cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
DEVI: Open-source Human-Robot Interface for Interactive Receptionist Systems
Creators: name: Karunasena, Ramesha
name: Sandarenu, Piumi
name: Pinto, Madushi
name: Athukorala, Achala
name: Rodrigo, Ranga
name: Jayasekara, Peshala
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Robotics (cs.RO)
subject: Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)
subject: Machine Learning (cs.LG)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Humanoid robots that act as human-robot interfaces equipped with social skills can assist people in many of their daily activities. Receptionist robots are one such application where social skills and appearance are of utmost importance. Many existing robot receptionist systems suffer from high cost and they do not disclose internal architectures for further development for robot researchers. Moreover, there does not exist customizable open-source robot receptionist frameworks to be deployed for any given application. In this paper we present an open-source robot receptionist intelligence core -- "DEVI"(means 'lady' in Sinhala), that provides researchers with ease of creating customized robot receptionists according to the requirements (cost, external appearance, and required processing power). Moreover, this paper also presents details on a prototype implementation of a physical robot using the DEVI system. The robot can give directional guidance with physical gestures, answer basic queries using a speech recognition and synthesis system, recognize and greet known people using face recognition and register new people in its database, using a self-learning neural network. Experiments conducted with DEVI show the effectiveness of the proposed system.
description: Published in: 2019 IEEE 4th International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics (ICARM)
Sasaki-Einstein Manifolds and Volume Minimisation
Creators: name: Martelli, Dario
name: Sparks, James
name: Yau, Shing-Tung
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: Differential Geometry (math.DG)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We study a variational problem whose critical point determines the Reeb vector field for a Sasaki-Einstein manifold. This extends our previous work on Sasakian geometry by lifting the condition that the manifolds are toric. We show that the Einstein-Hilbert action, restricted to a space of Sasakian metrics on a link L in a Calabi-Yau cone X, is the volume functional, which in fact is a function on the space of Reeb vector fields. We relate this function both to the Duistermaat-Heckman formula and also to a limit of a certain equivariant index on X that counts holomorphic functions. Both formulae may be evaluated by localisation. This leads to a general formula for the volume function in terms of topological fixed point data. As a result we prove that the volume of a Sasaki-Einstein manifold, relative to that of the round sphere, is always an algebraic number. In complex dimension n=3 these results provide, via AdS/CFT, the geometric counterpart of a-maximisation in four dimensional superconformal field theories. We also show that our variational problem dynamically sets to zero the Futaki invariant of the transverse space, the latter being an obstruction to the existence of a Kahler-Einstein metric.
description: 82 pages, 9 figures; homogeneity of the (n,0)-form now derived from the Einstein-Hilbert action of the link, example of an orbifold resolution added, various clarifications and references added; minor changes; published version
Mediating Artificial Intelligence Developments through Negative and Positive Incentives
Creators: name: Han, The Anh
name: Pereira, Luis Moniz
name: Lenaerts, Tom
name: Santos, Francisco C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
subject: Multiagent Systems (cs.MA)
subject: Dynamical Systems (math.DS)
subject: Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems (nlin.AO)
subject: Populations and Evolution (q-bio.PE)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going through a period of great expectations, introducing a certain level of anxiety in research, business and also policy. This anxiety is further energised by an AI race narrative that makes people believe they might be missing out. Whether real or not, a belief in this narrative may be detrimental as some stake-holders will feel obliged to cut corners on safety precautions, or ignore societal consequences just to "win". Starting from a baseline model that describes a broad class of technology races where winners draw a significant benefit compared to others (such as AI advances, patent race, pharmaceutical technologies), we investigate here how positive (rewards) and negative (punishments) incentives may beneficially influence the outcomes. We uncover conditions in which punishment is either capable of reducing the development speed of unsafe participants or has the capacity to reduce innovation through over-regulation. Alternatively, we show that, in several scenarios, rewarding those that follow safety measures may increase the development speed while ensuring safe choices. Moreover, in {the latter} regimes, rewards do not suffer from the issue of over-regulation as is the case for punishment. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the nature and kinds of regulatory actions most suitable to improve safety compliance in the contexts of both smooth and sudden technological shifts.
Evolution of an asteroid family under YORP, Yarkovsky and collisions
Creators: name: Marzari, Francesco
name: Rossi, Alessandro
name: Golubov, Oleksiy
name: Scheeres, Daniel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Any population of asteroids, like asteroid families, will disperse in semi-major axis due to the Yarkovsky effect. The amount of drift is modulated by the asteroid spin state evolution which determines the balance between the diurnal and seasonal Yarkovsky force. The asteroid's spin state is, in turn, controlled in part by the YORP effect. The otherwise smooth evolution of an asteroid can be abruptly altered by collisions, which can cause impulsive changes in the spin state and can move the asteroid onto a different YORP track. In addition, collisions may also alter the YORP parameters by changing the superficial features and overall shape of the asteroid. Thus, the coupling between YORP and Yarkovsky is also strongly affected by the impact history of each body. To investigate this coupling we developed a statistical code modeling the time evolution of semi--major axis under YORP-Yarkovsky coupling. It includes the contributions of NYORP (normal YORP), TYORP (tangential YORP) and collisions whose effects are deterministically calculated and not added in a statistical way. We find that both collisions and TYORP increase the dispersion of a family in semi-major axis by making the spin axis evolution less smooth and regular. We show that the evolution of a family's structure with time is complex and collisions randomize the YORP evolution. In our test families we do not observe the formation of a 'YORP-eye' in the semi-major axis vs. diameter distribution, even after a long period of time. If present, the 'YORP-eye' might be a relic of an initial ejection velocity pattern of the collisional fragments.
3DForEcoTech Workshop
Creators: name: Kottilapurath Surendran, Gokul
Publisher: name: 3DForEcoTech
Year: 2022
Subjects: Machine learning
Classification
Tree species classification
Photogrammetry

description: The laser scanners use cameras and images to colorize point clouds. Photogrammetry is primarily using the images to create point clouds and then also to colorize them. We believe these images can be used for various classifications and enrich the information that we can get from the collected data. That is why we are focusing on tree species classification based on tree bark using RGB images. The first experiment considers four tree species. In this experiment, we want to show the potential of the classification. We have considered the following methods: Random forest classifier, K-nearest Neighbours (KNN), Decision Tree, Gradient Boost, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gaussian Naive Bayes, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP).
Contact mechanics: contact area and interfacial separation from small contact to full contact
Creators: name: Yang, C.
name: Persson, B. N. J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2008
Subjects: subject: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a molecular dynamics study of the contact between a rigid solid with a randomly rough surface and an elastic block with a flat surface. The numerical calculations mainly focus on the contact area and the interfacial separation from small contact (low load) to full contact (high load). For small load the contact area varies linearly with the load and the interfacial separation depends logarithmically on the load. For high load the contact area approaches the nominal contact area (i.e., complete contact), and the interfacial separation approaches zero. The numerical results have been compared with analytical theory and experimental results. They are in good agreement with each other. The present findings may be very important for soft solids, e.g., rubber, or for very smooth surfaces, where complete contact can be reached at moderate high loads without plastic deformation of the solids.
description: 15 pages, 23 figures
Information and the problems of urban agriculture in Tanzania : intentions and realizations
Creators: name: Mlozi, Malongo R. S.
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: Urban agriculture is practised in most Third World societies not as a hobby but as a necessity both for subsistence food production and to earn extra income. Africa, and in particular, Tanzania, is no exception. In Tanzania, and especially Dar es Salaam the practice of urban agriculture damages the urban environment. The question addressed by this study was how to explain the persistence of urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam in the light of its evident damaging effects on the urban environment. This study uses data obtained through (a) documentary sources such as government reports and statistics, and (b) field data from interviews and observations. Interviews were held with twenty-nine urban agriculturalists and twenty-seven public officials. On average, urban agriculturalists earned annual net profits from livestock enterprises that were about 15 times the total annual salary income of a low income worker, and six times that of a senior public official. The study also found that respondents with high salary earnings also earned high incomes from their urban agriculture enterprises. Most respondents expressed agreement with most statements about the issues about environmental damage due to keeping livestock. However, less than half the interviewees agreed with those statements related to disease-health issues. Most respondents said that people did urban agriculture mainly for economic motivations. They also agreed that people persisted in doing damaging urban agriculture in part because the City Council did not enforce its bylaws. They also said that the government policy explicitly and implicitly encouraged people to do urban agriculture. Most pubhc officials interviewed agreed that most agriculturalists had knowledge about the damaging effects of their practices. This study used factors nested at four contextual levels (government, ministry, city council, and individual) to explain people's persistence in doing urban agriculture in spite of its damaging effects. To lessen environmental damage, this study recommends that: (1) A policy be formulated, (2) The government foster multidisciplinary and coordinated participatory educational approaches that adopt holistic views, (3) The City Council enforces its bylaws aided by other parties, (4) MALCD extension agents offer information inequitably. The study also discusses implications and recommendations for policy, practice, and other areas for further research.
MPEC 2024-T140 : 2024 TD3
Creators: name: Minor Planet Center Staff
Publisher: name: The Minor Planet Center
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Small Solar System bodies
valueUri: http://astrothesaurus.org/uat/1469
subject: 2024 TD3

description: The Minor Planet Electronic Circulars contain information on unusual minor planets, routine data on comets and natural satellites, and occasional editorial announcements.  They are published on behalf of Division F of the International Astronomical Union by the Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Probing long-period companions to planetary hosts. VLT and CFHT near infrared coronographic imaging surveys
Creators: name: Chauvin, G.
name: Lagrange, A. -M.
name: Udry, S.
name: Fusco, T.
name: Galland, F.
name: Naef, D.
name: Beuzit, J. -L.
name: Mayor, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present the results of a deep imaging survey of stars surrounded by planets detected with the radial velocity technique. The purpose is to search for and to characterize long-period stellar and substellar companions. The sample contains a total of 26 stars, among which 6 exhibit additional radial velocity drifts. We used NACO, at the ESO Very Large Telescope, and PUEO-KIR, at the Candian French Hawaiian Telescope, to conduct a near-infrared coronographic survey with adaptive optics of the faint circumstellar environment of the planetary hosts. The domain investigated ranges between 0.1 to 15" (i.e. about 3 to 500 AU, according to the mean distance of the sample). The survey is sensitive to companions within the stellar and the substellar domains, depending on the distance to the central stars and on the star properties. The images of 14 stars do not reveal any companions once the field objects are removed. 8 stars have close potential companions that need to be re-observed within 1-2 years to check for physical companionship. 4 stars are surrounded by faint objects which are confirmed or very probable companions. The companion to HD13445 (Gliese 86) is already known. The HD196885 star is a new close visual binary system with a high probability of being bound. The 2 newly discovered companions, HD1237 B and HD27442 B, share common proper motions with the central stars. Orbital motion is detected for HD1237 B. HD1237 B is likely a low-mass M star, located at 70 AU (projected distance) from the primary. HD27442 B is most probably a white dwarf companion located at about 240 AU (projected distance).
description: 16 pages and 56 figures, accepted in A&A
Optical-microwave pump-probe studies of electronic properties in novel materials
Creators: name: Kollarics, S.
name: Bojtor, A.
name: Koltai, K.
name: Márkus, B. G.
name: Holczer, K.
name: Volk, J.
name: Klujber, G.
name: Szieberth, M.
name: Simon, F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Applied Physics (physics.app-ph)
subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Combined microwave-optical pump-probe methods are emerging to study the quantum state of spin qubit centers and the charge dynamics in semiconductors. A major hindrance is the limited bandwidth of microwave irradiation/detection circuitry which could be overcome with the use of broadband coplanar waveguides (CPW). We present the development and performance characterization of two spectrometers: an optically detected magnetic resonance spectrometer (ODMR) and a microwave detected photoconductivity measurement. In the first method light serves as detection and microwaves excite the investigated medium, while in the second the roles are interchanged. The performance is demonstrated by measuring ODMR maps on the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond and time resolved photoconductivity in p-doped silicon. The results demonstrate both an efficient coupling of the microwave irradiation to the samples as well as an excellent sensitivity for minute changes in sample conductivity.
description: 5 pages, 5 figures
Mrk 609: resolving the circum-nuclear structure with near-infrared integral field spectroscopy
Creators: name: Zuther, J.
name: Iserlohe, C.
name: Pott, J. -U.
name: Bertram, T.
name: Fischer, S.
name: Voges, W.
name: Hasinger, G.
name: Eckart, A.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2007
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present first results of near infrared J and H+K ESO-SINFONI integral field spectroscopy of the composite starburst/Seyfert 1.8 galaxy Mrk 609. The data were taken during the science verification period of SINFONI. We aim to investigate the morphology and excitation conditions within the central 2 kpc. Additional Nobeyama 45 m CO(1-0) data are presented, which we used to estimate the molecular gas mass. The source was selected from a sample of adaptive optics suitable, SDSS/ROSAT based, X-ray bright AGN with redshifts of 0.03 < z < 1. This sample allows for a detailed study of the NIR properties of the nuclear and host environments with high spectral and spatial resolution. Our NIR data reveal a complex emission-line morphology, possibly associated with a nuclear bar seen in the reconstructed continuum images. The detections of [SiVI] and a broad Pa alpha component are clear indicators for the presence of an accreting super-massive black hole at the center of Mrk 609. In agreement with previous observations we find that the circum-nuclear emission is not significantly extincted. The analysis of the high angular resolution rotational-vibrational molecular hydrogen and forbidden [FeII] emission reveals a LINER character of the nucleus. The large H_2 gas mass deduced from the CO(1-0) observation provides the fuel needed to feed the starburst and Seyfert activity in Mrk 609. High angular resolution imaging spectroscopy provides an ideal tool to resolve the nuclear and starburst contribution in active galaxies. We show that Mrk 609 exhibits LINER features, that appear to be hidden in larger aperture visible/NIR spectra.
description: published by A&A, 19 pages, 16 figures, version with high resolution figures is available via http://www.ph1.uni-koeln.de/~zuther/mrk609.pdf
Tod und Revolution in ausgewählten Werken von Heiner Müller:
Creators: name: Ζαφείρης, Νικόλαος Σεραφείμ
Publisher: name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Year: 2014
Subjects: Θάνατος
Επανάσταση
Δράμα
Death
Revolution
Drama

description: The present paper aims to introduce and study three (3) writings of Heiner Müller, who has been one of the important writers of his era. His works tend to have a political background and intend to educate and motivate the readers. He strongly believes that the reader has to discover the conclusion and evaluate the moral of every story indiviadually. The main topics of the writer‘ s works are the political system and the place of every citizen in it. This document presents three of the most characteristic writings of Müller, which analyse the topics of revolution and death, too. To be able to understand the way of his writing, the features of drama will be discussed. Drama is the connective link between the writer and his work. Moreover, there is the presentation, the analysis and the comparison between „Mauser”, „Der Auftrag” and „Die Hamletmaschine”. The main subject of these writings are death and revolution.
description: Σκοπός της μεταπτυχιακής εργασίας ήταν η παρουσίαση και η μελέτη τριών έργων του Heiner Müller, ο οποίος υπήρξε ένας από τους σημαντικότερους συγγραφείς της εποχής του. Τα έργα του συνήθως έχουν πολιτικό υπόβαθρο και έχει σκοπό να διδάξει και να αφυπνίσει τους αναγνώστες. Για τον συγγραφέα είναι σημαντικό ο αναγνώστης να φτάσει μόνος του στο συμπέρασμα και να αξιολογεί ο ίδιος το ηθικό δίδαγμα της κάθε ιστορίας. Τα έργα του συγγραφέα έχουν ως επί το πλείστον θέματα το πολιτικό σύστημα και τη θέση του πολίτη μέσα σε αυτό. Σε αυτή την εργασία θα παρουσιαστούν τρία από τα σημαντικότερα έργα του συγγραφέα, τα οποία ασχολούνται και με τα θέματα της επανάστασης και του θανάτου. Για να γίνει πιο κατανοητός ο τρόπος γραφής του, θα γίνει πρώτα μια παρουσίαση των χαρακτηριστικών του δράματος. Το δράμα είναι ο κλάδος, με τον οποίο ο συγγραφέας και τα έργα του είναι στενά συνδεμένα. Έπειτα θα ακολουθήσουν παρουσίαση και ανάλυση και σύγκριση των τριών έργων του „Mauser”, „Der Auftrag” και „Die Hamletmaschine”. Κεντρικό θέμα σε αυτά τα έργα είναι ο θάνατος και η επανάσταση.
A semi-analytical treatment to wind accretion in neutron star supergiant high mass X-ray binaries: I. eccentric orbits
Creators: name: Bozzo, E.
name: Ducci, L.
name: Falanga, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present in this paper a first step toward a semi-analytical treatment of the accretion process in wind-fed neutron star supergiant X-ray binaries with eccentric orbits. We consider the case of a spherically symmetric wind for the supergiant star and a simplified model for the accretion onto the compact object. A self-consistent calculation of the photoionization of the stellar wind by the X-rays from the accreting neutron star is included. This effect is convolved with the modulation of the mass accretion rate induced by the eccentric orbit to obtain the expected X-ray luminosity of a system along the orbit. As part of our results, we first show that the bi-modality of low and high X-ray luminosity solutions for supergiant X-ray binaries reported in previous papers is likely to result from the effect of the neutron star approaching first and then moving away from the companion (without coexisting simultaneously). We propose that episodes of strong wind photoionization can give rise to off-states of the sources. Our calculations are applied to the case of a few classical supergiant X-ray binary systems with known eccentricities (Vela X-1, 4U 1907+09, GX 301-2) and to the case of the only supergiant fast X-ray transient with a confirmed eccentric orbit, IGR J08408-4503. The results are compared with observational findings on these sources. We also discuss the next steps needed to expand the calculations toward a more comprehensive treatment in future publications.
description: Accepted for publication in MNRAS
3.1_Koivisto: Modelling wind power variability: The reanalysis and stochastic simulation approaches and how to combine them
Creators: name: Koivisto, Matti
name: Das, Kaushik
name: Sørensen, Poul
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: reanalysis
simulation
stochastic
variability
wind

description: The presentation describes the statistical simulation approach and the reanalysis approach for modelling variability in wind generation. The CorRES tool, which combines the reanalysis and the stochastic simulation approaches, is then presented. Some CorRES case studies are presented, and a look at hybrid power plant modelling with CorRES is discussed.
Το μυστήριο της θείας Ευχαριστίας κατά τη διδασκαλία του ιερού Χρυσοστόμου (Λειτουργική και θεολογική προσέγγιση:
Creators: name: Παπαδοπούλου, Ελένη Βασιλείου
Publisher: name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Year: 2014
Subjects: Ευχαριστία
Ιωάννης Χρυσόστομος
Μυστήριο
Eucharist
John Chrysostom
Communion

description: Στο έργο αυτό παρατίθεται με σύντομο και συστηματικό τρόπο η διδασκαλία του αγίου Ιωάννου του Χρυσοστόμου σχετικά με το μυστήριο της θείας Ευχαριστίας. Αφού παρουσιάζεται πρώτα ο ίδιος ως προσωπικότητα, ως ποιμένας και διδάσκαλος και ως «διδάσκαλος της Ευχαριστίας», διατυπώνεται η θεολογία του Ιεράρχου γύρω από το μυστήριο. Αναλύονται οι προτυπώσεις και η σύσταση του μυστηρίου, η ταυτότητά του με το Μυστικό Δείπνο και η οντολογική ένωση Θεού και ανθρώπου μέσα από αυτό. Ακολουθεί η διδασκαλία του για τις προϋποθέσεις προσέλευσης των πιστών σε αυτό, καθώς και για τη συχνότητα μετοχής στη θεία Ευχαριστία. Τέλος αναλύονται τα κατ’ αυτόν αγιαστικά αποτελέσματα της προσέλευσης στα Τίμια Δώρα και αντίστοιχα οι δυσμενείς συνέπειες από την ανάξια μετάληψη και ολοκληρώνεται με τα συμπεράσματα της έρευνας.
description: This work attempts to summarize in a brief and organized manner the teaching of St. John Chrysostom in relation to the mystery of the divine Eucharist. At first he is presented as a saintly figure, as a pastor and teacher and as “Doctor Eucharistiae” (teacher of the Eucharist), and in continuation the theology of the Hierarch in regards to the mystery. The “protyposeis” and the introduction of the mystery have been analyzed, as well as its identity in regards to the Last Supper and the ontological union of God and man through this. Later, are his instructions for attendance and the regularity in participating in the Divine Eucharist. In conclusion, is the analysis in regards to the sanctifying results of attendance of the Precious Gifts and the adverse effects of receiving the Holy Communion when one is undeserving. The study ends with the conclusions of the research.
Convergence rate of dimension reduction in Bose-Einstein condensates
Creators: name: Bao, Weizhu
name: Ge, Yunyi
name: Jaksch, Dieter
name: Markowich, Peter A.
name: Weishaeupl, Rada M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In this paper, we study dimension reduction of the three-dimensional (3D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) modelling Bose-Einstein condensation under different limiting interaction and trapping frequencies parameter regimes. Convergence rates for the dimension reduction of 3D ground state and dynamics of the GPE in the case of disk-shaped condensation and cigar-shaped condensation are reported based on our asymptotic and numerical results. In addition, the parameter regimes in which the 3D GPE cannot be reduced to lower dimensions are identified.
description: 27pages; 9 figures
Ten years of the Analytic Perturbation Theory in QCD
Creators: name: Shirkov, D. V.
name: Solovtsov, I. L.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The renormalization group method enables one to improve the properties of the QCD perturbative power series in the ultraviolet region. However, it ultimately leads to the unphysical singularities of observables in the infrared domain. The Analytic Perturbation Theory constitutes the next step of the improvement of perturbative expansions. Specifically, it involves additional analyticity requirement which is based on the causality principle and implemented in the Källen--Lehmann and Jost--Lehmann representations. Eventually, this approach eliminates spurious singularities of the perturbative power series and enhances the stability of the latter with respect to both higher loop corrections and the choice of the renormalization scheme. The paper contains an overview of the basic stages of the development of the Analytic Perturbation Theory in QCD, including its recent applications to the description of hadronic processes.
description: 26 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Theor. Math. Phys. (2007)
Διερεύνηση εφικτότητας υλοποίησης γραμμής τραμ στις δυτικές συνοικίες της Θεσσαλονίκης
Creators: name: Κυριακίδης, Παύλος Αναστασίου
Publisher: name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Year: 2014
Subjects: τραμ
εφικτότητα
tram
feasibility

description: Στην παρούσα διπλωματική μεταπτυχιακή εργασία περιγράφεται η μεθοδολογία που ακολουθείται για τον έλεγχο της εφικτότητας ενός τροχιοδρομικού δικτύου και γίνεται εφαρμογή της στην περιοχή των δυτικών συνοικιών της Θεσσαλονίκης. Αρχικά, ορίζεται το τραμ ως σύστημα μεταφορών και ταξινομούνται τα τροχιοδρομικά συστήματα. Έπειτα παρουσιάζονται τα βασικά και λειτουργικά χαρακτηριστικά του τραμ και δίδονται στοιχεία σχετικά με την ένταξη των τροχιοδρομικών διαδρόμων, των στάσεων και της χωροθέτησης του αμαξοστασίου. Στη συνέχεια, καταγράφονται οι απαιτούμενες μελέτες για τη δημιουργία ενός τροχιοδρομικού δικτύου, απομονώνεται από αυτές το στάδιο του ελέγχου εφικτότητας και αναλύονται οι επιμέρους έλεγχοι τους οποίους περιλαμβάνει και συγκεκριμένα: o έλεγχος χάραξης και γεωμετρικής ένταξης, o έλεγχος των επιπτώσεων στις μετακινήσεις με τα άλλα μέσα, o έλεγχος περιβαλλοντικών επιπτώσεων, o έλεγχος του επιπέδου εξυπηρέτησης του συστήματος, o έλεγχος αμαξοστασίου και ο έλεγχος του κόστους υλοποίησης. Ακολουθεί η εφαρμογή των ελέγχων εφικτότητας σε δύο εναλλακτικές οδεύσεις στις δυτικές συνοικίες της Θεσσαλονίκης, με την παραδοχή ότι θα υλοποιηθούν οι δύο προβλεπόμενες επεκτάσεις του μετρό προς Σταυρούπολη και προς Εύοσμο. Εξετάζεται αρχικά η περιοχή μελέτης, και επισημαίνονται οι κυκλοφοριακές συνθήκες που επικρατούν. Στη συνέχεια συλλέγονται τα απαιτούμενα δεδομένα με επί τόπου μετρήσεις και με τη βοήθεια ειδικού λογισμικού και διενεργούνται οι επιμέρους έλεγχοι. Τέλος, αξιολογούνται οι οδεύσεις, μέσω μίας πολυκριτηριακής ανάλυσης και διαμορφώνονται τα συμπεράσματα.
description: The purpose of this diploma thesis is to examine the methodology of feasibility checks concerning railway systems and its application on the region of western Thessaloniki. First we have the definition and description of the system and the classification of the tramway systems. Then, the constructional and operational characteristics are presented, along with the integration of tramway corridors, tramway stops and depot installations. After recording the requirements for implementing a system, the feasibility check is isolated and analyzed, its parts being: alignment and geometric integration, impacts on other means of transport, environmental impacts, the operability of the system, depot and implementation cost. Moreover, the aforementioned checks are applied on two lines in the western districts of Thessaloniki, it is assumed the implementation of the Thessaloniki metro extensions to Stavroupoli and to Evosmos. First the study area is examined and the traffic conditions are highlighted. Then the required data was collected through field work and with the assistance of professional software and the individual feasibility checks are carried out. Finally, we have the evaluation of the lines, through multi-criteria analysis and the conclusions are formed.
Probabilistic dose prediction using mixture density networks for automated radiation therapy treatment planning
Creators: name: Nilsson, Viktor
name: Gruselius, Hanna
name: Zhang, Tianfang
name: De Kerf, Geert
name: Claessens, Michaël
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Medical Physics (physics.med-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We demonstrate the application of mixture density networks (MDNs) in the context of automated radiation therapy treatment planning. It is shown that an MDN can produce good predictions of dose distributions as well as reflect uncertain decision making associated with inherently conflicting clinical tradeoffs, in contrast to deterministic methods previously investigated in literature. A two-component Gaussian MDN is trained on a set of treatment plans for postoperative prostate patients with varying extents to which rectum dose sparing was prioritized over target coverage. Examination on a test set of patients shows that the predicted modes follow their respective ground truths well both spatially and in terms of their dose-volume histograms. A special dose mimicking method based on the MDN output is used to produce deliverable plans and thereby showcase the usability of voxel-wise predictive densities. Thus, this type of MDN may serve to support clinicians in managing clinical tradeoffs and has the potential to improve quality of plans produced by an automated treatment planning pipeline.
description: 14 pages, 11 figures. To be submitted to Physics in Medicine & Biology
Automated generation of context specific Gene Regulatory Networks from epigenetic and genomic data
Creators: name: Murgas, Leandro
name: Contreras-Riquelme, Sebastián
name: J. Eduardo Martinez
name: Santibáñez, Rodrigo
name: Martin, Alberto J.
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2019

description: The regulation of gene expression is a key factor in the development and maintenance of life in all organisms. This regulation is carried out mainly through the action of transcription factors (TFs), although other actors such as ncRNAs are also involved. Notably, any advance in our knowledge about the regulation of gene expression is key to unravel the functioning of cells at the molecular level. In this work, we propose a new method to construct condition specific Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) for Drosophila melanogaster, using several types of experimental data collected from different databases. Our method, Weighted Epigenomic Networks (WEoN), creates GRNs starting from a Reference Network (RN) that contains all known gene regulations for an organism. Regulations from the RN that are unlikely taking place are removed by applying a series of filters. The method considers different combinations of experimental evidence, including DNA methylation and accessibility, histone modifications and gene expression, or combination of these data. WEoN is based on heuristic rules that reflect current knowledge on gene regulation in D. melanogaster obtained from literature. WEoN is available as a Cytoscape application that permits easy integration with other tools, and facilitate downstream network analysis.
Ψυχολογία μαρτύρων στο πλαίσιο αστικής και ποινικής δικαστικής διαδικασίας:
Creators: name: Χριστοδουλάκη, Ευαγγελία Νικολάου
Publisher: name: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Year: 2014
Subjects: Μάρτυρες
Ποινική δίκη
Πολιτική δίκη
Witnesses
Penal court
Civil court

description: Οι διωκτικές και δικαστικές αρχές στηρίζονται εν πολλοίς στις πληροφορίες που παρέχουν οι μάρτυρες προκειμένου να επιτελέσουν τα καθήκοντά τους αποτελεσματικά. Δεν είναι λίγες, όμως, οι φορές που οι μάρτυρες ενδέχεται να δώσουν ανακριβείς καταθέσεις, είτε σκόπιμα, είτε όχι. Οι σκόπιμα ψευδείς μαρτυρικές καταθέσεις δεν μπορούν να ελεγχθούν εύκολα από τις αρμόδιες αρχές. Οι δε ακουσίως ανακριβείς καταθέσεις μπορούν να περιοριστούν σημαντικά αν κατανοηθούν σε βάθος οι συνθήκες που τις πλαισιώνουν. Στόχος της παρούσας μελέτης είναι να διερευνήσει την επίδραση των ψυχολογικών παραγόντων στην ακρίβεια των καταθέσεων των μαρτύρων που συμμετέχουν σε ποινικές και πολιτικές δίκες. Για την υλοποίηση αυτού του στόχου αναζητήθηκε σχετική θεωρητική και ερευνητική αρθρογραφία μέσα από πολλαπλές μηχανές αναζήτησης (π.χ.PsychInfo, NOMOS, EBSCO, κ.α.). Η ανασκόπηση της σχετικής αρθρογραφίας αποκάλυψε τελικά ότι το άγχος, ο φόβος και ο εκφοβισμός είναι ορισμένες από τις ψυχολογικές μεταβλητές που δύνανται να επηρεάσουν την ακρίβεια της μαρτυρίας. Στο εν λόγω πλαίσιο, επιχειρείται μια κριτική προσέγγιση της συγκεκριμένης θεματικής ενότητας και προτείνονται μέτρα για βελτιωτικές παρεμβάσεις σε ερευνητικό, νομοθετικό και πρακτικό επίπεδο.
description: The efficiency of police and legal authorities depends significantly from the information given by the witnesses. However, it is possible that witnesses in certain circumstances to give inaccurate testimonies, either on purpose or not consciously due to the influence of other factors. Purposefully inaccurate testimonies cannot be easily controlled by the authorities. On the other hand, wrongfully given testimonies can be restricted when a better understanding is achieved about witness testimonies and the factors that might have an impact on them. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the influence of psychological variables on witness testimony in the context of penal and civil court proceedings. For accomplishing the goals of this study a literature review has been applied by using several search engines (e.g. PsychInfo, NOMOS, EBSCO, etc.). Research findings indicated that stress, fear and intimidation are among the psychological variables that have an effect on the accuracy of witness testimony. A critical approach of this thematic area is being applied, as well as, new strategies in research, legal and practical level are suggested.
Marginal modeling of cluster-period means and intraclass correlations in stepped wedge designs with binary outcomes
Creators: name: Li, Fan
name: Yu, Hengshi
name: Rathouz, Paul J.
name: Turner, Elizabeth L.
name: Preisser, John S.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Methodology (stat.ME)
subject: Applications (stat.AP)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Stepped wedge cluster randomized trials (SW-CRTs) with binary outcomes are increasingly used in prevention and implementation studies. Marginal models represent a flexible tool for analyzing SW-CRTs with population-averaged interpretations, but the joint estimation of the mean and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) can be computationally intensive due to large cluster-period sizes. Motivated by the need for marginal inference in SW-CRTs, we propose a simple and efficient estimating equations approach to analyze cluster-period means. We show that the quasi-score for the marginal mean defined from individual-level observations can be reformulated as the quasi-score for the same marginal mean defined from the cluster-period means. An additional mapping of the individual-level ICCs into correlations for the cluster-period means further provides a rigorous justification for the cluster-period approach. The proposed approach addresses a long-recognized computational burden associated with estimating equations defined based on individual-level observations, and enables fast point and interval estimation of the intervention effect and correlations. We further propose matrix-adjusted estimating equations to improve the finite-sample inference for ICCs. By providing a valid approach to estimate ICCs within the class of generalized linear models for correlated binary outcomes, this article operationalizes key recommendations from the CONSORT extension to SW-CRTs, including the reporting of ICCs.
description: 28 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables
Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfven Turbulence
Creators: name: Milanese, Lucio M.
name: Loureiro, Nuno F.
name: Daschner, Maximilian
name: Boldyrev, Stanislav
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In weakly-collisional plasma environments with sufficiently low electron beta, Alfvénic turbulence transforms into inertial Alfvénic turbulence at scales below the electron skin-depth, $k_\perp d_e\gtrsim 1$. We argue that, in inertial Alfvénic turbulence, both energy and generalized kinetic helicity exhibit direct cascades. We demonstrate that the two cascades are compatible due to the existence of a strong scale-dependence of the phase alignment angle between velocity and magnetic field fluctuations, with the phase alignment angle scaling as $\cosα_k\propto k_{\perp}^{-1}$. The kinetic and magnetic energy spectra scale as $\propto k_{\perp}^{-5/3}$ and $\propto k_{\perp}^{-11/3}$, respectively. As a result of the dual direct cascade, the generalized-helicity spectrum scales as $\propto k^{-5/3}_{\perp}$, implying progressive balancing of the turbulence as the cascade proceeds to smaller scales in the $k_{\perp} d_e \gg 1$ range. Turbulent eddies exhibit a phase-space anisotropy $k_{\parallel} \propto k_{\perp}^{5/3}$, consistent with critically-balanced inertial Alfvén fluctuations. Our results may be applicable to a variety of geophysical, space, and astrophysical environments, including the Earth's magnetosheath and ionosphere, solar corona, non-relativistic pair plasmas, as well as to strongly rotating non-ionized fluids.
Cold Dark Matter as Compact Composite Objects
Creators: name: Zhitnitsky, Ariel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics (astro-ph)
subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Dark Matter (DM) being the vital ingredient in the cosmos, still remains a mystery. Standard assumption is that the collisionless cold dark matter (CCDM) particles are represented by some weakly interacting fundamental fields which can not be associated with any standard quarks or leptons. However, recent analyses of structure on galactic and sub-galactic scales have suggested discrepancies and stimulated numerous alternative proposals including, e.g. Self-Interacting dark matter, Self-Annihilating dark matter, Decaying dark matter, to name just a few. We propose the alternative to the standard assumption about the nature of DM particles (which are typically assumed to be weakly interacting fundamental point -like particles, yet to be discovered). Our proposal is based on the idea that DM particles are strongly interacting composite macroscopically large objects which made of well known light quarks (or even antiquarks). The required weakness of the DM particle interactions is guaranteed by a small geometrical factor of the composite objects with a large baryon charge rather than by a weak coupling constant of a new field. We argue that the interaction between hadronic matter and composite dark objects does not spoil the desired properties of the latter as cold matter. We also argue that such a scenario does not contradict to the current observational data. Rather, it has natural explanations of many observed data, such as $Ω_{DM}/ Ω_{B}\sim 1$ or $511 KeV$ line from the bulge of our galaxy. We also suggest that composite dark matter may modify the dynamics of structure formation in the central overdense regions of galaxies. We also present a number of other cosmological/astrophysical observations which indirectly support the novel concept of DM nature.
description: Final version to appear in PRD. Some clarifications are made as referees requested. Few references added
Stability and sensitivity analysis of bird flapping flight
Creators: name: Ducci, Gianmarco
name: Colognesi, Victor
name: Vitucci, Gennaro
name: Chatelain, Philippe
name: Ronsse, Renaud
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn)
subject: Chaotic Dynamics (nlin.CD)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: This paper investigates stability analysis of flapping flight. Due to time-varying aerodynamic forces, such systems do not display fixed points of equilibrium. The problem is therefore approached via a limit cycle analysis based on Floquet theory. Stability is assessed from the eigenvalues of the Jacobian matrix associated to the limit cycle, also known as the Floquet multipliers. We developed this framework to analyze the flapping flight equations of motion of a bird in the longitudinal plane. Such a system is known to be not only non-linear and time-dependent, but also driven by state-dependent forcing aerodynamic forces. A model accounting for wing morphing under prescribed kinematics is developed for generating realistic state-dependent aerodynamic forces. The morphing wing geometry results from the envelope of continuously articulated rigid bodies, modeling bones and feather rachises, and capturing biologically relevant degrees of freedom. A sensitivity analysis is carried out which allows studying several flight configurations in trimmed state. Our numerical results show that in such a system one instability mode is ubiquitous, thus suggesting the importance of sensory feedback to achieve steady-state flapping flight in birds. The effect of wingbeat amplitude, governed by the shoulder joint, is found to be crucial in tuning the gait towards level flight, but marginally affects stability. In contrast, the relative position between the wing and the center of mass is found to significantly affect the values of Floquet multipliers, suggesting that the distribution of pitching moment plays a very important role in flapping flight stability.
Ghanaian children’s music cultures : a video ethnography of selected singing games
Creators: name: Addo, Akosua Obuo
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: This dissertation is a video ethnography of the enculturation and learning patterns among children on three school playgrounds in the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa. It includes a) a discussion of colonialism on the redefinition of Ghanaian cultural identity in relation to play culture and the school curriculum b) performance-based case studies of six singing games, which comprise a description of sound and structural features and an explanation of cultural forms evident in singing games and c) a discussion on the role multimedia technologies (video, audio, and computer technologies) played in configuring my explanations and the explanations of all participants: children, teachers, and community members. Goldman-Segall' s "configurational validity" is the conceptual basis of this ethnography of Ghanaian children's music cultures. Configurational validity is a collaborative theory for analyzing video documents that expands on the premise that research is enriched by multiple points of view. Performance stylistic features of singing games emerge that reflected the marriage of two music cultures, indigenous Ghanaian and European. These include: speech tones, onomatopoeia, repetition and elaboration of recurring melodic cliches, portamentos or cadential drops, syncopations, triplets, melisma, polyrhythms, vocables, anacrusis, strophic, circle, lines, and partner formations. During play, the children were cultural interlocutors and recipients of adult cultural interlocution as they learned about accepted and shared social behavioural patterns, recreated their culture, and demonstrated the changing Ghanaian culture. The culture forms that emerged include community solidarity, inclusion, ways of exploring and expressing emotions, coordination, cooperation, gender relations, and linguistic code switching. For children in Ghana, knowledge is uninhibited shared constructions; knowledge grows when every one is involved; and knowledge is like "midwifery." I recommended a teaching style that encouraged the expression of children's wide ranging knowledge by a) offering opportunities for cooperative learning through group work, b) encouraging continuous assessment, c) establishing stronger ties with the adult community, and d) recognizing that the ability of children to hear, interpret, and compensate for dialectic differences in closely related languages can be used to enrich the language arts curriculum and also e) recognizing that the cultural studies curriculum can be enriched by the ability of children to re-create hybrid performing arts cultures.
Interactions and phase transitions on graphene's honeycomb lattice
Creators: name: Herbut, Igor F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2006
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The low-energy theory of interacting electrons on graphene's two-dimensional honeycomb lattice is derived and discussed. In particular, the Hubbard model in the large-N limit is shown to have a semi-metal - antiferromagnetic insulator quantum critical point in the universality class of the Gross-Neveu model. The same equivalence is conjectured to hold in the physical case N=2, and its consequences for various physical quantities are examined. The effects of the long-range Coulomb interaction and of the magnetic field are discussed.
description: four pages, one figure; few typos corrected, references added