Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic development of nonlinear analog circuit macromodels through successive operator composition and nonlinear model decoupling

This paper presents a systematic methodology for developing structural nonlinear macromodels for analog circuits. The methodology includes two steps: first, a nonlinear system is represented as a system with nonlinear inputs and linearly coupled blocks. Then, the linear couplings are removed. The methodology also uses description of circuit nonlinearities as a successive composition of three operators. The generated nonlinear models are scalable, tunable according to the required accuracy, and offer insight into the circuit operation
Distance measurement and error estimation scheme for RSSI based localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

With the advent of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN's) covering a whole gamut of applications which is getting broader by the day and it is indeed necessary to study the nuances in WSN out of which aforementioned is one. WSN's consists of large number of deployed sensor nodes and a base node for aggregating data from deployed sensor nodes. Wireless Sensor Network's (WSN) are attribute based and they are not concerned about the location of deployed sensor node from which the base node is receiving the data. In certain specific applications like health monitoring systems, tracking systems and dynamic networks, the location of transmitting node is essential. Location of the deployed sensor nodes can be found either by TOA, TDOA or Received Signal Strength (RSS) measurements. In this paper we tried to estimate the approximated distances of deployed sensor nodes using RSS measurements. The estimated distances can be further used for locating the position of deployed sensor nodes. The working model has been realised in TinyOs and RSS measurements are made using Telosb nodes.
Foster Family Characteristics, Kinship, and Permanence

Using administrative data describing 22,311 foster family placements in Illinois, this study examines the relations between foster family demographic characteristics and children’s permanency outcomes. The extent to which these relations differ for placements with kinship and nonkinship families is also examined. Results suggest that the age and race or ethnicity of foster parents, as well as foster family wage income and fostering history, predict the disposition and timing of children’s exit from care. Results also suggest that the relation between foster family kinship status and permanence is moderated by several foster family characteristics. Moreover, the relations between some of these characteristics and children’s permanency outcomes are found to differ by the type of placement (with kinship or nonkinship families). Finally, results suggest that the relation between child race and adoption is moderated by foster parent race. Implications for child welfare policy and scholarship are discussed.
Disaster Management and Response for Modern Cellular Networks Using Flow-Based Multi-Hop Device-to-Device Communications

Modern wireless broadband networks are crucial for different mission-critical applications and public safety agencies. Various natural disasters and physical attacks would result in the malfunction or failure of wireless and cellular infrastructures. This subsequently affects the correct functioning of the dependent mission- critical applications. Thus, disaster management and response is of great importance. In this paper, we focus on disaster response using D2D communications to extend the coverage of base stations, and on controller-assisted routing to maximize the total end-to-end throughput for all of the current flows from the area without network coverage using the ant colony optimization. The proposed routing scheme outperforms the schemes based on the shortest path routing in terms of the total throughput as well as fairness in allocating the rates to the flows.
Idealized coinductive type systems for imperative object-oriented programs

In recent work we have proposed a novel approach to define idealized type systems for object-oriented languages, based on abstract compilation of programs into Horn formulas which are interpreted w.r. t. the coinductive (that is, the greatest) Herbrand model. In this paper we investigate how this approach can be applied also in the presence of imperative features. This is made possible by considering a natural translation of Static Single Assignment intermediate form programs into Horn formulas, where φ functions correspond to union types.
SIFT-Realistic Rendering

3D localization approaches establish correspondences between points in a query image and a 3D point cloud reconstruction of the environment. Traditionally, the dataBase models are created from photographs using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) techniques, which requires large collections of densely sampled images. In this paper, we address the question how point cloud data from terrestrial laser scanners can be used instead to significantly reduce the data collection effort and enable more scalable localization. The key change here is that, in contrast to SfM points, laser-scanned 3D points are not automatically associated with local image features that could be matched to query image features. In order to make this data usable for image-Based localization, we explore how point cloud rendering techniques can be leveraged to create virtual views from which dataBase features can be extracted that match real image-Based features as closely as possible. We propose different rendering techniques for this task, experimentally quantify how they affect feature repeatability, and demonstrate their benefit for image-Based localization.
Nonlinear waveform inversion by use of the regularized dual averaging method for ultrasound computed tomography

Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) is a promising medical imaging modality that offers several novel tissue contrasts and holds great potential for breast cancer screening. Waveform inversion-based image reconstruction methods account for higher order diffraction effects and can produce high-resolution USCT images, but are computationally demanding. Recently, a source encoding technique was combined with stochastic gradient descent (SGD) to greatly reduce image reconstruction times. However, this method bundles the stochastic data fidelity term with the deterministic regularization term. This non-optimal approach can be overcome by replacing stochastic gradient descent with a structured optimization method, such as the regularized dual averaging (RDA) method, that exploits knowledge of the composition of the cost function. In this work, the dual averaging method is combined with source encoding techniques to improve the effectiveness of regularization while maintaining the reduced reconstruction times afforded by source encoding. It is demonstrated that, for a particular choice of regularization function, each iteration can be decomposed into a gradient descent step based on the data fidelity term and a proximal update step corresponding to the regularization term. Furthermore, the regularization term is never explicitly differentiated, allowing non-smooth regularization penalties to be naturally incorporated. The wave equation is solved by use of a time-domain k-space pseudo-spectral method, implemented on general-purpose graphics processing units. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through computer simulation and experimental studies. The results suggest that the dual averaging method can produce images with less noise and comparable resolution to those obtained by use of stochastic gradient descent.
Investigation of the effect of three-dimensional smoothing on multiview stereo images

Future stereoscopic (3D) systems will become multiview capable to allow for the user to experience a more realistic 3D experience since they will not be limited to one view. This will help to make 3D technology more realistic, however, viewing discomfort will still be an issue. When viewing stereoscopic images, one cause of viewing discomfort can be attributed to the images appearing unnaturally sharp across the entire range of depth. To correct this problem for multiview images, a 3D filtering approach is proposed that will reduce the computation time required since the filter need only be applied once, whereas conventional 2D filtering techniques would be required to be performed 2n times (where n is the number of views). After conducting an initial experiment on 15 people, the proposed filter (on average) received similar ratings for discomfort and naturalness, when compared to the well established 2D bilateral filters. The benefit of this work is that it can provide an alternative method for filtering multiview images at a low cost, while obtaining similar results to bilateral filters, making it a useful filter for a wide range of future multiview stereo systems/applications.
Systematic analysis of video data from different human–robot interaction studies: a categorization of social signals during error situations

Human–robot interactions are often affected by error situations that are caused by either the robot or the human. Therefore, robots would profit from the ability to recognize when error situations occur. We investigated the verbal and non-verbal social signals that humans show when error situations occur in human–robot interaction experiments. For that, we analyzed 201 videos of five human–robot interaction user studies with varying tasks from four independent projects. The analysis shows that there are two types of error situations: social norm violations and technical failures. Social norm violations are situations in which the robot does not adhere to the underlying social script of the interaction. Technical failures are caused by technical shortcomings of the robot. The results of the video analysis show that the study participants use many head movements and very few gestures, but they often smile, when in an error situation with the robot. Another result is that the participants sometimes stop moving at the beginning of error situations. We also found that the participants talked more in the case of social norm violations and less during technical failures. Finally, the participants use fewer non-verbal social signals (for example smiling, nodding, and head shaking), when they are interacting with the robot alone and no experimenter or other human is present. The results suggest that participants do not see the robot as a social interaction partner with comparable communication skills. Our findings have implications for builders and evaluators of human–robot interaction systems. The builders need to consider including modules for recognition and classification of head movements to the robot input channels. The evaluators need to make sure that the presence of an experimenter does not skew the results of their user studies.
Long-Lasting Aberrant Tubulovesicular Membrane Inclusions Accumulate in Developing Motoneurons after a Sublethal Excitotoxic Insult: A Possible Model for Neuronal Pathology in Neurodegenerative Disease

We have previously shown that chronic treatment of chick embryos [from embryonic day 5 (E5) to E9] with NMDA rescues spinal cord motoneurons (MNs) from programmed cell death. In this situation, MNs exhibit a reduced vulnerability to acute excitotoxic lesions and downregulate NMDA and AMPA–kainate receptors. Here, we report that this treatment results in long-lasting sublethal structural changes in MNs. In Nissl-stained sections from the spinal cord of NMDA-treated embryos, MNs display an area adjacent to an eccentrically positioned nucleus in which basophilia is excluded. Ultrastructurally, MNs accumulate tubulovesicular structures surrounded by Golgi stacks. Thiamine pyrophosphatase but not acid phosphatase was detected inside the tubulovesicular structures, which are resistant to disruption by brefeldin A or monensin. Immunocytochemistry reveals changes in the content and distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide, the KDEL receptor, the early endosomal marker EEA1, and the recycling endosome marker Rab11, indicating that a dysfunction in membrane trafficking and protein sorting occurs in these MNs. FM1-43, a marker of the endocytic pathway, strongly accumulates in MNs from isolated spinal cords after chronic NMDA treatment. Changes in the distribution of cystatin C and presenilin-1 and an accumulation of amyloid precursor protein and β-amyloid product were also observed in NMDA-treated MNs. None of these alterations involve an interruption of MN-target (muscle) connections, as detected by the retrograde tracing of MNs with cholera toxin B subunit. These results demonstrate that chronic NMDA treatment induces severe changes in the motoneuronal endomembrane system that may be related to some neuropathological alterations described in human MN disease.
Branching bandits and Klimov's problem: achievable region and side constraints

Considers the average cost branching bandits problem and its special case known as Klimov's problem. The authors consider the vector n whose components are the mean number of bandits (or customers) of each type that are present. The authors characterize fully the achievable region, that is, the set of all possible vectors n that can be obtained by considering all possible policies. While the original description of the achievable region involves exponentially many constraints, the authors also develop an alternative description that involves only O(R/sup 2/) variables and constraints, where R is the number of bandit types (or customer classes). The authors then consider the problem of minimizing a linear function of n subject to L additional linear constraints on n. The authors show that optimal policies can be obtained by randomizing between L+1 strict priority policies that can be found efficiently (in polynomial time) using linear programming techniques. <<ETX>>
Explaining Mexican-Immigrant Welfare Behaviors: The Importance of Employment-Related Cultural Repertoires

Social scientists generally seek to explain welfare-related behaviors in terms of economic, social structural, or culture of poverty theories. Such explanations, however, do not account for nativity differences in public assistance receipt among immigrants of Mexican origin. This article draws on the sociology of migration and culture literatures to develop a materialist-based cultural repertoire account and attendant hypotheses to explain the welfare behaviors of Mexican immigrants. We argue that such immigrants arrive and work in the United States under circumstances that foster employment-based cultural repertoires that, compared with natives and other immigrant groups, encourage less welfare participation (in part because such repertoires lead to faster welfare exits) and more postwelfare employment. This is particularly true in states with relatively more generous welfare policies. Using individual-level data predating the Welfare Reform Act, from multiple panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) merged with state-level information on welfare benefit levels, we examine immigrant-group differences in welfare receipt, retention, and transition to employment across locales with varying levels of welfare benefits. Findings are largely consistent with our cultural repertoire account: Mexican immigrants tend to utilize welfare not primarily to avoid work, cope with disadvantage, or perpetuate a culture of dependency, but rather to minimize the effects of employment discontinuities. Such findings carry important theoretical and policy implications-implications we outline in our conclusion.
Youth-Led Organizations, the Arts, and the 411 Initiative for Change in Canada: Critical Pedagogy for the 21st Century

The purpose of this essay is to document a group of Canadian youth activists’ and artists’ perceptions and experiences with developing and sustaining an arts-based educational initiative that “undertakes public education and the promotion of civic participation of young people on social issues that frame their development within their communities. ” Through the youth activists’ and artists’ narratives, we highlight the youths’ motivation to establish this organization, the methods they use to engage their audience in social commentary and activism, how they confront and overcome barriers in schools when implementing their pedagogical initiatives, and the challenges they face in keeping their project intellectually vibrant and culturally relevant to youth. Moreover, we argue that critical pedagogues must take seriously the cultural work proffered by youth-led social justice initiatives if critical pedagogy is to remain relevant in promoting equity and social justice in schools and in society.
Ambisjoner og forpliktelse i studentgrupper Erfaringer med gruppesammensetting og samarbeid ut fra selvvalgt ambisjonsnivå

Samarbeidsproblemer er vanlig i studentgrupper, noen ganger pa bekostning av laeringsutbytte. Seleksjon og sammensetting av grupper pavirker effektivitet og klima i gruppene. I artikkelen presenteres to relaterte studier av grupper sammensatt ut fra selvrapportert ambisjonsniva. Fokuset er pa studenterfaringer med ulike metoder for gruppesammensetting og konsekvenser for gruppefungering. Studentenes opplevelser er fanget opp ved hjelp av et 9-ledds sporreskjema, innbefattende bade apne og skalabaserte svaralternativer. Resultatene indikerer signifikant bedring i gruppefungering over tid. Det framkommer ogsa vesentlig informasjon om hva studentene opplever som forutsetninger for godt samarbeid i grupper. Summary Collaboration challenges are quite common in student groups, sometimes at the expense of learning outcomes. Selection and composition of groups affect their efficiency and climate. We present two studies of groups composed on the basis of self-reported ambition level. The focus is on student experiences with two methods of composing groups. A 9-item questionnaire with open-ended and likert scale response options was used to obtain student perceptions of the methods and group functioning. The results indicate that group functioning was significantly improved over time. They also provide information of the students’ view on important premises for good collaboration in groups. (Published: 26 April 2013) Citation: Uniped 2013, 36 : 20950 - http://dx.doi. org/10.3402/uniped.v36i1. 20950
A Distributed Clonal Selection Algorithm for Optimization in Electromagnetics

This paper proposes the real-coded distributed clonal selection algorithm (DCSA) for use in electromagnetic design optimization. This algorithm employs different types of probability distributions for the mutation of the clones. In order to illustrate the efficiency of this algorithm in practical optimization problems, we compare the results obtained by DCSA with other immune and genetic algorithms over analytical problems and for the TEAM Workshop Problem 22 for the 3 and 8 variables versions. The results indicate that the DCSA is a suitable optimization tool in terms of accuracy and performance.
What is the influence of Internet on the development of e-commerce in China?

China's Internet has been over 30 years of development, but there are still many problems. According to China's 2011–2015 correlation data, the evaluation index system of internet gaps established. A clustering is on the current situation of the development of Internet of China's 31 provinces and regions. The digital divide phenomenon focus on Internet development indicators measuring is obvious in our country, and further analysis of the various regions of e-commerce transactions, Internet-based resources and the popularity of the Internet in the relationship between the degree of Internet development indexes, the study found China's e-commerce transactions on the Internet resources and the popularity of the Internet there is a certain degree of dependence.
An infectious retrovirus susceptible to an IFN antiviral pathway from human prostate tumors

We recently reported identification of a previously undescribed gammaretrovirus genome, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), in prostate cancer tissue from patients homozygous for a reduced activity variant of the antiviral enzyme RNase L. Here we constructed a full-length XMRV genome from prostate tissue RNA and showed that the molecular viral clone is replication-competent. XMRV replication in the prostate cancer cell line DU145 was sensitive to inhibition by IFN-β. However, LNCaP prostate cancer cells, which are deficient in JAK1 and RNase L, were resistant to the effects of IFN-β against XMRV. Furthermore, DU145 cells rendered deficient in RNase L with siRNA were partially resistant to IFN inhibition of XMRV. Expression in hamster cells of the xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor 1 allowed these cells to be infected by XMRV. XMRV provirus integration sites were mapped in DNA isolated from human prostate tumor tissue to genes for two transcription factors (NFATc3 and CREB5) and to a gene encoding a suppressor of androgen receptor transactivation (APPBP2/PAT1/ARA67). Our studies demonstrate that XMRV is a virus that has infected humans and is susceptible to inhibition by IFN and its downstream effector, RNase L.
Testing During Refactoring: Adding Aspects to Legacy Systems

Moving program code that implements cross-cutting concerns into aspects can improve the maintainability of legacy systems. This kind of refactoring, called aspectualization, can also introduce faults into a system. A test driven approach can identify these faults during the refactoring process so that they can be removed. We perform systematic testing as we aspectualize commercial VLSI CAD applications. The process of refactoring these applications revealed the kinds of faults that can arise during aspectualization, and helped us to develop techniques to reduce their occurrences