Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Ultra-wideband Bandpass Filter using a novel "Concentric Rings DGS"

An UWB-BPF is proposed using a new type of concentric ring defected ground structure (DGS), aiming at transmitting the signals in the whole UWB passband of 3.1GHz to 10.6GHz. In the Design DGS is used to realize high impedance microstrip lines, which make the edge of passband frequency range convenient. DGS structure looks as two concentric rings placed between two parallel plates. The passband edges can be tuned to desirable frequency by varying dimension of these plates and radius of the two concentric rings. In the design, interdigital coupled lines are used to feed open stub loaded resonator. The spacing between the coupled lines is adjusted so as to raise frequency dispersive coupling degree with the coupling peak at 6.85GHz and still providing the required tight coupling in UWB-BPF feed structure. After optimization of the filter design, a good UWB-BPF behavior with three transmission poles at 4.2GHz, 6.9GHz and 9.4GHz is theoretically realized and found in excellent agreement with simulated results. Within the whole UWB passband, the return loss is found higher than 12 dB and group delay variation is less than . 38 ns
Chapter 3 Dynamic Function Optimization : The Moving Peaks Benchmark

Many practical, real-world applications have dynamic features. If the changes in the fitness function of an optimization problem are moderate, a complete restart of the optimization algorithm may not be warranted. In those cases, it is meaningful to apply optimization algorithms that can accommodate change. In the recent past, many researchers have contributed algorithms suited for dynamic problems. To facilitate the comparison between different approaches, the Moving Peaks (MP) function was devised. This chapter reviews all known optimization algorithms that have been tested on the dynamic MP problem. The majority of these approaches are nature-inspired. The results of the best-performing solutions based on the MP benchmark are directly compared and discussed. In the concluding remarks, the main characteristics of good approaches for dynamic optimization are summarised.
Diversification of web search results using post-retrieval clustering

Diversification of results in web search engines is a very attractive area for researchers now a days. Information retrieval techniques mainly focus on the relevance of the documents retrieved but these techniques often fail to satisfy each user. In this work, we present a coverage based diversification using post retrieval clustering. We model clusters corresponding to the query based on the features of the web pages such as web pages of similar features are to be in one cluster and web pages from dissimilar features are to be in different clusters. A query can retrieve relevant and diverse result set if all the results cover as many clusters as possible.
Audio-Visual Identity Grounding for Enabling Cross Media Search

Automatically searching for media clips in large heterogeneous datasets is an inherently difficult challenge, and nearly impossibly so when searching across distinct media types (e.g. finding audio clips that match an image). In this paper we introduce the exploitation of identity grounding for enabling this cross media search and exploration capability. Through the use of grounding we leverage one media channel (e.g. visual identity) as a noisy label for training a model in a different channel (e.g. audio speaker model). Finally, we demonstrate this search capability using images from the Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) dataset to query audio files that have been extracted from the YouTube Faces (YTF) dataset.
An Accurate Timing Model for Nano CMOS Circuit Considering Statistical Process Variation

Process variation has more significant impact on circuit performance as technology develops to nano scale. It is therefore necessary to evaluate chip performance using statistical timing analysis rather than deterministic static timing analysis. This paper first evaluates the impact of single extrinsic fluctuation on circuit performance based on the rigorously derived propagation delay model. The parameter fluctuations are characterized and a novel statistical approach is developed to evaluate the effect of simultaneous variations in multiple process parameters. The probability distribution of propagation delay is calculated and timing yield is estimated.
Consensus with constrained convergence rate and time-delays

In this paper we discuss consensus problems for networks of dynamic agents with fixed and switching topologies in presence of delay in the communication channels. The study provides sufficient agreement conditions in terms of delay and the second largest eigenvalue of the Perron matrices defining the collective dynamics. We found an exact delay bound assuring the initial network topology preservation. We also present an analysis of the agreement speed when the asymptotic consensus is achieved. Some numerical examples complete the presentation.
Localization and Overseas R&D Activity: The Case of Taiwanese Multinational Enterprises in China

This study investigates the determinants of overseas research and development (R&D) and the influences of various aspects of localization on affiliates' R&D intensity. Using a dataset of Taiwanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China, the empirical estimations find that MNEs with a larger firm size, more R&D expenditure, and a higher outward foreign direct investments intensity tend to undertake R&D. Host regions' characteristics, particularly market size and R&D resources, do matter for attracting MNEs to conduct R&D locally. Crucially, affiliates' R&D intensity is related to the degree of localization. The degree of market localization and localization of the R&D network has a positive association with affiliates' R&D intensity. From the perspective of R&D policy, a country with healthy R&D infrastructures helps attract the establishment of R&D labs of MNEs.
Towards personalization of Trust Management service for ubiquitous healthcare environment

In healthcare, trust is considered to be the key factor for the provision of effective healthcare services. Thus, ubiquitous healthcare environment incorporate Trust Management systems or services for enabling the creation of confident and secure background required for the provision of healthcare services. In this paper the concept of personalized Trust Management service is introduced. However, since this approach makes the service vulnerable to user's subjectivity in this paper is proposed a mechanism that determines the proper in case personalization factor. Especially, it quantifies the Quality of trust Information that user has acquired from past interactions and determines if he/she is capable to discover and select healthcare providers. The introduced mechanism is deployed on a Fuzzy Interference System and its performance was evaluated through simulations in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.
Adaptive Mobile-Government Framework

This paper proposes a new framework for adapting the content of Mobil-government services with respect of four contexts; personal, device, connectivity and location contexts. The paper also highlights the main guidelines that help improving Mobile-government content, and the provision of governmental services in terms of place and time flexibility, for achieving the appropriate level of services flexibility, to fit the wide variety of mobile and wireless technologies.
Hiking paths and intangible heritage: a quest for cultural roots. Cases in the province of Castellón, Spain

Abstract The inland areas of the province of Castellón harbour a significant number of pilgrimage routes and mountain sanctuaries dating back to medieval times. Each year, these manifestations of intangible heritage and popular religiosity welcome a growing number of participants, drawn by nature, their heritage elements, and sport. These routes have given rise to new ones, and athletic events have appeared, some of them enjoying international fame, illustrating the strong relationship between cultural heritage, nature and sport, to such an extent that it has become a significant problem, as the high levels of outside participation can undercut the original nature of these practices.
Selecting biomechanical variables for detect gait events using computational vision

In clinical gait analysis gait events, such as initial contact and toe off, are needed for biomechanical data normalization and for several temporal/distance parameters estimation. Therefore, there is a major necessity to identify the key gait events accurately. In this paper it will be presented an algorithm to detected stance phase and swing phase events using just visual information acquired by image cameras. The performance of our algorithm was compared with the “golden standard” method (based on data from force platforms) considering normal video digital cameras and high-speed cameras also.
The formulation of welfare state: the perspective of Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah

This paper examines empirical facts of market failure and government failure to improve people’s welfare; capitalism and neo-liberalism do not provide a space for states to implement policies for social justice. With regard to the failure of the welfare state to bring the citizen to fair welfare, this paper offers the formulation of a welfare state based on Maqa>s}id Al-Shari>‘ah. This study employs Maqa>s}id Al-Shari>‘ah developed by Imam Al-Juwaini, Izzu al-Din bin ‘Abd al-Salam, Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi and Al-Tahir Ibn ‘Ashur as the methodological framework. It formulates welfare state of maqa>s}id al-shari>‘ah, which is built through the fulfillment of the three levels of individual needs (citizens) (al-D}aru>ri>yah, alha> ji>yyah and al-tahsi>ni>yah; primary, secondary and suplementary rights), public needs (equal distribution; al-ha>jah al-‘ammah), protection or assurance (alismah), and law enforcement (al-fit}rah (order), equality (al-musa>wah), freedom (al-h}urri>yah), magnanimity (al-samh}ah)). The morality-spirituality-religiosity and transcendence principles develop the formulation. The maqa>s}id al-shari>‘ah should be the “soul” of every policies and rules or laws. The development of the formulation of welfare state based on Maqa>s}id al-Shari>‘ah will build Islamic man/religious man (citizen), who is prosperous spiritually and materially. Artikel ini mengkaji kenyataan empiris mengenai kegagalan pasar (market failure) dan kegagalan negara (government failure) dalam meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat, kapitalisme dan neo-liberalisme tidak memberikan tempat bagi negara untuk melakukan kebijakan demi keadilan sosial. Berdasarkan kegagalan negara kesejahteraan menghantarkan warga negara menuju kesejahteraan yang berkeadilan maka tulisan ini menawarkan formulasi negara kesejahteraaan berdasarkan Maqa>s}id al- Shari>‘ah. Kajian ini mempergunakan Maqa>s}id al-Shari>‘ah sebagai kerangka metodologis yang dikembang oleh Imam Al-Juwaini, Izzu al-Din bin ‘Abd al-Salam, Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi dan Al-Tahir Ibn ‘Ashur. Kajian ini memformulasikan negara kesejahteraan berdasarkan maqa>s}id al-shari>‘ah yang dibangun melalui pemenuhan kebutuhan individu (warga negara) berdasarkan tingkatannya; al-D{aru>ri>yah, al-h}a>ji>yyah dan al-tah}si>ni>yah (hak primer, sekunder dan suplementer), kebutuhan publik, (al-h}u>jah al-‘as} mmah) terealisasi pendistribusian yang merata, adanya proteksi atau jaminan (al-is}mah) dan tegaknya hukum melalui, al-fi>rah (ketertiban), equality (al-musa>wah) kesetaraan, freedom (al-h}uri>yah) kebebesan, magnanimity (alsamh} ah) toleransi. Formulasi tersebut dibangun dengan landasan moral-spritual - religius dan transendental. Menjadikannya “roh” pada setiap kebutuhan dalam membuat kebijakan, peraturan-peraturan atau perundang- undangan. Dengan terwujdnya formulasi negara kesejahteraaan berdasarkan Maqa>s}id al-Shari>‘ah akan melahirkan islamic man/manusia religius/karakter (warga negara) yang beriman atau pribadi yang memiliki karakter, sejahtera secara batin (spritual) dan lahir (material).
Cyclic prefix assisted sparse channel estimation for OFDM systems

In this paper an efficient algorithm is presented for the estimation of a channel modelled as sparse for an OFDM system. Conventional Pilot-Based techniques and blind estimation techniques require a large number of pilot tones and complex mathematical computations respectively to estimate the channel vector. This drawback is particularly pronounced in sparse systems where the effective channel vector has a very few number of taps. The proposed method uses a modification made to the Cyclic Prefix to detect the position of the most significant taps (MST) for a sparse channel. Least Square estimation method is then used to effectively estimate the channel vector. Prior knowledge of the most significant tap positions obtained from the cyclic prefix ensures spectral and computational efficiencies.
A Trainable View-Based Object Detection System Thesis Proposal

Object detection is a fundamental problem in computer visio n. Techniques for addressing this problem range from those matching three-dimensional g eometric models with images to using two-dimensional view-based representations. My pre vious work has shown that the latter technique can be effectively implemented using standard pa ttern recognition techniques (such as clustering or small neural networks). This approach has b een successfully used to detect faces and eyes in cluttered backgrounds. In developing a vie w-based object detector, three main issues arise. First, to what extent should the problem b partitioned into sets of views or sets of features of the object, so that a simple pattern rec ognition algorithm will provide sufficient accuracy? Second, what type of pattern classifier hould be used, and how should it be trained best detect an individual view or feature? Thir d, how should the outputs from multiple detectors be combined into a single decision about the presence of an object? I propose to study the view-based approach to object detecti on. This will include experimental studies of how views and features should be selected , and how this selection effects detection performance. Some preliminary results in face an d c r detection show that partitioning the problem is effective, but more systematic study is ne eded. Other factors that effect detector accuracy include the classifier architecture itse lf (initially, I will use neural networks, but other tools are available), and on how the training examp les are generated. Finally, I will study how the detections of individual views or features sho uld be combined to give a final detection result. For view partitioning, I have found that sim ple arbitration strategies work well, while for feature partitioning, other researchers have use d graph matching techniques. The system will be tested in at least the face detection domain, a nd in other domains to illustrate parts of the algorithm. Thesis Committee: Takeo Kanade, Chair Shumeet Baluja Dean Pomerleau Manuela Veloso Tomaso Poggio, MIT
Cake Cutting : Equitable Simple Allocations of Heterogeneous Goods

Cake cutting, a subfield of fair division, refers to the allocation of a heterogeneous, divisible, and continuous good among n players who have heterogeneous preferences. The challenge is to allocate the cake in such a way that is fair by using a procedure that encourages the players to be truthful about their preferences. There are several different notions of fairness studied in the literature; in this essay, we consider equitability – a fairness criteria where each player gets the same proportion of the cake as she values it. We give a comprehensive survey of prominent results for equitable allocations using n− 1 cuts. We also focus on the relationship between equitability and other fairness criterion and note when it is possible to have procedures that are simultaneously equitable and proportional or envy-free.
Composite spectral shape descriptor

Effective spectral representations of shape region are proposed in literature. On the other hand, a significant spatial characteristic of shape region is shape contour because human beings discriminate shapes mainly by their contour features. It is proposed that a descriptor is obtained by complementing the spectral representation of shape region with the spectral representation of shape contour. Such a descriptor, obtained by explicitly combining two (or more) descriptors is termed composite descriptor. A composite descriptor is proposed; the effectiveness of the composite descriptor to represent shape region is evaluated.
Dictyostelium discoideum CenB Is a Bona Fide Centrin Essential for Nuclear Architecture and Centrosome Stability

ABSTRACT Centrins are a family of proteins within the calcium-binding EF-hand superfamily. In addition to their archetypical role at the microtubule organizing center (MTOC), centrins have acquired multiple functionalities throughout the course of evolution. For example, centrins have been linked to different nuclear activities, including mRNA export and DNA repair. Dictyostelium discoideum centrin B is a divergent member of the centrin family. At the amino acid level, DdCenB shows 51% identity with its closest relative and only paralog, DdCenA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that DdCenB and DdCenA form a well-supported monophyletic and divergent group within the centrin family of proteins. Interestingly, fluorescently tagged versions of DdCenB were not found at the centrosome (in whole cells or in isolated centrosomes). Instead, DdCenB localized to the nuclei of interphase cells. This localization disappeared as the cells entered mitosis, although Dictyostelium cells undergo a closed mitosis in which the nuclear envelope (NE) does not break down. DdCenB knockout cells exhibited aberrant nuclear architecture, characterized by enlarged and deformed nuclei and loss of proper centrosome-nucleus anchoring (observed as NE protrusions). At the centrosome, loss of DdCenB resulted in defects in the organization and morphology of the MTOC and supernumerary centrosomes and centrosome-related bodies. The multiple defects that the loss of DdCenB generated at the centrosome can be explained by its atypical division cycle, transitioning into the NE as it divides at mitosis. On the basis of these findings, we propose that DdCenB is required at interphase to maintain proper nuclear architecture, and before delocalizing from the nucleus, DdCenB is part of the centrosome duplication machinery.
FleaNet: A Virtual Market Place on Vehicular Networks

In this study, we introduce the concept of a virtual ¿flea market¿ over a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) called FleaNet. FleaNet customers express their demands/offers to buy/sell items via radio queries. These queries are opportunistically disseminated, exploiting the mobility of other customers, until a matching customer/vendor is found. We identify the key performance metrics, namely, query resolution latency, scalability, mobility, and churning, and evaluate their impact on performance using analytic and simulation models. The results show that FleaNet can function as an effective virtual marketplace.
Promoting Identity Development in Leadership Education: A Multidomain Approach to Developing the Whole Leader

Empirical research suggests that focusing on one’s identity as a leader may enhance ongoing leadership development. As a complement to traditional theory- and skills-based approaches to leader development, we offer an identity-based, multidomain approach to leadership development through a series of integrated in-class exercises. Specifically, these exercises focus on developing four components of leader identity: meaning, strength, levels (personal, relational, and collective), and integration of domain-specific subidentities, culminating in the creation of a leader identity narrative. After a brief review of the literature on leader identity, we describe the exercises in detail along with potential prompts for personal reflection and group discussion. We also present qualitative evidence of the intended outcomes of the exercises, including the desired effect of developing students’ leader identities.
Multi-Objective Statistical Yield Enhancement using Evolutionary Algorithm

It has been shown that several process parameters encounter variation in the very deep submicron era. Due to the increased power and performance variability, a multi-objective variability-aware yield optimization method is crucial. However, most of current yield optimization methods use greedy single objective optimization approach. In this paper, a comprehensive and multi-objective yield optimization framework is proposed to consider the effects of both power and performance yield degradation. In other words, an evolutionary gate sizing optimization approach is introduced to be used in the proposed framework to enhance yield, significantly. Compared with recent yield optimization algorithms and, the proposed framework leads to better results for the attempted circuits. In addition, the independency of proposed framework on selected power and delay analysis techniques makes it suitable for future investigations as using dual threshold voltage assignment approach.
On the dynamics of ℓ1 decoding: A microscopic approach

ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization, also called Basis Pursuit, has been known to have strong sparse recovery performance both theoretically and empirically. Previously known analytical approaches for ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization have limitations in deriving custom stability performance bounds for signals with sparsity (the number of nonzero elements) level beyond the ℓ<inf>1</inf> weak recovery threshold [6]. In this paper, instead of focusing on the static decoding results of ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization, we develop a microscopic analytical approach by studying the dynamics of ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization. This approach can give useful characterizations of ℓ<inf>1</inf> decoding results and lead to new performance bounds on ℓ<inf>1</inf> decoding error. Contrary to known stability results for ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization below the ℓ<inf>1</inf> weak threshold, we prove that ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization decoding errors can experience an explosive growth in terms of the signal tail immediately beyond the ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization weak threshold. This new analytical approach is motivated by the applications of analyzing the emerging iterative reweighted ℓ<inf>1</inf> minimization algorithms.
Covariance and contravariance: conflict without a cause

In type-theoretic research on object-oriented programming, the issue of “covariance versus contravariance” is a topic of continuing debate. In this short note we argue that covariance and contravariance appropriately characterize two distinct and independent mechanisms. The so-called contravariance rule correctly captures the subtyping relation (that relation which establishes which sets of functions can replace another given set in every context). A covariant relation, instead, characterizes the specialization of code (i.e., the definition of new code which replaces old definitions in some particular cases). Therefore, covariance and contravariance are not opposing views, but distinct concepts that each have their place in object-oriented systems. Both can (and should) be integrated in a type-safe manner in object-oriented languages. We also show that the independence of the two mechanisms is not characteristic of a particular model but is valid in general, since covariant specialization is present in record-based models, although it is hidden by a deficiency of all existing calculi that realize this model. As an aside, we show that the λ&-calculus can be taken as the basic calculus for both an overloading-based and a record-based model. Using this approach, one not only obtains a more uniform vision of object-oriented type theories, but in the case of the record-based approach, one also gains multiple dispatching, a feature that existing record-based models do not capture