveguide for satellite communication is proposed. To design the proposed LPF, the corrugated waveguide and impedance transformers are combined. The corrugated waveguide is formed by arrangement of T-junction. To obtain low insertion loss and high isolation propriety, T-junction is designed by using Chebyshev function. Impedance transformers is designed by combining T-junction with different heights at both ends of the corrugated waveguide to get high return loss. The measured results of the proposed LPF have a return loss of over 35.4 dB, a insertion loss of less than 0.1 dB from 12.25 GHz to 12.75 GHz and a isolation propriety of over 54.5 dB from 14 GHz to 14.5 GHz. From these results, it is confirmed that the proposed waveguide LPF can be used for satellite communication.
Algebraic specification and verification of processor microarchitectures

The Hawk language is a domain-specific extension of the pure functional language Haskell, and is used to specify and reason about processor microarchitectures at a high level of abstraction. We apply functional language technology and reasoning principles to concisely specify pipelined microarchitectures in Hawk and verify them through a domain-specific microarchitecture algebra. We develop a remarkably simple set of local equational laws governing processor components such as register files, bypass logic, and execution units. Many of these laws are verified in Isabelle, a higher order logic theorem prover. The laws are used to incrementally simplify a complex pipelined microarchitecture, removing pipeline stages and simplifying control logic, while retaining cycle-accurate behavior with respect to the original pipelined design. Proving these laws requires defining mutually recursive functions over coinductively defined streams. Such definitions are not directly supported in current theorem provers. We develop a generalization of well-founded recursion, called Converging Equivalence Relations, that allows these definitions to be added conservatively in a straightforward and modular fashion.