Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New generation of transport protocols for autonomous systems

Requirements and constraints of the communication services required by autonomous systems raise new challenges to the traditional transport protocol layer. Indeed, classical transport protocols (i.e. TCP and UDP) were well dimensioned for the standard distributed applications operating over best-effort network services. Today, more sophisticated transport protocols are required in order to self-configure and self-adapt to varying network resources (e.g. wireless network systems) guided by the requirements and preferences of both the autonomous systems and their applications. This new generation of transport protocols should follow a component-based and service-oriented approach intended to smoothly incorporate current and future protocol components and their specialization, based on the semantic associated to their functions and capabilities. Moreover, these transport protocols should be designed following an autonomic computing approach in order to incorporate autonomic managers in charge of continuous network monitoring, anomalies detection, selection and enforcement of correction strategies to adapt transport components. Furthermore, competing autonomic managers operating over shared and resource-limited networks should be coordinated by higher-level managers in order to better share the available resources. The autonomic management of these resources should be done based on the systems and applications requirements and priorities in order to offer a collaborative orchestrated transport service. This paper presents a framework for defining autonomic transport composite services aimed at providing the basis for designing and developing this new generation transport layer. This framework is intended to dynamically compose reusable transport components based on the semantic associated to each component and guided by the final service expected from the composite architecture. An ontology-driven and service-oriented architecture approach has been followed in order to integrate autonomous systems requirements as well as the characterization of autonomic transport components in order to guide the composition and the service selection processes.
An evaluation of test structures for measuring the contact resistance of 3-D bonded interconnects

This paper evaluates test structures designed to characterise electrical contacts between interconnect on bonded wafers. Both simulation and experimental measurements are used to explore the capability of a stacked Greek cross type test structure to extract the contact resistivity (pc) between two bonded conductive layers. It is concluded from the simulations and actual electrical measurements of the benchmark Kelvin structures that the stacked Greek cross can only be used where there is a relatively high specific contact resistivity. For the structures evaluated in this study, this was found to be greater than pc > 9.0 x 10-7 Omega-cm2.
Analyzing Student Viewing Patterns in Lecture Videos

A large amount of educational content is available as lecture videos, which record teachers as they proceed through a course. Students watch these videos in different ways. They rewind, skip forward, watch some scenes repeatedly. This work investigates what can be learned by analyzing such viewing patterns. We show how to use machine learning techniques to analyze such data, and present the outcomes of an analysis of data collected from the interactions of 2992 students in 253 courses. The viewing pattern were put into relation to seven different variables, such as the final score of the student and the rating teachers received from students Our analysis shows that some variables, such as the teacher rating, were indeed predictable from the viewing patterns.
Fiscal Policy and Civil Conflict in Africa

I explore empirically the effect of fiscal policy responses to economic shocks on the likelihood of conflict in Africa. The main finding is that a countercyclical fiscal response to these shocks lowers the likelihood of conflict. This result is stronger when considering positive shocks to the price of mineral commodities and negative shocks to the price of agricultural commodities as the triggers to macroeconomic cycles. The effect is focused on politically underdeveloped countries and has been stronger during the last decades. Although macroeconomic income shocks are behind conflict onset, the effect of the fiscal response is not only associated with macroeconomic stabilisation.
The Value of Efficiency Measures: Lessons from Workforce Development Programs

ABSTRACT In 2007, the Employment and Training Administration was required to implement an outcome-based measure or measures of efficiency for its programs. This paper identifies outcome-based efficiency measures for 11 ETA-administered programs. The research involved interviews with state officials; analysis of efficiency measures used by other federal workforce programs; and analysis of cost and outcome data for the 11 ETA programs to investigate the potential for developing regression models to adjust expected performance for states. A key lesson is that it is critical to anticipate the behavioral changes likely to be induced by the performance policies adopted. The paper recommends that efficiency measures be tied to outcome performance measures. It also recommends use of program expenditures as the measure of program costs. Efficiency measures recommended include cost per entered employment, cost per retained in employment, cost divided by post-program (average) earnings, and cost divided by change in earnings.
Physical Layer Authentication for Mission Critical Machine Type Communication Using Gaussian Mixture Model Based Clustering

The application of Mission Critical Machine Type Communication (MC-MTC) in wireless systems is currently a hot research topic. Wireless systems are considered to provide numerous advantages over wired systems in e.g. industrial applications such as closed loop control. However, due to the broadcast nature of the wireless channel, such systems are prone to a wide range of cyber attacks. These range from passive eavesdropping attacks to active attacks like data manipulation or masquerade attacks. Therefore it is necessary to provide reliable and efficient security mechanisms. Some of the most important security issues in such a system are to ensure integrity as well as authenticity of exchanged messages over the air between communicating devices. In the present work, an approach on how to achieve this goal in MC-MTC systems based on Physical Layer Security (PHYSEC) is presented. A new method that clusters channel estimates of different transmitters based on a Gaussian Mixture Model is applied for that purpose. Further, an experimental proof-of-concept evaluation is given and we compare the performance of our approach with a mean square error based detection method.
Single current sensor operation with fixed sampling points using a common-mode voltage reduction PWM technique

A method is proposed for reconstructing AC currents with a single DC side current sensor in three-phase AC motor drive system. The method is based on a common-mode voltage (CMV) reduction PWM technique called LuPWM, which eliminates most of the invalid regions for current reconstruction both around zero voltage and near active-vectors. It realizes fixed-point sampling which is favorable for implementation. And the current prediction is also easier than traditional methods. Furthermore, it remains the good property of LuPWM that the peak-to-peak value of CMV, which leads to the premature deterioration of motor bearings, is reduced to 1/3 of the traditional three-phase PWM method in each sector. The additional computation load is minimal, and it can be widely applied. Experimental results are presented to fully support the above-mentioned claims.
Complex within a Complex: Integrative Taxonomy Reveals Hidden Diversity in Cicadetta brevipennis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) and Unexpected Relationships with a Song Divergent Relative

Multiple sources of data in combination are essential for species delimitation and classification of difficult taxonomic groups. Here we investigate a cicada taxon with unusual cryptic diversity and we attempt to resolve seemingly contradictory data sets. Cicada songs act as species-specific premating barriers and have been used extensively to reveal hidden taxonomic diversity in morphologically similar species. The Palaearctic Cicadetta montana species complex is an excellent example where distinct song patterns have disclosed multiple recently described species. Indeed, two taxa turned out to be especially diverse in that they form a “complex within the complex”: the Cicadetta cerdaniensis song group (four species studied previously) and Cicadetta brevipennis (examined in details here). Based on acoustic, morphological, molecular, ecological and spatial data sampled throughout their broad European distribution, we find that Cicadetta brevipennis s. l. comprises five lineages. The most distinct lineage is identified as Cicadetta petryi Schumacher, 1924, which we re-assign to the species level. Cicadetta brevipennis litoralis Puissant & Hertach ssp. n. and Cicadetta brevipennis hippolaidica Hertach ssp. n. are new to science. The latter hybridizes with Cicadetta brevipennis brevipennis Fieber, 1876 at a zone inferred from intermediate song patterns. The fifth lineage requires additional investigation. The C. cerdaniensis and the C. brevipennis song groups exhibit characteristic, clearly distinct basic song patterns that act as reproductive barriers. However, they remain completely intermixed in the Bayesian and maximum likelihood COI and COII mitochondrial DNA phylogenies. The closest relative of each of the four cerdaniensis group species is a brevipennis group taxon. In our favoured scenario the phylogenetic pairs originated in common Pleistocene glacial refuges where the taxa speciated and experienced sporadic inter-group hybridization leading to extensive introgression and mitochondrial capture.
Postoperative Urinary Tract Infection and Short-Term Outcomes and Costs in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Objectives Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been identified as a preventable “never event” by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We sought to determine the relationship between UTI and in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, length of stay, and costs in head and neck cancer (HNCA) surgery. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis using cross-tabulations and multivariate regression modeling. Setting The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Subjects and Methods Discharge data for 93,663 patients who underwent an ablative procedure for a malignant oral cavity, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, or oropharyngeal neoplasm in 2003-2008 were analyzed. Results Urinary tract infection was diagnosed in 2% of patients, with catheter-associated UTI coded in only 20 patients. Patients with UTI were more likely to be older than 80 years (odds ratio [OR], 3.3; P = .008), be female (OR, 1.9; P < .001), have advanced comorbidity (OR, 1.8; P < .012), undergo major surgical procedures (OR, 1.7; P = .001), and have predisposing bladder and prostate conditions (OR, 3.8; P < .001), surgical complications (OR, 2.3; P < .001), and acute medical complications (OR, 3.1; P < .001). Urinary tract infection was associated with significantly increased length of hospitalization and hospital-related costs, after controlling for all other variables. Conclusion Urinary tract infection is unusual in HNCA surgical patients but is more common with extent of surgery and age and is significantly associated with postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, and hospital-related costs. Catheter-associated UTI is likely underestimated because of difficulty in distinguishing between a catheter-associated UTI and postoperative UTI in patients undergoing major surgical procedures, who routinely undergo perioperative urinary catheterization. Patients with HNCA are a high-risk group for this “never event,” particularly as the population ages.
Measures of Variations in Performance During a Sustained Attention Task

In this study the authors developed and explored measures of short-term variations in accuracy on a test of sustained attention, a departure from traditional measures of average performance over long periods. The study participants were normal young adults, actively engaged in a continuous performance test (CPT). Both correct (hits) and incorrect (misses) responses to CPT targets appeared to aggregate in runs (2 or more consecutive hits or misses). Results of a Monte-Carlo procedure indicated that these runs were longer and fewer than would occur if hits and misses were randomly distributed. Average accuracy decreased between the first and second 5-min quarter of the test, then remained level. The length of hit runs followed the same pattern. However, other aspects of performance continued to change. The amount of time participants spent in miss runs began to increase significantly in the third quarter, and the frequency of miss runs did not increase until the fourth quarter. Explanations of these findings based upon changes in perceptual sensitivity or upon phasic increases in arousal caused by hits were rejected by further analysis. There was evidence that the length of miss runs was limited by a target-expectancy effect created by the specific parameters of our CPT. The authors conclude that measures of variations in performance reveal aspects of vigilance that are not tapped by traditional measures, and that factors that initiate, sustain and terminate both hit and miss runs are important targets of future research. Additional research is needed to determine whether or not the particular measures developed in this study may contribute to the understanding of attention problems in clinical populations.
Compact LTCC balun filter using folded half-wavelength resonators

This paper presents the design of compact balanced-to-unbalanced (balun) bandpass filters (BPFs) using the low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Three coupled half wavelength transmission-line are used to form the proposed circuit. The balun filter is designed to work at the center frequency of 5.5GHz with the fractional bandwidth of 9.8%. The size of the circuit is only 2.2mm*2.7mm*1.2mm due to the LTCC multilayer structures. Good balun and filter responses are obtained in this design which verifies the theoretical predications.
Contributions to passive acoustic oceanic tomography. II. Extraction of propagation features from single hydrophone measurement

Acoustic tomography is a way to produce a fast, accurate and cheap monitoring of water mass. This monitoring requires an inversion procedure made of two steps. The first one is to estimate acoustic properties (such as the sound speed profile of the water column) from the measurement of a propagated known acoustic waveform between fixed sources and receivers. Then a second step consists in inferring some physical ocean parameters (temperature, bottom nature) from these previous estimated acoustic characteristics. Large scales deep water and small scales shallow water configurations have been successfully studied and associated to matched delay, matched field and matched impulse response inversion processing.
Significant Prognostic Value of Acute Preload Stress Echocardiography Using Leg-Positive Pressure Maneuver for Patients With Symptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis Awaiting Aortic Valve Intervention.

BACKGROUND Although aortic valve intervention is recommended for virtually all symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS), how urgently the intervention should be performed remains controversial. The aim of this study was thus to determine whether the preload reserve in response to leg-positive pressure (LPP) maneuver could serve for decision-making for AS patients awaiting aortic valve intervention.Methods and Results:Sixty-eight patients with symptomatic AS, who were referred for aortic valve intervention, were recruited. Stroke volume (SV) was assessed by means of pulsed-wave Doppler, and the ratio between transmitral E wave and mitral annular velocity (e') was calculated to estimate ventricular filling pressure. While waiting for intervention, 11 patients experienced preoperative cardiac events. During acute preload stress, forward SV for patients without cardiac events increased significantly (from 43±9 to 49±10 mL/m2, P<0.01) along with a minimal change in filling pressure (E/e': from 20±8 to 21±9, NS). For patients with cardiac events, the Frank-Starling mechanism was significantly impaired (SVi: from 40±9 to 38±7 mL/m2, NS), while filling pressure increased to the critical level (E/e': from 24±8 to 31±8, P<0.001). Both the patients without flow reserve (∆SVi <4.5 mL/m2) and those without diastolic reserve (∆E/e' ≥2.9) exhibited significantly worse event-free survival than the others (P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Assessment of preload reserve during LPP stress could facilitate risk stratification of patients with severe AS waiting for aortic valve intervention.
Nifedipine encapsulated core-shell type nanoparticles based on poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)/poly(ethylene glycol) diblock copolymers

The diblock copolymers based on PBLG and PEO (GE) were synthesized and characterized. Nanoparticles showed spherical shape from the observations of TEM and approved core-shell structure. Drug contents were increased with use of higher initial drug concentration and higher Mw of GE. Nifedipine (NFD) release rate was slower in longer PBLG chain length and higher NFD contents than short PBLG chain length and lower drug contents of NFD due to the hydrophobic interaction between PBLG domain and NFD.
Electron-boson spectral density of LiFeAs obtained from optical data

We analyze existing optical data in the superconducting state of LiFeAs at T = 4 K, to recover its electron-boson spectral density. A maximum entropy technique is employed to extract the spectral density I2χ(ω) from the optical scattering rate. Care is taken to properly account for elastic impurity scattering which can importantly affect the optics in an s-wave superconductor, but does not eliminate the boson structure. We find a robust peak in I2χ(ω) centered about ΩR ≅ 8.0 meV or 5.3 kBTc (with Tc = 17.6 K). Its position in energy agrees well with a similar structure seen in scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). There is also a peak in the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) data at this same energy. This peak is found to persist in the normal state at T = 23 K. There is evidence that the superconducting gap is anisotropic as was also found in low temperature angular resolved photoemission (ARPES) data.
Improving geometric accuracy in the presence of susceptibility difference artifacts produced by metallic implants in magnetic resonance imaging

Geometric and intensity distortions due to the presence of metallic implants in magnetic resonance imaging impede the full exploitation of this advanced imaging modality. The aim of this study is to provide a method for (a) quantifying and (b)reducing the implant distortions in patient images. Initially, a set of reference images (without distortion) was obtained by imaging a custom-designed three-dimensional grid phantom. Corresponding test images (containing the distortion) were acquired with the same imaging parameters, after positioning a specific metallic implant in the grid phantom. After determining: 1) the nonrecoverable; 2) the distorted, but recoverable; and 3) the unaffected areas, a point-based thin-plate spline image registration algorithm was employed to align the reference and test images. The calculated transformation functions utilized to align the image pairs described the implant distortions and could therefore be used to correct any other images containing the same distortions. The results demonstrate successful correction of grid phantom images with a metallic implant. Furthermore, the calculated correction was applied to porcine thigh images bearing the same metallic implant, simulating a patient environment. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of the proposed correction method are included.
A Review of the Research on Carbon Footprint Responding to Climate Change

The problem of global warming,caused by greenhouse gases,has aroused increasing attention from the international community.With the increasing concerns on global warming,carbon footprint analysis has become a new method for assessing regional greenhouse gas emissions and has been widely applied by academia.This paper first presents the origin and the different definitions on carbon footprint, clearly clarifies the concept of carbon footprint and then explores different categorization approaches on carbon footprint.The main focus of this paper is to introduce different calculation methods on carbon footprint analysis,including life cycle assessment,input-output analysis,the IPCC method and carbon footprint calculator.Advantages and disadvantages of the four calculation methods are also summarized and compared.On the basis of this,we review the current research progress at home and abroad and identify the key issues.We also introduce four main evaluation standards on carbon footprint: the British Standard PAS 2050:2008,the Greenhouse Gas Protocol made by World Business Council for Sustainable Development and World Resource Institute,the Japanes standard TS Q 0010,and ISO 14067.Besides,the important premise of how to solve the boundary problem on carbon footprint evaluation is recognized based upon both GHG Protocal standard and PAS 2050 standard.We finally present the future research perspectives on carbon footprint analysis.
Long range gaze estimation with multiple near-infrared emitters

Gaze estimation is used to identify the eye foci of users for intention identification or as the input devi for computer/control systems. A novel long-range gai estimation algorithm is developed in this paper wi interpolations method and head motions compensation Among multiple near-infrared (NIR) emitters, particul sets of NIR's are chosen for different head positions provide the optimal gaze point estimations. Experimen were conducted showing satisfactory results for t method.
Hotel websites characterisation framework for consumer's information needs Referencial para a caracterização de websites de hotéis de acordo com as necessidades dos consumidores

Online presence is essential for tourism organisations, and the quality of websites can influence customers. In the case of hotels, there are many studies to evaluate website performance based on functionality, usability and other factors, much less on the amount of different information available to the consumer. In the near future by using Big Data it is expected that hotel websites will be dynamic, they will adapt themselves on-the-fly, showing personalized information to each consumer. Different consumers will have different websites (information’ available) from the same hotel. This paper presents a framework for the characterisation of hotel websites, focusing on the amount of information available to the consumer in each website, which was applied in a case study during the last months of 2013 to the websites of five-star hotels that operate in the tourist region of the Algarve, Portugal. The framework allowed to identify a set of exhaustive indicators for hotel website characterisation, which were then grouped into ten fundamental information dimensions. These dimensions further fell into four dimension groups. Finally, it is presented and discussed quantitative and qualitative evaluations, that illustrates which indicators and dimensions are more often considered on hotel websites to satisfy the consumer’s information needs.