Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Computing Design and Implementation of a Sound Source Localization System

Stochastic computing (SC) is an alternative computing paradigm that processes data in the form of uniform bit-streams. SC is fault-tolerant and can compute on small, efficient circuits. However, SC is primarily used in scientific research, and its practical implementations for end-users are rare. Digital sound source localization (SSL) is a useful signal processing technique that locates speakers using multiple microphones. SC has not been integrated into SSL in practice or theory. In this work, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, we implement an SSL algorithm in the stochastic domain and develop a functional SC-based sound source localizer. The practical part of this work shows that the proposed stochastic circuit does not depend on conventional analog-to-digital conversion and can process data in the form of pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signals. The proposed SC design consumes up to 39% less area than the conventional binary design. It can also consume less power depending on the computational accuracy, for example, 6% less power consumption for 3-bit inputs. We propose a new cross-correlation (CC) design based on the state-of-the-art Sobol bit-streams for further area and power saving. The proposed design utilizes a MUX unit for bit-stream generation. It saves the area footprint up to 64% and the power consumption up to 82% compared to the counter-based SC design of CC, which relies on a comparator for bit-stream generation. The presented stochastic circuits, are not limited to SSL and are readily applicable to other practical applications such as radar ranging, wireless location, sonar direction finding, beamforming, and sensor calibration. The project’s source code is made available for public access.
Confirmatory factor analysis models of factorial invariance: A multifaceted approach

Typical confirmatory factor analysis studies of factorial invariance test parameter (factor loadings, factor variances/covariances, and uniquenesses) invariance across only two groups (e.g., males and females) or, perhaps, across more than two groups reflecting different levels of a single design facet (e.g., age). The present investigation extends this approach by considering invariance across groups from a two‐facet design. Data consist of multiple dimensions of self‐concept collected from eight groups of students (total N = 4,000) representing a 2 (Gender) × 4 (Age) design. The gender‐stereotypic model posits a particular pattern of gender differences in structure that varies with age. Adopting analysis‐of‐variance terminology, the model posits that structural differences will vary as a function of gender but that this gender effect interacts with age. In testing this model, I consider the lack of invariance in different sets of parameters attributable to gender, age, and their interaction.
Carbon-doped 980-nm InGaAs strained quantum well lasers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Graded-index separate-confinement strained quantum well InGaAs/GaAs/GaAlAs lasers grown by metalorganic chemical- vapor deposition with carbon tetrachloride used as p-doped source for upper cladding layer and the capping layer are studied. By SIMS and electrochemical capacitance-voltage measurements, the desirable quantum well structure and the suitable doping and carrier concentrations profiles are found to be obtained. The grown crystals show good optical characteristics through the photoluminescence spectrum measurement of the upper cladding layer and the active layer. The oxide-stripe and the ridge waveguide stripe lasers are fabricated, the lower threshold current densities 160 A/cm2 (uncoated) with 1500 micrometers long cavity are obtained. The differential quantum efficiency and the output power can be up to 0.4 W/A and 500 mw (uncoated).
Transparent resistive random access memory and its characteristics for nonvolatile resistive switching

This report covers the fabrication of a fully transparent resistive random access memory (TRRAM) device based on an ITO (indium tin oxide)/ZnO/ITO capacitor structure and its resistive switching characteristics. The fabricated TRRAM has a transmittance of 81% (including the substrate) in the visible region and an excellent switching behavior under 3V. The retention measurement suggests that the memory property of the TRRAM device could be maintained for more than 10years. We believe that the TRRAM device presented in this work could be a milestone of future see-through electronic devices.
Probabilistic neural network for pattern classification

A neural network (NN) based approach for classification of images which are invariant to translation, scale and rotation is presented. The utilized network is a probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier. The translation and scale invariant features are obtained by Fourier-modified direct Mellin transform (F-MDMT) method. The rotation invariance is obtained by Zernike moments. The classification accuracy was compared to the Bayes classifier, K-nearest neighborhood, minimum mean distance and MLP classifier. The PNN classifier gave better accuracy when compared with other methods. Similarly, F-MDMT combined with Zernike moment method was found to be better when compared with other methods like geometrical method, etc. The input data was all 49 different characters of Oriya language having each pixel size 64/spl times/64. The noise analysis was carried out and was found that the present technique was better so far as input noise is considered. This method can also be suitable for any type of 3D object recognition.
Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk in Women: Progress so Far and Progress to Come

Abstract Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Nonetheless, there exist several uncertainties in the prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. A cornerstone in the prediction of cardiovascular disease is the implementation of risk scores. A variety of pregnancy- and reproductive-factors have been associated with lower or higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Consequently, the question has been raised, whether these female-specific factors also provide added value to cardiovascular risk prediction. In this review, we provide an overview of the existing literature on sex differences in the association of established cardiovascular risk factors with cardiovascular disease and the relation between female-specific factors and cardiovascular risk. Furthermore, we systematically reviewed the literature for studies that assessed the added value of female-specific factors beyond already established cardiovascular risk factors. Adding female-specific factors to models containing established cardiovascular risk factors has led to little or no significant improvement in the prediction of cardiovascular events. However, analyses primarily relied on data from women aged ≥40 years. Future investigations are needed to quantify whether pregnancy-related factors improve cardiovascular risk prediction in young women in order to support adequate treatment of risk factors and enhance prevention of cardiovascular disease in women.
Functional Itô Calculus

Ito calculus deals with functions of the current state whilst we deal with functions of the current path to acknowledge the fact that often the impact of randomness is cumulative. We express the differential of the functional in terms of adequately defined partial derivatives to obtain an Ito formula. We develop an extension of the Feynman-Kac formula to the functional case and an explicit expression of the integrand in the Martingale Representation Theorem, providing an alternative to the Clark-Ocone formula from Malliavin Calculus. We establish that under certain conditions, even path dependent options prices satisfy a partial differential equation in a local sense.
Stationary-state solutions for coupled reaction–diffusion and temperature-conduction equations II. Spherical geometry with Dirichlet boundary conditions

The stationary-state heat and mass transfer equations for an exothermic process following first-order kinetics and an Arrhenius temperature dependence in a spherical reaction zone may show an infinite number of solutions. Precise numerical computations for a particular case realizes this high multiplicity and determines the evolution of the shape of the temperature–position and reaction–rate–position profiles as a bifurcation parameter λ is varied. With Dirichlet boundary conditions, there is an initial concentration of self heating and reaction close to the centre of the reaction zone. This concentration is enhanced as the central temperature excess increases. At high temperature excesses and with large λ, however, the profiles flatten out, giving rise to sharp boundary layers close to the edge of the sphere.
Effects of a Pseudomonas Strain on the Lipid Transfer Proteins, Appoplast Barriers and Activity of Aquaporins Associated with Hydraulic Conductance of Pea Plants

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are known to be involved in suberin deposition in the Casparian bands of pea roots, thereby reinforcing apoplast barriers. Moreover, the Pseudomonas mandelii IB-Ki14 strain accelerated formation of the Casparian bands in wheat plants, although involvement of LTPs in the process was not studied. Here, we investigated the effects of P. mandelii IB-Ki14 on LTPs, formation of the Casparian bands, hydraulic conductance and activity of aquaporins (AQPs) in pea plants. RT PCR showed a 1.6-1.9-fold up-regulation of the PsLTP-coding genes and an increase in the abundance of LTP proteins in the phloem of pea roots induced by the treatment with P. mandelii IB-Ki14. The treatment was accompanied with increased deposition of suberin in the Casparian bands. Hydraulic conductance did not decrease in association with the bacterial treatment despite strengthening of the apoplast barriers. At the same time, the Fenton reagent, serving as an AQPs inhibitor, decreased hydraulic conductance to a greater extent in treated plants relative to the control group, indicating an increase in the AQP activity by the bacteria. We hypothesize that P. mandelii IB-Ki14 stimulates deposition of suberin, in the biosynthesis of which LTPs are involved, and increases aquaporin activity, which in turn prevents a decrease in hydraulic conductance due to formation of the apoplast barriers in pea roots.
Vacuum Energy and Closed Orbits in Quantum Graphs

The vacuum (Casimir) energy of a quantized scalar field in a given geometrical situation is a certain moment of the eigenvalue density of an asso- ciated self-adjoint differential operator. For various classes of quantum graphs it has been calculated by several methods: (1) Direct calculation from the explicitly known spectrum is feasible only in simple cases. (2) Analysis of the secular equation determining the spectrum, as in the Kottos-Smilansky derivation of the trace formula, yields a sum over periodic orbits in the graph. (3) Construction of an associated integral kernel by the method of images yields a sum over closed (not necessarily periodic) orbits. We show that for the Kirchhoff and other scale-invariant boundary conditions the sum over non- periodic orbits in fact makes no contribution to the total energy, whereas for more general (frequency-dependent) vertex scattering matrices it can make a nonvanishing contribution, which, however, is localized near vertices and hence can be "indexed" a posteriori by truly periodic orbits. For the scale-invariant cases complete calculations have been done by both methods (2) and (3), with identical results. Indeed, applying the image method to the resolvent kernel provides an alternative derivation of the trace formula.
An averaged-equation approach to particle interactions in a fluid suspension

Earlier ideas are combined to produce a systematic approach both to forming the bulk equations of motion of a dilute suspension and to calculating the overall hydrodynamic interactions between the suspended particles. Equations governing averaged field quantities are derived by taking ensemble averages of the conservation laws and constitutive relations. The bulk equations thus produced contain a term in which the averaging is performed holding one particle fixed. If now the same prescription is applied to fields averaged with one particle fixed, equations are produced containing a term averaged with two particles fixed, and so on up an infinite hierarchy. The hierarchy can be truncated in an asymptotic analysis for small particle concentrations. This approach to the mechanics of suspensions is illustrated by applying it to three problems which have already been well studied by different methods. The problems concern the first effects of hydrodynamic interactions on the bulk stress and sedimentation velocity of a free suspension, and on the permeability of a fixed bed. Earlier results are recovered in a new light. Multiparticle effects, which before have occurred as divergent sums, are seen to arise because the suspension described by the averaged equations assumes a viscosity and density different from the solvent, or in the case of the fixed bed because the suspension starts behaving as a porous medium instead of as a Newtonian solvent. A close connexion is thus revealed between the averaged-equation description of the interactions and a self-consistent-field model.
New Model for Intense Self-Similar Vortices

A new model that is capable of generating singleor double-celled steady, incompressible, intense vortices is proposed. As was evident in earlier experiments, depending on the values of scaling constants, it is shown that the axial-velocity component may attain pro les ranging from jet-like to wake-like. In general, the radial-velocity pro le has a similar shape as the tangential velocity, developing a direction reversal near the axis of rotation when the two-celled vortex appears. For the case of a one-celled vortex, the tangential velocity behaves like that of Rankine’s vortex with viscous smoothing near the core. However, as the reverse  ow inside the core matures the tangential velocity reduces gradually from the forcedvortex pro le while its maximum value is augmented. The evolution from a one-celled to a two-celled vortex is also characterized by a migration of the vorticity peak from the central axis toward the core. The present theory suggests that the implementation of the experimental data for the tangential velocity near the core depends on the quality of the secondary  ow.
A numerical inversion of the laplace transform solution to radial dispersion in a porous medium

A special form of the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform described by Stehfest (1970) is applied to the transformed solution of dispersion in a radial flow system in a porous medium. The inversion is extremely simple to use because the weighting coefficients depend only on the number of terms used in the computation and not upon the transform solution as required by most numerical inversion techniques. The result obtained by use of this approximate inversion of the radial dispersion problem reproduced the curves obtained previously by Hoopes and Harleman (1967) with a finite difference scheme.
Sparse Channel Estimation From Discrete-Time Fourier Transform Beam Measurements

In this paper, we study channel estimation at a uniform linear array (ULA) with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> antennas, where the channel at the ULA is composed of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> paths with different angles of arrival (AoAs). It is assumed that Discrete-Time Fourier Transform (DTFT) beams (also known as analog beams with DFT beams as special cases) are applied at the ULA to project the incoming signal onto a single (or multiple) RF chain(s), after which the signal is sampled and measured in baseband domain; the underlying signal is assumed to be constant during the projections. This measurement procedure arises in various communication systems, such as the receive beam sweeping phase in 5G NR, where DTFT beams are used due to their simple implementation as linear phase shifts on analog antennas. A fundamental question about this procedure is the number of DTFT measurements <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> needed to recover the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> AoAs. Previous work on this problem showed (by applying compressed sensing theory) that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K \approx L\mathcal {O}(\log (N/L))$ </tex-math></inline-formula> measurements are sufficient for recovering the AoAs, which grows with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. First, we show that necessary conditions for recovery are <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N \geq 2L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K \geq 2L$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Second, by using properties of DTFT beam projections, we are able to show that if <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N \geq 2L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> then <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K \geq 3L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> arbitrary DTFT measurements suffice; hence, dependency on <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is completely removed. Furthermore, if the DTFT beams are chosen to equal DFT beams with period <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, then <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K \geq 2L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> beam measurements are enough, achieving sufficiency of the necessary conditions. With these results, an AoA estimation algorithm is formulated which has enormous complexity savings compared to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-dimensional AoA search such as maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. Numerical simulations demonstrate the algorithm’s improved performance over conventional algorithms such as beamspace ESPRIT and compressed sensing.
What Can Boron Deficiency Symptoms Tell Us about Its Function and Regulation?

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Dr. Warington’s discovery of boron (B) as a nutrient essential for higher plants, “boronists” have struggled to demonstrate a role beyond its structural function in cell walls dimerizing pectin molecules of rhamnogalacturonan II (RGII). In this regard, B deficiency has been associated with a plethora of symptoms in plants that include macroscopic symptoms like growth arrest and cell death and biochemical or molecular symptoms that include changes in cell wall pore size, apoplast acidification, or a steep ROS production that leads to an oxidative burst. Aiming to shed light on B functions in plant biology, we proposed here a unifying model integrating the current knowledge about B function(s) in plants to explain why B deficiency can cause such remarkable effects on plant growth and development, impacting crop productivity. In addition, based on recent experimental evidence that suggests the existence of different B ligands other than RGII in plant cells, namely glycolipids, and glycoproteins, we proposed an experimental pipeline to identify putative missing ligands and to determine how they would integrate into the above-mentioned model.
How Radiomics Can Improve Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Recent technological advances in the field of artificial intelligence hold promise in addressing medical challenges in breast cancer care, such as early diagnosis, cancer subtype determination and molecular profiling, prediction of lymph node metastases, and prognostication of treatment response and probability of recurrence. Radiomics is a quantitative approach to medical imaging, which aims to enhance the existing data available to clinicians by means of advanced mathematical analysis using artificial intelligence. Various published studies from different fields in imaging have highlighted the potential of radiomics to enhance clinical decision making. In this review, we describe the evolution of AI in breast imaging and its frontiers, focusing on handcrafted and deep learning radiomics. We present a typical workflow of a radiomics analysis and a practical “how-to” guide. Finally, we summarize the methodology and implementation of radiomics in breast cancer, based on the most recent scientific literature to help researchers and clinicians gain fundamental knowledge of this emerging technology. Alongside this, we discuss the current limitations of radiomics and challenges of integration into clinical practice with conceptual consistency, data curation, technical reproducibility, adequate accuracy, and clinical translation. The incorporation of radiomics with clinical, histopathological, and genomic information will enable physicians to move forward to a higher level of personalized management of patients with breast cancer.
Directional antennas modelling and coverage analysis for UAV networks with blockage effects in urban environment

In recent years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as flying base stations (BSs) has attracted widespread attention in both academia and industry. Most of the existing research on UAV networks in dense urban environment focus on omnidirectional antenna patterns, which results in severe interference and overlapping between coverage area due to dominant line‐of‐sight (LOS) links. This paper proposed a directional antennas model with tunable beamwidth and blockage effects in urban UAV networks, and derive the coverage probability of UAV networks in dense urban environment by stochastic geometry tools, where UAVs and users are deployed according to independent Poisson point process (PPP). Specifically, a realistic and mathematically tractable directional antenna pattern is adopted and radiation gain is modelled by a continuous function of the elevation angle θ$$ \theta $$ . In addition, the blockage effects of the buildings are considered by establishing a three‐dimensional blockage model where buildings are distributed according to PPP with heights followed by Rayleigh distribution. Numerical results match well with simulations and provide optimal deployment parameters for UAV deployments.
How to use academic and digital fingerprints to catch and eliminate contract cheating during online multiple-choice examinations: a case study

Abstract Over four semesters of a large introductory statistics course the authors found students were engaging in contract cheating on Chegg.com during multiple choice examinations. In this paper we describe our methodology for identifying, addressing and eventually eliminating cheating. We successfully identified 23 out of 25 students using a combination of unique academic and digital fingerprints, and identified students who used virtual private networks (VPNs) to protect their online identity. There were two forms of cheating – posting questions and waiting for responses from tutors, and looking for questions that had already been solved. We found that 165 questions from these examinations were posted by 10 different students, but that the most common form of cheating was searching for answers that had already been posted. This paper discusses these patterns of Chegg usage, the consequences of not catching cheating early on, and how students reacted to being caught. Also provided are R and Python code that readers may use to identify cheating students in their own courses.