Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crest factor reduction through scaling and recovering by frame in OFDM communication systems

A new scheme for reducing crest factor in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems has been proposed. The reduction is achieved by simply scaling all symbols in a frame that exceeds a desired level on the transmitter side. The scaled symbols are recovered by scaling back on the receiver side. All of those operations can be achieved by adding simple functions such as level detection and summation of symbol amplitudes in baseband. The major advantage is that there is no extra information to be sent to the receiver for those operations due to a fixed scaling factor already shared between the transmitter and receiver. Also, the scheme does not degrade adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) and error vector magnitude (EVM) at all due to the frame-based scaling and recovering so it does not require filtering after crest factor reduction (CFR) as in clipping. One of the limitations is that this scheme achieves only a CFR of about 2.5dB. For validation of the scheme, the processes in baseband and in RF have been conducted with Simulink and measurement with a power amplifier respectively.
An Evaluation of Three Application-Layer Multicast Protocols

In this paper, we present and evaluate three applicationlayer multicast (ALM) protocols, namely Narada [3–5], NICE [1,2], and an ALM protocol implemented using the Internet Indirection Infrastructure (i3 ) [11]. We evaluate these three ALM protocols according to the quality of their data delivery paths, their robustness to changing membership, changing network characteristics, and failures, and their overhead. Our evaluation focuses on the ability of each such protocol to scale to large multicast group sizes and to handle dynamic environments involving frequent membership changes and failures. We identify strengths and weaknesses of each such protocol and propose modifications that may remedy or mitigate some of these weaknesses.
Comprehensive exercise training improves ventilatory muscle function and reduces dyspnea perception in patients with COPD.

BACKGROUND Comprehensive exercise training (CET) is an efficient strategy to decrease dyspnea perception in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and may result in significant improvement in ventilatory muscles function. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of general exercise training on dyspnea perception and on respiratory muscles strength in COPD patients. METHODS Consecutive COPD patients were enrolled to complete a CET programme. The patients underwent a routine that included a global warm up, upper and lower limbs endurance exercise as well as stretching and relaxation. Before and after the CET programme, patients completed maximal inspiratory (PImax) and expiratory (PEmax) pressures measurements, maximal incremental test, endurance test, and 6-min walk distance (6MWD). RESULTS 71 patients (52 male). Mean age 67.6 +/- 8.6 years, FEV1 (%) 44.2 +/- 16.2 and Mahler dyspnea scale 6.4 +/- 1.8. The results before and after the exercise programme were: PImax 64.7 +/- 22.9 vs. 75.5 +/- 23.7 cmH2O (p=0.001), PEmax 110.8 +/- 28.1 vs. 120.4 +/- 28.1 cmH2O (p=0.004), 6MWD 510.6 +/- 90.3 vs. 528.2 +/- 99.7 metres (p=0.88), time of incremental test 672 +/- 135 vs. 856 +/- 226 sec (p<0.0001). Compared with the pre exercise programme, we observed a significant reduction on Borg dyspnea scale (6.1 +/- 2.8 to 3.6 +/- 2.3, p<0.0001) as well as a longer test time (504 +/- 218 to 1.038 +/- 841, p<0.0001) at the end of the endurance test after CET programme. Improvement of PImax correlated negatively with dyspnea perception at iso-time during the endurance test (r = -0.33, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that CET is associated with significant improvement in PImax, PEmax and provide evidence demonstrating that CET reduces dyspnea perception in patients with COPD.
Research of Image Separation Based on Improved Independent Component Analysis

The basic theory of ICA and algorithm of FastiCA are briefly introduced. A variant of Newton's iteration method is given. It is shown that the order of convergence of the new method is three. A new algorithm combined Newton's iteration method is proposed to increase the convergence speed. The image separation simulation shows that the iterations of improved algorithm reduced 14.6 percent with the correspondent separation performance
201o International Conference on Computer and Communication Technologies in Agriculture Engineering a Summary Based Language Retrieval Method

The performance of language retrieval method is largely determined by the accuracy of document language model. Motivated by the hypothesis that query-biased summary presents the information that is most relevant to a query, we propose a summary-biased approach to study the use of internal structures for the estimationod document language model. This method can be viewed as a two-stage language model, in the first stage, the document language model is smoothed by the query-biased summary, and in the second stage, the smoothed document language model is further smoothed by the collection language model. Moreover, our method can be used in feedback technique to estimate an improved query model
An efficient automatic method of Optic disc segmentation using region growing technique in retinal images

Segmentation of Optic disc (OD) from a retinal image is a essential step while developing automated screening systems for eye disease like diabetic retinopathy, Glaucoma etc. This paper proposes a method of automatic optic disk segmentation based on region growing technique with automatic seed selection. In this method centre of optic disk is considered as a seed to apply region growing technique to segment the optic disk from the preprocessed retinal image. Automatic detection of centre of optic disk is done by double windowing method. The algorithm uses image processing techniques like contrast adjustment, morphological operations & filtering to process the retinal image and to remove the blood vessels from the retinal image. The performance of optic disk segmentation by proposed method is compared with Optic disk segmentation by ophthalmologists and results are found convincing and efficient. The experimental results indicate this method of segmentation of the OD has good accuracy and also is computationally cheap.
OB Stars in the Solar Neighborhood. I. Analysis of their Spatial Distribution

We present a newly developed, three-dimensional spatial classification method, designed to analyze the spatial distribution of early-type stars within the 1 kpc sphere around the Sun. We propose a distribution model formed by two intersecting disks, the Gould Belt (GB) and the local Galactic disk (LGD), defined by their fundamental geometric parameters. Then, using a sample of about 550 stars of spectral types earlier than B6 and luminosity classes between III and V, with precise photometric distances of less than 1 kpc, we estimate for some spectral groups the parameters of our model, as well as single-membership probabilities of GB and LGD stars, thus drawing a picture of the spatial distribution of young stars in the vicinity of the Sun.
A neural network based generalized response surface multiobjective evolutionary algorithm

The practical use of multiobjective optimization tools in industry is still an open issue. A strategy for the reduction of objective functions is often essential, at a fixed degree of Pareto optimal front (POF) approximation accuracy. An extension of single-objective NN-based generalized response surfaces (GRS) methods to POF approximation is proposed. Such an extension is not at all straightforward due to the complex relation between the POF and Pareto optimal set. As a consequence of such complexity, it is extremely difficult to identify a multiobjective analogue of the single-objective current optimum region. Consequently, the design domain search space zooming strategy, which is the core of the GRS method, is to be carefully reconsidered when POF approximation is concerned.
Nao detection with a cascade of boosted weak classifier based on Haar-like features

In robot football (RoboCup Standard Platform League), the detection of Nao Robots is essential for building a world model. Reliable knowledge about the environment allows the robots in the team to avoid obstacles, have better goal scoring opportunities and pass the ball to other team members. Most detection algorithms in literature are too computational expensive in order to be benificial for the Nao Robot. In this thesis, we propose an approach that uses the Viola and Jones’ method for detecting Nao Robots. We hypothesize that this method can be competitive against current state of the art Nao Robot recognition methods. This is accomplished by training and testing strong classifiers based on a cascade of boosted weak classifiers on simple Haar-like features. The proposed approach has competitive results, but still underperforms against current state of the art methods.
The Role of Purchase Quantity in Assortment Choice: The Quantity-Matching Heuristic

Consumers often purchase multiple items from a product category on a single shopping trip. In doing so, they must frequently choose among items that are grouped in assortments, such as those offered by a particular store or brand. This article examines how the number of to-be-purchased items influences consumer choice among assortments. It is argued that when consumers are uncertain about their preferences, they are more likely to prefer an assortment for which the number of available options matches the desired purchase quantity. This prediction is based on the notion that a match between the size of an assortment and the number of to-be-purchased items enables consumers to simplify the selection process by eliminating the need to trade off the benefits and costs of individual choice alternatives—a strategy referred to as the “quantity-matching heuristic. ” The theoretical predictions are supported by data from five empirical studies that offer converging evidence for the role of purchase-quantity goals in assortment choice and identify moderating factors and boundary conditions.
DTI Measurements in Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluation of Brain Damage and Clinical Implications

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an effective means of quantifying parameters of demyelination and axonal loss. The application of DTI in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has yielded noteworthy results. DTI abnormalities, which are already detectable in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), become more pronounced as disease duration and neurological impairment increase. The assessment of the microstructural alterations of white and grey matter in MS may shed light on mechanisms responsible for irreversible disability accumulation. In this paper, we examine the DTI analysis methods, the results obtained in the various tissues of the central nervous system, and correlations with clinical features and other MRI parameters. The adoption of DTI metrics to assess the outcome of prognostic measures may represent an extremely important step forward in the MS research field.
Task-Based Programming for Seismic Imaging: Preliminary Results

The level of hardware complexity of current supercomputers is forcing the High Performance Computing (HPC) community to reconsider parallel programming paradigms and standards. The high-level of hardware abstraction provided by task-based paradigms make them excellent candidates for writing portable codes that can consistently deliver high performance across a wide range of platforms. While this paradigm has proved efficient for achieving such goals for dense and sparse linear solvers, it is yet to be demonstrated that industrial parallel codes relying on the classical Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard and that accumulate dozens of years of expertise (and countless lines of code) may be revisited to turn them into efficient task-based programs. In this paper, we study the applicability of task-based programming in the case of a Reverse Time Migration (RTM) application for Seismic Imaging. The initial MPI-based application is turned into a task-based code executed on top of the PaRSEC runtime system. Preliminary results show that the approach is competitive with (and even potentially superior to) the original MPI code on an homogenous multicore node and can exploit much more efficiently complex hardware such as a cache coherent Non Uniform Memory Access (ccNUMA) node or an Intel Xeon Phi accelerator.
Techniques for OWL-based Ontology Watermarking

The Semantic Web aims at defining ways to allow Web information to be used by computers not only for display purposes, but also for interoperability and integration between systems and applications. Much progress has been made in developing ideas and tools to enable the growth of the Semantic Web. As increasing amount of data is published in the form of OWL, copyright protection of OWL data is becoming an important requirement for many applications. In this paper, we investigated the syntax of OWL and proposed some techniques for the digital watermarking based on OWL. Furthermore, we put forward a model to embed watermark into OWL-based ontology. Experimental results also demonstrate that our proposed watermarking methods can be applied to exiting OWL documents easily. The watermarking model is also feasible.
Delay-Bandwidth-Aware Metric Abstraction Schemes for OIF E-NNI Multidomain Traffic Engineering

Multidomain traffic engineering (TE) has the potential not only of guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) to connections spanning multiple domains but also of effectively utilizing intradomain resources. The hierarchical Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) External Network-to-Network Interface (E-NNI) control plane platform has emerged as a promising candidate aiming at guaranteeing multidomain QoS provisioning. Recent efforts have been made to extend OIF E-NNI in the multicarrier scenario. However, open issues such as confidentiality, the choice of TE metric, the routing controller (RC) architecture, the path computation method, and the abstraction schemes responsible for selecting the appropriate value of the TE metric to be announced have not been addressed yet. In this study, what we believe to be a novel RC architecture integrating the path computation element (PCE) is proposed to enable the efficient provisioning of end-to-end QoS-guaranteed services. The key role of the TE metric is analyzed and discussed, together with different TE metric abstraction schemes. The end-to-end delay is here considered as the most suitable candidate and a novel family of such schemes, named delay-bandwidth aware (DBA), are proposed and evaluated by means of simulations. Results show the ability of such schemes to globally preserve control plane stability and network resource utilization while advertising a high service level.
Galaxy peculiar velocities and evolution-bias

Galaxy-bias can be split into two components: a formation-bias based on the locations of galaxy creation, and an evolution-bias that details on their subsequent evolution. In this Letter, we consider evolution-bias in the peaks model. In this model, galaxy formation takes place at local maxima in the density field, and we analyse the subsequent peculiar motion of these galaxies in a linear model of structure formation. The peak restriction yields differences in the velocity distribution and correlation between the galaxy and the dark matter fields, which causes the evolution-bias component of the total bias to evolve in a scale-dependent way. This mechanism naturally gives rise to a change in shape between galaxy and matter correlation functions that depends on the mean age of the galaxy population. This model predicts that older galaxies would be more strongly biased on large scales compared to younger galaxies. Our arguments are supported by a Monte Carlo simulation of galaxy pairs propagated using the Zel'dovich approximation for describing peculiar galaxy motion.
Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Subjects 300 Milligrams Twice Daily in Human Abacavir at 600 Milligrams Once Daily and Triphosphate following Administration of in Plasma and Intracellular Carbovir Steady-State Pharmacokinetics of Abacavir

Published Ahead of Print 2 February 2009. 10.1128/AAC.01000-08. 2009, 53(4):1532. DOI: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. Sherene S. Min and Elena M. Guerini Phillip E. Hay, Ivy H. Song, Yu Lou, Geoffrey J. Yuen, Graeme Moyle, Marta Boffito, Carl Fletcher, Chris Higgs, Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Subjects 300 Milligrams Twice Daily in Human Abacavir at 600 Milligrams Once Daily and Triphosphate following Administration of in Plasma and Intracellular Carbovir Steady-State Pharmacokinetics of Abacavir
Exchange Market Pressure in Australia

This paper measures the exchange market pressure (EMP) on the Australian dollar over the post-float period using the model-dependent approach proposed by Weymark (1995, 1998) and the model-independent approach developed by Eichengreen, Rose, and Wyplosz (1996). Although there are some concerns over the estimation of the model-dependent index, the resulting EMP indices both appear to provide relatively plausible descriptions of the pressure on the Australian dollar. The role of foreign exchange intervention is examined through the construction of degree of intervention (DI) indices. The results reveal that intervention by the Reserve Bank of Australia contributed to the large depreciation of the Australian dollar between 1997 and 2001.
Knowledge Sharing Model and its Implication on Knowledge Categorization and Management

Recently, Knowledge Management (KM) has been applied to business management practice. Surprisingly, there are few studies that address the most fundamental problem in KM: people may prefer not to share their knowledge in order to preserve their intellectual or proprietary values in the organization. Without the premise of each individual's willingness to share knowledge, there will be no valuable input for the information-technology system and thus no knowledge management at all. This paper aims to model the behavioral dynamics of knowledge sharing and to design an incentive system that may facilitate knowledge sharing. In this paper, a game-theory based model is developed, and the framework for designing an incentive system is proposed according to the model.
Modeling and verification of Web applications using formal technique methods

The number of Web applications handling online transaction is increasing, but verification of the correctness of the Web application design has been done manually. This paper proposes a method for modeling Web applications using two finite-state automata, i.e., a page automaton which specifies Web page transitions, and an internal state automaton which specifies internal state transitions of the Web application. General assertions for checking Web application design are proposed, and a theoretical result for deadlock-freeness of Web application is also shown. An example Web application is modeled by the proposed method and checked using the model checker Spin.
New particle growth and shrinkage observed in subtropical environments

Abstract. We present the first systematic analysis for new particle formation (NPF), growth and shrinkage of new particles at four different sites in subtropical central Taiwan. A total of 14 NPF events were identified from 137 days of ambient measurements during a cold and warm season. The measured formation rates of 10 nm particles (J10) and growth rates were in the range of 4.4–30 cm−3 s−1 and 7.4–24 nm h−1, respectively. The onset of NPF events coincided with decreases of condensation sink (CS) and increases of SO2 under enhanced atmospheric mixing and dilution. However, the lower or comparable SO2 on event days than on non-event days suggests that SO2 was not a limiting factor for NPF. On non-event days, the particle number concentrations were mostly driven by traffic emissions. We also observed shrinkage of new particles, the reversal of growth, during five out of the identified secondary formation. UFP particles events. In intense cases, the grown particles shrank back to the smallest measurable size of ~10 nm, thereby creating a unique "arch-like" shape in the size distribution contour plot. The particle shrinkage rates ranged from −5.1 to −7.6 nm h−1. The corresponding particle volume losses suggest that a notable fraction of the condensable species that contributed to growth was semi-volatile. The particle shrinkage was related to enhanced atmospheric dilution, high ambient temperature and low relative humidity, thus favoring the evaporation of semi-volatile species from the particulate phase to the gas phase. Our observations show that the new particle growth could be a reversible process, in which the evaporating semi-volatile species are important for the growth of new particles to sizes of environmental health concerns.
Dependability and Survivability Evaluation of a Water Distribution Process with Arcade

Among others, drinking water belongs to the socalled critical infrastructures. To ensure that the water production meets current and future societal needs, a systematic and rigorous analysis is needed. In this paper, we report our ﬁrst experience with dependability analysis of the last phase of a water treatment facility, namely the water distribution. We use the architectural language Arcade to model this facility and use the Arcade toolset to compute three relevant dependability measures: the availability of the water distribution, the reliability, i.e., the probability that the water distribution fails, and the survivability, that is, the ability to recover from disasters. Since survivability is not directly expressible in the Arcade formalism, we show how one can modify the toolchain for the analysis of survivability.
Diagnosis of Autosub 6000 using Automatically Generated Software Models

A BSTRACT Modern systems frequently consist of a complex mixture of hardware and software. Model-based diagnosis typically assumes that the effects of the software can be summarised by the commands sent to the hardware and thus the software can be left out of the model. In our effort to build a diagnosis system for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) we have an example where this is not the case—commands sent to the hardware are not all available to the diagnosis system for a variety of reasons. In addition, the software controlling the AUV, the mission script is frequently completely changed from one mission to the next. Taking advantage of the fact that the mission script has a relatively simple structure that does not include loops we show that a diagnosis model of the mission script can be generated automatically that integrates with the model of the physical hardware. We show that this model allows us to diagnose faults that cannot be detected from the hardware model alone.