Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Fully Integrated BIST  $\Delta \Sigma $  ADC Using the In-Phase and Quadrature Waves Fitting Procedure

This paper demonstrates a fully integrated builtin self-test (BIST) ΔΣ analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on the proposed in-phase and quadrature waves fitting (IQWF) procedure. The IQWF procedure enables accurately measuring the phases and amplitudes of test responses so as to enhance the test accuracy of the BIST circuitry. The all-digital BIST circuitry, with on-chip stimulus generator and response analyzer, conducts single-tone functional tests to test for the ADCs characterization results such as signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR), dynamic range (DR), frequency response, input-referred offset, and gain error. Since the IQWF procedure is performed successively in real time, the BIST circuitry does not need huge memory to store all the output samples like conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis does. The overall hardware overhead only consists of 16.6 k digital gates. The fully integrated BIST ΔΣ ADC has been fabricated in 0.18-μm CMOS. Measurement results show that the BIST circuitry reports a peak SNDR of 88.0 dB and a DR of 92.6 dB while the corresponding FFT-based analog tests result in 88.8 and 94.1 dB, respectively. Particularly, the BIST circuitry achieves a test bandwidth as wide as the ADCs 20-kHz rated bandwidth, which is the widest to the best of our knowledge. The proposed BIST ADC can be tested without costly external test resources and is thus well suited for the applications in which conventional test resources are not available such as 3-D ICs.
Comparing predictions made by a prediction model, clinical score, and physicians

Summary Background: Asthma exacerbations are one of the most common medical reasons for children to be brought to the hospital emergency department (ED). Various prediction models have been proposed to support diagnosis of exacerbations and evaluation of their severity. Objectives: First, to evaluate prediction models constructed from data using machine learning techniques and to select the best performing model. Second, to compare predictions from the selected model with predictions from the Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure (PRAM) score, and predictions made by ED physicians. Design: A two-phase study conducted in the ED of an academic pediatric hospital. In phase 1 data collected prospectively using paper forms was used to construct and evaluate five prediction models, and the best performing model was selected. In phase 2 data collected prospectively using a mobile system was used to compare the predictions of the selected prediction model with those from PRAM and ED physicians. Measurements: Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and accuracy in phase 1; accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values in phase 2. Results: In phase 1 prediction models were derived from a data set of 240 patients and evaluated using 10-fold cross validation. A naive Bayes (NB) model demonstrated the best performance and it was selected for phase 2. Evaluation in phase 2 was conducted on data from 82 patients. Predictions made by the NB model were less accurate than the PRAM score and physicians (accuracy of 70.7%, 73.2% and 78.0% respectively), however, according to McNemar’s test it is not possible to conclude that the differences between predictions are statistically significant. Conclusion: Both the PRAM score and the NB model were less accurate than physicians. The NB model can handle incomplete patient data and as such may complement the PRAM score. However, it requires further research to improve its accuracy.
Power Control for Multi-Cell Networks With Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access

In this paper, we investigate the problems of sum power minimization and sum rate maximization for multi-cell networks with non-orthogonal multiple access. Considering the sum power minimization, we obtain closed-form solutions to the optimal power allocation strategy and then successfully transform the original problem to a linear one with a much smaller size, which can be optimally solved by using the standard interference function. To solve the nonconvex sum rate maximization problem, we first prove that the power allocation problem for a single cell is a convex problem. By analyzing the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions, the optimal power allocation for users in a single cell is derived in closed form. Based on the optimal solution in each cell, a distributed algorithm is accordingly proposed to acquire efficient solutions. Numerical results verify our theoretical findings showing the superiority of our solutions compared with the orthogonal frequency division multiple access and broadcast channel.
Clustering Billions of Reads for DNA Data Storage

Storing data in synthetic DNA offers the possibility of improving information density and durability by several orders of magnitude compared to current storage technologies. However, DNA data storage requires a computationally intensive process to retrieve the data. In particular, a crucial step in the data retrieval pipeline involves clustering billions of strings with respect to edit distance. Datasets in this domain have many notable properties, such as containing a very large number of small clusters that are well-separated in the edit distance metric space. In this regime, existing algorithms are unsuitable because of either their long running time or low accuracy. To address this issue, we present a novel distributed algorithm for approximately computing the underlying clusters. Our algorithm converges efficiently on any dataset that satisfies certain separability properties, such as those coming from DNA data storage systems. We also prove that, under these assumptions, our algorithm is robust to outliers and high levels of noise. We provide empirical justification of the accuracy, scalability, and convergence of our algorithm on real and synthetic data. Compared to the state-of-the-art algorithm for clustering DNA sequences, our algorithm simultaneously achieves higher accuracy and a 1000x speedup on three real datasets.
[Implications of late expansion of self-expanding stents on neointimal response: a serial study with intravascular ultrasound].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES A unique property of self-expanding stents is the continuous force exerted against the vessel wall, which may induce additional arterial damage with implications on restenosis. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the consequences of late self-expansion of coronary Wallstents. METHODS Eleven patients with Wallstents implanted in native coronary arteries, in whom baseline, post-stenting, after high pressure balloon inflation and at 6-month follow-up intravascular ultrasound were performed. The stented segments were divided in 2-mm cross-sections, that were analyzed independently and carefully matched at each situation using anatomic landmarks. Multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS Late expansion was present in 93% of the studied sections (mean increase in stent area of 2.0 1.9 mm2) and was clearly related to stent oversizing (r = 0.45; p < 0,0001). Although late expansion was a significant positive predictor of neointimal growth (r = 0.63; p < 0.0001), it showed a negative correlation with late luminal loss (r = 0.33; p < 0.0001). No significant correlation was found between optimization of angiographic results with high pressure inflations and late luminal loss. CONCLUSIONS Late expansion is a common phenomenon after Wallstent implantation and is mainly determined by stent oversizing. Despite the fact that this phenomenon is associated with greater neointimal proliferation, it seems to have a net beneficial effect on late luminal loss.
The development of a Novel Silicon Microdosimeter for high LET radiation therapy

This work is the first comprehensive investigation of the issues confronting silicon microdosimetry and its application to radiotherapy. Four main problems requiring investigation are identified and addressed including requirement specification with particular emphasis on device shape, tissue equivalence, noise minimization, andsensitive volume definition. Analysis of device shape showed that a rectangular parallelepiped with a tissue equivalent converter on top of device (i.e. a silicon microdosimeter) provides a lineal energy spectrum that is closely equivalent to a sphere using the criteria of equal dose mean lineal energy. The tissue equivalent study demonstrated that under appropriate geometrical scaling (dimensions multiplied by 1/0.63) silicon detectors with well known geometry will record energy deposition spectra representative of tissue cells of equivalent shape. A novel prototype device using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) is presented. Silicon-on-insulator technology assists in defining the sensitive volume depth although the current device still suffers from lateral diffusion effects. I-V and C-V testing are performed and a noise optimization design model is presented. Methods for characterizing the collection efficiency and radiation hardness of silicon microdosimeters are presented and compared including alpha and proton microbeam spectroscopy, broadbeam alpha spectroscopy and 2D and 3D device simulation. Results from testing the low noise prototype SOI device at several high LET clinical facilities including BNCT, proton therapy and fast neutron therapy facilities are presented. In the BNCT experiments, a simultaneous thermal neutron flux and microdosimetric measurement at a high spatial resolution is demonstrated. The use of SOI technology in experimental microdosimetry offers simplicity (no gas system or HV supply), high spatial resolution, low cost, high count rate capability and the possibility of integrating the system onto a single device with other detector types. The device also offers applicability in radiation protection and electronic single event upset (SEU) studies.
Examination of Cores from Four Highway Bridges in Georgia

Abstract : Six concrete cores from four structures built by the Department of Transportation, State of Georgia, were examined. Two of the structures were built in 1937, one in 1946, and one in 1947-48. Three of the structures were built using high-alkali cement and one with a cement of average alkali content slightly above 0.60 percent. The coarse aggregate in three of the structures was granitic gneiss from one source; the coarse aggregate in the fourth was granitic gneiss from a second source. Evidence of alkali-silica reaction was present in all of the cores in the form of one or more of the following: gel reaction product; internal cracking in some coarse aggregate; and localized depletion of calcium hydroxide in cement paste adjoining some pieces of coarse aggregate. No constituent usually found to be alkali-silica reactive was present. Quartz, which has been associated with alkali-silica reaction on a very few previous occasions, and plagioclase feldspar, appeared to have been the reacting constituents.
A Simple and Efficient Roadmap to Process Fingerprint Images in Frequency Domain

In the field of computer vision, image enhancement is one of the most important and critical stage, which eventually or indirectly decides the final results in the boolean form, as far as image recognition or comparison is concern, fingerprint recognition system is also the part of computer vision and considered as one of the most matured and accepted biometric system, which implies the matching of fingerprint impression with template data. The normal issue which arise in the making such systems is the noise in input fingerprint image which actually depends upon the devices i.e. used to capture fingerprint image. In this paper we demonstrate the techniques for fingerprint image enhancement in frequency domain, after getting back in spatial (time) domain, we exact the ROI from the output image of frequency domain using least square approximation method and finally we extract minutiae from fingerprint image using cross number (CN) [5] and compare with template data in post-processing stage. The demonstration has been made under the MATLAB‟s background and the experiments conducted on FVC 2002 fingerprint dataset of University of Bologna [1] General Terms Fingerprint Recognition, Data Extraction, Security, Minutiae Extraction, Cross Number
Wpływ warunków przyspieszonego starzenia na proces degradacji poliolefin

The process of polymers weathering and the methods of polymers weathering and accelerated ageing investigations were characterized. Accelerated ageing tests of polyethylene and polypropylene samples have been done in laboratory conditions. The ageing time (up to 400 h) influence, at various levels of ageing factors: UV radiation intensity (80-190 W/m 2 ), temperature (35-55°C) and humidity (30-90%), on the changes of the structures of polymers investigated (shares of carbonyl and olefinic groups from FT-IR spectra - Fig. 1, 2, 4 and 5), on the changes of polymers molecular weights (Fig. 3 and 6, Table 1) and on the changes of mechanical properties during tension (Table 1) has been investigated. The role of a proper selection of a factor of the laboratory ageing test time shortening and possible deceptiveness of a method of radiation intensification in such a test were stressed.
HIV-Associated Mycobacterium tuberculosis Bloodstream Infection Is Underdiagnosed by Single Blood Culture

ABSTRACT We assessed the additional diagnostic yield for Mycobacterium tuberculosis bloodstream infection (BSI) by doing more than one tuberculosis (TB) blood culture from HIV-infected inpatients. In a retrospective analysis of two cohorts based in Cape Town, South Africa, 72/99 (73%) patients with M. tuberculosis BSI were identified by the first of two blood cultures during the same admission, with 27/99 (27%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 18 to 36%) testing negative on the first culture but positive on the second. In a prospective evaluation of up to 6 blood cultures over 24 h, 9 of 14 (65%) patients with M. tuberculosis BSI had M. tuberculosis grow on their first blood culture; 3 more patients (21%) were identified by a second independent blood culture at the same time point, and the remaining 2 were diagnosed only on the 4th and 6th blood cultures. Additional blood cultures increase the yield for M. tuberculosis BSI, similar to what is reported for nonmycobacterial BSI.
Optical and Thermal Properties of Polycarbonate/Kaolinite Composites

The study deals with thermal and optical properties of polycarbonate kaolinite composite investigated under effects of UV-radiation and temperature. Optical properties were studied as a function of UV-wavelength and photon energy and the optical results obtained are analyzed in terms of the absorption formula for noncrystalline materials. It was found that the measured optical energy gap for the polycarbonate is greater than the polycarbonate kaolinite composite. The width of the energy tails of the localized states was calculated. Adding kaolinite into polycarbonate matrix may cause the localized states of different color centers to overlap and extend in the mobility gap. This overlap may give an evidence for decreasing energy gap when adding kaolinite in the polymer matrix. It was founded that the thermal conductivity increases with increasing temperature, due to thermal activation of the phonons in the polycarbonate kaolinite composite. It was observed that the thermal conductivity is affected by the addition of kaolinite into polycarbonate polymer. The enhancement in the thermal conduction is mainly attributed to the heat transferred by lattice vibrations and electrons during thermal activation.
An Improved Coarse Alignment Algorithm for Odometer-Aided SINS Based on the Optimization Design Method

An improved coarse alignment (ICA) algorithm is proposed in this paper with a focus on improving alignment accuracy of odometer-aided strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) under variable velocity and variable acceleration condition. In the proposed algorithm, the outputs of inertial sensors and odometer in a sampling interval are linearized rather than assumed to be a constant, which improves the accuracy of the vector observations and the precision of coarse alignment. Simulation and field test results illustrate that, under variable velocity and variable acceleration condition, the proposed algorithm can obtain a better alignment performance than conventional coarse alignment method.
Does Weak Governance Cause Weak Stock Returns? An Examination of Firm Operating Performance and Investors' Expectations

We investigate Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick's (2003) finding that firms with weak shareholder rights exhibit significant stock market underperformance. If the relation between poor governance and poor returns is causal, we expect that the market is negatively surprised by the poor operating performance of weak governance firms. We find that firms with weak shareholder rights exhibit significant operating underperformance. However, analysts' forecast errors and earnings announcement returns show no evidence that this underperformance surprises the market. Our results are robust to controls for takeover activity. Overall, our results do not support the hypothesis that weak governance causes poor stock returns.
Breeze: Sharing Biofeedback through Wearable Technologies

Digitally presenting physiological signals as biofeedback to users raises awareness of both body and mind. This paper describes the effectiveness of conveying a physiological signal often overlooked for communication: breathing. We present the design and development of digital breathing patterns and their evaluation along three output modalities: visual, audio, and haptic. We also present Breeze, a wearable pendant placed around the neck that measures breathing and sends biofeedback in real-time. We evaluated how the breathing patterns were interpreted in a fixed environment and gathered qualitative data on the wearable device's design. We found that participants intentionally modified their own breathing to match the biofeedback, as a technique for understanding the underlying emotion. Our results describe how the features of the breathing patterns and the feedback modalities influenced participants' perception. We include guidelines and suggested use cases, such as Breeze being used by loved ones to increase connectedness and empathy.
Did Reduced Alveolar Delivery of Surfactant Contribute to Negative Results in Adults with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?

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The apparent diffusion coefficient is strongly correlated with extracellular volume, a measure of myocardial fibrosis, and subclinical cardiomyopathy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background Extracellular volume (ECV) has been histologically validated as a non-invasive quantitative index of myocardial fibrosis that does not require the use of contrast, which is contraindicated in patients with renal insufficiency. Purpose To evaluate the correlation between the contrast-free apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and ECV, an index of fibrosis. Material and Methods Twenty-four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who were predominantly women (mean age = 36 ± 12 years) and 12 normal participants (mean age = 38 ± 10 years) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) via 3.0 T MR with T1 mapping. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) imaging served as the reference standards with which CMR was compared. The mean ADC, native T1, and ECV were calculated for each patient, and the correlations among these parameters were analyzed. Results Both SLE LGE-positive (LGE+) and SLE LGE-negative (LGE–) participants had higher native T1 values, ECV, and ADC than normal controls (P < 0.05). SLE LGE+ participants exhibited a higher ECV (0.31 ± 0.02) and ADC (2.44 ± 0.32 × 10−3 mm2/s) than SLE LGE– participants (p < 0.05); however, SLE LGE+ and SLE LGE– participants had similar native T1 values (1227 ± 48.81 ms versus 1174.70 ± 95.80 ms, respectively; P > 0.05). ADC values were positively correlated with increased ECV (R2 = 0.62) and native T1 values (R2 = 0.28) in all participants. Conclusion ADC measurements are a suitable alternative to ECV that may be used to assess and quantify myocardial fibrosis in patients with SLE.
ActiviTree: Interactive Visual Exploration of Sequences in Event-Based Data Using Graph Similarity

The identification of significant sequences in large and complex event-based temporal data is a challenging problem with applications in many areas of today's information intensive society. Pure visual representations can be used for the analysis, but are constrained to small data sets. Algorithmic search mechanisms used for larger data sets become expensive as the data size increases and typically focus on frequency of occurrence to reduce the computational complexity, often overlooking important infrequent sequences and outliers. In this paper we introduce an interactive visual data mining approach based on an adaptation of techniques developed for Web searching, combined with an intuitive visual interface, to facilitate user-centred exploration of the data and identification of sequences significant to that user. The search algorithm used in the exploration executes in negligible time, even for large data, and so no pre-processing of the selected data is required, making this a completely interactive experience for the user. Our particular application area is social science diary data but the technique is applicable across many other disciplines.