Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antenna grouping for general discriminatory channel estimation

Discriminatory channel estimation emerges as a promising method of not only increasing the secrecy rates in conventional wiretap channels, but also providing a valuable tool for solving the authentication problem. In this paper, we revisit the discriminatory channel estimation method by Chang et al. and propose a generalization to the challenging scenario in which the number of antennas at the legitimate receiver equals or exceeds those of the transmitter. The proposed method is based on the simple idea of dividing the receiver antennas into smaller groups. However, the direct application of previous approaches would result into security problems due to the multiple observations of the eavesdropper, and therefore the transmission system needs to be designed taking this fact into account. The performance of the proposed technique is illustrated by means of some numerical examples, which clearly show the feasibility of discriminatory channel estimation even in the case of systems with more antennas at the receiver side.
Speech Sound Processing Deficits and Training-Induced Neural Plasticity in Rats with Dyslexia Gene Knockdown

In utero RNAi of the dyslexia-associated gene Kiaa0319 in rats (KIA-) degrades cortical responses to speech sounds and increases trial-by-trial variability in onset latency. We tested the hypothesis that KIA- rats would be impaired at speech sound discrimination. KIA- rats needed twice as much training in quiet conditions to perform at control levels and remained impaired at several speech tasks. Focused training using truncated speech sounds was able to normalize speech discrimination in quiet and background noise conditions. Training also normalized trial-by-trial neural variability and temporal phase locking. Cortical activity from speech trained KIA- rats was sufficient to accurately discriminate between similar consonant sounds. These results provide the first direct evidence that assumed reduced expression of the dyslexia-associated gene KIAA0319 can cause phoneme processing impairments similar to those seen in dyslexia and that intensive behavioral therapy can eliminate these impairments.
Blind source extraction of periodic signals

A new algorithm is developed here for blind extraction of periodic signals. It is assumed that the fundamental frequencies of the sources (or alternatively one of the harmonics for each source) are known a priori. Necessary and sufficient conditions for blind source extraction of cyclostationary signals are introduced and the optimization problem is solved using steepest descent method for complex matrices. Computer simulation results verify the effectiveness and good performance of the algorithm.
8. Comparing Networks across Space and Time, Size and Species

We describe and illustrate methodology for comparing networks from diverse settings. Our empirical base consists of 42 networks from four kinds of species (humans, nonhuman primates, nonprimate mammals, and birds) and covering distinct types of relations such as influence, grooming, and agonistic encounters. The general problem is to determine whether networks are similarly structured despite their surface differences. The methodology we propose is generally applicable to the characterization and comparison of network-level social structures across multiple settings, such as different organizations, communities, or social groups, and to the examination of sources of variability in network structure. We first fit a p* model (Wasserman and Pattison 1996) to each network to obtain estimates for effects of six structural properties on the probability of the graph. We then calculate predicted tie probabilities for each network, using both its own parameter estimates and the estimates from every other network in the collection. Comparison is based on the similarity between sets of predicted tie probabilities. We then use correspondence analysis to represent the similarities among all 42 networks and interpret the resulting configuration using information about the species and relations involved. Results show that similarities among the networks are due more to the kind of relation than to the kind of animal.
Application of Data Mining in Development Index Forecast of an Oilfield during the Middle and Later Stage

When the development of an oilfield comes into the middle and later stage, it is difficult to grasp the dynamic law due to continuous rising of water cut. A key to realize the optimal control of the whole process of oil development is to realize the accurate forecast of development indexes. This paper mainly investigates the application of data mining methods in development indexes forecast of an oilfield during the middle and later stage. At first, the impact factor system of a development index which we want to forecast is established based on the static-dynamic historical data of the oilfield by integrating of two data mining methods: grey relational analysis and fuzzy clustering. Then, a support vector regression (SVR) model is developed to establish the input-output nonlinear relationship between the development index and its influence factors. In the end, a practical development indexes forecast problem of an oilfield in China is given, successfully solved, and the computational results are presented.
Adding ketamine to morphine for patient-controlled analgesia after thoracic surgery: influence on morphine consumption, respiratory function, and nocturnal desaturation.

BACKGROUND I.V. patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine is often used for postoperative analgesia after thoracic surgery, but the required doses may increase postoperative respiratory disorders. Adjunction of ketamine could reduce both doses and related respiratory side-effects. METHODS The main objective of this prospective, randomized double-blinded study was to evaluate the influence of adding ketamine to PCA on morphine consumption and postoperative respiratory disorders. Consecutive patients undergoing lobectomy (n = 50) were randomly assigned to receive, during the postoperative period, either i.v. morphine 1 mg ml(-1) or morphine with ketamine 1 mg ml(-1) for each. Morphine consumption was evaluated by cumulative doses every 12 h for the three postoperative days. Postoperative respiratory disorders were assessed by spirometric evaluation and recording of nocturnal desaturation. RESULTS The adjunction of ketamine resulted in a significant reduction in cumulative morphine consumption as early as the 36th postoperative hour [43 (SD 18) vs 32 (14) mg, P = 0.03] with a similar visual analogue scale. In the morphine group, the percentage of time with desaturation < 90% was higher during the three nights [1.80 (0.21-6.37) vs 0.02 (0-0.13), P < 0.001; 2.15 (0.35-8.65) vs 0.50 (0.01-1.30), P = 0.02; 2.46 (0.57-5.51) vs 0.55 (0.21-1.00), P = 0.02]. The decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s was less marked in the ketamine group at the first postoperative day [1.04 (0.68-1.22) litre vs 1.21 (1.10-0.70) litre, P = 0.039]. CONCLUSIONS Adding small doses of ketamine to morphine in PCA devices decreases the morphine consumption and may improve respiratory disorders after thoracic surgery.
Parameter Estimation of a DC/DC Buck converter using a continuous time model

In this paper, a novel online technique for estimating the parameters of a DC/DC buck converter through a continuous time model is proposed. Standard least mean squares algorithm is applied among other formulations, taking into account only the non conduction state during a single switching cycle. The problem of derivative calculation of the needed voltage and current signals is solved by polynomial interpolation.
Robot task-driven attention

Visual attention is a crucial skill in human beings in that it allows optimal deployment of visual processing and memory resources. It turns out to be even more useful in search tasks, since to select salient zones we use top-down priors, depending on the observed scene, along with bottom-up criteria. In this paper we show how we constructed a robotic model of attention, inspired by studies on human attention and gaze shifting. Our model relies on a measure of salience related to the particular type of environment and to the given task. This measure is hierarchically structured and consists of both top-down components, learned from the tutor, and bottom-up components as perceived in the scene by the robot. Hence with such a general model the robot can perform its own scan-path inside a similar environment and report on its findings.
The exposure of technology and knowledge intense sectors to the business cycle

This paper studies the business cycle sensitivity of industries using different industry groupings. The results show that technologically intense industries are heavily affected by business cycles. While the overall importance of business cycles for long-run growth seems to be rather limited, we observe for industries with high technology intensity that business cycles may have persistent long-run effects on sectoral performance.
Geometric scaling: a simple preconditioner for certain linear systems with discontinuous coefficients

Linear systems with large differences between coefficients ("discontinuous coefficients") arise in many cases in which partial differential equations(PDEs) model physical phenomena involving heterogeneous media. The standard approach to solving such problems is to use domain decomposition techniques, with domain boundaries conforming to the boundaries between the different media. This approach can be difficult to implement when the geometry of the domain boundaries is complicated or the grid is unstructured. This work examines the simple preconditioning technique of scaling the equations by dividing each equation by the Lp-norm of its coefficients. This preconditioning is called geometric scaling (GS). It has long been known that diagonal scaling can be useful in improving convergence, but there is no study on the general usefulness of this approach for discontinuous coefficients. GS was tested on several nonsymmetric linear systems with discontinuous coefficients derived from convection-diffusion elliptic PDEs with small to moderate convection terms. It is shown that GS improved the convergence properties of restarted GMRES and Bi-CGSTAB, with and without the ILUT preconditioner. GS was also shown to improve the distribution of the eigenvalues by reducing their concentration around the origin very significantly.
Consumer’s willingness to pay for sustainable food products: do food miles labels matter?

This paper analyses consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for food products (i.e., almonds) carrying organic and/or “food miles” labels in Spain. Using data from a nonhypothetical choice experiment, an Error Component Random Parameter model with correlated errors is estimated to assess the effect of these labels on consumers’ utility and willingness to pay. Results suggest that consumers are willing to pay more for a product with “food miles” label indicating that the product is locally grown than a product without “food miles” label. However, products with “food miles” labels denoting longer distances are valued less than products without “food miles” labels. Results also imply that locally grown products are valued more than organic products.
Study of spindle vibration signals for tool breakage monitoring in micro-drilling

The study of the spindle vibration signal for micro tool breakage monitoring was reported in this paper. The vibration signal obtained from the three axis accelerometer installed on a fixture connected to the spindle housing were considered as the input signal for the monitoring system which includes the Wavelet transformation of the collected signal, feature selection for creating the features related to the breakage event, and a classifier design for classifying the tool breakage event based on the selected features. The linear discriminate function was developed as the classifier in the system. The effects of the sensor direction and the selected features on the classification rate were discussed as well in this study. In order to collect the vibration signals for training and verifying the system, an experiment was implemented on a micro milling platform along with 600 µ m diameter micro drill and 6061 aluminum workpiece. The results show that the spindle vibration signals provides the capability of detecting the micro drill breakage, and the features selected from the Wavelet transformation can improve the reliability of the monitoring system.
A Novel Enterprise Mobile E-mail System Using the SyncML Protocol

We have learned that the existing mobile e-mail solutions have some deficiencies, such as unsatisfied real-time features, poor mobility and so on. To avoid these problems, we propose a new way to design and implement an Enterprise Mobile E-mail System (EMES) with SyncML protocol. Our method explicitly takes into account the applications and the new needs of EMES. The result shows that we can resolve real-time, security, mobility, economy and synchronous problems in EMES.
High Data-Rate Communication in Near-Field RFID and Wireless Power Using Higher Order Modulation

We present the theory of high-order modulation for near-field RF identification (RFID) and wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. We show that while related, the design of RFID and WPT systems differ. The theory and calculation of load modulated quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and phase shift keying (PSK) is presented. We then present two experimental prototypes. The first demonstrates a 16-QAM RFID link achieving 480 kb/s at a 2.38-MHz carrier (>19.8 fractional bandwidth), significantly higher than the 1% fractional bandwidth of traditional RFID systems. The second experimental prototype demonstrates 4-PSK for WPT applications achieving a data rate 256 kb/s at a 2.38-MHz carrier (a 10.7% fractional bandwidth) with an average efficiency reduction of only 4%.
Distance to northern high-latitude HI shells

Context. A detailed three-dimensional (3D) distribution of interstellar matter in the solar neighborhood is increasingly necessary. It would allow a more realistic computation of photons and cosmic rays propagation, which is of prime importance for microwave and gamma-ray background emission interpretation, as well as a better understanding of the chain of phenomena that gave rise to the main local structures. Aims. As part of a 3D mapping program, we aim at assigning a precise distance to the high-latitude HI gas, in particular the northern part (b ≥ 55 ◦ ) of the shell associated with the conspicuous radio continuum Loop I. This shell is thought to be the expanding boundary of an interstellar bubble inflated and recently reheated by the strong stellar winds of the nearby Scorpius-Centaurus OB associations. Methods. We recorded high-resolution spectra of 30 A-type target stars located at various distances in the direction of the northern part of Loop I. Interstellar neutral sodium and singly ionized calcium absorptions (NaI 5889–5895 and CaII K-H 3934–3968 A) are modeled and compared with the HI emission spectra from the LAB Survey. Results. About two-thirds of our stellar spectra possess narrow interstellar lines, while the remaining spectra show no absorption at all. Narrow lines are located at the velocity of the main, low-velocity Loop 1 HI shell ([–6, +1] km s −1 in the LSR). Using Hipparcos distances to the target stars, we show that the closest boundary of the b ≥ +70 ◦ part of this low-velocity Loop I arch is located at of 98 ± 6 pc. The corresponding interval for the lower-latitude part (55 ≤ b ≤ 70 ◦ ) is 95–157 pc. However, since the two structures are apparently connected, the lower limit is more likely. At variance with this shell, the second HI structure (b ≥ +85 ◦ ), which is characterized by LSR Doppler velocities centered at –30 km s −1 , is NOT detected in any of the optical spectra. It is located beyond 200 parsecs or totally depleted in NaI and CaII. Conclusions. We discuss these results in the light of spherical expanding shells and show that they are difficult to reconcile with simple geometries and a nearby shell center close to the plane. Instead, this high-latitude gas seems to extend the inclined local chimney wall to high distances from the plane.
RADIATIVE COOLING IN RELATIVISTIC COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS: CAN SIMULATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS PROBE RELEVANT GAMMA-RAY BURST PHYSICS?

We address the question of whether numerical particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and laboratory laser-plasma experiments can (or will be able to, in the near future) model realistic gamma-ray burst (GRB) shocks. For this, we compare the radiative cooling time, tcool, of relativistic electrons in the shock magnetic fields to the microscopic dynamical time of collisionless relativistic shocks—the inverse plasma frequency of protons, ω−1pp. We obtain that for tcoolω−1pp≲ few hundred, the electrons cool efficiently at or near the shock jump and are capable of emitting away a large fraction of the shock energy. Such shocks are well resolved in existing PIC simulations; therefore, the microscopic structure can be studied in detail. Since most of the emission in such shocks would be coming from the vicinity of the shock, the spectral power of the emitted radiation can be directly obtained from finite-length simulations and compared with observational data. Such shocks have very high radiative efficiency and correspond to the internal baryon-dominated GRB shocks for the conventional range of ejecta parameters. Fermi acceleration of electrons in such shocks is limited by electron cooling, hence the emitted spectrum should be lacking a nonthermal tail, whereas its peak likely falls in the multi-MeV range. For lower radiative efficiency shocks, these constraints are relaxed: the peak energy is smaller and the nonthermal tail can be expected to form. Incidentally, the conditions in internal shocks are almost identical to those in laser-produced plasmas; thus, such GRB-like plasmas can be created and studied in laboratory experiments using the presently available Petawatt-scale laser facilities. An analysis of the external shocks shows that only the highly relativistic shocks, corresponding to the extremely early afterglow phase, can have efficient electron cooling in the shock transition. We emphasize the importance of radiative PIC simulations for further studies.
Intrinsically narrowband pair photon generation in microstructured fibres

In this paper, we study the tailoring of photon spectral properties generated by four-wave mixing in a birefringent photonic crystal fibre (PCF). The aim is to produce intrinsically narrow-band photons and hence to achieve high non-classical interference visibility and generate high-fidelity entanglement without any requirement for spectral filtering, leading to high effective detection efficiencies. We show unfiltered Hong–Ou–Mandel interference visibilities of 77% between photons from the same PCF and 80% between separate sources. We compare results from modelling the PCF to these experiments and analyse photon purities.
Transmit Optimization for Symbol-Level Spoofing

With recent developments in wireless communication technologies, malicious users can use them to commit crimes or launch terror attacks, thus imposing new threats on public security. To quickly respond to these attacks, authorized parities need to intervene in the malicious communication links over the air. This paper investigates the emerging wireless communication intervention problem at the physical layer. Unlike prior studies using jamming to disrupt or disable the targeted wireless communications, we propose a new physical-layer spoofing approach to change their communicated information. Consider an abstract three-node model over additive white Gaussian noise channels, in which a legitimate spoofer aims to spoof a malicious communication link from a malicious transmitter to a malicious receiver, such that the received message at the receiver is changed from the transmitter’s originally sent message to the one desired by the spoofer. We propose a new symbol-level spoofing scheme, where the spoofer designs the spoofing signal by exploiting the symbol-level relationship between each original constellation point of the transmitter and the desirable one of the spoofer. In particular, the spoofer aims to minimize the average spoofing-symbol-error-rate (SSER), which is defined as the average probability that the symbols decoded by the malicious receiver fail to be changed or spoofed, by designing its spoofing signals over symbols subject to the average transmit power constraint. By considering two cases when the malicious transmitter employs the widely-used binary phase-shift keying and quadrature phase-shift keying modulations, we obtain the respective optimal solutions to the two average SSER minimization problems. Numerical results show that the symbol-level spoofing scheme with optimized transmission achieves a much lower average SSER, as compared with other benchmark schemes.
Efficacy of Propofol to Prevent Bronchoconstriction: Effects of Preservative

Background The authors previously showed that propofol attenuates bronchoconstriction. Recently, a newer formulation of propofol with metabisulfite preservative has been introduced. metabisulfite causes airway narrowing in asthmatics. Therefore, we tested whether the preservative metabisulfite abolishes the ability of propofol to attenuate bronchoconstriction. The authors used a sheep model in which anesthetic agents could be directly administered to the airways via the bronchial artery. Methods After Internal Review Board approval, seven sheep were anesthetized (pentobarbital 20 mg · kg−1 · h−1) and paralyzed (pancuronium 2 mg), and the lungs were ventilated. After left thoracotomy, the bronchial artery was cannulated and perfused. In random order, propofol with and without metabisulfite, lidocaine (5 mg/ml), or metabisulfite alone (0.125 mg/ml) was infused into the bronchial artery at a rate of 0.06, 0.2, or 0.6 ml/min. After 10 min, airway resistance (Raw) was measured before and after vagal nerve stimulation (30 Hz, 30-ms duration at 30 V for 9 s.) and methacholine challenge (2 &mgr;g/ml at 2 ml/min in the bronchial artery). Data were expressed as a percent of maximal response and analyzed by analysis of variance with correction and with significance accepted at P ≤ 0.05. Results Raw at baseline was not significantly different among the four drugs (P = 0.87). Infusion of lidocaine and propofol without metabisulfite into the bronchial artery caused a dose-dependent attenuation of the vagal nerve stimulation–induced bronchoconstriction (P = 0.001). Propofol with metabisulfite had no effect on vagal nerve stimulation–induced bronchoconstriction (P = 0.40). There was a significant difference in the ability of propofol without metabisulfite compared with propofol with metabisulfite to attenuate vagal nerve stimulation–induced (P = 0.0001) and methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction (P = 0.0001). Conclusion Propofol without metabisulfite and lidocaine attenuated vagal nerve stimulation–induced bronchoconstriction in a dose-dependent fashion. Propofol without metabisulfite also decreased direct airway smooth muscle constriction. The preservative used for propofol can have a dramatic effect on its ability to attenuate bronchoconstriction.