Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy-optimal collaborative GPS localization with short range communication

The key issue of the localization study is that how we can minimize the energy consumption of devices with guaranteeing high degree of accuracy. In this paper, we show that the collaboration among proxy devices with short range communication is helpful to energy-efficiently localize their locations in time-average sense by analyzing the device proximity including real GPS trace of students in KAIST and NCSU campuses. Next, we deliberate what is the best method for selfish mobile users to collaborate for the energy-efficient localization, and formulate an optimization problem which considers the energy efficiency and/or user fairness. However, optimizing this problem is tricky since it requires a global knowledge of sets of proxy devices and also solving a NP-hard problem to select devices which directly measure locations. This paper makes a contribution towards presenting a practical and fully distributed location sharing protocol based on competition for turning off GPS, and an optimal algorithm which controls mean waiting time used for the competition. Through the extensive simulations under several sample topologies and real mobility trace in KAIST campus, we obtain the following interesting observations: (i) (in sample topologies) our scheme achieves a near-optimal performance of proposed problem in terms of energy efficiency and fairness (up to 27.2% power saving with 35.8% higher fairness than existing heuristic algorithms), (ii) (in real mobility trace) our scheme well adapts at even unpredictably changing mobility environment (65.5% power saving than no collaboration, 27.4% or more power saving with 25% higher fairness than the existing algorithms).
Multiple-goal task realization utilizing redundant degrees of freedom of task and tool attachment optimization

Minimizing the task completion time of manipulator systems is essential in order to achieve high productivity. In this paper, this problem is dealt with by utilizing the redundant degrees of freedom (DOF) of a given task and the tool attachment optimization. For example, in a vision-based inspection where a camera is held by a manipulator, the extra DOF can be brought about by allowing the camera to be translated along its approach axis or rotated about this axis when capturing images. Furthermore, the manipulator end-effector position and orientation is optimized by designing an additional linkage at the manipulator end-effector which is called a tool attachment. A 7-DOF manipulator system is used in the simulations to verify the proposed approach. Results showed that this approach can minimize the task completion time by about 17% compared to conducting only motion coordination.
Decreased protein nitration in macrophages that overexpress indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase

The activity of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO; E.C. 1.13.11.42) catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of tryptophan to form kynurenine. IDO activity consumes superoxide anions; therefore, we postulated that over-expression of IDO might mitigate superoxide-anion dependent, oxidative modification of cellular proteins in vitro. We prepared and characterized RAW 264.7 macrophages that were stably transfected with either an IDO expression vector or the control (empty) vector. We detected IDO mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in the IDO-transfected macrophages, but not in the macrophages transfected with the empty vector. To generate superoxide anions in situ, we treated the IDO-and control-transfected cultures with xanthine or hypoxanthine, and then used ELISA methods to quantitate the relative levels of oxidatively modified proteins in total cell lysates. The levels of protein carbonyls were similar in IDO-transfected and vector-transfected macrophages; however, protein nitration was significantly less in IDO-transfected cells compared to control transfectants. In addition, steady-state levels of superoxide anions were significantly lower in the IDO-transfected cultures compared with control transfectants. Our results are consistent with the concept that, besides degrading tryptophan, IDO activity may protect cells from oxidative damage.
Highly Parallel Processing of Relational Databases (Thesis)

Ching-Cruh Hsiao, Ph.D. Purdue University, December 1982. Highly Parallel Processing of Relational Databases. Major Professor; Lawrence Snyder. New computer architectures are feasible because of the advances in VLSI design and fabrication technologies. Among them, highly parallel structures coordinate hundreds of thousands of processing elements that function cooperatively. These structures are especially useful in solving computationally intensive problems. This thesis applies the highly parallel approach to improve the efficiency in processing relational database queries. High-performance algorithms for basic relational operations are explored. Efficient composition of these algorithms . to process whole queries is also investigated. Regularity and Uniformity are necessary in order to make the highly parallel computing cost-effective. An efficient primitive. called POP-SORT, is proposed to unify the relational operations such as sorting, duplicateremoval, union. intersection. and difference. The three latter operations are even allowed to have multisets as operands. POP-SORT is based on an easy scheme which adapts any highly parallel and regular sorting algorithm to perform all these database operations. The primitive is compared favorably, This work is part of the Blue CHiP Project. It is supported in Pll.Tt by the Office of Naval Research Contracts NOOOl4-BO-K-OB16 and NOOOl4-81-K-QS60. The latter is Task SRo-IOO. x in terms of time complexity, with existing algorithms for the five operations. The optimality of POP-SORT is also proved for a restricted but reasonable type of parallel computation. Furthermore. sublinear time performance is possible for join operations H argument relations are preconditioned by POP-SORT. For processing a whole query, the operation tree parsed from the query can be executed by composing individual algorithms for the operations. The Configurable. Highly Parallel (CHiP) computers have the flexibility to provide programmable processor interconnections for composing algorithms. Query embedding is a method of executing whole operation trees to explore maximum parallelism on the CHiP computers. It involves the processor allocalion and the embedding of appropriate interconnections. With the bitonic POP-SORT, which is a generalization of, Hatcher's bitonic merge sort. the query embedding can be simplified significantly.
The BOBYQA algorithm for bound constrained optimization without derivatives

BOBYQA is an iterative algorithm for finding a minimum of a function F(x), x2R n , subject to bounds axb on the variables, F being specified by a "black box" that returns the value F(x) for any feasible x. Each iteration employs a quadratic approximation Q to F that satisfies Q(y j )= F(y j ), j =1 ,2,. ,m, the interpolation points y j being chosen and adjusted automatically, but m is a prescribed constant, the value m =2 n+1 being typical. These conditions leave much freedom in Q, taken up when the model is updated by the highly successful technique of minimizing the Frobenius norm of the change to the second derivative matrix of Q. Thus no first derivatives of F are required explicitly. Most changes to the variables are an approximate solution to a trust region subproblem, using the current quadratic model, with a lower bound on the trust region radius that is reduced cautiously, in order to keep the interpolation points well separated until late in the calculation, which lessens damage from computer rounding errors. Some other changes to the variables are designed to improve the model without reducing F. These techniques are described. Other topics include the starting procedure that is given an initial vector of variables, the value of m and the initial trust region radius. There is also a new device called RESCUE that tries to restore normality if severe loss of accuracy occurs in the matrix calculations of the updating of the model. Numerical results are reported and discussed for two test problems, the numbers of variables being between 10 and 320.
Exercise Stress Test Amplifies Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in the LQT1 and LQT2 Forms of the Long-QT Syndrome

Background—Experimental studies suggest that the interval between peak and end of T wave (Tpe) in transmural ECGs reflects transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR), which is amplified by &bgr;-adrenergic stimulation in the LQT1 model. In 82 patients with genetically identified long-QT syndrome (LQTS) and 33 control subjects, we examined T-wave morphology and various parameters for repolarization in 12-lead ECGs including corrected QT (QTc; QT/R-R1/2) and corrected Tpe (Tpec; Tpe/R-R1/2) before and during exercise stress tests. Methods and Results—Under baseline conditions, LQT1 (n=51) showed 3 cardinal T-wave patterns (broad-based, normal-appearing, late-onset) and LQT2 (n=31) 3 patterns (broad-based, bifid with a small or large notch). The QTc and Tpec were 510±68 ms and 143±53 ms in LQT1 and 520±61 ms and 195±69 ms in LQT2, respectively, which were both significantly larger than those in control subjects (402±36 ms and 99±36 ms). Both QTc and Tpec were significantly prolonged during exercise in LQT1 (599±54 ms and 215±46 ms) with morphological change into a broad-based T-wave pattern. In contrast, exercise produced a prominent notch on the descending limb of the T wave, with no significant changes in the QTc and Tpec (502±82 ms and 163±86 ms: n=19) in LQT2. Conclusions—Tpe interval increases during exercise in LQT1 but not in LQT2, which may partially account for the finding that fatal cardiac events in LQT1 are more often associated with exercise.
Adding query privacy to robust DHTs

Interest in anonymous communication over distributed hash tables (DHTs) has increased in recent years. However, almost all known solutions solely aim at achieving sender or requestor anonymity in DHT queries. In many application scenarios, it is crucial that the queried key remains secret from intermediate peers that (help to) route the queries towards their destinations. In this paper, we satisfy this requirement by presenting an approach for providing privacy for the keys in DHT queries. We use the concept of oblivious transfer (OT) in communication over DHTs to preserve query privacy without compromising spam resistance. Although our OT-based approach can work over any DHT, we concentrate on robust DHTs that can tolerate Byzantine faults and resist spam. We choose the best-known robust DHT construction, and employ an efficient OT protocol well-suited for achieving our goal of obtaining query privacy over robust DHTs. Finally, we compare the performance of our privacy-preserving protocols with their more privacy-invasive counterparts. We observe that there is no increase in the message complexity and only a small overhead in the computational complexity.
Comparison of Cigarette Smoke-Induced Acute Inflammation in Multiple Strains of Mice and the Effect of a Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitor on These Responses

The activities of proteases in the lung, specifically matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), have been implicated in driving the inflammation and lung destruction observed in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here, our aims were to compare the acute response with cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) in four mouse strains to identify common and distinguishing features and to assess the effect of an MMP inhibitor on this response. To do this, we exposed mice (BALB/C, C57BL/6, A/J, or 129/Sv) to whole-body CSE (1 h/day) for 3 days. CSE induced dose- and time-dependent increases in neutrophils and keratinocyte chemoattractant levels in the airways of all strains; however, the proportion of the neutrophilia differed among strains. In the two most contrasting strains, BALB/C and C57BL/6, we examined MMP gene expression and found only small changes apart from MMP-12, which was highly expressed in both strains. Both strains were then treated with a broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor, PKF242-484 [(2S,3R)-N4-((S)-2,2-dimethyl-1-methylcarbamoyl-propyl)-N1-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-3-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-succinimide] (0.5–10 mg/kg) either orally or intranasally 1 h before and 5 h after CSE for 3 days. PKF242-484 dose-dependently reduced neutrophilia in BALB/C mice when dosed orally (p < 0.01) or intranasally (p < 0.01) but had no clear effect in C57BL/6 by either route. PKF242-484 reduced BAL macrophages when dosed intranasally (p < 0.05) but had no dose-dependent effect when dosed orally in both strains. These data suggest the inflammation induced by CSE is similar, but not identical, in different mouse strains. In addition, the ability of broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors to inhibit smoke-induced acute neutrophil inflammation is strain-dependent, whereas its ability to limit macrophage infiltration may be route dependent.
Rheological and Mechanical Characterization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polypropylene Nanocomposites

The rheology and morphology of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites prepared via melt blending was investigated. The minor phase content of MWNT varied between 0.25 and 8 wt%. From morphological studies using a scanning electron microscopy technique a good dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the PP matrix was observed. The rheological studies were performed by a capillary rheometer, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were studied using a tensile and flexural tester. Both PP and its nanocomposites showed non-Newtonian behavior. At low shear rates the addition of MWNT content causes an increase in viscosity; however, viscosity is less sensitive to addition of MWNT content at higher shear rates. Flow activation energy for the nanocomposites was calculated using an Arrhenius type equation. From this calculation it was concluded that the temperature sensitivity of nanocomposites was increased by increasing of nanotube content. An increase in tensile and flexural moduli and Izod impact strength was also observed by increasing the MWNT content. From rheological and mechanical tests it was concluded that the mechanical and rheological percolation threshold is at 1.5 wt%.
Probabilistic Tree-Adjoining Grammar as a Framework for Statistical Natural Language Processing

In this paper, I argue for the use of a probabilistic form of tree-adjoining grammar (TAG) in statistical natural language processing. I first discuss two previous statistical approaches --- one that concentrates on the probabilities of structural operations, and another that emphasizes co-occurrence relationships between words. I argue that a purely structural apprach, exemplified by probabilistic context-free grammar, lacks sufficient sensitivity to lexical context, and, conversely, that lexical co-occurence analyses require a richer notion of locality that is best provided by importing some notion of structure.I then propose probabilistic TAG as a framework for statistical language modelling, arguing that it provides an advantageous combination of structure, locality, and lexical sensitivity. Issues in the acquisition of probabilistic TAG and parameter estimation are briefly considered.
Cavitation Erosion and Solid Particle Erosion Behaviour of a Nitrogen Alloyed Austenitic Stainless Steel

The effect of grain size on solid particle erosion and cavitation erosion of a nitrogen alloyed austenitic stainless steel has been investigated. Heat treatment of the steel at elevated temperatures results in an increase in grain size and thus modification in mechanical properties. Particle erosion tests were performed using an air jet erosion tester. An ultrasonic processor with a stationary specimen was used to investigate the cavitation erosion performance. The cavitation erosion rates were found to increase with the increase in grain size. The particle erosion rate shows no significant change with increase in grain size. The worn surfaces were examined to study the characteristic damage features using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nitrogen alloyed austenitic stainless steel exhibited superior resistance to cavitation erosion and particle erosion than a 316L stainless steel. The hardness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the steels are related with the erosion resistance.
CXCL4-Induced Macrophages: A Novel Therapeutic Target in Human Atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis and its consequences (i.e. myocardial infarction and cardiac death) remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Western countries (Roger et al. 2011). Despite clinical advances that have substantially improved outcomes in patients suffering from coronary artery disease, including pharmacological interventions (e.g. novel anti platelet therapies, statins, etc.) as well as interventional and surgical therapies (e.g. drug-eluting stents), there is still a huge demand for improved diagnostic tools to identify patients at risk for adverse events as well as therapeutic means to prevent adverse events in these patients. Biomarkers such as high sensitivity CRP (Ridker 2007) or high sensitivity troponin T (Kurz et al. 2011) have brought some improvement in identifying patients requiring more intense treatment; however, the clinical need for better tools remains. An important concept that may help to improve clinical care for patients with coronary artery disease is the inducement of plaque stability. Atherosclerotic lesions can show features of plaque stability or plaque instability (Naghavi et al. 2003a, Naghavi et al. 2003b). Stable plaques are characterized by a thick fibrous cap and a small necrotic core. By contrast, unstable plaques display a thin fibrous cap and a large necrotic core consisting of apoptotic macrophages, foam cells, and smooth muscle cells. Unstable plaques are more likely to rupture, and plaque rupture may subsequently result in thrombosis and occlusion of the vessel leading to a myocardial infarction or stroke. A promising approach to identify potential markers of plaque instability may be the study of atherogenesis on a cellular and molecular level. During the development of atherosclerotic lesions, blood monocytes adhere to the activated endothelium, transmigrate into the subendothelial space, and differentiate towards macrophages, dendritic cells, or foam cells (Galkina & Ley 2009). Among the various leukocyte types involved in atherogenesis, monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages represent the major fraction. The monocyte-macrophage differentiation process is affected by the extracellular matrix as well as by the combination of chemokines and cytokines representing the micromilieu of the plaque (Shashkin et al. 2005). In addition, cell-cell interactions may also affect the fate of monocytes within the atherosclerotic plaque. Monocyte-derived cells secrete chemokines, cytokines, and other mediators, leading to attraction of other immune cells and thereby promoting plaque progression and plaque instability (Shashkin et al. 2005). While it was initially thought that monocyte-derived macrophages represent a homogenous population
Manufacturing of High Strength Steel and Aluminum for a Mixed Material Body in White

Sophisticated materials like high strength steel or even multi phase steel as well as aluminum require more efforts within the manufacturing process than conventional steel sheets as they have been used in the body in white recently. The manufacturing process itself as well as engineering of the parts, material of the forming tools as well as cold and warm joining technologies must be regarded separately. For forming tools coated steel inserts or sometimes even cooling is essential in terms of high-volume car series production. In mixed material solutions using steel in combination with aluminum, the common used resistance spot welding process does not work any more. To maintain high process stability of cold joining technologies combined with adhesive bonding a new process must have been developed. Other items for weight and cost savings are tailored rolled blanks or sophisticated joining technologies. Regarding the manufacturing costs, a cost effective combination of the mentioned high-sophisticated alloys with conventional material should be achieved. Developing a design concept due to crash, stiffness and driving performance, basic requirements have to be considered. This aims to check the high potential of cost intensive materials wherever high functional benefit is necessary under commercial aspects.
A corpus-based approach for robust ASR in reverberant environments

In this paper, we discuss the use of artiﬁcial room reverberation to increase the performance of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems in reverberant enclosures. Our approach consists in training acoustic models on artiﬁcially reverberated speech material. In order to obtain the desired reverberated speech training database, we propose to use a reverberating ﬁlter whose impulse response is designed to match two high-level acoustic properties of the target reverberant operating environment, namely the early-to-late energy ratio and the reverberation time. Speech recognition experiments in simulated reverberant environments show that recognizers trained on speech reverberated with the proposed method outperform systems trained on clean speech, even when channel normalization methods like CMS and logRASTA-PLP are used. The extension of our approach to multi-style training is also considered.
Fixation Patterns During Recognition of Personally Familiar and Unfamiliar Faces

Previous studies recording eye gaze during face perception have rendered somewhat inconclusive findings with respect to fixation differences between familiar and unfamiliar faces. This can be attributed to a number of factors that differ across studies: the type and extent of familiarity with the faces presented, the definition of areas of interest subject to analyses, as well as a lack of consideration for the time course of scan patterns. Here we sought to address these issues by recording fixations in a recognition task with personally familiar and unfamiliar faces. After a first common fixation on a central superior location of the face in between features, suggesting initial holistic encoding, and a subsequent left eye bias, local features were focused and explored more for familiar than unfamiliar faces. Although the number of fixations did not differ for un-/familiar faces, the locations of fixations began to differ before familiarity decisions were provided. This suggests that in the context of familiarity decisions without time constraints, differences in processing familiar and unfamiliar faces arise relatively early – immediately upon initiation of the first fixation to identity-specific information – and that the local features of familiar faces are processed more than those of unfamiliar faces.
Stabilization of a circular ball-and-beam system

The ball on a circular beam system is an under-actuated mechanical system that is challenging control problem compared to its variant: the ball on a horizontal beam. The control challenge stems out from the fact that the ball on a circular beam system has two unstable eigenvalues unlike its variant which has one. A stabilizing controller synthesized using backstepping methodology is presented. In doing so, a series of nonlinear coordinate transformations is applied on the equations of motion to arrive at a state-space representation which is in the so called quadratic non-triangular normal form. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller in stabilizing the system while respecting the physical constraints on the system.