Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On improved bounds on the decoding error probability of block codes over interleaved fading channels, with applications to turbo-like codes

We derive here improved upper bounds on the decoding error probability of block codes which are transmitted over fully interleaved Rician fading channels, coherently detected and maximum-likelihood (ML) decoded. We assume that the fading coefficients during each symbol are statistically independent (due to a perfect channel interleaver), and that perfect estimates of these fading coefficients are provided to the receiver. The improved upper bounds on the block and bit error probabilities are derived for fully interleaved fading channels with various orders of space diversity, and are found by generalizing some previously introduced upper bounds for the binary-input additive white Gaussian nose (AWGN) channel. The advantage of these bounds over the ubiquitous union bound is demonstrated for some ensembles of turbo codes and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, and it is especially pronounced in a portion of the rate region exceeding the cutoff rate. Our generalization of the Duman and Salehi bound (Duman and Salehi 1998, Duman 1998) which is based on certain variations of Gallager's (1965) bounding technique, is demonstrated to be the tightest reported upper bound. We therefore apply it to calculate numerically upper bounds on the thresholds of some ensembles of turbo-like codes, referring to the optimal ML decoding. For certain ensembles of uniformly interleaved turbo codes, the upper bounds derived here also indicate good match with computer simulation results of efficient iterative decoding algorithms.
Hardware-efficient implementation of a Femtocell/Macrocell interference-mitigation technique for high-performance LTE-based systems

This paper presents the FPGA design of an interference-aware digital front end tailored for heterogeneous multi-cell LTE-based systems. A resource-optimized RTL architecture has been implemented and validated under realistic operating conditions using the GEDOMIS® testbed. The parallelization and concurrent resource utilization of the joint synchronization and interference detection processing blocks is covered with low-level details.
Psychiatric illness following traumatic brain injury in an adult health maintenance organization population.

BACKGROUND Psychiatric illness after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been shown to be prevalent in hospitalized and tertiary care patient populations. OBJECTIVE To determine the risk of psychiatric illness after TBI in an adult health maintenance organization population. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Large staff-model health maintenance organization. PARTICIPANTS Nine hundred thirty-nine health plan members diagnosed as having TBI in 1993 and enrolled in the prior year, during which no TBI was ascertained. Three health plan members per TBI-exposed subject were randomly selected as unexposed comparisons, matched for age, sex, and reference date. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Psychiatric illness in the 3 years after the TBI reference date, determined using computerized records of psychiatric diagnoses according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, prescriptions, and service utilization. RESULTS Prevalence of any psychiatric illness in the first year was 49% following moderate to severe TBI, 34% following mild TBI, and 18% in the comparison group. Among subjects without psychiatric illness in the prior year, the adjusted relative risk for any psychiatric illness in the 6 months following moderate to severe TBI was 4.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4-6.8) and following mild TBI was 2.8 (95% CI, 2.1-3.7; P<.001) compared with those without TBI. Among subjects with prior psychiatric illness, the adjusted relative risk for any psychiatric illness in the 6 months following moderate to severe TBI was 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3-3.3) and following mild TBI was 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2-2.0; P =.005). Prior psychiatric illness significantly modified the relationship between TBI and subsequent psychiatric illness (P =.04) and was a significant predictor (P<.001). Persons with mild TBI and prior psychiatric illness had evidence of persisting psychiatric illness. CONCLUSIONS Both moderate to severe and mild TBI are associated with an increased risk of subsequent psychiatric illness. Whereas moderate to severe TBI is associated with a higher initial risk, mild TBI may be associated with persistent psychiatric illness.
Regularized Risk Minimization by Nesterov's Accelerated Gradient Methods: Algorithmic Extensions and Empirical Studies

Nesterov's accelerated gradient methods (AGM) have been successfully applied in many machine learning areas. However, their empirical performance on training max-margin models has been inferior to existing specialized solvers. In this paper, we first extend AGM to strongly convex and composite objective functions with Bregman style prox-functions. Our unifying framework covers both the $\infty$-memory and 1-memory styles of AGM, tunes the Lipschiz constant adaptively, and bounds the duality gap. Then we demonstrate various ways to apply this framework of methods to a wide range of machine learning problems. Emphasis will be given on their rate of convergence and how to efficiently compute the gradient and optimize the models. The experimental results show that with our extensions AGM outperforms state-of-the-art solvers on max-margin models.
SVM-Based decision fusion model for detecting concepts in films

This paper studies a support vector machine (SVM) to obtain a decision fusion algorithm for detection of semantic concepts in videos, and its application to films database. Given a movie clip, its spatio-temporal information is captured by audiovisual features. These are then independently inputted to the corresponding matching experts whose outputs are fused at the decision stage by the SVM classifier. Based on our simulation results, this fusion method can attain very high recognition accuracy for detection of various concepts from a collection of Hollywood movies. It requires a very small set of training samples from a large database.
Enhancing Physical Activity and Brain Reorganization after Stroke

It is becoming increasingly clear that, if reorganization of brain function is to be optimal after stroke, there needs to be a reorganisation of the methods used in physical rehabilitation and the time spent in specific task practice, strength and endurance training, and aerobic exercise. Frequency and intensity of rehabilitation need to be increased so that patients can gain the energy levels and vigour necessary for participation in physical activity both during rehabilitation and after discharge. It is evident that many patients are discharged from inpatient rehabilitation severely deconditioned, meaning that their energy levels are too low for active participation in daily life. Physicians, therapists, and nursing staff responsible for rehabilitation practice should address this issue not only during inpatient rehabilitation but also after discharge by promoting and supporting community-based exercise opportunities. During inpatient rehabilitation, group sessions should be frequent and need to include specific aerobic training. Physiotherapy must take advantage of the training aids available, including exercise equipment such as treadmills, and of new developments in computerised feedback systems, robotics, and electromechanical trainers. For illustrative purposes, this paper focuses on the role of physiotherapists, but the necessary changes in practice and in attitude will require cooperation from many others.
On Bayesian Inference for Stochastic Kinetic Models using Diffusion Approximations

This paper is concerned with the Bayesian estimation of stochastic rate constants in the context of dynamic models of intra-cellular processes. The underlying discrete stochastic kinetic model is replaced by a diffusion approximation (or stochastic differential equation approach) where a white noise term models stochastic behaviour and the model is identified using equispaced time course data. The estimation framework involves the introduction of m−1 latent data points between every pair of observations. MCMC methods are then used to sample the posterior distribution of the latent process and the model parameters.
Traceability ReARMed

Traceability links connect artifacts in software engineering models to allow tracing in a variety of use cases. Common to any of these use cases is that one can easily find related artifacts by following these links. Traceability links can significantly reduce the risk and cost of change in a software development project. However, finding, creating and maintaining these links is costly in most cases. In any real-world project of significant size the creation and maintenance of traceability links requires tool support.In this paper, we propose a novel approach to support the automation of traceability link recovery based on Association Rule Mining and operation-based change tracking.Traceability link recovery is the activity of finding missing or lost traceability links. Our approach automatically generates a list of candidate links based on the project history along with a score of support and confidence for every candidate link. We transformed the data from an operation based change tracking system to sets of frequent items,which serve as input for Association Rule Mining (ARM). We applied our approach to data from a software development project with more than 40 developers and assessed the quality of the candidate links in interviews.
Previous Research on Returnee Entrepreneurship

Despite the growing research interest in the phenomena of diaspora entrepreneurship and its increasing importance for societies and economies, previous researchers also focused on a specific version of diaspora entrepreneurship – returnee entrepreneurship. Returnee entrepreneurs refer to individuals, who start a new business in their home country after spending many years in a host country that may offer a high level of skills. As a result, they are in a position to contribute to the economic success of the country of origin. This contribution may build on a transfer of knowledge, practices, and their international networks to their home country. In order to address the key question: which aspects of returnee entrepreneurship have been studied so far and why, the study exposes some research gaps in the field. An inductive approach with a systematic literature analysis was chosen. Therefore, the paper investigates the selected studies by using different criteria: discipline, methodology, country of origin and industry. Half of the articles focus on China, especially the Chinese Science Park Zhongguancun in Beijing. Due to this fact, the articles address the high-tech industry, supposing the IT and service sectors are low-barrier-to-entry markets with huge growing potential. Further studies could focus on countries outside Asia, e.g. Eastern Europe or Africa, ‘rich-to-rich’ returnees or determine the necessary time for a returnee starting a business. Additionally, generations as well as age groups can be compared or the educational background and the macro and micro levels could be examined in future research.
Wood-based biodiesel in Finland: Market-mediated impacts on emissions and costs.

Renewable energy targets create an increasing demand for bioenergy and transportation biofuels across the EU region. In Finland, forest biomass is the main bioenergy source and appears to be the most promising source for transportation biofuel production. In this study, a biodiesel strategy based on domestic forest biomass is analysed using an integrated modelling framework. A market-oriented framework is applied to estimate the potential greenhouse gas impacts of achieving a national transport biofuel target (10% vs. 20% of total consumption) under the current climate and energy policy obligations. The cost-minimising adaptation of the energy system to policy targets, the demand for wood biomass and emissions from the energy system including the transportation sector are described using the energy system model EPOLA – a dynamic linear optimization model. The resulting response of the Finnish forests (their carbon balance) to the increasing demand for wood biomass is modelled using the EFISCEN forest model. The analysis demonstrates the importance of including market-mediated impacts in the analysis. The majority of adjustments toward the biofuel target takes place in the ETS sector, among the energy producers participating in the EU Emission Trading System, even though the transportation biofuel target is set within the non-ETS sector. The demand for wood in biorefineries raises the wood price thereby weakening its competitive position against fossil fuels. In consequence, wood is likely to be partly replaced by fossil fuels within the ETS sector, for example in district heating. In addition, biorefineries would increase the total use of electricity. Thus, fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions in the ETS sector within the Finnish borders would increase. Total cumulative emissions, including the non-ETS sector and the forest carbon balance, are slightly lower in the biodiesel scenarios than in the baselines. In transport and in the non-ETS sector in general, the decrease in emissions takes full effect immediately, whilst the decrease in carbon sink in the Finnish forests appears to be gradual. The impact on the carbon sink is fairly small because wood harvesting increases by less than the amount of wood used for biodiesel production. The increase in emissions from the Finnish ETS sector is not accounted for in the total emissions, because at the EU level, emissions in the ETS sector are fixed. Any increase in ETS emissions in Finland has to be compensated by the purchase of emission allowances, and the corresponding emission reduction takes place elsewhere in the ETS area. The possible carbon leakage due to the increased use of forest or imported biomass elsewhere in the EU is excluded from this analysis. Biodiesel proves not to be a cost-effective measure for attaining climate or renewables targets. This is due to the low efficiency of the biodiesel chain in displacing fossil diesel emissions. Just from the mitigation point of view, the direct burning of solid wood biomass in energy-efficient boilers should be favoured.
Morphometry Based on Effective and Accurate Correspondences of Localized Patterns (MEACOLP)

Local features in volumetric images have been used to identify correspondences of localized anatomical structures for brain morphometry. However, the correspondences are often sparse thus ineffective in reflecting the underlying structures, making it unreliable to evaluate specific morphological differences. This paper presents a morphometry method (MEACOLP) based on correspondences with improved effectiveness and accuracy. A novel two-level scale-invariant feature transform is used to enhance the detection repeatability of local features and to recall the correspondences that might be missed in previous studies. Template patterns whose correspondences could be commonly identified in each group are constructed to serve as the basis for morphometric analysis. A matching algorithm is developed to reduce the identification errors by comparing neighboring local features and rejecting unreliable matches. The two-sample t-test is finally adopted to analyze specific properties of the template patterns. Experiments are performed on the public OASIS database to clinically analyze brain images of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (NC). MEACOLP automatically identifies known morphological differences between AD and NC brains, and characterizes the differences well as the scaling and translation of underlying structures. Most of the significant differences are identified in only a single hemisphere, indicating that AD-related structures are characterized by strong anatomical asymmetry. In addition, classification trials to differentiate AD subjects from NC confirm that the morphological differences are reliably related to the groups of interest.
Lateral collateral ligament repair Anatomical ligament reinsertion with augmentation using inferior extensor retinaculum flaps Electronic

Objective. For chronic lateral ankle instability an anatomical repair procedure of the lateral collateral ligaments (LCL) of the ankle with augmentation by an inferior extensor retinaculum (IER) flap is proposed. Indications. To treat the mechanical parts of an instable ankle involving both LCL and subtalar joint ligament damage. Contraindications. This technique is not suitable when the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) are in a poor anatomical condition (exhaustive preoperative lesion mapping mandatory). Surgical technique. This technique combines the reinsertion of the remnants of the lateral ligaments of the ankle, the ATFL and the CFL using anchors, with augmentation using an inferior extensor retinaculum flap fixed in a tunnel by an interference screw. This flap works as an actual neoligament, providing not only reinforcement and collagen input but also peripheral stabilization of the subtalar joint by its calcaneal insertion and reinforcing the CFL stabilizing effect. Postoperative management. Following immediate immobilization in an anklefoot orthosis, proprioceptive physiotherapy exercises are initiatedwith a return to sports depending on the type of sport. Results. The postoperative outcomes and long-term follow-up results of this technique are discussed.
Efficient search ranking in social networks

In social networks such as Orkut, www.orkut. com, a large portion of the user queries refer to names of other people. Indeed, more than 50% of the queries in Orkut are about names of other users, with an average of 1.8 terms per query. Further, the users usually search for people with whom they maintain relationships in the network. These relationships can be modelled as edges in a friendship graph, a graph in which the nodes represent the users. In this context, search ranking can be modelled as a function that depends on the distances among users in the graph, more specifically, of shortest paths in the friendship graph. However, application of this idea to ranking is not straightforward because the large size of modern social networks (dozens of millions of users) prevents efficient computation of shortest paths at query time. We overcome this by designing a ranking formula that strikes a balance between producing good results and reducing query processing time. Using data from the Orkut social network, which includes over 40 million users, we show that our ranking, augmented by this new signal, produces high quality results, while maintaining query processing time small.
Definition of a methodology to adapt a model of steering assistance and its experimental validation

This document is a preliminary version of the working report concerning the work packages 5.3 and 5.4 of the project VolHand 09 VTT 14, that are in charge to the Gipsa-Lab. In this working report, authors introduce the general architecture used to simulate the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system. In this rst part, the models, the controller and the observer used for the simulation are introduced. Then, the methodology used to adapt the model to a driver with reduced mobility is described in detail. Finally, the experimental validation of this general architecture is proposed. Section 2 refers to the work-package Gipsa-Comp. Section 3 concerns the work-package Gipsa-Obs. Section 4 is dedicated to the work-package Gipsa-Booster. The work-package Gipsa-Tune is under development.
Effect of talking on mean arterial blood pressure: Agreement between manual auscultatory and automatic oscillometric techniques

This study aimed to provide quantitative clinical data on the comparison of the effect of talking on both manual and automatic blood pressure (BP) measurements. Manual auscultatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) were obtained from 20 healthy subjects under resting and talking conditions. During the measurement the oscillometric cuff pressure was also recorded digitally. Manual mean arterial pressure (MAP) was calculated from the empirical equation. Automated MAP was determined from the peak of the 6th order polynomial model envelope fitted to the sequence of oscillometric pulse amplitudes. The effect of talking on both manual and automated MAPs was then quantified and compared. Talking increased both manual and automated MAPs significantly by 5.4 mmHg and 5.2 mmHg respectively in comparison with those from the resting condition (both P<0.001). The increases of manual and automated MAPs were moderately correlated with a regression slope of 0.87 and R square value of 0.4. Our results provide scientific support for measurement protocols asking subjects not to talk during the measurement.
High imatinib dose overcomes insufficient response associated with ABCG2 haplotype in chronic myelogenous leukemia patients

Pharmacogenetic studies in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) typically use a candidate gene approach. In an alternative strategy, we analyzed the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in drug transporter genes on the molecular response to imatinib, using a DNA chip containing 857 SNPs covering 94 drug transporter genes. Two cohorts of CML patients treated with imatinib were evaluated: an exploratory cohort including 105 patients treated at 400 mg/d and a validation cohort including patients sampled from the 400 mg/d and 600 mg/d arms of the prospective SPIRIT trial (n=239). Twelve SNPs discriminating patients according to cumulative incidence of major molecular response (CI-MMR) were identified within the exploratory cohort. Three of them, all located within the ABCG2 gene, were validated in patients included in the 400 mg/d arm of the SPIRIT trial. We identified an ABCG2 haplotype (define as G-G, rs12505410 and rs2725252) as associated with significantly higher CI-MMR in patients treated at 400 mg/d. Interestingly, we found that patients carrying this ABCG2 “favorable” haplotype in the 400 mg arm reached similar CI-MMR rates that patients randomized in the imatinib 600 mg/d arm. Our results suggest that response to imatinib may be influenced by constitutive haplotypes in drug transporter genes. Lower response rates associated with “non-favorable” ABCG2 haplotypes may be overcome by increasing the imatinib daily dose up to 600 mg/d.
Motion control of an underactuated spherical robot: A hierarchical sliding-mode approach with disturbance estimation

The inner suspension of a spherical robot undergoes an underactuated state which will be difficult for the underactuated system control, when the robot is rolling ahead. To resolve this underactuated control problem, an adaptive hierarchical sliding mode control scheme is proposed. The spherical robot system is separated as shell subsystem and inner suspension subsystem according to the movement. Then a pair of first layer sliding surfaces is defined for each subsystem, by which the equivalent control law is derived to ensure states of each subsystem approaching to their own sliding mode surface. Based on the first layer sliding surface, a second layer surface is defined correspondingly, through which a total control law is given to make sure that all states can converge to their desired value via Lyapunov stability theorem. Meanwhile, considering the unavoidable and uncertain disturbance in the unstructured exploration environment, an adaptive hierarchical sliding mode control scheme is adopted to estimate the uncertain disturbances in real-time. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate the controller's adaptability and validity.