Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase from Zero-Crossings

The theory of zero-crossing detection is extended to include the first and second spatial derivative of the gaussian distribution. On the premise that phase contains a considerable proportion of the information content in an unknown signal, we show that phase can be extracted from the first and second derivatives of an appropriate filter. It is shown that the spatial gradient of phase can be used to obtain an estimate for the local spectral properties of a signal. By assigning an upper and lower frequency cutoff to each filter, it is suggested that false zero-crossings can be removed from analysis. by the complex form: <&(x) = s(x) + jcr(x) = (a — jb) exp(juix) (2) In his words, The function o~(x) is formed froms(x) which "represents the signals(x) in quadrature, which when added to it , transforms the oscillating vector into a rotating vector ". We combine the work of Marr and Gabor. To generalise, consider a real even function, such that the Fourier transform of the first and second spatial derivatives exist and are integrable in the usual sense and:
Budget Allocation using Weakly Coupled, Constrained Markov Decision Processes

We consider the problem of budget (or other resource) allocation in sequential decision problems involving a large number of concurrently running sub-processes, whose only interaction is through their consumption of budget. Our first contribution is the introduction of budgeted MDPs (BMDPs), an MDP model in which policies/values are a function of available budget, (c.f. constrained MDPs which are solved given a fixed budget). BMDPs allow one to explicitly trade off allocated budget and expected value. We show that optimal value functions are concave, non-decreasing in budget, and piecewise-linear in the finite horizon case, and can be computed by dynamic programming (and support ready approximation). Our second contribution is a method that exploits BMDP solutions to allocate budget to a large number of independent BMDPs, coupled only by their common budget pool. The problem can be cast as a multiple-choice knapsack problem, which admits an efficient, optimal greedy algorithm. Empirical results in an online advertising domain confirm the efficacy of our methods.
CONDITIONAL INTERVAL ESTIMATION FOR THE RATIO OF SHAPE PARAMETERS IN POWER LAW PROCESS

summary Power law process (PLP) or Weibull process is used to model reliability growth and is usually characterized by the intensity function �(x). We investigate the conditional confidence interval (CCI) for the ratio of two PLP shape parameters following the rejection of the hypothesis H0 : �1 (x) = �2 (x). This interval has been found to be possibly shorter than the unconditional confidence interval (UCI). The conditional coverage probability (CCP) of the confidence interval is obtained by computing the coverage probability under the conditional probability density function. The CCP of the UCI is not uniformly greater than or less than the nominal level. The UCI is appropriate only when one does not perform any preliminary test (pre-test). However, if a pre-test is performed before the construction of a confidence interval, then the appropriate interval is the CCI as the pre-test affects subsequent inference procedures. The method is illustrated on a data set.
Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK)

Analysis of the crystallization kinetics of poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) was achieved with dynamic differential scanning calorimetry results. A new kinetic model for the nonisothermal crystallization was derived and the possibility of its application was investigated. By evaluating the parameters in the model, the crystallization behavior of PEEK was analyzed. The experimental and predicted crystallinity change showed good agreement, which indicated that the model equation was appropriate to describe the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PEEK. As the melt temperature was increased the number of heterogeneous nuclei decreased, hence the crystallization was delayed.
Embedding triple-modular redundancy into a hypercube architecture

This paper describes an embedding of Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) into a binary hypercube. The goal is to improve fault tolerance by masking any single-point faults. Each module of an application task is triplicated and executed in parallel on three nodes of a 2-dimensional subcube (Q2) of the hypercube. Each of these nodes also executes a voter process. The remaining node is used for message passing only. All outputs from the triplicated modules are voted on, and the voting results are transmitted to the appropriate destination. Thus, all interunit messages are also triplicated. We propose an embedding of TMR into a hypercube which can be implemented in a manner transparent to the application program. Subcubes are allocated so that the address space for the TMR units is also a hypercube. Hence, the subcube allocation and intermodule communication schemes are defined to be analogous to the schemes used in the nonredundant system. The embedded system is proven to mask all single-point faults.
Targeted SERCA2a Gene Expression Identifies Molecular Mechanism and Therapeutic Target for Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Alternans

Background—Beat-to-beat alternans of cellular repolarization is closely linked to ventricular arrhythmias in humans. We hypothesized that sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium reuptake by SERCA2a plays a central role in the mechanism of cellular alternans and that increasing SERCA2a gene expression will retard the development of cellular alternans. Methods and Results—In vivo gene transfer of a recombinant adenoviral vector with the transgene for SERCA2a (Ad.SERCA2a) was performed in young guinea pigs. Isolated myocytes transduced with Ad.SERCA2a exhibited improved sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake (P<0.05) and were markedly resistant to cytosolic calcium alternans (P<0.05) under repetitive constant action potential clamp conditions (ie, when alternation of action potential duration was prevented), proving that sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ cycling is an important mechanism in the development of cellular alternans. Similarly, SERCA2a overexpression in the intact heart demonstrated significant resistance to alternation of action potential duration when compared with control hearts (heart rate threshold, 484±25 bpm versus 396±11 bpm, P<0.01), with no change in action potential duration restitution slope. Importantly, SERCA2a overexpression produced a 4-fold reduction in susceptibility to alternans-mediated ventricular arrhythmias (P<0.05). Conclusions—These data provide new evidence that sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake directly modulates susceptibility to cellular alternans. Moreover, SERCA2a overexpression suppresses cellular alternans, interrupting an important pathway to cardiac fibrillation in the intact heart.
Gestational Diabetes Is Characterized by Reduced Mitochondrial Protein Expression and Altered Calcium Signaling Proteins in Skeletal Muscle

The rising prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects up to 18% of pregnant women with immediate and long-term metabolic consequences for both mother and infant. Abnormal glucose uptake and lipid oxidation are hallmark features of GDM prompting us to use an exploratory proteomics approach to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying differences in skeletal muscle metabolism between obese pregnant women with GDM (OGDM) and obese pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (ONGT). Functional validation was performed in a second cohort of obese OGDM and ONGT pregnant women. Quantitative proteomic analysis in rectus abdominus skeletal muscle tissue collected at delivery revealed reduced protein content of mitochondrial complex I (C-I) subunits (NDUFS3, NDUFV2) and altered content of proteins involved in calcium homeostasis/signaling (calcineurin A, α1-syntrophin, annexin A4) in OGDM (n = 6) vs. ONGT (n = 6). Follow-up analyses showed reduced enzymatic activity of mitochondrial complexes C-I, C-III, and C-IV (−60–75%) in the OGDM (n = 8) compared with ONGT (n = 10) subjects, though no differences were observed for mitochondrial complex protein content. Upstream regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation were not different between groups. However, AMPK phosphorylation was dramatically reduced by 75% in the OGDM women. These data suggest that GDM is associated with reduced skeletal muscle oxidative phosphorylation and disordered calcium homeostasis. These relationships deserve further attention as they may represent novel risk factors for development of GDM and may have implications on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on both treatment strategies for GDM and for prevention of type 2 diabetes postpartum.
RAPID VARIABILITY OF BLAZAR 3C 279 DURING FLARING STATES IN 2013−2014 WITH JOINT FERMI-LAT, NuSTAR, SWIFT, AND GROUND-BASED MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS

We report the results of a multiband observing campaign on the famous blazar 3C 279 conducted during a phase of increased activity from 2013 December to 2014 April, including first observations of it with NuSTAR. The γ-ray emission of the source measured by Fermi-LAT showed multiple distinct flares reaching the highest flux level measured in this object since the beginning of the Fermi mission, with F ( E > 100 MeV ) ? > of 10−5 photons cm−2 s−1, and with a flux-doubling time scale as short as 2 hr. The γ-ray spectrum during one of the flares was very hard, with an index of Γ γ = 1.7 ± 0.1 ? > , which is rarely seen in flat-spectrum radio quasars. The lack of concurrent optical variability implies a very high Compton dominance parameter L γ / L syn > 300 ? > . Two 1 day NuSTAR observations with accompanying Swift pointings were separated by 2 weeks, probing different levels of source activity. While the 0.5−70 keV X-ray spectrum obtained during the first pointing, and fitted jointly with Swift-XRT is well-described by a simple power law, the second joint observation showed an unusual spectral structure: the spectrum softens by Δ Γ X ≃ 0.4 ? > at ∼4 keV. Modeling the broadband spectral energy distribution during this flare with the standard synchrotron plus inverse-Compton model requires: (1) the location of the γ-ray emitting region is comparable with the broad-line region radius, (2) a very hard electron energy distribution index p ≃ 1 ? > , (3) total jet power significantly exceeding the accretion-disk luminosity L j / L d ≳ 10 ? > , and (4) extremely low jet magnetization with L B / L j ≲ 10 − 4 ? > . We also find that single-zone models that match the observed γ-ray and optical spectra cannot satisfactorily explain the production of X-ray emission.
Very low bit-rate video coding with block partitioning and adaptive selection of two time-differential frame memories

Several studies on very low bit rate video coding have been reported. One of the major goals of the studies is to improve the coding performance, which gives better subjective and objective quality than conventional coding methods at the same bit rate. As the shape and structure of an object in a picture are arbitrary, the performance of traditional coding with block-based motion compensation (MC) is not satisfactory. We present advanced MC schemes for very low bit-rate video coding. The major features of the proposed MC are block-partitioning prediction and the utilization of two time-differential reference frames. This coding scheme improves the image quality around the objects' boundaries and consequently reduces prediction errors. It also works well in the case of object occlusions. The combination of the proposed MC and discrete cosine transformation (DCT) shows a better performance in several test sequences than full-spec H.263.
Assessment of Tropism and Effectiveness of New Primate-Derived Hybrid Recombinant AAV Serotypes in the Mouse and Primate Retina

Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) have been shown to be safe in the treatment of retinal degenerations in clinical trials. Thus, improving the efficiency of viral gene delivery has become increasingly important to increase the success of clinical trials. In this study, structural domains of different rAAV serotypes isolated from primate brain were combined to create novel hybrid recombinant AAV serotypes, rAAV2/rec2 and rAAV2/rec3. The efficacy of these novel serotypes were assessed in wild type mice and in two models of retinal degeneration (the Abca4−/− mouse which is a model for Stargardt disease and in the Pde6brd1/rd1 mouse) in vivo, in primate tissue ex-vivo, and in the human-derived SH-SY5Y cell line, using an identical AAV2 expression cassette. We show that these novel hybrid serotypes can transduce retinal tissue in mice and primates efficiently, although no more than AAV2/2 and rAAV2/5 serotypes. Transduction efficiency appeared lower in the Abca4−/− mouse compared to wild type with all vectors tested, suggesting an effect of specific retinal diseases on the efficiency of gene delivery. Shuffling of AAV capsid domains may have clinical applications for patients who develop T-cell immune responses following AAV gene therapy, as specific peptide antigen sequences could be substituted using this technique prior to vector re-treatments.
Elevated serum thyroglobulin levels as a marker of reversible hypothyroidism in patients with end-stage renal disease due to chronic glomerulonephritis

Abstract Difference in thyroid function depending on the etiology of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was evaluated in 124 Japanese patients on haemodialysis (HD) due to either chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN, n = 82) or lifestyle related systemic disease (non-CGN, n = 42), such as diabetes mellitus (n = 30) or hypertension (n = 12). There was no significant difference in serum free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, but serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level was significantly higher in CGN (p = 0.0151). Prevalence of the patients with hypothyroidism (TSH > 4.83 mU/l) was 11 or 13.4% in CGN and 4 or 9.5% in non-CGN (p = 0.017). The most striking finding was the elevated Tg in 38 or 46.3% in CGN and in 11 or 26.2% in non-CGN (p = 0.034). Logistic regression analysis revealed elevated serum TSH level and higher thyroid volume were the significant factors associated with elevated Tg level. Extreme Tg elevation over 100 ng/ml was found only in CGN (12 or 14.6%), and 2 of the patients were overtly hypothyroid but became euthyroid after iodide restriction. Elevated Tg responding to elevated TSH mainly found in CGN suggested the relatively preserved thyroid tissue and reversible recovery of the thyroid function.
Learning Reliable Classifiers From Small or Incomplete Data Sets: The Naive Credal Classifier 2

In this paper, the naive credal classifier, which is a set-valued counterpart of naive Bayes, is extended to a general and flexible treatment of incomplete data, yielding a new classifier called naive credal classifier 2 (NCC2). The new classifier delivers classifications that are reliable even in the presence of small sample sizes and missing values. Extensive empirical evaluations show that, by issuing set-valued classifications, NCC2 is able to isolate and properly deal with instances that are hard to classify (on which naive Bayes accuracy drops considerably), and to perform as well as naive Bayes on the other instances. The experiments point to a general problem: they show that with missing values, empirical evaluations may not reliably estimate the accuracy of a traditional classifier, such as naive Bayes. This phenomenon adds even more value to the robust approach to classification implemented by NCC2.
Post-Manufacture Tuning for Nano-CMOS Yield Recovery Using Reconfigurable Logic

In this paper, an architectural framework for post-silicon tuning of nanoscale CMOS circuits is developed. The tuning methodology is driven by a ¿tunable¿ gate design that allows the gate to be switched from a high-speed/high-power mode to a low-speed/low-power mode under digital control. A small number of ¿critical¿ logic gates are replaced with tunable gates for post-silicon power-performance tuning. In addition, supply voltage and body bias can be employed as hardware ¿tuning knobs¿ as well to deal with delay and leakage variations. After silicon is manufactured, the hardware ¿knobs¿ are programmed through the use of an implicit self-test methodology that can be exercised by the proposed self-adaptation architectural framework. It is seen that the delay yield can be improved by an average of 40% with minimal impact on area.
Optimization and Experimentation of Dual-Mass MEMS Gyroscope Quadrature Error Correction Methods

This paper focuses on an optimal quadrature error correction method for the dual-mass MEMS gyroscope, in order to reduce the long term bias drift. It is known that the coupling stiffness and demodulation error are important elements causing bias drift. The coupling stiffness in dual-mass structures is analyzed. The experiment proves that the left and right masses’ quadrature errors are different, and the quadrature correction system should be arranged independently. The process leading to quadrature error is proposed, and the Charge Injecting Correction (CIC), Quadrature Force Correction (QFC) and Coupling Stiffness Correction (CSC) methods are introduced. The correction objects of these three methods are the quadrature error signal, force and the coupling stiffness, respectively. The three methods are investigated through control theory analysis, model simulation and circuit experiments, and the results support the theoretical analysis. The bias stability results based on CIC, QFC and CSC are 48 °/h, 9.9 °/h and 3.7 °/h, respectively, and this value is 38 °/h before quadrature error correction. The CSC method is proved to be the better method for quadrature correction, and it improves the Angle Random Walking (ARW) value, increasing it from 0.66 °/√h to 0.21 °/√h. The CSC system general test results show that it works well across the full temperature range, and the bias stabilities of the six groups’ output data are 3.8 °/h, 3.6 °/h, 3.4 °/h, 3.1 °/h, 3.0 °/h and 4.2 °/h, respectively, which proves the system has excellent repeatability.
Strict priority versus weighted fair queueing in switched Ethernet networks for time critical applications

In an industrial or technical context, some of the communications are strongly time-constrained. Our objective is to evaluate the service offered by a switched Ethernet architecture. We have chosen the network calculus theory because it gives a good representation of the exchanges and enables to determine the maximum end to end delays. Previous models implementing a strict priority policy presented in (J. -P. Georges et al., 2004) are improved in order to take into account the weighted fair queueing mechanism, which enables to balance the allocation of the network to the different traffics regarding the time contraints they have to respect. This paper also presents the new analytical formulas which upper bound the maximum end-to-end delays of the time-critical messages over the whole network. This enables to determine the optimal bandwith dedicated to both critical and best effort traffics. On an industrial scenario, strict priority and weighted fair queueing policies are finally compared.
Exercise Testing in Patients with Variant Angina: Results, Correlation with Clinical and Angiographic Features and Prognostic Significance

Eighty-two patients with variant angina underwent a treadmill exer0beAest using 14 ECG leads, and 67 also underwent exercise thallium-201 scans. The test induced ST elevation in 25 patients (30%), ST depression in 21 (26%) and no ST-segment abnormality in 36 (44%). ST elevation during exercise occurred in the same ECG leads as during spontaneous attacks at rest, and was always associated with a large perfusion defect on the exercise thallium scan. In contrast, exercise-induced ST depression often did not occur in the leads that exhibited ST elevation during episodes at rest. The ST-segment response to exercise did not accurately predict coronary anatomy: Coronary stenoses 2 70% were present in 14 of 25 patients (56%) with ST elevation, in 13 of 21 (62%) with ST depression and in 14 of 36 (39%) with no ST-segment abnormality (NS). However, the degree of disease activity did correlate with the result of the exercise test: ST elevation occurred during exercise in 11 of 14 patients who had an average of more than two spontaneous attacks per day, in 12 of 24 who had between two attacks per day and two per week, and in only two of31 who had fewer than two attacks per week (p < 0.005). ST elevation during exercise was reproducible in five of five patients retested during an active phase of their disease, but not in three of three patients who had been angina-free for at least 1 month before the repeat test. Twelve patients with exercise-induced ST elevation were retested during treatment with calcium antagonist drugs; in 10 of 12, ST elevation did not occur with the second test. During a mean follow-up of 20.3 ± 14.5 months, death or myocardial infarction occurred in three of the 25 patients with ST elevation during exercise, none of 21 with ST depression and two of 36 with no ST abnormality. We conclude that in variant angina patients, the results of an exercise test correlate well with the degree of disease activity but not with coronary anatomy, and do not define a high-risk subgroup.
The lazy repairman and other models: Performance collapse due to overhead in simple, single-server queuing systems

We consider two simple models of overhead in batch computer systems and demand access communications systems. The first, termed “modified M/M/1/K, ” is an exponential, single-server queuing system with finite storage capacity, constant arrival rate, and queue-length-dependent service time. We consider cases in which the expected service time consists of a constant plus a term that grows linearly or logarithmically with the queue length. We show that the performance of this system—as characterized by the expected number of customers in the system, the expected time in the system, and the rate of missed customers—can collapse as the result of small changes in the arrival rate, the overhead rate, or the queue capacity. The system has the interesting property that increasing the queue capacity can decrease performance. In addition to equilibrium results, we consider the dynamic behavior of the model. We show that the system tends to operate in either of two quasi-stable modes of operation—one with low queue lengths and one with high queue lengths. System behavior is characterized by long periods of operation in both modes with abrupt transitions between them. We point out that the performance of a saturated system may be improved by dynamic operating procedures that return the system to the low mode. In the second model, termed the “lazy repairman, ” the single server has two distinct states: the “busy” state and the “lazy” state. Customers receive service only when the server is in the busy state; overhead is modeled by attributing time spent in the lazy state to overhead functions. When the expected time spent in the lazy state increases with the number of customers waiting for service, the behavior of the lazy repairman model is similar to the modified M/M/1/K, although the lazy repairman model makes it easier to study in detail the effects of overhead.
Expectations in Incremental Discourse Processing

The way in which discourse features express connections back to the previous discourse has been described in the literature in terms of adjoining at the right frontier of discourse structure. But this does not allow for discourse features that express expectations about what is to come in the subsequent discourse. After characterizing these expectations and their distribution in text, we show how an approach that makes use of substitution as well as adjoining on a suitably defined right frontier, can be used to both process expectations and constrain discouse processing in general.