Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of ski stiffness on ski performance

In a controlled field study, the turning performance of skis with different flexural and torsional stiffness was investigated. The ski manufacturer Blizzard was asked to produce three pairs of skis with different flexural stiffness and equal torsional stiffness and vice versa. The stiffness of these skis was determined by our measuring device that allows recording both the flexural and the torsional stiffness along the ski. To compare the resulting continuous functions 11 parameters were introduced, e.g. maximum values, minimum values in the front and back part of the ski or twist angles. First, differences between mounted and unmounted skis were studied. The flexural stiffness was affected by the binding, but not the torsional stiffness. Then, five ski testers performed controlled runs in a course of thirteen gates under observation of two coaches. Running time and standardized questionnaires for ski testers and coaches were used to describe the turning performance. The results show a trend that the skis with lower torsional stiffness and the skis with higher flexural stiffness affect the turning performance positively. When comparing the middle of the ski to the front and back of the ski, maximal differences in flexural stiffness and minimal differences in torsional stiffness demonstrated better turning performance.
A single feed dual-band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) miniaturized patch antenna for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications

Abstract A single feed dual-band miniaturized microstrip patch antenna for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communications has been proposed. The outer rectangular loop patch and inner modified E-shaped patch were used to resonate at 2.4 and 5 GHz, respectively. In order to separate the effect between two frequency bands, a shorting pin was set between two resonance cells. The simulated results show that it can operate at 2.4 and 5 GHz bands with 0.072 GHz (2.407–2.479 GHz) and 0.715 GHz (5.137–5.853 GHz) fractional bandwidth, respectively, which can cover the whole frequency band of WLAN. In addition, the antenna is miniaturized by 31% compared to the conventional rectangular patch without a slot. At last, the proposed microstrip patch antenna has been fabricated and measured for both impedance matching and radiation patterns. A comparison of the measurement and simulation results is given, which show reasonable good agreement.
Relating (cid:2) p regularization and reweighted (cid:2) 1 regularization

We propose a general framework of iteratively reweighted (cid:2) 1 algorithms for solving (cid:2) p regularization problems. We show that all the limit points of the iterates generated by the proposed algorithms have the same sign. Moreover, for sufﬁciently large iterations, the iterates also have the same sign as the limit points, and the nonzero components are bounded away from zero. Therefore, the algorithm behaves like solving a smooth problem in the reduced space consisting of the nonzero components. We analyze the global convergence and the worst-case complexity for the reweighted algorithms. Besides, a smoothing parameter updating strategy is proposed which can automatically stop reducing the smoothing parameters corresponding to the zero components of the limit points. We show that the (cid:2) p regularized regression problem is locally equivalent to a weighted (cid:2) 1 regularization problem near a stationary point and every stationary point corresponds to a Maximum A Posterior estimation for independently and non-identically distributed Laplace prior parameters. Numerical experiments exhibit the behaviors and the efﬁciency of our proposed algorithms.
The Cooperative Coevolutionary (1+1) EA

Coevolutionary algorithms are variants of traditional evolutionary algorithms and are often considered more suitable for certain kinds of complex tasks than noncoevolutionary methods. One example is a general cooperative coevolutionary framework for function optimization. This paper presents a thorough and rigorous introductory analysis of the optimization potential of cooperative coevolution. Using the cooperative coevolutionary framework as a starting point, the CC (1+1) EA is defined and investigated from the perspective of the expected optimization time. The research concentrates on separability, a key property of objective functions. We show that separability alone is not sufficient to yield any advantage of the CC (1+1) EA over its traditional, non-coevolutionary counterpart. Such an advantage is demonstrated to have its basis in the increased explorative possibilities of the cooperative coevolutionary algorithm. For inseparable functions, the cooperative coevolutionary set-up can be harmful. We prove that for some objective functions the CC (1+1) EA fails to locate a global optimum with overwhelming probability, even in infinite time; however, inseparability alone is not sufficient for an objective function to cause difficulties. It is demonstrated that the CC (1+1) EA may perform equal to its traditional counterpart, and may even outperform it on certain inseparable functions.
Construction of explicitly correlated geminal-projected particle-hole creation operators for many-electron systems using the diagrammatic factorization approach

The computational cost of performing a configuration interaction (CI) calculation for treating electron-electron correlation is directly proportional to the number of terms in the CI expansion. In this work, we present a diagrammatic projection approach for a priori identification of non-contributing terms in a CI expansion. This method known as the geminal-projected configuration interaction (GP-CI) method is based on using a two-body R12 geminal operator for describing electron-electron correlation in a reference many-electron wave function. The diagrammatic projection procedure was performed by first deriving the Hugenholtz diagrams of the energy expression of the R12 reference wave function and then performing diagrammatic factorization of effective particle-hole creation operators. The projection operation, which is a functional of the geminal function, was defined and used for the construction of the geminal-projected particle-hole creation operators. The form of the two-body R12 geminal operator was derived analytically by imposing an approximate Kato cusp condition. A linear combination of the geminal-projected oneparticle one-hole and two-particle two-hole operators were used for the construction of the GP-CI wave function. The applicability and implementation of the diagrammatic projection method was demonstrated by performing proof-of-concept calculations on an isoelectronic series of 10 electron systems: CH4,NH3,H2O,HF,Ne. The results from the calculations show that, as compared to conventional CI calculations, the GP-CI method was able to substantially reduce the size of the CI space (by a factor of 6-9) while maintaining an accuracy of 10−5 Hartrees for the ground state energies. These results demonstrate the ability of the diagrammatic projection procedure to identify non-contributing states using an analytical form of the R12 geminal correlator operator. The geminal-projection method was also applied to second order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (GP-MP2) giving similar results to the GP-CI method in terms of reduction of the double excitation space and accuracy to the ground state energy. This work also extends the analytical derivation of the geminal-projected particle-hole creation operators that were used for the construction of the CI wave function to coupled-cluster theory (GP-CCSD). This general derivation can also be applied to other many-electron theories and multi-determinant quantum Monte Carlo calculations. PACS numbers: 31.15. V,31.15. -p,31.15. xt
Conveying Value Via Categories

(a.1) S(x)− S(a) R(x)−R(a) ≥ S(a ′)− S(a) R(a′)−R(a) for all x ∈ (a, a′]. To understand this definition, suppose a′ a. Then conditional on placing all weight in [a, a′],R is “more optimistic” than S: it puts more weight on higher quality levels. So the sender might profit from treating [a, a′] as a pooling interval. For instance, in Figure 1 of the main text, R is the uniform distribution on [0, 1] and S is as pictured. The left panel has full revelation, which yields the expected value of a under S. In the right panel, there is pooling between t0 and its successor t1, and separation everywhere else. The resulting value is the expectation under the distribution in red, which follows R in the pooling region, and S thereafter. Since the red distribution is a first-order improvement over S, the expected value under this scheme is strictly higher. Hence, we can view intervals [a, a′], with a′ a, as those over which it is profitable to pool.Indeed, Panel B suggests that we can make further gains by moving t1 to the right towards even larger successors of t0. That motivates the following definition: [a, a′) is a maximal interval if a′ a and there is no pair {b, b′} 6 = {a, a′} such that b 6 a and b′ ≥ a′, and b′ b. The following observation guarantees that maximality is a well-defined concept, and — crucially — that maximal intervals must be disjoint.
Saliency Detection for Stereoscopic Images

Many saliency detection models for 2D images have been proposed for various multimedia processing applications during the past decades. Currently, the emerging applications of stereoscopic display require new saliency detection models for salient region extraction. Different from saliency detection for 2D images, the depth feature has to be taken into account in saliency detection for stereoscopic images. In this paper, we propose a novel stereoscopic saliency detection framework based on the feature contrast of color, luminance, texture, and depth. Four types of features, namely color, luminance, texture, and depth, are extracted from discrete cosine transform coefficients for feature contrast calculation. A Gaussian model of the spatial distance between image patches is adopted for consideration of local and global contrast calculation. Then, a new fusion method is designed to combine the feature maps to obtain the final saliency map for stereoscopic images. In addition, we adopt the center bias factor and human visual acuity, the important characteristics of the human visual system, to enhance the final saliency map for stereoscopic images. Experimental results on eye tracking databases show the superior performance of the proposed model over other existing methods.
Globalization and the environment: Strategies for international voluntary environmental initiatives

Executive Overview Multinational firms and their global supply chains are facing Increasing pressures for environmental responsibility from non-governmental actors. Reasons for these increasing pressures include concerns about the ability of national governments to regulate firms' environmental conduct in the global economy and the increasing influence of non-governmental organizations that are extending their reach into supply chains, International voluntary environmental initiatives (VEIs) are emerging as an important tool for corporate environmental self-regulation in the global economy. In the past decade, the number of national and international VEIs has grown from a handful to hundreds. Although these initiatives are not mandated by government regulations, firms can decide to adopt them and adhere to their requirements. This article analyzes reasons for the emergence of international VEIs, explains the importance of this trend for business, and develops a strategic framework to help firms manage the.
Subdivisions of digraphs

In this work, we consider the following problem: Given a directed graph D, does it contain a subdivision of a prescribed digraph F? We believe that there is a dichotomy between NP-complete and polynomial-time solvable instances of this problem. We present many examples of both cases. In particular, except for five instances, we are able to classify all the digraphs F of order 4.While all NP-hardness proofs are made by reduction from some version of the 2-linkage problem in digraphs, we use different algorithmic tools for proving polynomial-time solvability of certain instances, some of them involving relatively complicated algorithms. The techniques vary from easy brute force algorithms, algorithms based on maximum-flow calculations, handle decompositions of strongly connected digraphs, among others. Finally, we treat the very special case of F being the disjoint union of directed cycles. In particular, we show that the directed cycles of length at least 3 have the Erdos-Posa Property: for every n, there exists an integer tn such that for every digraph D, either D contains n disjoint directed cycles of length at least 3, or there is a set T of tn vertices that meets every directed cycle of length at least 3. From this result, we deduce that if F is the disjoint union of directed cycles of length at most 3, then one can decide in polynomial time if a digraph contains a subdivision of F.
Espace intrinsèque d'un graphe et recherche de communautés

La recherche de communautes dans un graphe se heurte a des problemes epineux de representation (formes convexes, recouvrantes, individus isoles.) dont l'abord optimal est realise par les methodes spectrales, basees sur les dimensions propres du Laplacien de ce graphe. Determiner le nombre de dimensions a prendre en consideration est essentiel pour beaucoup d'applications. On s'attaque ici a ce probleme dans le cadre de graphes non-orientes et non ponderes, qui inclut un type de graphe courant dans les applications de reseaux biologiques et sociaux, ceux munis d'une distribution des degres de leurs noeuds en loi de puissance. Nous proposons a cet effet un test de randomisation, independant des lois de distribution. Apres un petit exemple introductif, nous validons d'abord notre approche sur un graphe artificiel de ce type comportant deux communautes, puis sur deux graphes de test " Football League " et " Mexican Politician Network ", ou nous montrons a partir des resultats d'une methode densitaire de clustering le caractere optimal du nombre de dimensions extraites.
Systemic Risk : The Dynamics under Central Clearing

We develop a tractable model to resemble asset value processes of financial institutions trading with the central clearinghouse for risk mitigating purposes. Each institution allocates assets between its loan book and the account used to trade with the central clearinghouse. We show that a unique equilibrium allocation profile arises when institutions adjust trading positions to perfectly hedge risk stemming from their loan books. We then analyze the dynamic equilibrium path. As a regulatory monitoring tool, our model shows a buildup of systemic risk, manifested through the increase of market concentration, whose negative size externalities can be internalized via a self-funding systemic risk charge mechanism. We provide new testable predictions, including that (i) the volatility of the traded portfolio of a member can be forecasted by the collective capital committed by all others, (ii) hedging becomes increasingly costly for an institution as its asset value increases, (iii) market shocks have smaller impact on allocation decisions than operational shocks.
A REVIEW ON STATE-OF-THE-ART FACE RECOGNITION APPROACHES

Automatic Face Recognition (FR) presents a challenging task in the field of pattern recognition and despite the huge research in the past several decades; it still remains an open research problem. This is primarily due to the variability in the facial images, such as non-uniform illuminations, low resolution, occlusion, and/or variation in poses. Due to its non-intrusive nature, the FR is an attractive biometric modality and has gained a lot of attention in the biometric research community. Driven by the enormous number of potential application domains, many algorithms have been proposed for the FR. This paper presents an overview of the state-of-the-art FR algorithms, focusing their performances on publicly available databases. We highlight the conditions of the image databases with regard to the recognition rate of each approach. This is useful as a quick research overview and for practitioners as well to choose an algorithm for their specified FR application. To provide a comprehensive survey, the paper divides the FR algorithms into three categories: (1) intensity-based, (2) video-based, and (3) 3D based FR algorithms. In each category, the most commonly used algorithms and their performance is reported on standard face databases and a brief critical discussion is carried out.
Pharmacogenetics of hepatitis C : transition from interferon-based therapies to direct-acting antiviral agents

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress. com/permissions.php Hepatic Medicine: Evidence and Research 2014:6 61–77 Hepatic Medicine: Evidence and Research Dovepress
Comparison of postoperative analgesic efficacy of caudal block versus dorsal penile nerve block with bupivacaine for circumcision in children

Background: Circumcision is a frequently performed surgery in pediatric patient. Objective: Our aim is to compare postoperative analgesia of caudal block versus dorsal penile nerve block (DPNB) and to compare sedation score and complication associated with caudal block and DPNB in children undergoing circumcision. Materials and Methods: This prospective randomized study was performed for more than 50 patients of ASA grade I, aged 3–12 years, scheduled for elective circumcision. Patients were divided into two groups: DPNB for group I and caudal block for group II, using 0.25% 1 mL/kg (2 mg/kg) bupivacaine. Postoperative analgesia was evaluated for 6 hours with the FLACC Pain Scale for five categories: (F) face, (L) legs, (A) activity, (C) cry, and (C) consolability. Sedation was evaluated with Ramsey sedation score. For every child, supplementary analgesic amount and times and probable local or systemic complications were recorded. Results: No significant difference between both the groups was found in mean age, body weight, and surgery duration and sedation scores. Initially, for 2 hours, FLACC pain score was also insignificant; however, on subsequent measurements, a significant difference of FLACC pain score was noted in both the groups. No major complication was found when using either technique. Conclusion: Duration of postoperative analgesia is more in caudal group than that of DPNB. Supplementary analgesic need is also minimized.
Understanding the lived experiences of students in a comprehensive four-year undergraduate leadership development program

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to understand the lived experiences of students who participate in a comprehensive four-year undergraduate leadership development program, the College Leadership Program (CLP). Using the Social Change Model as a conceptual framework, I explored 12 students’ growth and development as leaders through the dimensions of Individual, Group, and Society. I also explored the congruence between the intended outcomes of the program and the students’ lived experiences. Data were collected through interviews, document analysis, and observation. Participants included current students in the program, recent graduates, and university administrators. JESSICA WALKER HENCH EDUCATIONAL, POLICY, PLANNING, AND LEADERSHIP HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA UNDERSTANDING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS IN A COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
PROPOSAL : A User-Adaptive and Context-Aware Architecture for Mobile and Desktop Training Applications

Since the late 1970’s, artificial intelligence, user modeling, and human-computer interaction communities have been researching on user-adaptive systems, i.e. interactive systems that adapt their behavior to individual users on the basis of processes of user model acquisition and application that involve some form of learning, inference, or decision making [28]. Research efforts led to compelling and diverse results meant, for example, to tailor information presentation, recommend products or other objects, give help, adapt an interface, and support learning. The latter goal was on the basis of a class of user-adaptive systems called intelligent tutoring systems, i.e. computer-based instructional systems with models of instructional content that specify what to teach, and teaching strategies that specify how to teach [37, 49]. These systems have been widely employed in the e-learning and work training domains, while other training domains (e.g., fitness training) are scarcely explored. Moreover, current solutions mostly rely on user and domain models as well as traditional mouse and keyboard input, while other kinds of inputs are only occasionally employed to identify particular work training actions or to estimate user’s attention and motivation. Complementary, in the middle 1990’s, the ubiquitous computing and the human-computer interaction communities started researching on context-aware systems, i.e. software that adapts according to the location of use, the collection of nearby people, hosts, and accessible devices, as well as to changes to such things over time [40]. The notion of context on the basis of these systems was then extended in [41] to cover a wider variety of aspects, such as environmental conditions (e.g., light, temperature), infrastructure (e.g., available networks, computational resources), and human factors (e.g., tasks, users). This has recently led to a partial merge of the two research topics of user-adaptive and context-aware systems as well as to a the first proposal to distribute user and context information among different web-based, desktop, and mobile applications [21]. However, further research is needed to tailor user-adaptive techniques
Look Ma, Only 400 Samples! Revisiting the Effectiveness of Automatic N-Gram Rule Generation for Spelling Correction in Filipino

With 84.75 million Filipinos online, the abil-001 ity for models to process online text is crucial 002 for developing Filipino NLP applications. To 003 this end, spelling correction is a crucial prepro-004 cessing step for downstream processing. How-005 ever, the lack of data prevents the use of lan-006 guage models for this task. In this paper, we 007 propose an N-Gram + Damerau-Levenshtein 008 distance model with automatic rule extraction. 009 We train the model on 300 samples, and show 010 that despite limited training data, it achieves 011 good performance and outperforms other deep 012 learning approaches in terms of accuracy and 013 edit distance. Moreover, the model (1) requires 014 little compute power, (2) trains in little time, 015 thus allowing for retraining, and (3) is easily 016 interpretable, allowing for direct troubleshoot-017 ing, highlighting the success of traditional ap-018 proaches over more complex deep learning 019 models in settings where data is unavailable. 020
Regularity of elliptic systems in divergence form with directional homogenization

In this paper, we study regularity of solutions of elliptic systems in divergence form with directional homogenization. Here directional homogenization means that the coefficients of equations are rapidly oscillating only in some directions. We will investigate the different regularity of solutions on directions with homogenization and without homogenization. Actually, we obtain uniform interior \begin{document}$W^{1, p}$\end{document} estimates in all directions and uniform interior \begin{document}$C^{1, γ}$\end{document} estimates in the directions without homogenization.