pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Use of short message service for learning and student support in the Pacific region

The Pacific island communities face challenges such as digital divide, shoestring budgets, and escalating costs in the delivery of quality education to the people. In addition, the widely scattered nature of islands and communities requires proper communication infrastructure for the learners to access education. This chapter heralds the emergence of mobile learning (mLearning) initiatives in higher education in the Pacific region. It focuses on the introduction of mLearning at a University in the Pacific islands, which developed a fit-for-purpose mobile-learning infrastructure that primarily utilized the short message service (SMS). The university hosts an in-house setup open source SMS gateway that facilitates its custom-made SMS services. The SMS services developed serve the purpose for notifying students with important course information, exam timetable information, course mark information, and library book due dates, and students could also attempt quizzes in their courses via SMS. These SMS services are mostly provided as support services to overcome the challenges faced by the learners in the Pacific community
Fluid Dynamic Limits of the Kinetic Theory of Gases

73 pages, course during the conference "Particle Systems and PDEs", Universidade do Minho, Portugal, December 5-7 2012International audienceThese three lectures introduce the reader to recent progress on the hydrodynamic limits of the kinetic theory of gases. Lecture 1 outlines the main mathematical results in this direction, and explains in particular how the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations for compressible as well as incompressible fluids, can be derived from the Boltzmann equation. It also presents the notion of renormalized solution of the Boltzmann equation, due to P.-L. Lions and R. DiPerna, together with the mathematical methods used in the proofs of the fluid dynamic limits. Lecture 2 gives a detailed account of the derivation by L. Saint-Raymond of the incompressible Euler equations from the BGK model with constant collision frequency [L. Saint-Raymond, Bull. Sci. Math. 126 (2002), 493-506]. Finally, lecture 3 sketches the main steps in the proof of the incompressible Navier-Stokes limit of the Boltzmann equation, connecting the DiPerna-Lions theory of renormalized solutions of the Boltzmann equation with Leray's theory of weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes system, following [F. Golse, L. Saint-Raymond, J. Math. Pures Appl. 91 (2009), 508-552]. As is the case of all mathematical results in continuum mechanics, the fluid dynamic limits of the Boltzmann equation involve some basic properties of isotropic tensor fields that are recalled in Appendices 1-2
On the kinetic systems for simple reacting spheres : modeling and linearized equations

Series: Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics, Vol. 75In this work we present some results on the kinetic theory of chemically
reacting gases, concerning the model of simple reacting spheres (SRS) for a gaseous
mixture undergoing a chemical reaction of type A1 +A2 <–> A3 +A4. Starting from
the approach developed in paper [11], we provide properties of the SRS system
needed in the mathematical and physical analysis of the model. Our main result in
this proceedings provides basic properties of the SRS system linearized around the
equilibrium, including the explicit representations of the kernels of the linearized
SRS operators.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), PEst-C/MAT/UI0013/2011, SFRH/BD/28795/200
Stationary quasivariational inequalities with gradient constraint and nonhomogeneous boundary conditions

Publicado em "From particle systems to partial differential equations. Part 2. (Springer proceedings in mathematics & statistics, vol. 75). ISBN 978-3-642-54270-1We study existence of solution of stationary uasivariational inequalities with gradient constraint and nonhomogeneous boundary condition of Neumann or Dirichlet type. 
Through two different approaches, one making use of a fixed point theorem and the other using a process of regularization and penalization, we obtain different sufficient conditions for the existence of solution
Slowed exclusion process : hydrodynamics, fluctuations and phase transitions

This is a short survey on recent results obtained by the authors on dynamical phase transitions of interacting particle systems. We consider particle systems with exclusion dynamics, but it is conjectured that our results should hold for a general class of particle systems. The parameter giving rise to the phase transition is the ``slowness" of a single bond in the discrete lattice.
The phase transition is verified not only in the hydrodynamics, but also in the fluctuations of the density, the current and the tagged particle. Moreover, we found a phase transition in the continuum, that is, at the level of the hydrodynamic equations, in agreement with the dynamical phase transition for the particle systems.FCT, Cape
Exclusion and zero-range in the rarefaction fan

In these notes we briefly review asymptotic results for the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process and the totally asymmetric constant-rate zero-range process, in the presence of particles with different priorities. We review the Law of Large Numbers for a second class particle added to those systems and we present the proof of crossing probabilities for a second and a third class particles. This is done,  for the exclusion process, by means of a particle-hole symmetry argument, while for the zero-range process it is a consequence of a coupling argument.FC
A preliminary analysis of learning awareness in FLOSS projects

It can be argued that participating in free/libre open source software (FLOSS) projects can have a positive effect in the contributor's learning process. The need to interact with other contributors, to read other people's code, write documentation, or use different tools, can motivate and implicitly foster learning. In order to validate this statement we design an appropriate questionnaire asking FLOSS contributors about their experience in FLOSS
projects. In this paper, we illustrate how this questionnaire was designed and what we expect to learn from the answers. We conclude the paper with a preview of the results from three cases studies
A web portal for the certification of open source software

Lecture Notes in Computer Science 7791, 2014This paper presents a web portal for the certification of open source software. The portal aims at helping programmers in the internet age, when there are (too) many open source reusable libraries and tools available. Our portal offers programmers a web-based and easy setting to analyze and certify open source software, which is a crucial step to help programmers choosing among many available alternatives, and to get some guarantees before using one piece of software. The paper presents our first prototype of such web portal. It also describes in detail a domain specific language that allows programmers to describe with a high degree of abstraction specific open source software certifications. The design and implementation of this language is the core of the web portal
Cloud and Network facilities federation in BonFIRE

International audienceIn recent years we have seen how Cloud Computing is changing the way of doing businesses and how services are delivered over the Internet. This disruption is a major challenge for Service Providers and Independent Software Vendors when creating new services and software applications for the Cloud. BonFIRE offers a federated, multi-site cloud testbed to support large-scale testing of applications, services and systems. This is achieved by federating geographically distributed, heterogeneous clouds testbeds where each exposes unique configuration and/or features while giving to the experimenters (users) an homogeneous way to interact with the facility. All those testbeds are controlled by a central set of services commonly denominated “Broker”. Additionally, BonFIRE is federated with different network facilities like the Virtual Wall, FEDERICA and AutoBAHN to provide high-level interfaces to network control functionality, in order to simulate diverse network QoS scenarios, enabling vertical federatio
Scheduling Independent Tasks on Multi-cores with GPU Accelerators

Best PaperInternational audienceMore and more computers use hybrid architectures combin-ing multi-core processors and hardware accelerators like GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). We present in this paper a new method for scheduling efficiently parallel applications with $m$ CPUs and $k$ GPUs, where each task of the application can be processed either on a core (CPU) or on a GPU. The objective is to minimize the makespan. The corresponding scheduling problem is NP-hard, we propose an efficient approximation algorithm which achieves an approximation ratio of $\frac{4}{3} + \frac{1}{3k}$ . We first detail and analyze the method, based on a dual approximation scheme, that uses a dynamic programming scheme to balance evenly the load between the heterogeneous resources. Finally, we run some simulations based on realistic benchmarks and compare the solution obtained by a relaxed version of this method to the one provided by a classical greedy algorithm and to lower bounds on the value of the optimal makespan
Parallel ABM for electricity distribution grids : a case study

This paper introduces a parallel implementation of an agent-based model applied to electricity distribution grids. A fine-grained shared memory parallel implementation is presented, detailing the way the agents are grouped and executed on a multi-threaded machine, as well as the way the model is built (in a composable manner) which is an aid to the parallelisation. Current results show a medium level speedup of 2.6, but improvements are expected by incor-porating newer distributed or parallel ABM schedulers into this implementa-tion. While domain-specific, this parallel algorithm can be applied to similarly structured ABMs (directed acyclic graphs)
DYON: Managing a new scheduling class to improve system performance in multicore systems

Due to the increase in the number of available cores in current systems, plenty of system software starts to use some of these cores to perform tasks that will help optimize the application behaviour. Unfortunately, current Onload mechanisms are too limited. On the one hand, there is no dynamic way to decide the number of cores that is taken from applications and given to these system helpers. And, on the other hand, the onload mechanisms do not offer enough control over when and where onloading tasks should to be executed. In this paper we propose a new Onload Framework that addresses these issues.\ud
First, we propose DYON, a dynamic and adaptive method to control the amount of extra CPUs offered to the Onload Framework to generate benefits for the whole system.\ud
And second, we propose a submission mechanism that given a task, executes it if there are idle resources or rejects it otherwise. This feature is useful to move the execution of small pieces of code out of the critical path (allowing parallel execution) when this is possible, or discard them and execute a code that will not rely on them.Postprint (author’s final draft
Collision-Free Network Exploration

International audienceA set of mobile agents is placed at different nodes of a $n$-node network. The agents synchronously move along the network edges in a {\em collision-free} way, i.e., in no round may two agents occupy the same node. In each round, an agent may choose to stay at its currently occupied node or to move to one of its neighbors. An agent has no knowledge of the number and initial positions of other agents. We are looking for the shortest possible time required to complete the collision-free {\em network exploration}, i.e., to reach a configuration in which each agent is guaranteed to have visited all network nodes and has returned to its starting location. We first consider the scenario when each mobile agent knows the map of the network, as well as its own initial position. We establish a connection between the number of rounds required for collision-free exploration and the degree of the minimum-degree spanning tree of the graph. We provide tight (up to a constant factor) lower and upper bounds on the collision-free exploration time in general graphs, and the exact value of this parameter for trees. For our second scenario, in which the network is unknown to the agents, we propose collision-free exploration strategies running in $O(n^2)$ rounds for tree networks and in $O(n^5\log n)$ rounds for general networks
The complexity of homomorphisms of signed graphs and signed constraint satisfaction

A signed graph (G,Σ) is an undirected graph G together with an assignment of signs (positive or negative) to all its edges, where Σ denotes the set of negative edges. Two signatures are said to be equivalent if one can be obtained from the other by a sequence of resignings (i.e. switching the sign of all edges incident to a given vertex). Extending the notion of usual graph homomorphisms, homomorphisms of signed graphs were introduced, and have lead to some extensions and strengthenings in the theory of graph colorings and homomorphisms. We study the complexity of deciding whether a given signed graph admits a homomorphism to a fixed target signed graph [H,Σ], i.e. the (H,Σ)-Coloring problem. We prove a dichotomy result for the class of all (Ck,Σ)-Coloring problems (where Ck is a cycle of length k ≥ 3): (Ck,Σ)-Coloring is NP-complete, unless both k and the size of Σ are even. We conjecture that this dichotomy can be extended to all signed graphs in a natural way. We also introduce the more general concept of signed constraint satisfaction problems and show that a dichotomy for such problems is equivalent to the statement of the Feder-Vardi Dichotomy ConjecturePeer ReviewedPreprin
On the stability of generalized second price auctions with budgets

The Generalized Second Price (GSP) auction used typically to model sponsored search auctions does not include the notion of budget constraints, which is present in practice. Motivated by this, we introduce the different variants of GSP auctions that take budgets into account in natural ways. We examine their stability by focusing on the existence of Nash equilibria and envy-free assignments. We highlight the differences between these mechanisms and find that only some of them exhibit both notions of stability. This shows the importance of carefully picking the right mechanism to ensure stable outcomes in the presence of budgets.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft
SemLAV: Local-As-View Mediation for SPARQL Queries

International audienceThe Local-As-View(LAV) integration approach aims at querying heterogeneous data in dynamic environments. In LAV, data sources are described as views over a global schema which is used to pose queries. Query processing requires to generate and execute query rewritings, but for SPARQL queries, the LAV query rewritings may not be generated or executed in a reasonable time. In this paper, we present SemLAV, an alternative technique to process SPARQL queries over a LAV integration system without generating rewritings. SemLAV executes the query against a partial instance of the global schema which is built on-the-fly with data from the relevant views. The paper presents an experimental study for SemLAV, and compares its performance with traditional LAV-based query processing techniques. The results suggest that SemLAV scales up to SPARQL queries even over a large number of views, while it significantly outperforms traditional solutions
Which graph states are useful for quantum information processing?

Graph states are an elegant and powerful quantum resource for measurement
based quantum computation (MBQC). They are also used for many quantum protocols
(error correction, secret sharing, etc.). The main focus of this paper is to
provide a structural characterisation of the graph states that can be used for
quantum information processing. The existence of a gflow (generalized flow) is
known to be a requirement for open graphs (graph, input set and output set) to
perform uniformly and strongly deterministic computations. We weaken the gflow
conditions to define two new more general kinds of MBQC: uniform
equiprobability and constant probability. These classes can be useful from a
cryptographic and information point of view because even though we cannot do a
deterministic computation in general we can preserve the information and
transfer it perfectly from the inputs to the outputs. We derive simple graph
characterisations for these classes and prove that the deterministic and
uniform equiprobability classes collapse when the cardinalities of inputs and
outputs are the same. We also prove the reversibility of gflow in that case.
The new graphical characterisations allow us to go from open graphs to graphs
in general and to consider this question: given a graph with no inputs or
outputs fixed, which vertices can be chosen as input and output for quantum
information processing? We present a characterisation of the sets of possible
inputs and ouputs for the equiprobability class, which is also valid for
deterministic computations with inputs and ouputs of the same cardinality.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
Composing and Factoring Generalized Green's Operators and Ordinary
  Boundary Problems

We consider solution operators of linear ordinary boundary problems with "too
many" boundary conditions, which are not always solvable. These generalized
Green's operators are a certain kind of generalized inverses of differential
operators. We answer the question when the product of two generalized Green's
operators is again a generalized Green's operator for the product of the
corresponding differential operators and which boundary problem it solves.
Moreover, we show that---provided a factorization of the underlying
differential operator---a generalized boundary problem can be factored into
lower order problems corresponding to a factorization of the respective Green's
operators. We illustrate our results by examples using the Maple package
IntDiffOp, where the presented algorithms are implemented.Comment: 19 page
Applying Belief Revision to Case-Based Reasoning

International audienceAdaptation is a task of case-based reasoning (CBR) that aims at modifying a case to solve a new problem. Now, belief revision deals also about modifications. This chapter studies how some results about revision can be applied to formalize adaptation and, more widely, CBR. Revision operators based on distances are defined in formalisms frequently used in CBR and applied to define an adaptation operator that takes into account the domain knowledge and the adaptation knowledge. This approach to adaptation is shown to generalize some other approaches to adaptation, such as rule-based adaptation
On the Electrodynamics of Neural Networks

We present a microscopic approach for the coupling of cortical activity, as resulting from proper dipole currents of pyramidal neurons, to the electromagnetic field in extracellular fluid in presence of diffusion and Ohmic conduction. Starting from a full-fledged three-compartment model of a single pyramidal neuron, including shunting and dendritic propagation, we derive an observation model for dendritic dipole currents in extracellular space and thereby for the dendritic field potential that contributes to the local field potential of a neural population. Under reasonable simplifications, we then derive a leaky integrate-and-fire model for the dynamics of a neural network, which facilitates comparison with existing neural network and observation models. In particular, we compare our results with a related model by means of numerical simulations. Performing a continuum limit, neural activity becomes represented by a neural field equation, while an observation model for electric field potentials is obtained from the interaction of cortical dipole currents with charge density in non-resistive extracellular space as described by the Nernst-Planck equation. Our work consistently satisfies the widespread dipole assumption discussed in the neuroscientific literature
A dynamic neural field approach to natural and efficient human-robot collaboration

A major challenge in modern robotics is the design of autonomous robots
that are able to cooperate with people in their daily tasks in a human-like way. We
address the challenge of natural human-robot interactions by using the theoretical
framework of dynamic neural fields (DNFs) to develop processing architectures that
are based on neuro-cognitive mechanisms supporting human joint action. By explaining
the emergence of self-stabilized activity in neuronal populations, dynamic
field theory provides a systematic way to endow a robot with crucial cognitive functions
such as working memory, prediction and decision making . The DNF architecture
for joint action is organized as a large scale network of reciprocally connected
neuronal populations that encode in their firing patterns specific motor behaviors,
action goals, contextual cues and shared task knowledge. Ultimately, it implements
a context-dependent mapping from observed actions of the human onto adequate
complementary behaviors that takes into account the inferred goal of the co-actor.
We present results of flexible and fluent human-robot cooperation in a task in which
the team has to assemble a toy object from its components.The present research was conducted in the context of the fp6-IST2 EU-IP
Project JAST (proj. nr. 003747) and partly financed by the FCT grants POCI/V.5/A0119/2005 and
CONC-REEQ/17/2001. We would like to thank Luis Louro, Emanuel Sousa, Flora Ferreira, Eliana
Costa e Silva, Rui Silva and Toni Machado for their assistance during the robotic experiment
Lattice-based Group Signature Scheme with Verifier-local Revocation

International audienceSupport of membership revocation is a desirable functionality for any group signature scheme. Among the known revocation approaches, verifier-local revocation (VLR) seems to be the most flexible one, because it only requires the verifiers to possess some up-to-date revocation information, but not the signers. All of the contemporary VLR group signatures operate in the bilinear map setting, and all of them will be insecure once quantum computers become a reality. In this work, we introduce the first lattice-based VLR group signature, and thus, the first such scheme that is believed to be quantum-resistant. In comparison with existing lattice-based group signatures, our scheme has several noticeable advantages: support of membership revocation, logarithmic-size signatures, and weaker security assumption. In the random oracle model, our scheme is proved to be secure based on the hardness of the SIVP_{SoftO(n^{1.5})}$ problem in general lattices - an assumption that is as weak as those of state-of-the-art lattice-based standard signatures. Moreover, our construction works without relying on encryption schemes, which is an intriguing feature for group signatures