Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CHARMY: an extensible tool for architectural analysis

CHARMY is a framework for designing and validating architectural specifications. In the early stages of the software development process, the CHARMY framework assists the software architect in the design and validation phases. To increase its usability in an industrial context, the tool allows the use of UML-like notations to graphically design the system. Once the design is done, a formal prototype is automatically created for simulation and analysis purposes. The framework provides extensibility mechanisms to enable the introduction of new design and analysis features.
Physical retrieval of surface emissivity spectrum from hyperspectral infrared radiances

Retrieval of temperature, moisture profiles and surface skin temperature from hyperspectral infrared (IR) radiances requires spectral information about the surface emissivity. Using constant or inaccurate surface emissivities typically results in large temperature and moisture profile errors, particularly over semi‐arid or arid areas where the variation in emissivity is large both spectrally and spatially. A physically based algorithm has been developed to retrieve a hyperspectral IR emissivity spectrum simultaneously with the temperature and moisture profiles, as well as the surface skin temperature. To make the solution stable and efficient, the hyperspectral emissivity spectrum is represented by eigenvectors, derived from the laboratory measured hyperspectral emissivity database, in the retrieval process. Experience with Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) radiances shows that simultaneous retrieval of the emissivity spectrum and the sounding improves the surface skin temperature and temperature and moisture profiles, particularly in the near surface layer.
A Convex Scheme for the Secrecy Capacity of a MIMO Wiretap Channel with a Single Antenna Eavesdropper

Security has traditionally been dealt with at layers higher than the physical layer but in the wake of 5G, security at all layers is necessary to deal with the variations in complexity of connected devices. Low power devices may use physical layer security as a solution, while other devices may use physical layer security to complement security at higher layers. One key metric for physical layer security is the secrecy capacity. This is the maximum rate that a system can transmit with perfect secrecy. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) and Massive MIMO systems look likely to play a part in 5G, but the secrecy capacity for such systems is not fully understood. For a Gaussian MIMO channel, the secrecy capacity is a non-convex optimisation problem for which a general solution is not available. This paper presents an optimisation scheme that enables us to determine the secrecy capacity of a MIMO system with a single eavesdrop antenna. It is shown that, for certain parameters, the presented scheme is a concave problem which can therefore be solved efficiently using existing convex optimisation software.
Probabilistic planning with formal performance guarantees for mobile service robots

We present a framework for mobile service robot task planning and execution, based on the use of probabilistic verification techniques for the generation of optimal policies with attached formal performance guarantees. Our approach is based on a Markov decision process model of the robot in its environment, encompassing a topological map where nodes represent relevant locations in the environment, and a range of tasks that can be executed in different locations. The navigation in the topological map is modeled stochastically for a specific time of day. This is done by using spatio-temporal models that provide, for a given time of day, the probability of successfully navigating between two topological nodes, and the expected time to do so. We then present a methodology to generate cost optimal policies for tasks specified in co-safe linear temporal logic. Our key contribution is to address scenarios in which the task may not be achievable with probability one. We introduce a task progression function and present an approach to generate policies that are formally guaranteed to, in decreasing order of priority: maximize the probability of finishing the task; maximize progress towards completion, if this is not possible; and minimize the expected time or cost required. We illustrate and evaluate our approach with a scalability evaluation in a simulated scenario, and report on its implementation in a robot performing service tasks in an office environment for long periods of time.
In situ LA-SF-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of metasomatic zircon growth during retrogression of UHP eclogites, Sulu deep drilling hole, China

Thermobarometry and in situ U–Pb dating of zircon in texturally and petrologically defined positions are used to assess exhumation accompanied by fluid-enhanced retrogression of ultra high pressure (UH P ) eclogite core samples from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) project. Eclogites from the CCSD project show discrete retrograde zones that can be attributed to exhumation processes. The retrogression from UH P eclogite to H P eclogite, amphibolite and finally greenschist facies conditions is fluid-induced. The occurrence of significant barium concentrations in two mica generations points to an external fluid source during retrogression. This Ba and F-bearing fluid mobilized zirconium from the eclogitic host, which was preferentially precipitated as overgrowths on pre-existing grains in the retrograde zone. Thermodynamic modelling with progressive addition of H 2 O to the bulk composition simulates the petrological development of the fluid-influenced retrograde zone. Growth of zircon precipitated from the fluid occurred between 730°–740 °C at 3.46 GPa and 700 °C at 1.4 GPa. LA-SF-ICPMS analyses point to a local onset of metasomatic zircon growth at 233.1 ± 5.3 Ma ongoing to 207.4 ± 1.6 Ma that is spatially limited to the retrograde zone.
ARKitScenes - A Diverse Real-World Dataset For 3D Indoor Scene Understanding Using Mobile RGB-D Data

Scene understanding is an active research area. Commercial depth sensors, such as Kinect, have enabled the release of several RGB-D datasets over the past few years which spawned novel methods in 3D scene understanding. More recently with the launch of the LiDAR sensor in Apple’s iPads and iPhones, high quality RGB-D data is accessible to millions of people on a device they commonly use. This opens a whole new era in scene understanding for the Computer Vision community as well as app developers. The fundamental research in scene understanding together with the advances in machine learning can now impact people’s everyday experiences. However, transforming these scene understanding methods to real-world experiences requires additional innovation and development. In this paper we introduce ARKitScenes. It is not only the ﬁrst RGB-D dataset that is captured with a now widely available depth sensor, but to our best knowledge, it also is the largest indoor scene understanding data released. In addition to the raw and processed data from the mobile device, ARKitScenes includes high resolution depth maps captured using a stationary laser scanner, as well as manually labeled 3D oriented bounding boxes for a large taxonomy of furniture. We further analyze the usefulness of the data for two downstream tasks: 3D object detection and color-guided depth upsam-pling. We demonstrate that our dataset can help push the boundaries of existing state-of-the-art methods and it introduces new challenges that better represent real-world scenarios.
Arm hooks and structural features in the Early Permian Glochinomorpha Gordon , indicative of its coleoid affiliation

Data on the re-examined-type specimens of the Early Permian Glochinomorpha stifeli Gordon 1971 (Coleoidea, Cephalopoda) gives new insight into the evolutionary origination of gladius-bearing coleoids in the Late Palaeozoic and suggests their parallel evolution with the belemnoids and phragmoteuthids. The iron-oxidized arm hooks are found in front of a gladius on an un-illustrated paratype (USNM 170614). They are dispersed in a maximum distance equal to 2.5 the gladius length from the incomplete anterior end of the rachis of the gladius. The hook height ranges from less than 1 mm to as much as 4 mm. They have a massive curved base, and a strongly curved shaft with a long thin distal part. The hooks confirm the cephalopod and the coleoid affiliation of G. stifeli that is widely rejected. The iron-oxidized gladii (preserved length is less than 20 mm) show micro-laminations and a fibrous ultrastructure; the fibre bundles are approximately 0.5 μm thick. Lack of calcium and the high content of nitrogen (up to 12% of total weight) confirm the originally non-biomineralized (apparently chitin) composition of the gladii suggested by their fibrous ultrastructure. These data lead to the conclusion that in the evolutionary history of gladius-bearing coleoids, the biomaterial (biochemical) development of the skeleton preceded its morphological transformation. This phenomenon resulted in a recombination of an advanced composition (being non-biomineralized) with archaic features (sensu morphological structure of the posterior part) in the gladius of G. stifeli. The data cast doubt on the hypothesized origination of a gladius from a phragmoteuthid pro-ostracum as well as the evolutionary origination of the gladius-bearing coleoids from pro-ostracum-bearing phragmoteuthids or belemnitids.
Sound and fury

As a parent, I was not surprised to meet parents of deaf children who would move heaven and earth to enable their children to hear. I was, however, shocked to meet people who loved being deaf, celebrated when they had deaf children, and wouldn't choose to be hearing even if they could. I was even more surprised by how compelling and persuasive their arguments were. As I learned more about sign language and deaf culture, I began to recognize what a threat the cochlear implant posed to an entire way of life. I also began to realize what Josh already knew there was a story here that was waiting to be told. I was thrilled to join forces with Josh as we set out to tell the story of the communication wars of the deaf.
IT and Firm Agility: An Electronic Integration Perspective

Firms evolving in increasingly turbulent environments need to respond to market threats and opportunities with speed. At the same time, firms implement numerous information technologies (IT) in the hope of streamlining processes and providing managers with unfettered access to information from both within and outside the firm. While research shows how agility and IT contribute to firm performance, the relationship between these two constructs remains relatively unexplored. Using an electronic integration perspective, we develop a framework that addresses this issue. The framework suggests that IT applications affect the two components of agility (sensing and responding) through two types of integration (internal and external). The framework also explains the mediating roles of knowledge exploration, knowledge exploitation, and process coupling. Four propositions are developed and illustrated with different examples. Avenues for future research are developed.
Energy Footprint of Blockchain Consensus Mechanisms Beyond Proof-of-Work

—Popular permissionless distributed ledger technology (DLT) systems using proof-of-work (PoW) for Sybil attack resistance have extreme energy requirements, drawing stern criticism from academia, business, and the media. DLT systems building on alternative consensus mechanisms, foremost proof-of-stake (PoS), aim to address this downside. In this paper, we take a ﬁrst step towards comparing the energy requirements of such systems to understand whether they achieve this goal equally well. While multiple studies have been undertaken that analyze the energy demands of individual blockchains, little comparative work has been done. We approach this research gap by formalizing a basic consumption model for PoS blockchains. Applying this model to six archetypal blockchains generates three main ﬁndings: First, we conﬁrm the concerns around the energy footprint of PoW by showing that Bitcoin’s energy consumption exceeds the energy consumption of all PoS-based systems analyzed by at least two orders of magnitude. Second, we illustrate that there are signiﬁcant diﬀerences in energy consumption among the PoS-based systems analyzed, with permissionless systems having an overall larger energy footprint. Third, we point out that the type of hardware that validators use has a considerable impact on whether PoS blockchains’ energy consumption is comparable with or considerably larger than that of centralized, non-DLT systems.
U–Pb and Rb–Sr geochronology of the Wedgeport granitoid pluton, southwestern Nova Scotia

Zircons from biotite monzogranite of the Wedgeport Pluton, intrusive into deformed metasediments of the Cambrian(? ) Goldenville Formation in the southwestern Meguma Terrane of Nova Scotia, yield concordant U–Pb ages of 316 ± 5 Ma. This is interpreted as the time of intrusion and crystallization. Within the error limits, the 323 ± 12 Ma Rb–Sr whole-rock isochron age is identical and gives an initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of 0.7137 ± 0.0056. Rb–Sr analyses of mineral separates of biotite, potassium feldspar, and quartz–plagioclase from several samples yield subparallel, internal isochrons with an average age of 257 ± 8 Ma. Initial ratios of the internal isochrons range from 0.716 to 0.759. A slow-cooling model for these latter data is discarded because the mineral data fall on straight lines. Instead, a reheating event related to plutonism ca. 257 Ma ago, which was sufficient to cause local grain-to-grain migration and reequilibration of strontium and rubidium but not large-scale redistribution, is invoked. This reheating is also inferred to be responsible for the hydrothermal alteration and Sn–U mineralization concentrated along the northwestern margin of the pluton. A dextral northeast–southeast shear zone cutting the pluton is also inferred to be ca. 257 Ma old. It may be related to the last stages of westward obduction of the Meguma Terrane.These results provide a clear example of Permo-Carboniferous plutonism in the southwestern Meguma Terrane and suggest a similar interpretation may apply to other anomalously young ages recorded in this area. In light of these results, the Permo-Carboniferous age of the large East Kemptville tin deposit and its location in a dextral shear zone suggest that the association of younger plutonism and shear zones may be a significant factor for economic mineralization.
KI-Zeitschrift-Auszug als Leseprobe

In recent years a number of different cognitive theories that explain human reasoning processes have been developed. This paper focusses on two broadly discussed theories: the theory of mental logic and the theory of mental models. Both theories are presented and analyzed in formal terms and compared with respect to their explanatory and predictive power. Our claim is that only a precise computational model can classify reasoning problems and can help to formulate new predictions.
Festivals, landscapes, and aesthetic engagement: A phenomenological approach to four Norwegian festivals

The article examines the relationship between festivals, landscapes, and aesthetics. Since the 1960s there has been considerable growth in the numbers and types of festivals in the Western world, and in the creative use of landscape and environment as contexts and frames for many of these festivals. The article addresses two central questions: What are the characteristics of the phenomenon of festivals? In what ways do festivals in a Norwegian context relate to the landscape that both surrounds them and is part of their constitution? Using a theatrical metaphor, festivals and landscape can be perceived as instant cultural and aesthetic encounters in a performance space. The authors find that festivals as cultural events are characterized by social, aesthetic, and symbolic value, as well as cohesion, joy, openness, expressive, play, and diversity, and that experience is not exclusively individual but rather rooted in social and material interaction with other people and the environment. The approach is based on body-oriented, phenomenological, multisensous (synaesthetic) perspectives on festivals and landscapes. The article provides examples from four festivals in Norway.
HENGILL TRIPLE JUNCTION, SW ICELAND 1. TECTONIC STRUCTURE AND THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL EARTHQUAKES

The Hengill area is an unstable ridge-ridge-transform triple junction in SW Iceland. It contains the active central volcano Hengill, associated with the present accretionary zone, and the extinct Grensdalur central volcano, associated with an accretionary zone that became inactive at about −0.7 m.y. when the locus of spreading migrated about 5 km W to the Hengill zone. The dominant tectonic trend of the area is N25°E, parallel to the accretionary zones, but transverse tectonic/topographic features have also developed in the neighborhood of the two central volcanoes. These result from local modification of the regional stress field associated with the spreading by radially symmetric stress fields associated with the volcanoes, and the migration of volcanism. A double-high temperature geothermal system mirrors the double volcanic system. The transform branch of the triple junction is represented by an EW striking zone of historic destructive earthquakes in the S of the area. A seismological study was conducted with the aims of studying the tectonic structure and evaluating the passive seismic method as a geothermal prospecting tool. The seismicity may be broadly divided into two groups. First, infrequent intense episodes of crustal movement occur that are associated with the release of tectonic stress along the plate boundary. Second, continuous small-magnitude activity occurs on a day to day basis. This activity is mostly associated with the extinct Grensdalur central volcano, not the present plate boundary. Statistically significant temporal variations in b accompanied a swarm in the transform zone. The continuous small-magnitude activity may be geothermal in origin, releasing, thermal stress, and not associated with plate boundary tectonics.
Evaluation of a Silent Speech Interface Based on Magnetic Sensing and Deep Learning for a Phonetically Rich Vocabulary

To help people who have lost their voice following total laryngectomy, we present a speech restoration system that produces audible speech from articulator movement. The speech articulators are monitored by sensing changes in magnetic field caused by movements of small magnets attached to the lips and tongue. Then, articulator movement is mapped to a sequence of speech parameter vectors using a transformation learned from simultaneous recordings of speech and articulatory data. In this work, this transformation is performed using a type of recurrent neural network (RNN) with fixed latency, which is suitable for realtime processing. The system is evaluated on a phoneticallyrich database with simultaneous recordings of speech and articulatory data made by non-impaired subjects. Experimental results show that our RNN-based mapping obtains more accurate speech reconstructions (evaluated using objective quality metrics and a listening test) than articulatory-to-acoustic mappings using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) or deep neural networks (DNNs). Moreover, our fixed-latency RNN architecture provides comparable performance to an utterance-level batch mapping using bidirectional RNNs (BiRNNs).
Gestion des matières premières et comportements techniques dans le Middle Stone Age africain : les assemblages lithiques de la grotte du Porc-Épic (Dire Dawa, Éthiopie)

This study examines the lithic assemblage from a cave site, Porc-Epic, located in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. The assemblage is representative of the Middle Stone Age and documents an increased sophistication in lithic production, with greater technological variability shown in the production of blades, flakes, bladelets, points and so on. David Pleurdeau examines the assemblage in detail and argues that changes in the relationship between humans and their environment in the Middle Stone Age were in part due to the diversification and regionalisation of stone tool production at this time, as seen at Porc-Epic. French text; short English summary.
Privacy Interpretation of Behaviour-based Anomaly Detection Approaches

This paper introduces the notion of ‘Privacy-Anomaly Detection’ and considers the question of whether behaviour-based anomaly detection approaches can have a privacy semantic interpretation and whether the detected anomalies can be related to the conventional (formal) definitions of privacy semantics. The idea is to learn user's past querying behaviour in terms of privacy and then identify deviations from past behaviour in order to detect privacy violations. Privacy attacks, violations of formal privacy definition, based on a sequence of SQL queries (query correlations) are considered in this paper and it is shown that interactive querying settings are vulnerable to privacy attacks based on query sequences. Investigation on whether these types of privacy attacks can potentially manifest themselves as anomalies, specifically as privacy-anomalies was carried out. It is shown, in this paper, that behaviour-based anomaly detection approaches have the potential to detect privacy attacks based on query sequences (violation of formal privacy definition) as privacy-anomalies.
General Congestion Attack on HTLC-Based Payment Channel Networks

Payment Channel Networks (PCNs) have been a promising approach to scale blockchains. However, PCNs have limited liquidity: large-amount or multi-hop payments may fail. The major threat of PCNs liquidity is payment grieﬁng , where the adversary who acts as the payee keeps withholding the payment, so that coins involved in the payment cannot be used for routing other payments before the payment expires. Payment grieﬁng gives adversaries a chance to launch the congestion attack , where the adversary griefs a large number of payments and paralyses the entire PCN. Understanding congestion attacks, including their strategies and impact, is crucial for designing PCNs with better liquidity guarantees. However, existing research has only focused on the speciﬁc attacking strategies and speciﬁc aspects of their impact on PCNs. We ﬁll this gap by studying the general congestion attack . Compared to existing attack strategies, in our framework each step serves an orthogonal purpose and is customisable, allowing the adversary to focus on diﬀerent aspects of the liquidity. To evaluate the attack’s impact, we propose a generic method of quantifying PCNs’ liquidity and eﬀectiveness of the congestion attacks. We evaluate our general congestion attacks on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, and show that with direct channels to 1.5% richest nodes, and ∼ 0.0096 BTC of cost, the adversary can launch a congestion attack that locks 47% ( ∼ 280 BTC) coins in the network; reduces success rate of payments by 16.0% ∼ 60.0%; increases fee of payments by 4.5% ∼ 16.0%; increases average attempts of payments by 42.0% ∼ 115.3%; and increase the number of bankruptcy nodes (i.e., nodes with insuﬃcient balance for making normal-size payments) by 26.6% ∼ 109.4%, where the amounts of payments range from 0.001 to 0.019 BTC.