Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal cooperative spectrum sensing with non-coherent inter-channel interference cancellation for cognitive wireless mesh networks

As the precondition of dynamic spectrum access, spectrum sensing (SS) plays an important role in the spectrum utilization in cognitive wireless mesh networks (WMNs). However, the accuracy and efficiency of SS is always significantly compromised by the accompanying interchannel interference (ICI). Aiming to address this problem, this paper proposes a non-coherent ICI cancellation method in the cooperative SS. The proposed SS consists of three parts: the determination of optimal threshold, the ICI cancellation, and the algorithm of control channel allocation (ACCA). The derived optimal threshold is able to minimize the sum of the probabilities of false alarms and missed detection. The ICI cancellation is implemented indirectly by solving a nonhomogeneous linear equation set with a coefficient matrix depending only on the distances between the primary transmitters and the cognitive secondary users. The ACCA is able to utilize multiple in-band control channels rather than a single common control channel; thus, it can decrease the sensing delay. Simulations show that the proposed SS can efficiently cope with the ICI and achieve much better performance than the conventional methods in the low signal to interference-plus-noise ratio range.
Parametric analog mappings for correlated Gaussian sources over AWGN channels

We address the transmission of bivariate Gaussian sources using analog Joint Source Channel Coding (JSCC). The analog mappings are specifically designed to exploit the correlation between the source symbols. A parametric mapping based on sinusoidal functions is proposed and its performance is compared to that of the optimal non parametric mappings and other applicable analog JSCC mappings, and also to the theoretical bound. The obtained results show that the performance of the parametric mapping closely approaches the optimal performance, and it is very similar to that of the non parametric one.
Regional Variation in Causes of Injuries among Terrorism Victims for Mass Casualty Events

The efficient allocation of medical resources to prepare for and respond to mass casualty events (MCEs) attributable to intentional acts of terrorism is a major challenge confronting disaster planners and emergency personnel. This research article examines variation in regional patterns in the causes of injures associated with 77,258 successful terrorist attacks that occurred between 1970 and 2013 involving the use of explosives, firearms, and/or incendiaries. The objective of this research is to estimate regional variation in the use of different conventional weapons in successful terrorist attacks in each world region on variation in injury cause distributions. Indeed, we find that the distributions of the number of injuries attributable to specific weapons types (i.e., by cause) vary greatly among the 13 world regions identified within the Global Terrorism Database.
Performance of DS-CDMA on the 60 GHz channel

The goal of the paper is to show that a Gaussian approximation can be used to model the global noise in a DS-CDMA system on a 60 GHz frequency band. We show that this approximation can also include the noise due to multipath and to imperfections in power control. The model can then be used as a first step and a reference when designing a communication architecture adapted to this frequency band for mobile indoor cellular systems.
Continuous electromyography monitoring of motor cranial nerves during cerebellopontine angle surgery.

OBJECT Electromyography (EMG) monitoring is expected to reduce the incidence of motor cranial nerve deficits in cerebellopontine angle surgery. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed analysis of intraoperative EMG phenomena with respect to their surgical significance. METHODS Using a system that continuously records facial and lower cranial nerve EMG signals during the entire operative procedure, the authors examined 30 patients undergoing surgery on acoustic neuroma (24 patients) or meningioma (six patients). Free-running EMG signals were recorded from muscles targeted by the facial, trigeminal, and lower cranial nerves, and were analyzed off-line with respect to waveform characteristics, frequencies, and amplitudes. Intraoperative measurements were correlated with typical surgical maneuvers and postoperative outcomes. Characteristic EMG discharges were obtained: spikes and bursts were recorded immediately following the direct manipulation of a dissecting instrument near the cranial nerve, but also during periods when the nerve had not yet been exposed. Bursts could be precisely attributed to contact activity. Three distinct types of trains were identified: A, B, and C trains. Whereas B and C trains are irrelevant with respect to postoperative outcome, the A train--a sinusoidal, symmetrical sequence of high-frequency and low-amplitude signals--was observed in 19 patients and could be well correlated with additional postoperative facial nerve paresis (in 18 patients). CONCLUSIONS It could be demonstrated that the occurrence of A trains is a highly reliable predictor for postoperative facial palsy. Although some degree of functional worsening is to be expected postoperatively, there is a good chance of avoiding major deficits by warning the surgeon early. Continuous EMG monitoring is superior to electrical nerve stimulation or acoustic loudspeaker monitoring alone. The detailed analysis of EMG-waveform characteristics is able to provide more accurate warning criteria during surgery.
Modeling of couplings between double ridge waveguide and dielectric loaded resonator

Full wave modeling of the coupling structure between a double ridge waveguide and dielectric resonator in a rectangular cavity through an iris is presented. Eigen modes of the double ridge waveguide, and the discontinuities of the structures are obtained by rigorous mode matching method. By applying the cascading procedure, the reflection coefficients of the coupling structure can be obtained. From the phase variation of the reflection coefficient and circuit theory, resonant frequency and input/output coupling of the structure are accurately determined. An equivalent circuit model of the resonant structure is established. The computed results are compared with those obtained by other methods and shown to be in good agreement, which verifies the theory.
The Relation between Invasive and Noninvasive Tear Break-Up Time

TBUT and NITBUT (tear break-up time and noninvasive tear break-up time, respectively) were measured on four groups of subjects from different countries (two groups of Caucasians, two groups of Chinese). No significant difference was found in either TBUT or NITBUT values among the four groups of subjects. Gender of the subjects was not a factor affecting the TBUT or NITBUT values. The distributions of both NITBUT and TBUT were non- Gaussian and the median value of either parameter was lower than those previously reported. The NITBUT values were significantly higher than the TBUT values in both Caucasian and Chinese subjects. An investigation into the extent of agreement between the TBUT and NITBUT methods of assessing tear stability indicated that these methods do not agree sufficiently closely (that is, tear stability values measured with the NITBUT technique do not agree with those measured with the TBUT technique); short average tear break-up values are associated with small differences between the measures, whereas long average tear break-up values are associated with large differences between the measures.
Optimal Threshold Selection for Wavelet Transform based on Visual Quality

transform technique has been used for image compression targeting high visual quality reconstructed images even with high compression ratio. A visual quality measure such as Picture Quality Scale (PQS), which correlates well with the subjective Mean Opinion Score (MOS) may be employed on the compressed image for the quantizer to select the optimum dynamic threshold. The use of optimum threshold permits the removal of redundant information, thus leading to better compression performance with acceptable picture quality. The Results obtained with the proposed approach of threshold selection is compared with the existing technique and the performance and it is found to be better in all of the cases of images or wavelets.
Soluble Components of Adenovirus Type 8

Soluble components of type 8 adenovirus have been studied. Four different components were isolated by anion-exchange chromatography and purified by further chromatographic procedures, by zonal centrifugation, and by erythrocyte absorption and elution. The four components exhibited the following characteristics. (i) Fiber antigen was trypsin-resistant and functioned as incomplete hemagglutinin (agglutinated rat and human erythrocytes only in the presence of certain types of adenovirus antisera). (ii) The penton was trypsin-sensitive, exerted a cytotoxic effect, and also showed incomplete hemagglutination, being active in the presence of a majority of heterotypic adenovirus antisera studied. (iii) The group-specific hexon antigen reacted in complement fixation reaction and gel precipitation with sera prepared against other types of adenoviruses, besides showing characteristics indicating the presence of a type-specific antigen component. (iv) The soluble complete hemagglutinin was trypsin-sensitive, displayed cytotoxic effect, adsorbed easily to human and rat erythrocytes, and could be eluted from them by means of receptor-destroying enzyme. The three hemagglutinins of adenovirus type 8 proved to be highly unstable, and their demonstration was only successful by using a large quantity of freshly prepared concentrated virus material. Considering these conditions, a method was developed for their concentration and purification.
Flux observer model for sensorless control of PM BLDC motor with a damper cage

Flux observer is a common and practical way to estimate the rotor position and speed for sensorless control of the permanent magnet (PM) AC motors. Currents in the damper cage influent the accuracy of the observed rotor position and speed severely. However, it is really difficult to measure the currents in the damper cage. According to the generation principle of the currents in the damper cage, the currents in the damper cage are higher harmonics. That's to say, the fundamental component of the stator currents become DC components under the rotor rotating coordination system, while the currents in the damper cage are still AC components. Therefore, if only the fundamental components of the stator currents, flux linkages, terminal voltage, etc. are considered, the currents in the damper cage can be ignored. Because the rotor position is only related to the fundamental component of the rotor PM flux linkage, an improved flux observer mathematical model is derived for the BLDC motor with a damper cage in this paper. The accuracy of the proposed flux observer is verified by both of numerical analysis results and experimental results.
Effect of angiotensin II and an angiotensin II inhibitor on renin secretion in the dog.

This study examined the effect of angiotensin II (AII) and (Sar-1Gly-8) AII, a competitive inhibitor of AII, on renin release in anesthetized dogs. An intravenous infusion of AII (25 ng/kg per min) raised BP 24 mmHg and lowered plasma renin activity (PRA) from 18.8 plus or minus 2.8 to 6.2 plus or minus 1. 3 ng/ml per h (P smaller than .001). When the intravenous infusion of AII inhibitor (1.0 mug/kg per min) was superimposed on the AII infusion, PRA rose from 6.5 plus or minus 22 to 12.3 plus or minus 3.6 ng/ml per h (P smaller than .02). Renal hemodynamics, BP, and urinary sodium excretion (UNaV) reverted toward pre-AII control values. A small dose of AII inhibitor (0.1 mu/kg per min) was then infused into one renal artery in animals receiving the constant intravenous infusion of AII. Renin secretion rate (RSR) increased significantly, not only in the infused kidney, but also in the contralateral kidney. In the latter there were no changes in renal hemodynamics or UNaV, and RSR was unimpaired by denervation of that kidney. The results suggest that the AII inhibitor blocks both the vascular and the renin-suppressing actions of AII and that the latter effect is more susceptible to inhibition.
Laplacian support vector machines for medical diagnosis

A semi-supervised learning method is presented for medical diagnosis owing to the large amount of unlabeled samples of training model. Laplacian graph which is state-of-the-art method in manifold regularization is used to smooth the probability density functions. The Laplacian regularization term is added to SVM algorithm constituted LapSVM which would be applied to medical data classification and verified on Breast Cancer Dataset, Mammographic Mass Dataset and Thyroid Gland Dataset. Experiments indicate that LapSVM can achieve a better performance using the small labeled samples and large unlabeled samples.
MOYA: Interactive AI toy for children to develop their language skills

The main concept of MOYA, the interactive AI toy, is to provide an answer to the children's curiosity about an object's name. MOYA is developed on the basis of four functionalities: hand motion tracking, image classification, robot motion control and graphic user interface. Raspberry PI, Ubuntu Mate OS, Arduino, OpenCV, TensorFlow, RealSense SDK and ROS are integrated for MOYA to accomplish some interactive tasks.
DNA Methylation Score as a Biomarker in Newborns for Sustained Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy

Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy, especially when sustained, leads to numerous adverse health outcomes in offspring. Pregnant women disproportionately underreport smoking and smokers tend to have lower follow-up rates to repeat questionnaires. Missing, incomplete, or inaccurate data on presence and duration of smoking in pregnancy impairs identification of novel health effects and limits adjustment for smoking in studies of other pregnancy exposures. An objective biomarker in newborns of maternal smoking during pregnancy would be valuable. Objectives: We developed a biomarker of sustained maternal smoking in pregnancy using common DNA methylation platforms. Methods: Using a dimension reduction method, we developed and tested a numeric score in newborns to reflect sustained maternal smoking in pregnancy from data on cotinine, a short-term smoking biomarker measured mid-pregnancy, and Illumina450K cord blood DNA methylation from newborns in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Results: This score reliably predicted smoking status in the training set (n = 1,057; accuracy = 96%, sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 98%). Sensitivity (58%) was predictably lower in the much smaller test set (n = 221), but accuracy (91%) and specificity (97%) remained high. Reduced birth weight, a well-known effect of maternal smoking, was as strongly related to the score as to cotinine. A three-site score had lower, but acceptable, performance (accuracytrain = 82%, accuracytest = 83%). Conclusions: Our smoking methylation score represents a promising novel biomarker of sustained maternal smoking during pregnancy easily calculated with Illumina450K or IlluminaEPIC data. It may help identify novel health impacts and improve adjustment for smoking when studying other risk factors with more subtle effects. Citation: Reese SE, Zhao S, Wu MC, Joubert BR, Parr CL, Håberg SE, Ueland PM, Nilsen RM, Midttun Ø, Vollset SE, Peddada SD, Nystad W, London SJ. 2017. DNA methylation score as a biomarker in newborns for sustained maternal smoking during pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 125:760–766; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/EHP333
Interference suppression techniques: a twenty‐year survey

In this paper, an attempt has been made to provide an exposition of the results on interference suppression techniques developed at least over the last twenty years. Most of the relevant work over this period is included in Stavroulakis (Stavroulakis, Interference Analysis of Communication Systems. IEEE: New York, 1980; Stavroulakis, Wireless Local Loops. Wiley: London, 2001; Stavroulakis, Third Generation Mobile Telecommunication Systems. Springer: Berlin, 2001; Stavroulakis, Interference Analysis and Reduction for Wireless Communications. Artech House: London, 2002; Stavroulakis, Moorthy, Conference Records NTC '79, vol. 3, Washington, DC, 1979; 52.3.1–52.3.5). Interference suppression/cancelling techniques have followed exactly the path of the field of wireless communications over the years. The decade of the 1980s concentrated on techniques applicable mainly to satellite communications whereas the decade of the 1990s concentrated on techniques that provided solutions to mobile communication interference/fading problems. This survey will point out and explain the most fundamental contributions, which opened new directions in the field of interference suppression, and undoubtedly will provide a basis for new researchers for further contributions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Supporting interactive graph exploration using edge plucking

Excessive edge density in graphs can cause serious readability issues, which in turn can make the graphs difficult to understand or even misleading. Recently, we introduced the idea of providing tools that offer interactive edge bending as a method by which edge congestion can be disambiguated. We extend this direction, presenting a new tool, Edge Plucking, which offers new interactive methods to clarify node-edge relationships. Edge Plucking expands the number of situations in which interactive graph exploration tools can be used to address edge congestion.
Modified Newtonian dynamics as an alternative to dark matter

▪ Abstract Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) is an empirically motivated modification of Newtonian gravity or inertia suggested by Milgrom as an alternative to cosmic dark matter. The basic idea is that at accelerations below ao ≈ 10−8 cm/s2 ≈ cHo/6 the effective gravitational attraction approaches , where gn is the usual Newtonian acceleration. This simple algorithm yields flat rotation curves for spiral galaxies and a mass-rotation velocity relation of the form M ∝ V4 that forms the basis for the observed luminosity–rotation velocity relation—the Tully-Fisher law. We review the phenomenological success of MOND on scales ranging from dwarf spheroidal galaxies to superclusters and demonstrate that the evidence for dark matter can be equally well interpreted as evidence for MOND. We discuss the possible physical basis for an acceleration-based modification of Newtonian dynamics as well as the extention of MOND to cosmology and structure formation.
The effect of a stochastic step length on the performance of the differential evolution algorithm

In this paper, we present a novel efficient strategy to improve the performance of the differential evolution (DE) algorithm for real parameter optimization, by generating a variable step length based on a probability distribution, instead of using the conventional fixed step length approach. Previous studies investigated uniform and Gaussian distributions. In this study, we compare between these two distributions and a Cauchy distribution. The proposed strategy controls search parameters in a probabilistic manner. Experimental results are carried out on a wide range of fifteen standard test problems with different scenarios. The obtained results showed that the performance of the DE algorithm was best when using a Cauchy distribution (CD); thanks to its thick tails that enable it to generate considerable changes more frequently than other probability distributions and to escape a local optima for multimodal optimization problems.
New CEO's personality and leadership styles as measured by the traits of age, education, and prior experiences and their effect on the firm's performance

New technologies and increased competition require CEOs to assess and analyze vast amounts of information. They need cognitive ability and higher education and training. Moreover, CEOs are under more pressure to act quickly, to recognize potential problems or opportunities, and to take action immediately. They must be willing to take risks (Joos, Leone, & Zimmerman, 2003). Companies are turning to younger CEOs (Loomis, 2007) as they are more familiar with new technologies, better able to endure high stress environments, more open to new ideas, and less reluctant to take risks. This study examined the relationship between the financial performance of a company and specific demographic factors of its CEO, including age, tenure, education, and prior experience, and whether the CEO was hired from within or outside the company. Also, the study examined the relationship between CEO’s age and tenure before and after the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (1999). The goal was to establish a prediction model, based on demographics of successful financial industry CEOs, to aid companies in their selection of new CEOs. The data were collected from U.S. companies in the insurance, securities, diversified financial, commercial banks, and IT industries which file financial statements with a government agency. The findings indicate a significant difference in: • a new insurance CEO’s age and tenure before and after the repeal of the GlassSteagall Act (1999) • the age of new CEOs of insurance companies and that of their counterparts at other types of financial institutions or IT companies. There was no significant difference in the level of education or tenure.
Effects of Supercritical Fluids Activation on Carbon Nanotube Field Emitters

This paper proposes a novel method to enhance the emission characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It is extremely possible for CNTs to adsorb moisture and other contaminants during the fabrication processes, leading to the degraded field emission characteristics. In this work, CNT emitters are activated with commonly used heating process and supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) fluids technology for removing adsorbed residue moisture. Experimental results have demonstrated that the electrical stability and field emission enhancement of CNT emitters are effectively achieved by the SCCO2 fluids treatment compared to the heating process, due to the minimization of residuary moisture in CNTs
A generalized class of modified R-polynomials

In this paper we define a family of polynomials closely related to the modified R-polynomials of the symmetric group and begin work toward a classification of the polynomials by using a combinatorial interpretation involving subwords of the maximal element in the Bruhat order. The problem of determining the precise conditions which make one of these polynomials zero motivates our work. We state several properties of these polynomials and symmetries which they satisfy that were discovered while pursuing a resolution to this problem.
A learning approach for prioritized handoff channel allocation in mobile multimedia networks

An efficient channel allocation policy that prioritizes handoffs is an indispensable ingredient in future cellular networks in order to support multimedia traffic while ensuring quality of service requirements (QoS). In this paper we study the application of a reinforcement-learning algorithm to develop an alternative channel allocation scheme in mobile cellular networks that supports multiple heterogeneous traffic classes. The proposed scheme prioritizes handoff call requests over new calls and provides differentiated services for different traffic classes with diverse characteristics and quality of service requirements. Furthermore, it is asymptotically optimal, computationally inexpensive, model-free, and can adapt to changing traffic conditions. Simulations are provided to compare the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm with other known resource-sharing policies such as complete sharing and reservation policies