Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FIR channel-shortening equalizers for MIMO ISI channels

Finite-length delay-optimized multi-input multi-output (MIMO) equalizers that optimally shorten the impulse response memory of frequency-selective MIMO channels are derived. The MIMO equalizers are designed to minimize the average energy of the error sequence between the equalized MIMO channel impulse response and an MIMO target impulse response (TIR) with shorter memory. Two criteria for optimizing the MIMO TIR are analyzed and compared. The presented analytical framework encompasses a multitude of previously-studied finite-length equalization techniques.
Randomized trial of amplification strategies.

BACKGROUND Little is known about quality of life after the use of specific types of hearing aids, so it is difficult to determine whether technologies such as programmable circuits and directional microphones are worth the added expense. OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of an assistive listening device, a nonprogrammable nondirectional microphone hearing aid, with that of a programmable directional microphone hearing aid against the absence of amplification. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Audiology clinic at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Wash. PATIENTS Sixty veterans with bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss completed the trial. Half the veterans (n = 30) had hearing loss that the Veterans Affairs clinic determined was rated as "service connected," which meant that they were eligible for Veterans Affairs-issued hearing aids. INTERVENTION Veterans with non-service-connected hearing loss, who were ineligible for Veterans Affairs-issued hearing aids, were randomly assigned to no amplification (control arm) or to receive an assistive listening device. Veterans with service-connected loss were randomly assigned to receive either the nonprogrammable hearing aid that is routinely issued ("conventional") or a programmable aid with a directional microphone ("programmable"). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hearing-related quality of life, self-rated communication ability, adherence to use, and willingness to pay for the amplification devices (measured 3 months after fitting). RESULTS Clear distinctions were observed between all 4 arms. The mean improvement in hearing-related quality of life (Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly) scores was small for control patients (2.2 points) and patients who received an assistive listening device (4.4 points), excellent for patients who received a conventional device (17.4 points), and substantial for patients who received a programmable device (31.1 points) (P<.001 by the analysis of variance test). Qualitative analyses of free-text diary entries, self-reported communication ability (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit) scores, adherence to hearing aid use, and willingness to pay for replacement devices showed similar trends. CONCLUSIONS A programmable hearing aid with a directional microphone had the highest level of effectiveness in the veteran population. A nonprogrammable hearing aid with an omnidirectional microphone was also effective compared with an assistive listening device or no amplification.
A preference for a non-zero neutrino mass from cosmological data

We present results from the analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB), large-scale structure (galaxy redshift survey) and X-ray galaxy cluster (baryon fraction and X-ray luminosity function) data, assuming a geometrically flat cosmological model and allowing for tensor components and a non-negligible neutrino mass. From a combined analysis of all data, assuming three degenerate neutrino species, we measure a contribution of neutrinos to the energy density of the Universe, Omega(nu)h(2) = 0.0059(-0.0027)(+0.0033) (68 per cent confidence limits), with zero falling on the 99 per cent confidence limit. This corresponds to similar to4 per cent of the total mass density of the Universe and implies a species-summed neutrino mass Sigma(i)m(i) = 0.56(-0.26)(+0.30) eV, or m(nu) similar to 0.2 eV per neutrino. We examine possible sources of systematic uncertainty in the results. Combining the CMB, large-scale structure and cluster baryon fraction data, we measure an amplitude of mass fluctuations on 8 h(-1) Mpc scales of sigma(8) = 0.74(-0.07)(+0.12), which is consistent with measurements based on the X-ray luminosity function and other studies of the number density and evolution of galaxy clusters. This value is lower than that obtained when fixing a negligible neutrino mass (sigma(8) = 0.86(-0.07)(+0.08)). The combination of CMB, large-scale structure and cluster baryon fraction data also leads to remarkably tight constraints on the Hubble constant, H-0 = 68.4(-1.4)(+2.0) km s(-1) Mpc(-1), mean matter density, Omega(m) = 0.31 +/- 0.02, and physical baryon density, Omega(b) h(2) = 0.024 +/- 0.001, of the Universe.
New pulsating white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables

The number of discovered non-radially pulsating white dwarfs (WDs) in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is increasing rapidly by the aid of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We performed photometric observations of two additional objects, SDSS J133941.11+484727.5 (SDSS 1339), independently discovered as a pulsator by Gansicke et al., and SDSS J151413.72+454911.9, which we identified as a CV/ZZ Ceti hybrid. In this Letter we present the results of the remote observations of these targets performed with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) during the Nordic-Baltic Research School at Moletai Observatory, and follow-up observations executed by NOT in service mode. We also present three candidates we found to be non-pulsating. The results of our observations show that the main pulsation frequencies agree with those found in previous CV/ZZ Ceti hybrids, but specifically for SDSS 1339 the principal period differs slightly between individual observations and also from the recent independent observation by Gansicke et al. Analysis of SDSS colour data for the small sample of pulsating and non-pulsating CV/ZZ Ceti hybrids found so far seems to indicate that the r - i colour could be a good marker for the instability strip of this class of pulsating WDs. (Less)
Energy-oriented compiler optimizations for partitioned memory architectures

Due to low power requirements of many embedded/portable devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers and dramatic increases in clock frequencies of general-purpose processors, lowpower software technology is becoming increasingly important in system design. Many applications from image and video processing as well as from dense linear algebra are array-dominated and data-intensive, thereby spending a major portion of their execution time and energy in the memory subsystem. This paper presents a compiler-based optimization framework that targets reducing the energy consumption in a partitioned off-chip memory architecture that contains multiple memory banks by organizing the order of computations and the layout of data. The optimizations considered in this work take advantage of low-power operating modes and the partitioned (multi-bank) structure of the off-chip memory. Our preliminary experiments show that the proposed framework improves memory energy by up to 86% over a scheme that keeps all the memory banks in the active (fully-operational) operating mode all the time, and up to 70% over a scheme that utilizes low-power operating modes without doing any loop and data optimizations.
Map-based lane and obstacle-free area detection

With the emergence of intelligent Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (i-ADAS), the need for effective detection of vehicular surroundings is considered a necessity. The effectiveness of such systems directly depends on their performance in various environments such as rural and urban roads, and highways. Most of the current lane detection techniques are not suitable for urban roads with complex lane shapes and frequent occlusions. We propose a map-based lane detection approach which can robustly detect the lanes in urban and rural environments, and highways. We also present an algorithm for detecting obstacle-free areas in detected lanes based on the stereo depth maps of driving scenes. Experiments show that our approach reliably detects lanes and obstacle free areas within them, even in case of partially occluded or worn-off lane markers.
A New Family of Two-Wheeled Mobile Robots: Modeling and Controllability

This paper introduces a new family of two-wheeled mobile robots. The mathematical model of the proposed robots is formulated along with a controllability analysis, also taking into account the oscillations of the intermediate body. We prove that it is possible to completely control these robots using only the wheel motors, while tracking a desired path
The quantitative analysis of thin specimens: a review of progress from the Cliff‐Lorimer to the new ζ‐factor methods

A new quantitative thin‐film X‐ray analysis procedure termed the ζ‐factor method is proposed. This new ζ‐factor method overcomes the two major limitations of the conventional Cliff‐Lorimer method for quantification: (1) use of pure‐element rather than multielement, thin‐specimen standards and (2) built‐in X‐ray absorption correction with simultaneous thickness determination. Combined with a universal, standard, thin specimen, a series of ζ‐factors covering a significant fraction of the periodic table can be estimated. This ζ‐factor estimation can also provide information about both the detector efficiency and the microscope–detector interface system. Light‐element analysis can also be performed more easily because of the built‐in absorption correction. Additionally, the new ζ‐factor method has several advantages over the Cliff‐Lorimer ratio method because information on the specimen thickness at the individual analysis points is produced simultaneously with compositions, thus permitting concurrent determination of the spatial resolution and the analytical sensitivity. In this work, details of the ζ‐factor method and how it improves on the Cliff‐Lorimer approach are demonstrated, along with several applications.
Firm Dynamics and Institutional Participation: A Case Study on Informality of Micro Enterprises in Peru

Using panel data on micro enterprises from Peru we find evidence suggesting that firm dynamics explain “formality,” where formality is recast as the firm’s decision to participate in societal institutions. The results suggest that differences in unobservable factors, such as entrepreneurial ability, contribute largely to differences in growth rates, survival chances, and societal participation. After controlling for such unobserved heterogeneity, we find that the probability of participation increases with firm size but not with years in business. Changes in participation status are sensitive to the initial size and growth trajectory of the firm.
Overview of the 1st International Competition on Wikipedia Vandalism Detection

This paper overviews 9 vandalism detectors that have been developed and evaluated within PAN'10. We start with a survey of 55 different kinds of fea- tures employed in the detectors. Then, the detectors' performances are evaluated in detail based on precision, recall, and the receiver operating characteristic. Fi- nally, we set up a meta detector that combines all detectors into one, which turns out to outperform even the best performing detector.
Proving correctness via free theorems: the case of the destroy/build-rule

Free theorems feature prominently in the field of program transformation for pure functional languages such as Haskell. However, somewhat disappointingly, the semantic properties of so based transformations are often established only very superficially. This paper is intended as a case study showing how to use the existing theoretical foundations and formal methods for improving the situation. To that end, we investigate the correctness issue for a new transformation rule in the short cut fusion family. This destroy/build-rule provides a certain reconciliation between the competing foldr/build- and destroy/unfoldr-approaches to eliminating intermediate lists. Our emphasis is on systematically and rigorously developing the rule's correctness proof, even while paying attention to semantic aspects like potential nontermination and mixed strict/nonstrict evaluation.
One-shot solution of a time-dependent time-periodic PDE-constrained optimization problem

In this paper we describe the efficient solution of a PDE-constrained optimization problem subject to the time-periodic heat equation. We propose a space-time formulation for which we develop a monolithic solver. We present preconditioners well suited to approximate the Schur-complement of the saddle point system associated with the first order conditions. This means that in addition to a Richardson iteration based preconditioner we also introduce a preconditioner based on the tensor product structure of the PDE discretization, which allows the use of a FFT based preconditioner. We also consider additional bound constraints that can be treated using a semi-smooth Newton method. Moreover, we introduce robust preconditioners with respect to the regularization parameter. Numerical results will illustrate the competitiveness and flexibility of our approach.
Syndromic Surveillance using Generic Medical Entities on Twitter

Public health surveillance is challenging due to difﬁculties accessing medical data in real-time. We present a novel, effective and computationally inexpensive method for syndromic surveillance using Twitter data. The proposed method uses a regression model on a database previously built using named entity recognition to identify mentions of symptoms, disorders and pharmacological substances over GNIP Decahose Twitter data. The result of our method is compared to the reported weekly ﬂu and Lyme disease rates from the US Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Our method predicts the 2014 CDC reported ﬂu prevalence with 94.9% Spearman correlation using 2012 and 2013 CDC ﬂu statistics as training data, and the CDC Lyme disease rate for July to December 2014 with 89.6% Spearman correlation. It also predicts the prevalences for the same diseases and time periods using the Twitter data from the previous week with 93.31% and 86.9% Spearman correlations respectively.
A DOF state controllable & driving shared solution for building a hyper-redundant chain robot

This paper puts forward a novel design solution for building a 3D hyper-redundant chain robot (HRCR) system, which consists of linked, identical modules and one base module. All the joints of this HRCR are passive and state controllable, and share common inputs introduced by wire-driven control, no matter how many degrees of freedom (DOF) are implemented using different numbers of modules. The prototype developed here, named 3D-Trunk, is used as a proof of concept. We will present here its concept, mechanical and embedded controller design and the implementation.
Microbubbles coupled to methotrexate-loaded liposomes for ultrasound-mediated delivery of methotrexate across the blood–brain barrier

Methotrexate (MTX) is the single most effective agent for the treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma. Currently, the delivery of MTX to the brain is achieved by high systemic doses, which cause severe long-term neurotoxicity, or intrathecal administration, which is highly invasive and may lead to infections or hemorrhagic complications. Acoustically active microbubbles have been developed as drug carriers for the noninvasive and brain-targeted delivery of therapeutics. However, their application is limited by their low drug-loading capacity. To overcome this limitation, we prepared microbubbles coupled to MTX-loaded liposomes using ZHIFUXIAN, a novel type of microbubbles with a superior safety profile and long circulation time. MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles had a high drug-loading capacity of 8.91%±0.86%, and their size (2.64±0.93 μm in diameter) was suitable for intravenous injection. When used with ultrasound, they showed more potent in vitro cytotoxicity against Walker-256 cancer cells than MTX alone or MTX-loaded liposomes. When Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to sonication, administration of these MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles via the tail vein led to targeted disruption of the blood–brain barrier without noticeable tissue or capillary damage. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the brain MTX concentration showed that MTX delivery to the brain followed the order of MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles + ultrasound (25.3±2.4 μg/g) > unmodified ZHIFUXIAN + MTX + ultrasound (18.6±2.2 μg/g) > MTX alone (6.97±0.75 μg/g) > MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles (2.92±0.39 μg/g). Therefore, treatment with MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles and ultrasound resulted in a significantly higher brain MTX concentration than all other treatments (P<0.01). These results suggest that MTX-liposome-coupled microbubbles may hold great promise as new and effective therapies for primary central nervous system lymphoma and other central nervous system malignancies.
Pattern recognition in medical imaging by means of the Hough transform of curves

The Hough transform is a classical pattern recognition algorithm used to detect straight lines, circles and ellipses in images. Recently, algebraic geometry arguments have been applied to generalize this approach to special classes of curves. Here we provide preliminary results showing that this method can be utilized for the recognition of compact bone profiles in clinical X-ray tomography images and therefore potentially represents an effective computational tool for applications in hematology and oncology.
ESTIMATION USING CHORD TEMPLATES AND HMM

This document describes a submission to the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation eXchange in the Audio Chord Recognition task. A set of chroma vectors representing the pitch content of the audio file over time is extracted. From these observations the chord progression is then estimated using hidden Markov models. The system takes into account the presence of higher harmonics of pitch notes and includes some music knowledge. In this approach, no training is needed.
Quasi-asynchronous migration: a novel migration protocol for PVM tasks

Process migration is a desirable and useful facility for the Network of Workstations (NOW). This paper presents a novel migration protocol called quasi-asynchronous migration for PVM tasks, which allows non-migrating tasks to execute during most of the time of migration. Message flushing and message delaying are the key mechanisms used in quasi-asynchronous migration. Because the protocol is implemented on top of PVM and at user-level, it is both transparent to users and portable. Both the analysis of the migration protocol and the experimental results show that quasi-asynchronous migration has lower overhead than other migration protocols.
A survey on web modeling approaches for ubiquitous web applications

Purpose – Ubiquitous web applications (UWA) are a new type of web applications which are accessed in various contexts, i.e. through different devices, by users with various interests, at anytime from anyplace around the globe. For such full-fledged, complex software systems, a methodologically sound engineering approach in terms of model-driven engineering (MDE) is crucial. Several modeling approaches have already been proposed that capture the ubiquitous nature of web applications, each of them having different origins, pursuing different goals and providing a pantheon of concepts. This paper aims to give an in-depth comparison of seven modeling approaches supporting the development of UWAs. Design/methodology/approach – This methodology is conducted by applying a detailed set of evaluation criteria and by demonstrating its applicability on basis of an exemplary tourism web application. In particular, five commonly found ubiquitous scenarios are investigated, thus providing initial insight into the modeling concepts of each approach as well as to facilitate their comparability. Findings – The results gained indicate that many modeling approaches lack a proper MDE foundation in terms of meta-models and tool support. The proposed modeling mechanisms for ubiquity are often limited, since they neither cover all relevant context factors in an explicit, self-contained, and extensible way, nor allow for a wide spectrum of extensible adaptation operations. The provided modeling concepts frequently do not allow dealing with all different parts of a web application in terms of its content, hypertext, and presentation levels as well as their structural and behavioral features. Finally, current modeling approaches do not reflect the crosscutting nature of ubiquity but rather intermingle context and adaptation issues with the core parts of a web application, thus hampering maintainability and extensibility. Originality/value – Different from other surveys in the area of modeling web applications, this paper specifically considers modeling concepts for their ubiquitous nature, together with an investigation of available support for MDD in a comprehensive way, using a well-defined as well as fine-grained catalogue of more than 30 evaluation criteria.
Improving XCS performance on overlapping binary problems

Extended classifier systems (XCS) suffer from suboptimal performance when the optimal classifiers of the functions they deal with overlap. As this overlap is the property of Boolean functions and the generalization capabilities of the ternary alphabet {0,1,#}, it is necessary to improve XCS to better deal with those functions that make up most of the possible Boolean functions. This paper proposes two techniques that improve XCS performance, both in terms of system and population state metrics. The first technique, termed Essentiality Assessment, alters the current fitness update mechanism by disallowing competition between potentially essential classifiers. The second technique, named Individualized Learning Rate, proposes an individually computed learning rate for each classifier based on the level of generality of each classifier. The results obtained show improvement and significance both in absolute and statistical terms, for the vast majority of system and population state metrics. This paper is a contribution toward improving XCS performance when dealing with single-step problems that necessarily require overlapping classifiers for their optimal solution.