Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Energy Aware Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

In this paper we propose a new energy aware routing protocol for mobile ad-hoc networks. Nodes in a mobile ad-hoc network operate on batteries, and hence designing energy aware protocols to maximize the battery lifetime is important. Traditional routing protocols fail to address the energy issues present in these networks. Several energy aware routing protocols have been designed in the recent years for mobile ad-hoc networks. We present a new protocol named KHOP that is based on ideas in two well-known existing protocols. Detailed simulation results are presented to show that the new protocol works better than both the existing protocols for a large number of scenarios.
Pricing and Empirical Analysis of Chinese Defaultable Corporate Bonds

The default of Suntech Power make the year 2013 become "the first year of default" of Chinese bond market. People are also clearly aware of the risk of default on bonds again, which shows that fair pricing for default able corporate bonds is very important. This paper prices for the "11 super JGBS" based on Merton Model, reduced model and incomplete information model and also compares with the actual price. It turned out that all of them can reflect the trend of bond prices, but the incomplete information model can best fit the actual prices. Besides, the default rate according to the incomplete information model has a good screening effect on the credit quality of listed companies.
Investigating Effects of Post-Selection Feedback for Acquiring Ultra-Small Targets on Touchscreen

In this paper, we investigate the effects of post-selection feedback for acquiring ultra-small (2-4mm) targets on touchscreens. Post-selection feedback shows the contact point on touchscreen after a user lifts his/her fingers to increase users' awareness of touching. Three experiments are conducted progressively using a single crosshair target, two reciprocally acquired targets and 2D random targets. Results show that in average post-selection feedback can reduce touch error rates by 78.4%, with a compromise of target acquisition time no more than 10%. In addition, we investigate participants' adjustment behavior based on correlation between successive trials. We conclude that the benefit of post-selection feedback is the outcome of both improved understanding about finger/point mapping and the dynamic adjustment of finger movement enabled by the visualization of the touch point.
Philosophical Homogeneity in Pre-Service Education: A Longitudinal Survey.

This investigation displays the findings of a 5 year longitudinal survey which uncovered a trend in data via a sample of 2600 pre-service education students. Each year 520 preservice student teachers who were enrolled in a one-year full-time, after degree professional Bachelor of Education program in Ontario, Canada completed the survey. Beginning in the Fall of 2002 until the Fall of 2007 each of the students completed an educational philosophy survey to identify their philosophical orientation. Overwhelmingly, 90% or more pre-service students selected and identified with the statements emanating from the progressivist school. The majority (+90%) of pre-service student teachers who completed the survey strongly agreed with the statements underpinning progressivism. A small minority of less than 10% or 52 of the 520 surveyed indicated they were strongly aligned with other philosophical ideologies. These outcomes demonstrate a level of homogeneity that signifies agreement with the tenets of progressivism.
Discriminating between Similar Languages Using a Combination of Typed and Untyped Character N-grams and Words

This paper presents the cic_ualg’s system that took part in the Discriminating between Similar Languages (DSL) shared task, held at the VarDial 2017 Workshop. This year’s task aims at identifying 14 languages across 6 language groups using a corpus of excerpts of journalistic texts. Two classification approaches were compared: a single-step (all languages) approach and a two-step (language group and then languages within the group) approach. Features exploited include lexical features (unigrams of words) and character n-grams. Besides traditional (untyped) character n-grams, we introduce typed character n-grams in the DSL task. Experiments were carried out with different feature representation methods (binary and raw term frequency), frequency threshold values, and machine-learning algorithms – Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB). Our best run in the DSL task achieved 91.46% accuracy.
On capacity of non-coherent Rayleigh fading MIMO channels

This paper investigates the capacity of discrete time uncorrelated Rayleigh fading multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channels with no channel state information (CSI) at both the transmitter and the receiver. We prove that to achieve the capacity, the amplitude of the multiple input needs to have a discrete distribution with a finite number of mass points with one of them located at the origin. We show how to compute the capacity numerically in multi antenna configuration at any signal to noise ratio (SNR) with the discrete input using the Kuhn-Tucker condition for optimality. Furthermore, we show that at low SNR, the capacity with two mass points is optimal. Since the first mass point is necessarily located at the origin, we argue that at low SNR, on-off keying is optimal for any antenna number. As the number of receiver antennas increases, the maximum SNR at which two mass points are optimal decreases
Chronic Nicotine Modifies Skeletal Muscle Na,K-ATPase Activity through Its Interaction with the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor and Phospholemman

Our previous finding that the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and the Na,K-ATPase interact as a regulatory complex to modulate Na,K-ATPase activity suggested that chronic, circulating nicotine may alter this interaction, with long-term changes in the membrane potential. To test this hypothesis, we chronically exposed rats to nicotine delivered orally for 21–31 days. Chronic nicotine produced a steady membrane depolarization of ∼3 mV in the diaphragm muscle, which resulted from a net change in electrogenic transport by the Na,K-ATPase α2 and α1 isoforms. Electrogenic transport by the α2 isoform increased (+1.8 mV) while the activity of the α1 isoform decreased (−4.4 mV). Protein expression of Na,K-ATPase α1 or α2 isoforms and the nAChR did not change; however, the content of α2 subunit in the plasma membrane decreased by 25%, indicating that its stimulated electrogenic transport is due to an increase in specific activity. The physical association between the nAChR, the Na,K-ATPase α1 or α2 subunits, and the regulatory subunit of the Na,K-ATPase, phospholemman (PLM), measured by co-immuno precipitation, was stable and unchanged. Chronic nicotine treatment activated PKCα/β2 and PKCδ and was accompanied by parallel increases in PLM phosphorylation at Ser63 and Ser68. Collectively, these results demonstrate that nicotine at chronic doses, acting through the nAChR-Na,K-ATPase complex, is able to modulate Na,K-ATPase activity in an isoform-specific manner and that the regulatory range includes both stimulation and inhibition of enzyme activity. Cholinergic modulation of Na,K-ATPase activity is achieved, in part, through activation of PKC and phosphorylation of PLM.
Combining pre-editing and post-editing to improve SMT of user-generated content

The poor quality of user-generated content (UGC) found in forums hinders both readability and machine-translatability. To improve these two aspects, we have developed human- and machine-oriented pre-editing rules, which correct or reformulate this content. In this paper we pre-sent the results of a study which investigates whether pre-editing rules that improve the quality of statistical machine translation (SMT) output also have a positive impact on post-editing productivity. For this study, pre-editing rules were applied to a set of French sentences extracted from a technical forum. After SMT, the post-editing temporal effort and final quality are compared for translations of the raw source and its pre-edited version. Results obtained suggest that pre-editing speeds up post-editing and that the combination of the two processes is worthy of further investigation.
Manila: Using a Densely Populated PMC-Space for Power Modelling within Large-Scale Systems

In this paper, we propose a new power modelling method, called Manila, that can largely reduce the effort of PMC-based power modelling using high-dimensional k-nearest neighbour searching, without the use of model tuning and domain-specific knowledge. This method helps improve the accuracy of PMC-based power modelling and widen its scope of use. Specifically, Manila uses a parameterised micro-benchmark to automatically generate a densely populated PMC-space that represents a large variety of computing workloads, which is essential for increasing the accuracy of power modelling and widening its scope of use. This is in contrast to current PMC-based power models, that have a sparse PMC-space, due to using predefined benchmarks. Since the micro-benchmark is independent from any applications and can generate the generic computing workloads of many applications, our method is more widely extendable and applicable than the existing methods. Manila can efficiently search the dense PMC-space for power estimates using a nearest neighbour search algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate that Manila is more accurate in power measurements for a wide range of parallel benchmarks, with a mean absolute error of 2.8%.
Social Support Effectiveness: Interpersonal Complementarity and Mediating Factors in Friends' Conversations

Author(s): Nelson, Paul A. | Advisor(s): Thorne, Avril | Abstract: This exploratory study examined how young adult friends' complementarity on the interpersonal traits of Dominance (i.e., difference) and Warmth (i.e., similarity) was associated with enacting distinct support styles and the evaluation of that support's effectiveness. Using a novel, naturalistic design that allowed friends to record themselves in everyday settings, 62 participants (69% female) recruited two close, same-sex friends to discuss interpersonal problems they were having with other people. Over two weeks at home, participants audio-recorded and evaluated two 10-minute conversations with each friend. In total, nearly 250 ten minute conversations were examined in the present study. Researchers coded the support in the conversation transcripts as Problem-focused or Emotion-focused. Using hierarchical polynomial regression and surface modeling, friends' complementary Dominance was associated in a nonlinear saddle configuration with higher evaluations of the helpfulness of the support; this relationship was fully mediated by friends' enacting more Problem focused support. Complementary Warmth was not associated with support effectiveness or enacted support style. Implications for young adult friendships are discussed, as well as recommendations for studying interpersonal theory more dynamically and proximally.
Parameter Estimation Algorithm for the Exponential Signal by the Enhanced DFT Approach

Abstract Based on enhanced interpolation DFT, a novel parameter estimation algorithm for the exponential signal is presented. The proposed two-step solution consists of a preprocessing unit which constructs a new signal sequence by continuously cycle shifting sample points and summing up N buffered exponential signal sample sequences, then an interpolation DFT engine to obtain accurate parameter estimation of the exponential signal based on the signal sequence generated by the preprocessing unit. Compared to previous works, owing to the combination of the pretreatment and the interpolation DFT analysis, the tedious iteration for spectral leakage elimination can be removed, and remarkable improvements are achieved in terms of estimation accuracy and speed. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Genome scale analysis of Escherichia coli with a comprehensive prokaryotic sequence-based biophysical model of translation initiation and elongation

Abstract Translation initiation in prokaryotes is affected by the mRNA folding and interaction of the ribosome binding site with the ribosomal RNA. The elongation rate is affected, among other factors, by the local biophysical properties of the coding regions, the decoding rates of different codons, and the interactions among ribosomes. Currently, there is no comprehensive biophysical model of translation that enables the prediction of mRNA translation dynamics based only on the transcript sequence and while considering all of these fundamental aspects of translation. In this study, we provide, for the first time, a computational simulative biophysical model of both translation initiation and elongation with all aspects mentioned above. We demonstrate our model performance and advantages focusing on Escherichia coli genes. We further show that the model enables prediction of translation rate, protein levels, and ribosome densities. In addition, our model enables quantifying the effect of silent mutations on translation rate in different parts of the transcript, the relative effect of mutations on translation initiation and elongation, and the effect of mutations on ribosome traffic jams. Thus, unlike previous models, the proposed one provides comprehensive information, facilitating future research in disciplines such as molecular evolution, synthetic biology, and functional genomics. A toolkit to estimate translation dynamics of transcripts is available at: https://www.cs. tau.ac. il/∼tamirtul/transim
A mismatch-dependent power allocation technique for match-line sensing in content-addressable memories

In the conventional content-addressable memory (CAM), equal power is consumed to determine if a stored word is matched to a search word or mismatched, independent of the number of mismatched bits. This paper presents a match-line (ML) sensing scheme that allocates less power to match decisions involving a larger number of mismatched bits. Since the majority of CAM words are mismatched, this scheme results in a significant CAM power reduction. The proposed ML sensing scheme is implemented in a 256 /spl times/ 144-bit ternary CAM for a 0.13-/spl mu/m 1.2-V CMOS logic process. For a 2-ns search time on a 144-bit word, the proposed scheme saves 60% of the power consumed by the conventional sensing scheme.
Time-Selective TALIF Spectroscopy of Atomic Oxygen Applied to an Atmospheric Pressure Argon Plasma Jet

Two-photon laser excitation diagnostics is applied to characterize the atomic oxygen production in an atmospheric pressure Ar+O2% plasma jet. The plasma jet device is driven by a 13.56-MHz radio-frequency power supply. It is found that in addition to the fast decaying two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF), unexpected emissions from excited atomic argon and oxygen species with a long decay time are existent in TALIF processes. This phenomenon is believed to be common in TALIF diagnostics of atomic oxygen, especially in high-pressure plasmas because of intense collisional energy transfer processes. In order to avoid the influence of extra emissions on TALIF performance, time-selective detection is utilized to capture the pure atomic oxygen fluorescence through nanosecond imaging for characterizing the spatial distribution of O atoms in the plasma effluent. An approximate method for the absolute density calibration based on the atomic oxygen fluorescence in the open air, due to the laser-induced photodissociation of O2 molecules, is applied to the TALIF signal from a plasma jet. The 2-D spatial distributions of the ground state density of atomic oxygen are built in the plasma effluent under different O2 contents. With the increase in O2 admixtures, the generation of atomic oxygen is constricted to the plasma core area close to the gas outlet, and a maximum O density is obtained with 0.3% O2 in the core area.
How Do Social Media Shape the Information Environment in the Financial Market?

Internet users create social media that enable information to be transferred more efficiently. In this work we focus on a typical social media platform Wikipedia and examine how management’s voluntary disclosure reacts to information arrivals on Wikipedia. In doing so, we seek to answer the question of whether social media indeed improve the information environment for investors in the financial market. Our analysis is based on a unique dataset collected from the modification history of firm entries on Wikipedia, and thus we are able to identify information arrivals on Wikipedia. We find that information arrivals on Wikipedia affect the timing of management disclosure of bad news, and the effect is in sharp contrast to the way in which traditional media affect management disclosure. Further, we find consistent evidence that information arrivals on Wikipedia preempt the negative reaction of the market to bad news. In contrast, more news coverage in traditional media exacerbates the problem of optimistic analyst forecasts. Together these findings emphasize that social media have an identifiable effect on both the management side and the investor side in the financial market.
Optochemical Sensor Systems for In-Vivo Continuous Monitoring of Blood Gases in Adipose Tissue and in Vital Organs

Merima Cajlakovic1, Alessandro Bizzarri1, Gijs H. Goossens2, Igor Knez3, Michael Suppan1, Ismar Ovcina3 and Volker Ribitsch1 1Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, MATERIALS Institute for Surface Technologies and Photonic, Sensorsystems, Graz, 2Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, 3Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Clinic of Surgery, Medical University Graz, Graz, 2The Netherlands 1,3Austria
Adductor pollicis muscle: a new anthropometric parameter.

PURPOSE To measure the thickness of adductor pollicis muscle in healthy adults. This measurement will be used as a nutritional anthropometric parameter in further studies. SUBJECTS AND METHOD Four hundred and twenty-one healthy adults were studied, 209 men and 212 women, with ages ranging from 18 to 87 years, living in Rio de Janeiro. The adductor pollicis muscle was also studied in the human anatomy lab as well as in normal healthy volunteers using CAT scans and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging to ensure that only the adductor pollicis was included in measurement of muscle thickness with a Lange caliper. To standardize the measurement, the methodology was detailed, with subjects sitting with the dominant hand dangling over the homolateral thigh and the elbow bent at approximately a 90 degrees angle. The Lange caliper was applied at a pressure of 10 g/mm2, pinching the adductor pollicis muscle at the vertex of an imaginary angle between the thumb and the index finger. The average of 3 consecutive measurements was considered to be the muscle thickness. RESULTS This study provides the first estimates of adductor pollicis thickness in normal healthy subjects as an anthropometric parameter. The normal values in the dominant hand for men were 12.5 +/- 2.8 mm (mean +/- SD), median 12 mm, and for women were 10.5 +/- 2.3 mm, median 10 mm.
Survey of High Throughput RNA-Seq Data Reveals Potential Roles for lncRNAs during Development and Stress Response in Bread Wheat

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a family of regulatory RNAs that play essential role in the various developmental processes and stress responses. Recent advances in sequencing technology and computational methods enabled identification and characterization of lncRNAs in certain plant species, but they are less known in Triticum aestivum (bread wheat). Herein, we analyzed 52 RNA seq data (>30 billion reads) and identified 44,698 lncRNAs in T. aestivum genome, which were characterized in comparison to the coding sequences (mRNAs). Similar to the mRNAs, lncRNAs were also derived from each sub-genome and chromosome, and showed tissue developmental stage specific and differential expression, as well. The modulated expression of lncRNAs during abiotic stresses like heat, drought, and salt indicated their putative role in stress response. The co-expression of lncRNAs with vital mRNAs including various transcription factors and enzymes involved in Abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, and gene ontology mapping inferred their regulatory roles in numerous biological processes. A few lncRNAs were predicted as precursor (19 lncRNAs), while some as target mimics (1,047 lncRNAs) of known miRNAs involved in various regulatory functions. The results suggested numerous functions of lncRNAs in T. aestivum, and unfolded the opportunities for functional characterization of individual lncRNA in future studies.
Constructing Sobol Sequences with Better Two-Dimensional Projections

Direction numbers for generating Sobol$'$ sequences that satisfy the so-called Property A in up to 1111 dimensions have previously been given in Joe and Kuo [ACM Trans. Math. Software, 29 (2003), pp. 49-57]. However, these Sobol$'$ sequences may have poor two-dimensional projections. Here we provide a new set of direction numbers alleviating this problem. These are obtained by treating Sobol$'$ sequences in $d$ dimensions as $(t,d)$-sequences and then optimizing the $t$-values of the two-dimensional projections. Our target dimension is 21201.
A Self-Amplifying Four-Transistor MOSFET Mismatch Test Structure

Mismatch can be difficult to monitor in a production test environment as it can be small and, therefore, it requires precise, time-consuming, costly measurements. This paper describes a four-transistor test structure for measurement and characterization of MOS transistor mismatch that self-amplifies the effect of mismatch, thereby generating a large and easily measurable dc output voltage. Test and design aspects of the structure are detailed, and several additional applications of the new structure are described.
Output feedback control for spacecraft formation flying with coupled translation and attitude dynamics

In this paper, we address an output feedback tracking control problem for the coupled translation and attitude motion of a follower spacecraft relative to a loader spacecraft. It is assumed that the leader spacecraft is tracking a given desired translation and attitude motion trajectory and the translation and angular velocity measurements of the two spacecraft are not available for feedback. First, the mutually coupled translation and attitude motion dynamics of the follower spacecraft relative to a leader spacecraft are described. Next, a suitable high-pass filter is employed to estimate the follower spacecraft relative translation and angular velocities using measurements of its relative translational position and attitude orientation. Using a Lyapunov framework, a nonlinear output feedback control law is designed that ensures the semi-global asymptotic convergence of the follower spacecraft relative translation and attitude position tracking errors, despite the lack of translation and angular velocity measurements of the two spacecraft. Finally, an illustrative numerical simulation is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design methodology.
Toward aero-acoustical analysis of the sibilant /s/: an oral cavity modeling

We analyzed the sibilant /s/, an unvoiced consonant, by considering turbulence and vortex sound. A segmentation technique for four dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (4D-MRI) of data considering the movements of the oral cavity is proposed. The conventional Snakes can not segment the quick deformation of the tip of the tongue in 4D-MRI images. To segment the quick motion, optical ﬂow of 4D-MRI imaging helps give criteria for deciding the geometry of the control points of Snakes. Our proposed method utilize optical ﬂow to modify the conventional Snakes and demonstrated superior segmentation accuracy to represent the movement of an oral cavity. Experiments demonstrated that our proposed methods accurately segmented 4D-MRI images and can thereby be used to perform numerical analyses of the sibilant /s/.