Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Supports Marine Operations: A Look from the U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is primarily a user of ocean observations but is also a provider of observations—especially in high-latitude regions. USCG has a long history of making ocean observations for mission activities and in support of other federal agencies. USCG uses the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) to understand maritime conditions while conducting the Coast Guard's roles of Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Maritime Stewardship. IOOS data is critical in planning search and rescue operations, ensuring safe navigation at high latitudes, responding to oil and hazardous spills, providing vessel traffic services, and maintaining maritime domain awareness (MDA). The International Ice Patrol makes and uses ocean observations to estimate drift and deterioration of icebergs. The North American Ice Service products are needed in polar and domestic ice operations. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the USCG are developing a way to disseminate the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System data via the USCG Automatic Identification System. The Coast Guard provides personnel and vessel support for the National Data Buoy Center observational program, a component of the IOOS. Many key oceanographic, biologic, and geologic discoveries in the Arctic and Antarctic have been made from Coast Guard cutters. As oceanographic data acquisition moves from vessel observations to satellite remote sensing and unmanned in situ data acquisition systems, the USCG will continue to support this effort.
Cauchy’s logico-linguistic slip and the “Heisenberg” uncertainty principle

The laws of motion and therefore, classical mechanics[1], are founded on elementary calculus which begins with the definition of “derivative”. Such literature is so well established today that anybody educated in high school physics can understand the language without having a hint of doubt. However, if one studies carefully how Cauchy defined the notion of derivative in his book[2], it is radically different from the standard practice in physics[4–6]. Quite remarkably, as I find, if Cauchy would have been careful enough with his own language, then he could have written down the “Heisenberg” uncertainty principle as a condition for violation of the laws of motion and therefore, for the invalidity of classical mechanics. This fact brings to light the question that how physics could have evolved differently if the uncertainty principle would have been theoretically written down by Cauchy around one century earlier than the time of Heisenberg[10]. More importantly, it raises the concern regarding how truthfully the theories of physics reflect the physicist’s experience of experiment which is the only accepted mean to pursue truth and reality through science. With an aim to elucidate such concerns as my personal opinion, I intend to analyze Cauchy’s definition of derivative as he put it in his own words in his book[2]. While there is a much broader virtue associated with the present discussion from the philosopher’s and the logician’s perspective, which I have elaborated in ref. [8], I believe that the central issue is worth the attention of the mainstream physics community irrespective of the philosopher’s and the logician’s assessment of such an opinion. Before proceeding, for the ease of understanding of the reader, I may specify the meanings of the following symbols to be used: “:=”, “3” and “⇔” stand for “defined as”, “such that” and “equivalent to”, respectively. Cauchy defined “derivative of a function”, on page no. 11 of ref. [2], as follows: “· · · function y = f(x) · · · variable x · · · an infinitely small increment attributed to the variable produces an infinitely small increment of the function itself. · · · set ∆x = i, the two terms of the ratio of differences
Accelerated Temperature and Voltage Stress Tests of Embedded Planar Capacitors With Epoxy–BaTiO3 Composite Dielectric

Accelerated temperature and voltage stress tests were conducted on embedded planar capacitors with epoxy–BaTiO3 composite dielectric. The failure modes were found to be a sudden increase in the leakage current across the capacitor dielectric and a gradual decrease in the capacitance. The failure mechanisms associated with these failure modes were investigated by performing data analysis and failure analysis. The time-to-failure as a result of a sudden increase in the leakage current was modeled using the Prokopowicz equation. The values of constants of the Prokopowicz equation, n and Ea , were determined for the epoxy–BaTiO3 composite. The degradation in capacitance was modeled by performing regression analysis. The time-to-failure and degradation models can be used for the qualification tests of embedded planar capacitors, for the development of new composite dielectric materials, and to improve the manufacturing processes of these capacitors.
: Dynamics-Inspired Hidden Parameter Learning for Simulation-Based Virtual Try-On

E-Commerce has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years. People are now more likely to shop online than to go to physical stores. Digital try-on systems, as one important way to improve the user experience and popularize online garment shopping, has drawn attention of many researchers [GCH12]. However, the technology is still far from being practical and easy-to-use to replace physical try-on, mostly due to the gap in modeling and in demonstrating garment fitting between the digital and the real worlds. There are several reasons why customers still prefer physical try-on. First, consumers are unsure if what they buy online will fit their bodies well. Although there exist general sizing systems for individuals, its lack of consistency and standardization across different brands and garment materials can often make it difficult to sizing the clothes, especially for those with non-standard body shapes and proportion. Accurate estimation of human body shapes is the key to make digital try-on work. Second, the fabric material is usually one of the key considerations when shopping for clothes. Different fabric materials affect how the garments look and fit on a body, how customers would wear it, and whether or not they would buy it. However, the correspondences between the actual material and its digital representation are not well understood, not to mention an accurate material estimation and digital cloning from the real-world examples. Visual effects from the customers’ view is as critical as other factors. There are two common presentations of garments: 2D image-based and 3D mesh with photo-realistic rendering. They have different advantages and drawbacks, but both need a large garment database for support. While creating a 3D garment model takes considerable labor, 2D images often suffer from the lack of variation and it is much more difficult to make customized changes. In either case, the try-on system would need a user-friendly design and manipulation backend to meet the customer’s needs. Last, but not least, a fast and vivid animation of the garments in motion, along with the body movement, can considerably improve the user experience. Although it is not as critical as other factors, realistic visual rendering could effectively reduce the perceptual gap between the real-world and the virtual garments for online shopping. Although previous methods have made some progresses on these under-constrained problems, learning-based approaches have shown tremendous potential in making notable impact. We propose to address the key open research issues above by adopting machine learning and optimization techniques. These include:
Potentials protective role of yogurt against toxic effects of aflatoxin‐ contaminated Prunus mahaleb in rats

Background: Aspergillus species contain a group of chemically toxic fungal metabolites known as aflatoxins. Fungi can contaminate nuts, leading to the development of mycotoxins. The study's objective was to inspect the ability of yogurt in helping experimental rats recover from the negative effects of eating stored Prunus mahaleb contaminated with aflatoxins. After one and two months of storage at room temperature, total aflatoxins concentrations in Prunus mahaleb were determined. Rats were divided into five groups (6 rats each); a negative control group (fed on a normal diet), group 2 (fed on a standard diet with 5% Prunus mahaleb was stored for one month), group 3 (fed on a standard diet with 5% Prunus mahaleb was stored for two months), group 4 (fed on a standard diet with 5% Prunus mahaleb was stored for one month with 180 cc2 / kg body weight /day yogurt) and group 5 (fed on a standard diet with 5% Prunus mahaleb was stored for two months with 180 cc2 / kg body weight /day yogurt. Results: The findings demonstrated the yogurt's ability to reduce aflatoxin effects on biochemical parameters in rats' serum. An improvement was recorded in hemoglobin and packed cell volume, lipid profile, liver and kidney functions and antioxidant enzymes activities for rats taking yogurt with the presence of aflatoxin of stored Prunus mahaleb. Yogurt consumption aided in the reduction of oxidative stress in rats caused by feeding on aflatoxins-contaminated Prunus mahaleb.
Why Use Uncertainty for Self-supervised MVS ?

In Bayesian deep learning, the uncertainty is categorized into two types [2]: aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty. Aleatoric uncertainty models the inherent noise in the training data, and epistemic uncertainty accounts for what is not included in the training data. As shown in Fig. 1, a toy example of aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty is provided. In Fig. 1(a), aleatoric uncertainty models the regions which have noisy labels. In Fig. 1(b), it shows that epistemic uncertainty models what current model ignores, for example, the regions without certain supervision or label. In previous works [9, 1, 7, 11], self-supervised MVS methods are built on intuitive assumptions, aiming at involving extra priors into the self-supervision loss. It can be further viewed as an attempt to increase the certain supervision signals in self-supervision, which is proved by extensive experiments to be effective. Whereas, from an opposite viewpoint, we rethink the effect of uncertain supervision signals modeled by epistemic uncertainty in this work. Since epistemic uncertainty models the ignorance of supervision, it can provide us a more comprehensive and explainable understanding of self-supervision. In analogy to the epistemic uncertainty in Fig. 1(b), the uncertainty in self-supervision can guide our skepticism to the limitations of current self-supervised MVS, which is further discussed in the Introduction part of the manuscript.
A Cryptographic Study of Secure Internet Measurement Technical Report

Mechanisms for measuring data-path quality and identifying locations where packets were dropped are crucial for informing routing decisions and enforcing network accountability. If such mechanisms are to be reliable, they must be designed to prevent ASes from ‘gaming’ measurements to their advantage (e.g. by hiding packet loss or by blaming packet loss on innocent ASes). In this paper, we explore mechanisms for accurately detecting and localizing packet loss events on a data path in the presence of both benign loss (congestion, link failure) and active adversaries (ASes motivated by malice or greed). We do not advocate a specific network architecture. Instead, we use rigorous techniques from theoretical cryptography to present new protocols and negative results that can guide the placement of measurement and security mechanisms in future networks. Our major contributions are: (1) Negative results that prove that any detection or localization mechanism requires secret keys, cryptography and storage at every participating node. (2) Pepper Probing and Salt Probing, two efficient protocols for accurate end-to-end detection of packet loss on a path, even in the presence of adversaries. (3) A new protocol for accurately localizing packet loss to specific links along a path, even in the presence of adversaries. This technical report contains proofs, definitions, and other results in support of our short paper, “Measuring Path Quality in the Presence of Adversaries: The Role of Cryptography in Network Accountability”.
Emotional Features of Interactions with Empathic Agents

The current study is part of the EMPATHIC project, whose aim is to develop an Empathic Virtual Coach (VC) capable of promoting healthy and independent aging. To this end, the VC needs to be capable of perceiving the emotional states of users and adjusting its behaviour during the interactions according to what the users are experiencing in terms of emotions and comfort. Thus, the present work focuses on some sessions where elderly users of three different countries interact with a simulated system. Audio and video information extracted from these sessions were examined by external observers to assess participants’ emotional experience with the EMPATHIC-VC in terms of categorical and dimensional assessment of emotions. Analyses were conducted on the emotional labels assigned by the external observers while participants were engaged in two different scenarios: a generic one, where the interaction was carried out with no intention to discuss a specific topic, and a nutrition one, aimed to accomplish a conversation on users’ nutritional habits. Results of analyses performed on both audio and video data revealed that the EMPATHIC coach did not elicit negative feelings in the users. Indeed, users from all countries have shown relaxed and positive behavior when interacting with the simulated VC during both scenarios. Overall, the EMPATHIC-VC was capable to offer an enjoyable experience without eliciting negative feelings in the users. This supports the hypothesis that an Empathic Virtual Coach capable of considering users’ expectations and emotional states could support elderly people in daily life activities and help them to remain independent.
UPFC sizing by means of an economically correct secure economic dispatch in a deregulated power market scenario

In a deregulated power market scenario, the Independent System Operator (ISO) main problem is how to minimize the power system insecurity risk. To face this problem, in previous papers, assuming the insecurity risk as a part of the global cost, a model named Economically correct Secure Economic Dispatch (EcSED) has been proposed by the authors. Further, the EcSED has been improved considering the presence of an Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) device in the transmission network. In this paper, by means of an enhanced formulation of the improved EcSED, the size of an UPFC is determined, by including the UPFC investment cost within the objective function. Indeed, an UPFC installed in the transmission network may minimize the insecurity risk, hence the global cost, although its usage implies an expense, function of the size of the device itself. Some numerical experiments on a 5-bus test system are also reported, to prove the effectiveness of the enhanced EcSED model formulation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An International Disaster Recovery Business Alliance

There is an urgent need for increasing the capacity for business recovery in communities throughout the world. This goal is a major challenge for the 21st century and requires that we find innovative ways for creating disaster mitigation plans for businesses and communities. The Disaster Recovery Business Alliance (DRBA) concept provides a model for developing such capabilities. The communities currently developing DRBA infrastructures are setting the foundation for local and regional economic recovery models that can be used in any locale. In addition, these communities are establishing standard terminology and guidelines that will facilitate the sharing of information in the future.
Compact printed log‐periodic dipole antenna for water detection by using ground penetrating radar

Compact printed fractal log‐periodic dipole antenna (FLPDA) is proposed for water detection using ground penetrating radar (GPR). First fractal structure is introduced in an antenna design and evolves the traditional Euclidean log‐periodic dipole array (LPDA). A fabricated proof‐of‐concept prototype of the proposed antenna is printed on a FR4 substrate with a relative permittivity of 4.7 on both substrate thickness 1.6 and 9.5 mm with occupied area of 85 × 110 and 60 × 70 cm2, respectively. The fabricated antenna has approximately 75% size reduction as compared to traditional LPDA. The −10dB impedance bandwidth extends from 45 MHz to more than 500 MHz. Both numerical and experimental results show that the FLPDA antenna has stable directional radiation patterns and apparently miniaturized effect, which are suitable for various ultrawideband applications. Main parameters and characteristics of the proposed antenna are discussed using both electromagnetic simulation and measurement. The effect of sandy soil, water layer, and the distance between sand and proposed antennas are also studied. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1225–1232, 2014
QFT-based robust controller design of series resonant DC/DC converters

In this paper, based on quantitative feedback theory, the authors design a robust controller for a series resonant DC-to-DC power converter. In order to analyze the stability, a small-signal model of series resonant power converters is adopted. Simulation results illustrate that the required performances, sensitivity, maximum overshoot and allowable settling time can be achieved subject to different loads. In addition, the performance is evaluated with the PSpice circuit simulator.
Piezoelectric-transformer inverter with maximum-efficiency tracking and dimming control

This paper provides a solution for the problem of efficiency decrease caused by load variation and environmental temperature change. A novel control scheme of tracking the PT's operation frequency for the maximum efficiency is proposed. As a result, a high efficiency of over 80% has been achieved even under the output current decrease down to 10% of the maximum, and under the resonant-frequency variation by environmental temperature change of -10 to +70 centigrade.
Week-to-Week Leisure Trip Frequency and Its Variability

Using a 6-week travel diary survey from Germany, this study examined the effect of the frequency of leisure trips per week on the variability in the number of such trips over weeks. The frequency of trips and the variability were measured for six activity types: social contact, sports, recreation, culture and learning, nature, and shopping. A two-stage model, consisting of tobit and ordinary least-squares approaches, was used with dependent variables of trip frequency per week and variability of trips over weeks, respectively. The results showed that the frequency of leisure trips influenced their variability in certain activity types. The effects vary substantially across activity types.
Part-Task vs. Whole-Task Training on a Supervisory Control Task

The primary aim of training is to improve performance. Part-task training may be the more economical method, because full mission training simulators often cost more than the vehicles they simulate. However, the skills learned may not transfer effectively to performance of the complete task. This study investigated the effectiveness of Part-task training on the psychomotor portion of a supervisory control simulation. Twelve subjects were divided into Part-task and Whole-task groups and told to perform the task as quickly as possible. Part-task training was provided with the cursor-control device (a magnetic pen and pad), prior to transition to the Whole-task. Some distinct advantages of the Part-task training were: (1) The Part-task group learned the task faster; (2) The Part-task group's scores and task times continued to improve, while the Whole-task group's did not; and (3) A significant increase in speed of response for the Part-task group and almost no improvement in speed for the Whole-task group.
Rapid phonetic drift in second language acquisition

This paper is concerned with the nature and time course of phonetic drift in one’s first language during acquisition of a second language. In a longitudinal study of native English speakers’ acquisition of Korean, 20 late learners produced the same English and Korean items at weekly intervals over the course of intensive beginning Korean language classes. Results of acoustic analyses indicate that learning Korean stops influences the production of English stops (in terms of voice onset time and/or fundamental frequency onset) in as little as one week, with the English sounds approximating the characteristics of the Korean sounds to which they are most phonetically similar. These results indicate that first-language phonological categories are affected by second language learning on a very short time scale, suggesting that the equivalence classification between firstand second-language categories that gives rise to this phonetic drift may be rather low-level in nature.
Effect of Polyphenolic Compounds of Rosa Canina (L.) Against The Acetylcholinesterase Activity of Rhopalosiphum Padi (L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) is among the most aggressive cereal pests worldwide. The pest causes economically heavy crop loss. Chemical insecticides were used for the control of multiple insects. However, the harmful consequences of these chemical products are well known. Seeking more ecological alternatives, respect to the environment is, therefore, a necessity. The phytochemicals are known for their various biological activities of pharmaceutical and agri-food interest. Several plant species have been found to have effective bioinsecticide properties against a variety of insects. In this study, the plant Rosa canina (L.) has made the objective of an in-silico research using molecular docking by screening the inhibitory potential of its polyphenolic compounds against the enzyme acetylcholinesterase of R. padi (L.). The enzyme 3D structure was first modeled, then its stereochemical quality was validated. The result of molecular docking allowed the selection of seven phytocompounds (Ellagic acid, Dihydroquercetin, Bilobalide A, Luteolin 5-methyl ether, Rosmarinic acid, Kaempferol, and Quercetin) with binding energy lower than that of the commercial insecticide Malathion. These components showed intense links with the catalytic site key residues of the enzyme, indicating their high inhibitor potential. The environmental and health safety of these components and their bio-availability were also validated by the verification of several pharmacokinetic and ADMET criteria, suggesting the interest of the plant R. canina (L.) as promising bioinsecticide material against the pest R. padi (L.).