Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Smartphone Inertial Sensor Performance for Cross-Platform Mobile Applications

Smartphone sensors are being increasingly used in mobile applications. The performance of sensors varies considerably among different smartphone models and the development of a cross-platform mobile application might be a very complex and demanding task. A publicly accessible resource containing real-life-situation smartphone sensor parameters could be of great help for cross-platform developers. To address this issue we have designed and implemented a pilot participatory sensing application for measuring, gathering, and analyzing smartphone sensor parameters. We start with smartphone accelerometer and gyroscope bias and noise parameters. The application database presently includes sensor parameters of more than 60 different smartphone models of different platforms. It is a modest, but important start, offering information on several statistical parameters of the measured smartphone sensors and insights into their performance. The next step, a large-scale cloud-based version of the application, is already planned. The large database of smartphone sensor parameters may prove particularly useful for cross-platform developers. It may also be interesting for individual participants who would be able to check-up and compare their smartphone sensors against a large number of similar or identical models.
A High Resolution Capacitive Sensing System for the Measurement of Water Content in Crude Oil

This paper presents the design of a non-intrusive system to measure ultra-low water content in crude oil. The system is based on a capacitance to phase angle conversion method. Water content is measured with a capacitance sensor comprising two semi-cylindrical electrodes mounted on the outer side of a glass tube. The presence of water induces a capacitance change that in turn converts into a phase angle, with respect to a main oscillator. A differential sensing technique is adopted not only to ensure high immunity against temperature variation and background noise, but also to eliminate phase jitter and amplitude variation of the main oscillator that could destabilize the output. The complete capacitive sensing system was implemented in hardware and experiment results using crude oil samples demonstrated that a resolution of ±50 ppm of water content in crude oil was achieved by the proposed design.
Unilateral Resection of the Anterior Medial Temporal Lobe Impairs Odor Identification and Valence Perception

The anterior medial temporal lobe (TL), including the amygdala, has been implicated in olfactory processing, e.g., coding for intensity and valence, and seems also involved in memory. With this background, the present study evaluated whether anterior medial TL-resections in TL epilepsy affected intensity and valence ratings, as well as free and cued identification of odors. These aspects of odor perception were assessed in 31 patients with unilateral anterior medial TL-resections (17 left, 14 right) and 16 healthy controls. Results suggest that the anterior medial TL is in particular necessary for free, but also cued, odor identification. TL resection was also found to impair odor valence, but not intensity ratings. Left resected patients rated nominally pleasant and unpleasant odors as more neutral suggesting a special role for the left anterior TL in coding for emotional saliency in response to odors.
Deformable Polymer Dielectric Films in Phase Light Modulators

Experimental study of the deformation amplitude of the dielectric polymer gel films directly right in the display device of optical information was conducted. The deformation amplitude of the gel film was measured during its change by controlled constant voltage on the electrodes. On the basis of polymer gel deformational layer the display devices of optical information and registration of electrostatic potential of charged dielectric thin films in the presence of defects are considered.
Optimal Network Control With Stochastic Link Variations and Indefinite Quadratic Constraints

In this paper, we consider the problem of optimal control of a network with stochastic links modeled as multiplicative noise with given second moments and arbitrary probability distributions. Additional quadratic constraints are imposed, where the quadratic forms may be indefinite and, thus, not necessarily convex. We show that the problem can be transformed to a semidefinite program. The optimization problem is over a certain variable serving as the covariance matrix of the state and the controller. We show that affine controllers are optimal and depend on the optimal covariance matrix. Furthermore, we show that optimal controllers are linear if all of the quadratic forms are convex in the control variable. The solutions are presented for the finite and infinite horizon cases. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for mean square stabilizability of the dynamical system with additive and multiplicative noise. The condition is a Lyapunov-like condition whose solution is again given by the covariance matrix of the state and the control variable. The results are illustrated with an example.
An efficient & reconfigurable FPGA and ASIC implementation of a spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging system

Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler ultrasound is a common technique used for making non-invasive velocity measurements of blood flow in humans. Most current PW Doppler ultrasound designs rely on fixed signal processing hardware; greatly limiting their versatility. This paper presents a highly efficient and highly versatile FPGA-based PW spectral Doppler ultrasound system. The system is implemented on a Virtex-5 FPGA using Xilinx's ISE design suite. In order to measure the accuracy of the system, a similar design was implemented in MATLAB. Furthermore, the design was also implemented in 65 nm CMOS ASIC design for performance comparisons. The Virtex-5 design requires 1,159 of 17,280 slice resources and consumes 1.089 watts of power when running at its maximum clock speed of 333 megahertz. The ASIC design has an area of . 573 mm2 and consumes 41 mW of power at a maximum clock speed of 1 GHz.
Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system

Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system’s motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g., fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al., 1999). Physiological, kinematic, and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of neurologic music therapy.
Adaptive routing for packet-oriented intersatellite link networks: performance in various traffic scenarios

Regular mesh topologies typical for satellite communication networks comprised of intersatellite links provide high network flexibility and reliability, but due to dynamic changing of traffic load and interorbit link distance variation, adaptive routing is an absolute requirement for optimizing the network utilization. In this article, we address adaptive routing in the intersatellite link (ISL) segment of nongeostationary packet-switched satellite communication systems, focusing on the relative impacts of traffic load and propagation delay on the link cost. We consider four reference traffic flow scenarios with different levels of traffic concentration. he network performance is evaluated in terms of routing performance measures important from both the end user and the network operator perspectives. Using an ISL network simulator, we reveal some intrinsic effects of the selected constellation and effects introduced with different assumptions regarding the traffic model.
Hybrid analog-digital beamforming for multiuser MIMO millimeter wave relay systems

This paper proposed new hybrid, analog-digital, beamforming for a multiuser millimeter wave (mm-wave) relay system. For this system, we consider a sum rate maximization problem. The proposed hybrid beamforming is designed indirectly by considering a sum mean square error (MSE) minimization problem while utilizing the solution of digital beamforming. To this end, we assume that the digital beamforming utilizes the well known block diagonalization (BD) approach. Under this assumption, we solve our problem as follows: First, we formulate the sum rate maximization problem as the minimization of the MSE between the received signal of the hybrid and digital beam-forming designs. Then, we design the hybrid beamformings of the source, relay and each destination by leveraging compressive sensing techniques. Simulation results confirm that the proposed hybrid beamforming design achieves performance very close to that of the digital one. Furthermore, we have examined the effects of the number of radio frequency (RF) chains and paths together, and the accuracy of angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) estimators on the sum rate of the hybrid beamforming designs. Computer simulations reveal that the total sum rate of the hybrid beamforming increases when the number of RF chains and paths increase (or the accuracy of the AoA (AoD) estimator improves).
Out of synch with society: an update on delayed sleep phase disorder

Purpose of review Delayed sleep phase disorder is the most common of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Its treatment involves exploiting the intrinsic biological properties of the circadian pacemaker to advance biological rhythms, most notably the sleep–wake cycle, to a time which affords the individual an appropriate sleep opportunity compatible with normal societal functioning. This review highlights several new studies published in the last 18 months concerning sleep and circadian physiology relevant to the disorder and its management. Recent findings In addition to new information regarding the epidemiology and associations of the disorder, the pathophysiological importance of light exposure across the entire day, with special relevance to the phase-delaying effects of artificial evening light, is being unravelled. Furthermore, disorder-specific differences in period length and sleep homeostasis are being considered as pathophysiological contributors to delayed sleep phase disorder. The molecular effects of chronic sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment are currently being explored as potential mechanistic markers of the deleterious health consequences associated with these states. Summary Advances in our understanding of the dynamics of circadian physiology, sleep–wake regulation and the deleterious effects of misalignment and sleep deprivation, are spurring on efforts to find optimal treatment paradigms for patients presenting to sleep clinics with delayed sleep phase disorder.
Susceptibility of HIV-2, Siv and Shiv to Various Anti-HIV-1 Compounds: Implications for Treatment and Postexposure Prophylaxis

Limited information is available on the activity of anti-retroviral drugs against human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strains to guide their use in treatment or prophylaxis. We evaluated the antiviral activity of 16 approved drugs and one experimental drug, AMD3100, against two wild-type HIV-2 (ROD and EHO) isolates, two strains of SIV (mac251 and B670), and two strains of simian–human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) that contain the reverse transcriptase (RTSHIV) or envelope glycoprotein (SHIV89.6) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in a SIV(mac239) background. Drug susceptibility was measured conventionally by the MT-4/MTT assay, and results were analysed as fold changes in 50% effective concentration (EC50) relative to the EC50 for HIV-1(IIIB). The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) zidovudine, lamivudine, stavudine, didanosine, zalcitabine and abacavir as well as the nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor tenofovir retained full activity against all six viruses except for SIV and SHIV89.6 that showed low-level resistance to didanosine. The protease inhibitors (PIs) ritonavir, indinavir, saquinavir and nelfinavir were found to be active against some HIV-2 or SIV strains. However, a significant reduction in susceptibility was seen with indinavir against SHIV89.6 (3.3-fold), and with amprenavir against HIV-2(ROD) (8.8-fold). All viruses except for RTSHIV showed a >200-fold decrease in susceptibility for the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) nevirapine, delavirdine and efavirenz, indicating high-level resistance. AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, was active against HIV-2 and SHIV89.6, a finding consistent with the use of the CXCR4 co-receptor by these isolates, but was inactive against SIV strains. In contrast, enfuvirtide (T-20) was active against SHIV89.6 but had reduced inhibitory activity against both HIV-2 and SIV strains predicting little therapeutic value against these viruses. These findings support the use of NRTIs, tenofovir, but not NNRTIs, for treating HIV-2-infected persons or for prophylaxis against HIV-2 and SIV. The clinical significance of the low-level resistance of HIV-2 and SIV to some PIs is unclear. Co-receptor antagonists such as AMD3100 show promising anti-HIV-2 therapeutic modalities. Both AMD3100 and enfuvirtide could be used for prophylaxis against SHIV89.6.
Integration and Deployment of Educational Games in e-Learning Environments: The Learning Object Model Meets Educational Gaming

Game-based learning is becoming popular in the academic discussion of Learning Technologies. However, even though the educational potential of games has been thoroughly discussed in the literature, the integration of the games into educational processes and how to efficiently deliver the games to the students are still open questions. This paper addresses the aspects of integration and automatic deployment of educational games in Learning Management Systems. This integration simplifies the introduction of games in educational settings, leveraging the pre-existing technological infrastructure. Our approach is based on the automatic packaging and exportation of games as self-contained Learning Objects that can be easily distributed through any LMS compliant with the current interoperability standards. We thus inherit the advantages of the Learning Object model in terms of interoperability and, when supported by the LMS, in terms of student tracking and assessment.
EVOLUTION OF ABDOMINAL PIGMENTATION DIFFERENCES ACROSS SPECIES IN THE DROSOPHILA DUNNI SUBGROUP

Abstract The Drosophila dunni subgroup displays a nearly perfect latitudinal cline in abdominal pigmentation that likely resulted from selective forces acting in the habitat of each species during speciation. Here we characterize the nature of this clinal variation by developing a quantitative measure to assess variation in abdominal pigmentation within and between the D. dunni subgroup species. Using discriminant analysis, we confirm the existence of a cline and find that our quantitative measure of pigmentation distinguishes each of the species with singular efficacy. We then combine our quantitative phenotypic analysis of pigmentation with the phylogeny of the D. dunni subgroup species and map the species relationships into the three-dimensional morphological space defined by our pigmentation measures. In this manner, we can visualize how the species have traversed the morphological pigmentation space during the course of speciation. Our analysis reveals that natural selection has caused overall intensity of pigmentation among the northernmost species of the cline to converge. Along with this convergence in phenotype has been a relaxation in expression of sexual dimorphism in these species, indicating a possible shift in the relative intensity of natural and sexual selection. Our analysis indicates an accelerated rate of change in pigmentation for the darkest species in addition to this species evolving a novel abdominal pigmentation trait. Editor: L. Stevens
Error Rate Analysis of GF(q) Network Coded Detect-and-Forward Wireless Relay Networks Using Equivalent Relay Channel Models

This paper investigates simple means of analyzing the error rate performance of a general q-ary Galois Field network coded detect-and-forward cooperative relay network with known relay error statistics at the destination. Equivalent relay channels are used in obtaining an approximate error rate of the relay network, from which the diversity order is found. Error rate analyses using equivalent relay channel models are shown to be closely matched with simulation results. Using the equivalent relay channels, low complexity receivers are developed whose performances are close to that of the optimal maximum likelihood receiver.
Adversarial queuing theory

We consider packet routing when packets are injected continuously into a network. We develop an adversarial theory of queuing aimed at addressing some of the restrictions inherent in probabilistic analysis and queuing theory based on time-invariant stochastic generation. We examine the stability of queuing networks and policies when the arrival process is adversarial, and provide some preliminary results in this direction. Our approach sheds light on various queuing policies in simple networks, and paves the way for a systematic study of queuing with few or no probabilistic assumptions.
Efficient and Reliable Computation of Birth-Death Process Performance Measures

We present an efficient, reliable, and easy-to-implement algorithm to compute steady-state probabilities for birth-death processes whose upper-tail probabilities decay geometrically or faster. The algorithm can provide any required accuracy and avoids over- and underflow. In addition to steady-state probabilities, the algorithm can compute any performance measure that can be expressed as the expected value of a function of the population size, for nonnegative functions that are bounded by a constant, linear, or quadratic function of population size. The algorithm works with conditional steady-state probabilities, given that the population is in a range that is extended up and down as the algorithm progresses. These conditional probabilities facilitate the derivation of truncation error bounds. We illustrate the application of the algorithm to the Erlang B, C, and A queueing systems.
Long-term calorie restriction in humans is not associated with indices of delayed immunologic aging: A descriptive study

BACKGROUND: Delayed immunologic aging is purported to be a major mechanism through which calorie restriction (CR) exerts its anti-aging effects in non-human species. However, in non-obese humans, the effect of CR on the immune system has been understudied relative to its effects on the cardiometabolic system. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether CR is associated with delayed immunologic aging in non-obese humans. METHODS: We tested whether long-term CR practitioners (average 10.03 years of CR) evidenced decreased expression of T cell immunosenescence markers and longer immune cell telomeres compared to gender-, race/ethnicity-, age-, and education-matched “healthy” Body Mass Index (BMI) and “overweight”/“obese” BMI groups. RESULTS: Long-term human CR practitioners had lower BMI (p < 0.001) and fasting glucose (p < 0.001), as expected. They showed similar frequencies of pre-senescent cells (CD8+CD28– T cells and CD57 and PD-1 expressing T cells) to the comparison groups. Even after adjusting for covariates, including cytomegalovirus status, we observed shorter peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomeres in the CR group (p = 0.012) and no difference in granulocyte telomeres between groups (p = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: We observed no clear evidence that CR as it is currently practiced in humans delays immune aging related to telomere length or T cell immunosenescent markers
A Wearable System for Recognizing American Sign Language in Real-Time Using IMU and Surface EMG Sensors

A sign language recognition system translates signs performed by deaf individuals into text/speech in real time. Inertial measurement unit and surface electromyography (sEMG) are both useful modalities to detect hand/arm gestures. They are able to capture signs and the fusion of these two complementary sensor modalities will enhance system performance. In this paper, a wearable system for recognizing American Sign Language (ASL) in real time is proposed, fusing information from an inertial sensor and sEMG sensors. An information gain-based feature selection scheme is used to select the best subset of features from a broad range of well-established features. Four popular classification algorithms are evaluated for 80 commonly used ASL signs on four subjects. The experimental results show 96.16% and 85.24% average accuracies for intra-subject and intra-subject cross session evaluation, respectively, with the selected feature subset and a support vector machine classifier. The significance of adding sEMG for ASL recognition is explored and the best channel of sEMG is highlighted.
Imaging of hypoxia-driven gene expression in an orthotopic liver tumor model

The purpose of this study was to monitor hypoxia in an orthotopic liver tumor model using a hypoxia-sensitive reporter imaging system and to image enhanced gene expression after clamping the hepatic artery. C6 and RH7777 Morris hepatoma cells were transduced with a triple reporter gene (HSV1-tk/green fluorescent protein/firefly luciferase—triple fusion), placed under the control of a HIF-1–inducible hypoxia responsive element (HRE). The cells showed inducible luciferase activity and green fluorescent protein expression in vitro. Isolated reporter-transduced Morris hepatoma cells were used to produce tumors in livers of nude rats, and the effect of hepatic artery clamping was evaluated. Tumor hypoxia was shown by immunofluorescence microscopy with the hypoxia marker EF5 [2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)-N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl acetamide)] and the fluorescent perfusion marker Hoechst 33342, and by pO2 electrode measurements. For tumor hypoxia imaging with the HRE-responsive reporter, both luciferase bioluminescence and [18F]2′-fluoro-2′-deoxyarabinofuranosyl-5-ethyluracil positron emission tomography was done, and the presence of hypoxia in Morris hepatoma tumors were successfully imaged by both techniques. Transient clamping of the hepatic artery caused cessation of tumor perfusion and severe hypoxia in liver tumors, but not in adjacent liver tissue. These results show that the orthotopic reporter-transduced RH7777 Morris hepatomas are natively hypoxic and poorly perfused in this animal model, and that the magnitude of hypoxia can be monitored using a HRE-responsive reporter system for both bioluminescence and positron emission tomography imaging. However, the severity of tumor ischemia after permanent ligation of the hepatic artery limits our ability to image severe hypoxia in this animal model. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(11):2900–8]