Translation-based approaches for solving disjunctive temporal problems with preferences

Disjunctive Temporal Problems (DTPs) with Preferences (DTPPs) extend DTPs with piece-wise constant preference functions associated to each constraint of the form l ≤ x ? y ≤ u, where x,y are (real or integer) variables, and l,u are numeric constants. The goal is to find an assignment to the variables of the problem that maximizes the sum of the preference values of satisfied DTP constraints, where such values are obtained by aggregating the preference functions of the satisfied constraints in it under a “max” semantic. The state-of-the-art approach in the field, implemented in the native DTPP solver Maxilitis, extends the approach of the native DTP solver Epilitis. In this paper we present alternative approaches that translate DTPPs to Maximum Satisfiability of a set of Boolean combination of constraints of the form l?x ? y?u, ? ∈{<,≤}, that extend previous work dealing with constant preference functions only. We prove correctness and completeness of the approaches. Results obtained with the Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers Yices and MathSAT on randomly generated DTPPs and DTPPs built from real-world benchmarks, show that one of our translation is competitive to, and can be faster than, Maxilitis (This is an extended and revised version of Bourguet et al. 2013).     

Molecular Subtyping of Invasive Breast Cancer Using a PAM50-Based Multigene Expression Test-Comparison with Molecular-Like Subtyping by Tumor Grade/Immunohistochemistry and Influence on Oncologist’s Decision on Systemic Therapy in a Real-World Setting

In intermediate risk hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative breast cancer (BC), the decision regarding adjuvant chemotherapy might be facilitated by multigene expression tests. In all, 142 intermediate risk BCs were investigated using the PAM50-based multigene expression test Prosigna® in a prospective multicentric study. In 119/142 cases, Prosigna® molecular subtyping was compared with local and two central (C1 and C6) molecular-like subtypes relying on both immunohistochemistry (IHC; HRs, HER2, Ki-67) and IHC + tumor grade (IHC+G) subtyping. According to local IHC, 35.4% were Luminal A-like and 64.6% Luminal B-like subtypes (local IHC+G subtype: 31.9% Luminal A-like; 68.1% Luminal B-like). In contrast to local and C1 subtyping, C6 classified >2/3 of cases as Luminal A-like. Pairwise agreement between Prosigna® subtyping and molecular-like subtypes was fair to moderate depending on molecular-like subtyping method and center. The best agreement was observed between Prosigna® (53.8% Luminal A; 44.5% Luminal B) and C1 surrogate subtyping (Cohen’s kappa = 0.455). Adjuvant chemotherapy was suggested to 44.2% and 88.6% of Prosigna® Luminal A and Luminal B cases, respectively. Out of all Luminal A-like cases (locally IHC/IHC+G subtyping), adjuvant chemotherapy was recommended if Prosigna® testing classified as Prosigna® Luminal A at high / intermediate risk or upgraded to Prosigna® Luminal B.     

Layer-oriented simulation tool

The Layer-Oriented Simulation Tool (LOST) is a numerical simulation code developed for analysis of the performance of multiconjugate adaptive optics modules following a layer-oriented approach. The LOST code computes the atmospheric layers in terms of phase screens and then propagates the phase delays introduced in the natural guide stars' wave fronts by using geometrical optics approximations. These wave fronts are combined in an optical or numerical way, including the effects of wave-front sensors on measurements in terms of phase noise. The LOST code is described, and two applications to layer-oriented modules are briefly presented. We have focus on the Multiconjugate adaptive optics demonstrator to be mounted upon the Very Large Telescope and on the Near-IR-Visible Adaptive Interferometer for Astronomy (NIRVANA) interferometric system to be installed on the combined focus of the Large Binocular Telescope.     

Using degradation data to assess reliability: a case study on train wheel degradation

Degradation experiments are usually used to assess the lifetime distribution of highly reliable products, which are not likely to fail under the traditional life tests or accelerated life tests. In such cases, if there exist product characteristics whose degradation over time can be related to reliability, then collecting ‘degradation data’ can provide information about product reliability. In general, the degradation data are modeled by a nonlinear regression model with random coefficients. If we can obtain the estimates of parameters under the model, then the failure‐time distribution can be estimated. In order to estimate those parameters, three basic methods are available, namely, the analytical, numerical and the approximate. They are chosen according to the complexity of the degradation path model used in the analysis. In this paper, the numerical and the approximate methods are compared in a simulation study, assuming a simple linear degradation path model. A comparison with traditional failure‐time analysis is also performed. The mean‐squared error of the estimated 100pth percentile of the lifetime distribution is evaluated for each one of the approaches. The approaches are applied to a real degradation data set. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Construction and programming of an autonomous focus stacker

Focus stacking is a technique of photomacrography and photomicrography that produces images of small three-dimensional subjects with an arbitrarily high depth of field, unencumbered by diffraction, by combining the in-focus portions of a stack of images of the subject recorded at different focal planes. Software packages are available for postprocessing an image stack into the final image, but the stack images are normally shot either with (typically expensive) automated equipment or by a manual, time-consuming, and error-prone procedures. This paper discusses the construction of an autonomous stacker with inexpensive preassembled electronics and a moderate amount of mechanical construction, and its C++ software.     

Maximum density of quantum information in a scalable CMOS implementation of the hybrid qubit architecture

Scalability from single-qubit operations to multi-qubit circuits for quantum information processing requires architecture-specific implementations. Semiconductor hybrid qubit architecture is a suitable candidate to realize large-scale quantum information processing, as it combines a universal set of logic gates with fast and all-electrical manipulation of qubits. We propose an implementation of hybrid qubits, based on Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum dots, compatible with the CMOS industrial technological standards. We discuss the realization of multi-qubit circuits capable of fault-tolerant computation and quantum error correction, by evaluating the time and space resources needed for their implementation. As a result, the maximum density of quantum information is extracted from a circuit including eight logical qubits encoded by the [[7, 1, 3]] Steane code. The corresponding surface density of logical qubits is 2.6 Mqubit/cm\(^2\).     

A VLSI structure forX(modm) operation

High-computing speed and modularity have made RNS-based arithmetic processors attractive for a long time, especially in signal processing, where additions and multiplications are very frequent. The VLSI technology renewed this interest because RNS-based circuits are becoming more feasible; however, intermodular operations degradate their performance and a great effort results on this topic. In this paper, we deal with the problem of performing the basic operationX(modm), that is the remainder of the integer divisionX/m, for large values of the integerX, following an approximating and correcting approach, which guarantees the correctness of the result. We also define a structure to computeX(modm) by means of few fast VLSI binary multipliers, which is exemplified for 32-bit long numbers, obtaining a total response time lower than 200 nsec. Furthermore, such a structure is evaluated in terms of VLSI complexity and area and time figuresA=?(n ² T _m ² ) andT=?(T _M ) for the parameterT _M in \([\log n,\sqrt n ]\) are derived. A simple positional-to-residue converter is finally presented, based on this structure; it improves some complexity results previously obtained by authors.     

Onion under Microscope: An in-depth analysis of the Tor Web

World Wide Web - Tor is an open source software that allows accessing various kinds of resources, known as hidden services, while guaranteeing sender and receiver anonymity. Tor relies on a free,...