Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eigen-Inference for Energy Estimation of Multiple Sources

In this paper, a new method is introduced to blindly estimate the transmit power of multiple signal sources in multiantenna fading channels, when the number of sensing devices and the number of available samples are sufficiently large compared to the number of sources. Recent advances in the field of large dimensional random matrix theory are used that result in a simple and computationally efficient consistent estimator of the power of each source. A criterion to determine the minimum number of sensors and the minimum number of samples required to achieve source separation is then introduced. Simulations are performed that corroborate the theoretical claims and show that the proposed power estimator largely outperforms alternative power inference techniques.
Lattice-matched p+-GaAsSb/i-InAlAs/n-InGaAs zero-bias backward diodes for millimeter-wave detectors and mixers

A high voltage sensitivity (βv) of 2100 V/W at 94 GHz was achieved at zero bias using backward diodes that are based on a type II heterojunction of GaAsSb/InGaAs, which was lattice-matched to an InP substrate. The impedance-matched voltage sensitivity (βv,opt) of a circular mesa diode with a diameter of 1.6 μm was estimated to be 20,000 V/W. A large curvature coefficient (γ) of -35 V-1 was obtained at zero bias. Epitaxial grown lattice-matched backward diodes on the InP substrate have fewer defects and smooth surfaces, indicating that the devices can be stably reproduced.
A Domain-Speci(cid:12)c Language for Device Drivers

Device drivers are di(cid:14)cult to write and error-prone. They are usually written in low-level languages with minimal type safety and little support for device driver semantics. As a result, they have become a major source of instability in operating system code. This paper presents NDL, a type-safe, platform-independent Network Device Language. NDL provides high-level abstractions of device resources and constructs tailored for the expression of common device driver operations. We show that NDL allows for the coding of a robust and e(cid:14)cient driver with a code size reduction of approximately 45%.
Net DoF analysis for the K-user MISO IC with outdated and imperfect channel feedback

The net degrees of freedom (DoF) describe the efficiency of a protocol in terms of network throughput at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). As the conventional DoF, it captures how the achievable user data rate grows as SNR increases, but also takes into account the limited channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT), and required protocol overheads. This work studies the impact of short channel coherence time for the K-user Multiple-Input Single-Output (MISO) Interference Channel (IC) by means of the net DoF. We propose different protocols, combining techniques that exploit different levels of CSIT (delayed, current or no CSIT), and elucidating which performs better as a function of user mobility.
Fast infrared sea ship target detection based on improved BING algorithm

The key to the target detection of infrared sea ship is real-time, fast and efficient detection of the real goal. The BING method, which introduces the binarization approximation calculation, can quickly detect target. But for infrared images, the approximate calculation also brings some shortcomings. The approximation of the gradient feature makes the overall gradient of the image amplitude decrease and some of the smaller gradient edge details disappear, so that leading to the weak distinguished ability. Based on the BING algorithm, we propose an improved BING algorithm which can quickly extract the candidate regions of infrared ship images. In the normed gradients(NG) feature, we introduce the Laplace difference operator and use the two-level cascaded SVM to learn them. Experimental results have shown that our method is effective and rapid to extract the region of interest (ROI) of the target ship.
The appropriateness of use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in New York State.

OBJECTIVE To determine the appropriateness of use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in New York State. DESIGN Retrospective randomized medical record. SETTING Fifteen randomly selected hospitals in New York State that provide PTCA. PATIENTS Random sample of 1306 patients undergoing PTCA in New York State in 1990. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Percentage of patients who underwent PTCA for indications rated appropriate, uncertain, and inappropriate. RESULTS The majority of patients received PTCA for chronic stable angina, unstable angina, and in the post-myocardial infarction period (up to 3 weeks). Fifty-eight percent of PTCAs were rated appropriate; 38%, uncertain; and 4%, inappropriate. The inappropriate rate varied by hospital from 1% to 9% (P = .12); the uncertain rate, from 26% to 50% (P = .02); and the combined inappropriate and uncertain rate, from 29% to 57% (P < .001). There was no difference in appropriateness when the institutions were grouped by volume (fewer than 300 procedures annually or at least 300 procedures annually), location (upstate vs downstate), or by teaching status. CONCLUSIONS Few PTCAs were performed for inappropriate indications in New York State. However, the large number of procedures performed for indications that were rated uncertain as to their net benefit requires further study and justification at both clinical and policy levels.
Security of smartphones at the dawn of their ubiquitousness

The importance of researching in the field of smartphone security is substantiated in the increasing number of smartphones, which are expected to outnumber common computers in the future. Despite their increasing importance, it is unclear today if mobile malware will play the same role for mobile devices as for common computers today. Therefore, this thesis contributes to defining and structuring the field mobile device security with special concern on smartphones and on the operational side of security, i.e., with mobile malware as the main attacker model. Additionally, it wants to give an understanding of the shifting boundaries of the attack surface in this emerging research field. The first three chapters introduce and structure the research field with the main goal of showing what has to be defended against today. Besides introducing related work they structure mobile device attack vectors with regard to mobile malicious software and they structure the topic of mobile malicious software itself with regard to its portability. The technical contributions of this thesis are in Chapters 5 to 8, classified according to the location of the investigation (on the device, in the network, distributed in device and network). Located in the device is MobileSandbox, a software for dynamic malware analysis. As another device-centric contribution we investigate on the efforts that have to be taken to develop an autonomously spreading smartphone worm. The results of these investigations are used to show that device-centric parts are necessary for smartphone security. Additionally, we propose a novel device-centric security mechanism that aims at reducing the attack surface of mobile devices to mobile malware. The network-centric investigations show the possibilities that a mobile network operator can use in its own mobile network for protecting the mobile devices of its clients. We simulate the effectiveness of different security mechanisms. Finally, the distributed investigations show the feasibility of distributed computation algorithms with security modules. We give prototypic implementations of protocols for secure multiparty computation as a modularized version with failure detector and consensus algorithms, and for fair exchange with guardian angels.
Cooperative Source Coding for the Two-Terminal Gaussian CEO Problem

In this paper, we consider a distributed sensor network in which sensors communicate their observations to a fusion center (FC) using limited transmission rate. Specifically, we investigate the case where the encoders are partially cooperating; they are connected by communication links with finite capacities. Hence, before the encoders encode and transmit their data, they exchange information to increase the reliability of their information. We address the problem from an information theoretic perspective and determine a lower bound for the sum- rate distortion function of the cooperative CEO problem. We also derive a lower bound for the rate-region of the problem.
Cognitive Load and Self-Determination Theories Applied to E-Learning: Impact on Students' Participation and Academic Performance

Background Emergency clerkships expose students to a stressful environment that require multiple tasks, which may have a direct impact on cognitive load and motivation for learning. To address this challenge, Cognitive Load Theory and Self Determination Theory provided the conceptual frameworks to the development of a Moodle-based online Emergency Medicine course, inspired by real clinical cases. Methods Three consecutive classes (2013–2015) of sixth-year medical students (n = 304) participated in the course, during a curricular and essentially practical emergency rotation. “Virtual Rounds” provided weekly virtual patients in narrative format and meaningful schemata to chief complaints, in order to simulate real rounds at Emergency Unit. Additional activities such as Extreme Decisions, Emergency Quiz and Electrocardiographic challenge offered different views of emergency care. Authors assessed student´s participation and its correlation with their academic performance. A survey evaluated students´ opinions. Students graduating in 2015 answered an online questionnaire to investigate cognitive load and motivation. Results Each student produced 1965 pageviews and spent 72 hours logged on. Although Clinical Emergency rotation has two months long, students accessed the online course during an average of 5.3 months. Virtual Rounds was the most accessed activity, and there was positive correlations between the number of hours logged on the platform and final grades on Emergency Medicine. Over 90% of students felt an improvement in their clinical reasoning and considered themselves better prepared for rendering Emergency care. Considering a Likert scale from 1 (minimum load) to 7 (maximum load), the scores for total cognitive load were 4.79±2.2 for Virtual Rounds and 5.56±1.96 for real medical rounds(p<0,01). Conclusions A real-world inspired online course, based on cognitive and motivational conceptual frameworks, seems to be a strong tool to engage students in learning. It may support them to manage the cognitive challenges involved in clinical care and increase their motivation for learning.
Lateral Position Control of a Moving Web in Roll-to-Roll Processes

This paper reports the development of a simulation software and a hardware simulator for the lateral position control of a moving web in roll-to-roll (R2R) systems. A mathematical model is described to explain the lateral dynamics of a moving web. Based on the model, a lateral control method using PID controller is designed, and a simulation software is implemented for simulating the lateral dynamics of a moving web and controlling the lateral position error in R2R systems. In addition an experimental apparatus for R2R processes is also developed to verify the control method. Both the simulation software and the hardware simulator are evaluated as useful tools for the development of a web guide system for R2R systems.
Adaptation of HIV‐1 to pigtailed macaques

In vitro infectivity experiments were performed to assess the susceptibility of cells from various monkey species to HIV‐1. T lymphocytes from pig‐tailed macaques, but not those from rhesus or cynomolgus monkeys, were susceptible to infection, but virus expression was limited. The majority of HIV‐1 isolates were unable to productively infect pigtailed macaque cells. Inoculation of autologous, HIV‐1 expressing cells led to establishment of persistent infection in pigtailed macaques as evidenced by recovery of infectious virus and development of virus‐specific antibody responses.
Observer design for a class of nonlinear descriptor systems

This paper considers the problem of observer design for a class of nonlinear descriptor systems whose nonlinear terms are time-varying and satisfy a quadratic inequality. The error system is firstly represented by a Lur'e descriptor system (LDS). Then, motivated by the basic idea of absolute stability theory, both types of full-order and reduced-order observers are constructed by a unified approach. The proposed observers guarantee exponential convergence of the state estimation error to zero. Finally, the design methods are reduced to a linear matrix inequality problem and illustrated by an example.
Ace Inhibitors and Cough

Probably the most common and irritating side effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is cough. In this retrospective study the incidence of cough was investigated in 1113 patients with arterial hypertension who were receiving ACE inhibitors alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents. Patients were treated with one of the following ACE inhibitors: enalapril 10-20 mg/day (n:668), captopril 25-75 mg/day (n:234), perindopril 2-8 mg/day (n:90), or lisinopril 5-20 mg/day (n:121). Mean follow-up periods were twenty-six months with enalapril, twenty-nine months with captopril, eleven months with perindopril, and thirteen months with lisinopril. Spontaneously declared cough incidence in enalapril, captopril, perindopril, and lisinopril groups were 7%, 5.1%, 2.2%, and 1.6%, respectively Cough was not dose related. Treatment was stopped in all patients with cough. In 59% of patients the onset of cough occurred after the first month of treatment (thirty to one hundred eighty days). Cough decreased by 50% within three days of drug cessation and disappeared in ten days. Mean age of patients with cough was 58.7 years and 79% of them were women. In patients without cough, mean age was 57.8 years and 56% of them were women. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding mean age, but the sex difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, although cough may occur with all four types of ACE inhibitors, the incidence of this side effect was higher during enalapril and captopril treatment than during lisinopril and perindopril treatment. The incidence was also greater in women than in men.
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Its Potential Relationship to Dementia

T he paper by Birge, "Is There a Role for Estrogen Replacement Therapy in the Prevention and Treatment of Dementia," presents an important challenge to the research community. I The incidence and prevalence of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease, and associated disability increases with older age. The prevalence and disability associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease will substantially increase over the next 20 years, as a result of an increasing population of older individuals, especially those who are 80 or more years of age. For many older people, especially women, the development of dementia and associated disability and institutionalization is a very sad ending to a productive lifetime.f The primary goal of dementia research must be to identify the potential treatable causes of most cases of dementia (i.e., higher attributable risk) and to develop and evaluate therapies to reduce the incidence and disability attributed to dementia. The dementias are a group of diseases with defined etiology and pathophysiology.v" No magic bullet is likely to prevent most dementia, short of an unfortunate pandemic that substantially reduces the life expectancy of the population. At present, only increasing age,? Iower education," ApoE genotype.t"" and (possibly) head trauma II are consistent risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. A lower score on a variety of cognitive function tests,12-14 and a more rapid decline in the scores over time may be a risk factor for the development of severe cognitive loss and disability, dementia. Vascular disease, even among individuals who have not had a clinical stroke, may be an important cause of dementia, with or without concomitant pathological changes consistent with Alzheimer's disease. l s l?
Recognition of Characters from Streaming Videos

Over the past few years, Video has become one of the prime source for recreation, be it Television or Internet. Television brings a whole lot of professionally produced video content (International or local, sports or educational, news or entertainment) to the home for the masses. Similarly, Internet hosts a whole lot of video content uploaded by other users. Understanding the context of the video automatically can open up avenue for a lot of valueadded applications. Now, what do we mean by understanding the context? Video context is usually associated with audio, image, graph, text etc. that are embedded within the Video – these are the information that help us understand the content of the video. Video texts can provide a lot of contextual information on the video clips. In general, there are two types of texts embedded inside video namely, scene texts and artificial texts. Scene texts appear naturally in scenes shot by the cameras. Artificial texts are separately added to video frames (normally in Production Studios) to supplement the visual and audio contents (Lienhart, 1996). Since artificial text is purposefully added, it is usually more structured and closely related to context than a scene text. The text data in video frames contain useful information for automatic annotation, indexing and summarization of the visual information. Extraction of the text information involves the following processes – 1. Detection of Text Region 2. Localization of Text Region from the detected region 3. Tracking of Text from Localized Region 4. Extraction of Tracked Text 5. Enhancement of the Extracted Text 6. Recognition of the text from the Enhanced Input 7. Post-processing (language dependant) of Recognized Text
The myth of the dedicated thylacine hunter: Stockman-hunter culture and the decline of the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) in Tasmania during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries

IT HAS BEEN speculated that a mix of human factors and disease prompted the extinction or near-extinction of the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus or Tasmanian tiger). According to the general thesis, by introducing grazing to Tasmania, Europeans disturbed and reduced thylacine habitat, destroyed thylacine food sources, introduced competing carnivores and killed countless thylacines as a stock protection measure, for sport, or for the fur trade. After these factors had severely reduced the thylacine's numbers, the onset of an epidemic disease at about the beginning of the twentieth century debilitated, extinguished or virtually extinguished the vulnerable animal. A 2013 paper departed from this thesis, by claiming that human factors alone could account for the thylacine's demise.
Independent Cognitive Effects of Atrophy and Diffuse Subcortical and Thalamico-Cortical Cerebrovascular Disease in Dementia

Background and Purpose— Brain atrophy, cortical infarction, and subcortical ischemic vasculopathy have all been associated with cognitive dysfunction. The interrelationships between these pathologies and their independent contributions to cognitive function remain unclear. Despite the high frequency of Alzheimer disease (AD) in those with clinically diagnosed vascular dementia, and the frequent findings of vascular disease in those with clinically diagnosed AD, many studies of brain-behavior relationships in dementia consider these populations separately. The present study sought to identify the correlates of independent domains of cognitive impairment in an unselected sample across a large range of severity and overlap of AD and VaD. Methods— Two hundred five individuals from the Sunnybrook Dementia Study recruited from a university Memory clinic had detailed neuropsychological testing and MRI quantification using a multi-step postprocessing algorithm. A factor analysis of the cognitive protocol yielded a 3-factor solution, provisionally labeled: (1) short-term memory and language, (2) attention and working memory, and (3) mental flexibility. Results— A factor analysis of brain measures identified 3 independent factors with measures of (1) brain atrophy, (2) subcortical vascular disease, and (3) strategic infarcts (anterior-medial thalamus and cortical infarcts). After accounting for the effects of age and education, measures of brain atrophy were the strongest correlates of all cognitive domains. Small vessel disease was independently associated with general severity, impaired short-term memory/language, and reduced mental flexibility, but not with poor working memory, presumably through disruption of frontal-subcortical connections. In contrast, strategic infarcts to anterior-medial thalamus and cortical gray matter were associated with poor short-term and working memory, but not with impairments in mental flexibility or global severity measures. Conclusions— These data support the hypothesis that the thalamico-cortical network subserves both short-term and working memory. The findings also suggest that each type of pathology (atrophy, small vessel disease, and strategic infarcts) contribute independently to the pattern of cognitive disabilities associated with dementia. Particular attention to cerebrovascular disease in deep white or gray matter structures of the thalamico-cortical system is certainly warranted.
Information Retrieval Based Nearest Neighbor Classification for Fine-Grained Bug Severity Prediction

Bugs are prevalent in software systems. Some bugs are critical and need to be fixed right away, whereas others are minor and their fixes could be postponed until resources are available. In this work, we propose a new approach leveraging information retrieval, in particular BM25-based document similarity function, to automatically predict the severity of bug reports. Our approach automatically analyzes bug reports reported in the past along with their assigned severity labels, and recommends severity labels to newly reported bug reports. Duplicate bug reports are utilized to determine what bug report features, be it textual, ordinal, or categorical, are important. We focus on predicting fine-grained severity labels, namely the different severity labels of Bugzilla including: blocker, critical, major, minor, and trivial. Compared to the existing state-of-the-art study on fine-grained severity prediction, namely the work by Menzies and Marcus, our approach brings significant improvement.
SNPeffect: a database mapping molecular phenotypic effects of human non-synonymous coding SNPs

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are an increasingly important tool for genetic and biomedical research. However, the accumulated sequence information on allelic variation is not matched by an understanding of the effect of SNPs on the functional attributes or ‘molecular phenotype’ of a protein. Towards this aim we developed SNPeffect, an online resource of human non-synonymous coding SNPs (nsSNPs) mapping phenotypic effects of allelic variation in human genes. SNPeffect contains 31 659 nsSNPs from 12 480 human proteins. The current release of SNPeffect incorporates data on protein stability, integrity of functional sites, protein phosphorylation and glycosylation, subcellular localization, protein turnover rates, protein aggregation, amyloidosis and chaperone interaction. The SNP entries are accessible through both a search and browse interface and are linked to most major biological databases. The data can be displayed as detailed descriptions of individual SNPs or as an overview of all SNPs for a given protein. SNPeffect will be regularly updated and can be accessed at http://snpeffect.vib. be/.