ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
Comparison of measurements and FluorMOD simulations for solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and reflectance of a corn crop under nitrogen treatments
Authors: E. M. Middleton, L. A. Corp, P. K. E. Campbell
Venue: International Journal of Remote Sensing (2008)

Laboratory and field measurements previously acquired from foliage and canopies of corn (Zea mays L.) under controlled nitrogen (N) fertilization were used to parameterize and evaluate a new spectral vegetation Fluorescence Model (FluorMOD) developed to include the effects of steady-state solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) on canopy reflectance. These data included biophysical properties, fluorescence (F) and reflectance spectra for leaves; reflectance spectra of canopies and soil; solar irradiance; plot-level leaf area index (LAI); and canopy SIF emissions determined using the Fraunhofer line-depth (FLD) principle for the atmospheric telluric oxygen absorption features at 688 nm (O2β) and 760 nm (O2α). FluorMOD simulations implemented in the default mode did not reproduce the observed magnitudes of leaf F, canopy SIF, or canopy reflectance. However, simulations for all of these parameters agreed with observations when the default FluorMOD information was replaced with measurements, although N treatment responses were underestimated. The observed shift in the red/far-red SIF ratio (from
Privacy-preserving anonymization of set-valued data
Authors: Manolis Terrovitis, Nikos Mamoulis, Panos Kalnis
Venue: Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment (2008)

In this paper we study the problem of protecting privacy in the publication of set-valued data. Consider a collection of transactional data that contains detailed information about items bought together by individuals. Even after removing all personal characteristics of the buyer, which can serve as links to his identity, the publication of such data is still subject to privacy attacks from adversaries who have partial knowledge about the set. Unlike most previous works, we do not distinguish data as sensitive and non-sensitive, but we consider them both as potential quasi-identifiers and potential sensitive data, depending on the point of view of the adversary. We define a new version of the k-anonymity guarantee, the km-anonymity, to limit the effects of the data dimensionality and we propose efficient algorithms to transform the database. Our anonymization model relies on generalization instead of suppression, which is the most common practice in related works on such data. We develop an algorithm which finds the optimal solution, however, at a high cost which makes it inapplicable for large, realistic problems. Then, we propose two greedy heuristics, which scale much better and in most of the cases find a solution close to the optimal. The proposed algorithms are experimentally evaluated using real datasets.
Design of a Learning Environment in Combinatorics based on Problem Solving: Modeling Activities, Problems and Errors
Authors: Françoise Le Calvez, Hélène Giroire, Gérard Tisseau
Venue: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (2008)

In this paper we present the design of a learning environment in a mathematical domain (elementary combinatorics) where problem solving is based more on modeling than on deduction or calculation. In this approach, we want to provide students with a presentation which is close to the natural language formulations that they tend to give spontaneously, while ensuring a rigorous mathematical reasoning. To do so, we have introduced three modeling levels: first, a mathematical formalization of the students' intuitive process, that we called the constructive method, then a conceptual and computational model that allows mathematical reasoning as well as communication with the student, and finally a presentation consisting of several "machines". We show that, in such a system, error detection is specific. We present an incremental mechanism of error detection. Specific knowledge necessary to detect and explain the errors is organized into a database of error schemas. The system Combien? founded on this research, has been used by university students since 2002.
Natural interfaces in the field: the case of pen and paper
Authors: Phil Cohen
Venue: Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Multimodal interfaces (2008)

Over the past 7 years, Adapx (formerly, Natural Interaction Systems) has been developing digital pen-based natural interfaces for field tasks. Examples include products for field note-taking, mapping and architecture/engineering/construction, which have been applied to such uses as: surveying, wild-fire fighting, land use planning and dispute resolution, and civil engineering. In this talk, I will describe the technology and some of these field-based use cases, discussing why natural interfaces are the preferred means for human-computer interaction for these applications.
On the complexity of sequential rectangle placement in IEEE 802.16/WiMAX systems
Authors: Amos Israeli, Dror Rawitz, Oran Sharon
Venue: Information and Computation (2008)

We study the problem of scheduling transmissions on the downlink of IEEE 802.16/WiMAX systems that use the OFDMA technology. These transmissions are scheduled using a matrix whose dimensions are frequency and time, where every matrix cell is a time slot on some carrier channel. The IEEE 802.16 standard mandates that: (i) every transmission occupies a rectangular set of cells, and (ii) transmissions must be scheduled according to a given order. We show that if the number of cells required by a transmission is not limited (up to the matrix size), the problem of maximizing matrix utilization is very hard to approximate. On the positive side we show that if the number of cells of every transmission is limited to some constant fraction of the matrix area, the problem can be approximated to within a constant factor. As far as we know this is the first paper that considers this sequential rectangle placement problem.
Self-similarity and Multidimensionality: Tools for Performance Modelling of Distributed Infrastructure
Authors: Raul Ramirez-Velarde, Cesar Vargas, Gerardo Castañon, Lorena Martinez-Elizalde
Venue: Proceedings of the OTM 2008 Confederated International Conferences, CoopIS, DOA, GADA, IS, and ODBASE 2008. Part I on On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems: (2008)

In this article, we present a model that uses large-deviations and the Pareto probability distribution to model self-similar data in high-performance infrastructure, such as the one found on computational and data grids, transactional and computational clusters, and multimedia streaming. We also show how Principal Component Analysis can reduce dimensionality of data, such as the one produced by different types of problems, user preferences and behaviour, and resource popularity.
Design limitations related to conductive anodic filament formation in a micro-world
Authors: Antonio Caputo, Laura J. Turbini, Doug D. Perovic
Venue: Microsystem Technologies (2008)

The drive toward more compact, highly functional, and portable electronic devices has forced a reduction in conductor spacing. According to the 2006/2007 IPC Technology Roadmap, today&#x2019;s drilled holes are a minimum of 0.20&#x00a0;mm in diameter with via pitch at 0.60&#x00a0;mm. State-of-the-art is 0.15&#x00a0;mm with 0.40&#x00a0;mm via pitch and future trends in the near future reduce these to 0.10&#x00a0;mm holes and 0.35&#x00a0;mm vias. A direct reliability concern with reduced pitch designs is an electrochemical failure mode in printed wiring boards (PWBs) known as conductive anodic filament (CAF) formation. CAF&#x2014;a copper-containing salt which grows subsurface from the anode to the cathode has been identified as Cu2(OH)3Cl. When the CAF bridges between the two holes, catastrophic failure can occur because this salt has semiconductor properties. CAF growth is enhanced by higher voltage gradient and closer spacing. CAF test coupon designs must take into account a number of factors in the board manufacturing process which will affect the reproducibility of the coupons. These include glass fiber style, resin type, and content, as well as the drilling parameters such as drill bit wear, speed, diameter, and drilling sequence. The closer spacing identified in the IPC Roadmap creates hole-edge to hole-edge conductors that can be problematic. Cracking between barrels can occur during the drilling process, especially for more brittle laminate materials. During the plating process, residues can accumulate in the cracks. Subsequent testing under humidity and bias conditions will lead to shorts which can be mistaken for CAF. This paper will identify the limitations in designing a PWB for CAF reliability testing.
Considering dependence among genes and markers for false discovery control in eQTL mapping
Authors: Liang Chen, Tiejun Tong, Hongyu Zhao
Venue: Bioinformatics (2008)

Motivation: Multiple comparison adjustment is a significant and challenging statistical issue in large-scale biological studies. In previous studies, dependence among genes is largely ignored. However, such dependence may be strong for some genomic-scale studies such as genetical genomics [also called expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping] in which thousands of genes are treated as quantitative traits and mapped to different genetical markers. Besides the dependence among markers, the dependence among the expression levels of genes can also have a significant impact on data analysis and interpretation. Results: In this article, we propose to consider both the mean as well as the variance of false discovery number for multiple comparison adjustment to handle dependence among hypotheses. This is achieved by developing a variance estimator for false discovery number, and using the upper bound of false discovery proportion (uFDP) for false discovery control. More importantly, we introduce a weighted version of uFDP (wuFDP) control to improve the statistical power of eQTL identification. In addition, the wuFDP approach can better control false positives than false discovery rate (FDR) and uFDP approaches when markers are in linkage disequilibrium. The relative performance of uFDP control and wuFDP control is illustrated through simulation studies and real data analysis. Contacts:liang.chen@usc.edu; hongyu.zhao@yale.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary figures, tables and appendices are available at Bioinformatics online.
Optimal spliced alignments of short sequence reads
Authors: Fabio De Bona, Stephan Ossowski, Korbinian Schneeberger, Gunnar Rätsch
Venue: Bioinformatics (2008)

Motivation: Next generation sequencing technologies open exciting new possibilities for genome and transcriptome sequencing. While reads produced by these technologies are relatively short and error prone compared to the Sanger method their throughput is several magnitudes higher. To utilize such reads for transcriptome sequencing and gene structure identification, one needs to be able to accurately align the sequence reads over intron boundaries. This represents a significant challenge given their short length and inherent high error rate. Results: We present a novel approach, called QPALMA, for computing accurate spliced alignments which takes advantage of the read's quality information as well as computational splice site predictions. Our method uses a training set of spliced reads with quality information and known alignments. It uses a large margin approach similar to support vector machines to estimate its parameters to maximize alignment accuracy. In computational experiments, we illustrate that the quality information as well as the splice site predictions help to improve the alignment quality. Finally, to facilitate mapping of massive amounts of sequencing data typically generated by the new technologies, we have combined our method with a fast mapping pipeline based on enhanced suffix arrays. Our algorithms were optimized and tested using reads produced with the Illumina Genome Analyzer for the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Availability: Datasets for training and evaluation, additional results and a stand-alone alignment tool implemented in C++ and python are available at http://www.fml.mpg.de/raetsch/projects/qpalma. Contact: Gunnar.Raetsch@tuebingen.mpg.de
Enhancing the generalization ability of neural networks through controlling the hidden layers
Authors: Weishui Wan, Shingo Mabu, Kaoru Shimada, Kotaro Hirasawa, Jinglu Hu
Venue: Applied Soft Computing (2009)

In this paper we proposed two new variants of backpropagation algorithm. The common point of these two new algorithms is that the outputs of nodes in the hidden layers are controlled with the aim to solve the moving target problem and the distributed weights problem. One algorithm (AlgoRobust) is not so insensitive to the noises in the data, the second one (AlgoGS) is through using Gauss-Schmidt algorithm to determine in each epoch which weight should be updated, while the other weights are kept unchanged in this epoch. In this way a better generalization can be obtained. Some theoretical explanations are also provided. In addition, simulation comparisons are made between Gaussian regularizer, optimal brain damage (OBD) and the proposed algorithms. Simulation results confirm that the new proposed algorithms perform better than that of Gaussian regularizer, and the first algorithm AlgoRobust performs better than the second algorithm AlgoGS in the noisy data. On the other hand AlgoGS performs better than the AlgoRobust on the data without noise and the final structure obtained by two new algorithms is comparable to that obtained by using OBD.
Density-based anycast: a robust routing strategy for wireless ad hoc networks
Authors: Vincent Lenders, Martin May, Bernhard Plattner
Venue: IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (TON) (2008)

Existing anycast routing protocols solely route packets to the closest group member. In this paper, we introduce density-based anycast routing, a new anycast routing paradigm particularly suitable for wireless ad hoc networks. Instead of routing packets merely on proximity information to the closest member, density-based anycast routing considers the number of available anycast group members for its routing decision. We present a unified model based on potential fields that allows for instantiation of pure proximity-based, pure density-based, as well as hybrid routing strategies. We implement anycast using this model and simulate the performance of the different approaches for mobile as well as static ad hoc networks with frequent link failures. Our results show that the best performance lies in a tradeoff between proximity and density. In this combined routing strategy, the packet delivery ratio is considerably higher and the path length remains almost as low than with traditional shortest-path anycast routing.
Really Simple Security for P2P Dissemination of Really Simple Syndication
Authors: Anwitaman Datta, Liu Xin
Venue: Proceedings of the OTM Confederated International Workshops and Posters on On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems: 2008 Workshops: ADI, AWeSoMe, COMBEK, EI2N, IWSSA, MONET, OnToContent + QSI, ORM, PerSys, RDDS, SEMELS, and SWWS (2008)

Using peer-to-peer overlays to notify users whenever a new update occurs is a promising approach to support web based publish subscribe systems like RSS. Such a peer-to-peer approach can scale well by reducing load at the source and also guarantee timeliness of notifications. However, malicious peers may stop propagating the updates or modify them, thus making the P2P mechanism useless or even harmful. We propose overlay independent randomized strategies to mitigate these ill-effects of malicious peers at a marginal overhead.In the P2P approaches, generally a small subset of the end-users (Rootpeers) pull directly from the source and push any update downstream (to Downstream peers). Several such P2P approaches have been proposed [1], [2], [3]. Unlike other approaches, our approach puts the focus on the security issue, that is to protect the system against various malicious peers, without altering the behavior of currently deployed servers.
Integrating Metadata Harvesting with Semantic Search
Authors: Darina Dicheva, Christo Dichev, Petko Valtchev
Venue: Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology - Volume 01 (2008)

This paper presents an approach to increasing the reusability of online course repositories by collecting and annotating learning content using consensually agreed vocabularies. It proposes support to courseware authors focused on two aspects: (i) providing means for creating ontological structures (to be used as a skeleton for structuring course related material) and partially populate them with learning resources; (ii) assisting authors in selecting names for new concepts/topics combined with their subject identification. The proposed approach is implemented in an authoring tool extending the TM4L Editor.
BP neural network with rough set for short term load forecasting
Authors: Zhi Xiao, Shi-Jie Ye, Bo Zhong, Cai-Xin Sun
Venue: Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal (2009)

Precise Short term load forecasting (STLF) plays a significant role in the management of power system of countries and regions on the grounds of insufficient electric energy for increased need. This paper presents an approach of back propagation neural network with rough set (RSBP) for complicated STLF with dynamic and non-linear factors to develop the accuracy of predictions. Through attribute reduction based on variable precision with rough set, the influence of noise data and weak interdependency data to BP is avoided so the time taken for training is decreased. Using load time series from a practical power system, we tested the performance of RSBP by comparing its predictions with that of BP network.
Absolute pointing and tracking based remote control for interactive user experience
Authors: John Sweetser, Anders Grunnet-Jepsen, Gopal Panchanathan
Venue: Proceeding of the 1st international conference on Designing interactive user experiences for TV and video (2008)

We describe a system designed for simple and intuitive interaction with a large screen from a distance. The approach is based on an optical pointing and tracking system which has the important property that the tracking is absolute in nature. This provides several advantages over traditional methods used for input devices and remote controls, especially when the interaction is performed at a distance from the screen and where the user is not constrained to a surface.
An empirical investigation of habitual usage and past usage on technology acceptance evaluations and continuance intention
Authors: Mei-Chun Wu, Feng-Yang Kuo
Venue: ACM SIGMIS Database (2008)

Although much research has examined information technology (IT) usage that involves deliberate evaluation and decision-making, we know less about automatic use that occurs spontaneously with little conscious effort. In this study we have investigated this issue by studying how habitual usage and past usage may influence the predicting power of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) on intention. Using 232 cross-sectional responses from subjects who have continuously used the Google search engine, the results show that as individuals get into the habit of continuously using a system, the predicting power of PU and PEOU on intention is diluted by the addition of either habitual usage or past usage. This indicates that the stronger the habitual use of the Google search engine, the less conscious planning is involved, and the relationship between subjects' evaluations of PU/PEOU and their intention to use weakens. Furthermore, our study shows that past usage, often employed as a proxy of habitual usage, demonstrates a similar effect but differs in the predicting power from habitual usage. This result suggests that researchers may employ habitual usage for studies of post-adoption phenomenon concerning continuous information system usage.
Soft computing and cooperative strategies for optimization
Authors: Carlos Cruz, David Pelta
Venue: Applied Soft Computing (2009)

In the last years, metaheuristics have emerged as powerful algorithmic approaches which have been applied with great success to difficult combinatorial optimization problems. However, this does not mean that metaheuristics can be applied blindly to any new problem. In this contribution we showed how the most basic ingredients of Soft Computing, namely fuzzy sets and fuzzy rules, are used in the context of a simple metaheuristic and a cooperative strategy based on it, to obtain successful results for the p-median problem.
Scenario-focused development method for a pen-based user interface: model and applications
Authors: Danli Wang, Guozhong Dai, Hongan Wang, Steve C. Chiu
Venue: The Journal of Supercomputing (2008)

Pen-based user interface (PUI) has drawn significant interest, owing to its intuitiveness and convenience. While much of the research focuses on the technology, the usability of a PUI has been relatively low since human factors have not been considered sufficiently. Scenario-centric designs are ideal ways to improve usability. However, such designs possess some problems in practical use. To cope with these design issues, the concept of "interface scenarios" is proposed in to facilitate the interface design, and to help users understand the interaction process in such designs. The proposed scenario-focused development method for PUI is coupled with a practical application to show its effectiveness and usability.
Voltage-tunable dual-band infrared photodetectors with Si/SiGe metal-semiconductor-metal heterostructure
Authors: J. D. Hwang, K. H. Hseih
Venue: Microelectronic Engineering (2008)

A simple and low-cost structure of voltage-tunable dual-band near-infrared photodetector (PD) has been proposed, in which the PDs were developed by using Si"0"."8Ge"0"."2/Si metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) heterostructure. The Si"0"."8Ge"0"."2/Si layers were deposited by ultrahigh-vacuum chemical vapor deposition system and a transparent layer of indium-tin oxide (ITO) was used as a metal layer to enhance the entrance of photons. In this study, we found that only one band was detected with a peak wavelength located at 950nm at zero applied bias. When bias was increased to 1V, in contrast a dual-band was achieved, where two peak wavelengths were centered at 950- and 1150-nm. It is suggested that the two bands are the absorption of top-Si and bottom-Si"0"."8Ge"0"."2 layers, respectively. The spectra of Si bulk and Si"0"."8Ge"0"."2 layer were also measured to verify our results and relating mechanisms are explained here.
Optimizing lifetime for continuous data aggregation with precision guarantees in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Xueyan Tang, Jianliang Xu
Venue: IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (TON) (2008)

This paper exploits the tradeoff between data quality and energy consumption to extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. To obtain an aggregate form of sensor data with precision guarantees, the precision constraint is partitioned and allocated to individual sensor nodes in a coordinated fashion. Our key idea is to differentiate the precisions of data collected from different sensor nodes to balance their energy consumption. Three factors affecting the lifetime of sensor nodes are identified: 1) the changing pattern of sensor readings; 2) the residual energy of sensor nodes; and 3) the communication cost between the sensor nodes and the base station. We analyze the optimal precision allocation in terms of network lifetime and propose an adaptive scheme that dynamically adjusts the precision constraints at the sensor nodes. The adaptive scheme also takes into consideration the topological relations among sensor nodes and the effect of in-network aggregation. Experimental results using real data traces show that the proposed scheme significantly improves network lifetime compared to existing methods.