Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paradigm shifts in surface metrology. Part I. Historical philosophy

Surface texture and its measurement are becoming the most critical factors and important functionality indicators in the performance of high precision and nanoscale devices and components. Surface metrology as a discipline is currently undergoing a huge paradigm shift: from profile to areal characterization, from stochastic to structured surfaces, and from simple geometries to complex free-form geometries, all spanning the millimetre to sub-nanometre scales. This paper builds a complete philosophical framework for surface metrology through a review of the paradigm shifts that have occurred in the discipline of surface metrology, tracing the development of fundamental philosophies and techniques. The paper starts with a brief overview of the historical paradigm shifts and builds an up-to-date foundational philosophy, capable of rapid and effective development. The growth in interest in surface metrology stems mainly from the need to control the manufacture of armaments during the Second World War and the production of domestic goods and appliances since that time. The surfaces produced by manufacture seemed to offer the possibility of being useful for process control. Unfortunately, only a few tentative investigations had been carried out to establish usable relationships between the processes, the machine tools and the available surface parameters (with their limitations). Even fewer investigations had been carried out to relate surface geometry to the performance of manufactured products. The result was that the metrology was unprepared and, consequently, the progress was sporadic. This overall review is given in two parts. Part I focuses on the historical philosophy of surface metrology and Part II discusses the progress within the current paradigm shift.
Design of a 2.5kW PFC boost full-SiC converter based on close-coupled inductors

Applications such as Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), vertical transportation and railway traction require very high power converters with the volume limitations intrinsic to onboard applications. High power density can be achieved by using higher switching frequencies, Silicon Carbide (SiC) power switches and coupled inductors topologies. In this paper, close-coupled inductors topologies are modeled, simulated and designed for a 2.5kW interleaved PFC boost all-SiC converter. Design and simulation results are validated through experimental measurements on a converter prototype. Both the traditional interleaved converter and the close-coupled inductors topology are compared. Inductor effective volume is reduced by 53.54% and 97.385% efficiency is achieved.
Dynamic Visual Servoing of Robot Manipulators Based on Passivity

In this paper the servo problem in a 3-D robot manipulator based only on the visual measurements by following the dynamic visual servoing approach with a fixed camera configuration is considered. To model the whole visual servoing system, we consider the robot in an image space, reconstructed from the perspective projection of the robot space in the image plane. The manipulator dynamics is lifted up to the image space and modeled with the lagrangian formalism by formulating the kinematic and potential energy in the image space. The resulting motion equation has the same structure as that obtained in the joint space using the lagrangian modeling [1], and therefore inheriting the passivity property. Control schemes based on the passivity of the motion equation are then designed for visual servoing. Simulation and experiment results are included.
NEAR TO A PLAIN MUSIC GENRE CLASSIFICATION

This paper describes the algorithm submitted to the Audio Genre Classification task organized for the MIREX 2007 contest. The algorithm has been designed after many tests using different sets of descriptors, different classifiers and tested into different databases. The purpose of all these tests is to create a general system that is capable to deal with different databases and environments. This paper describes the current implementation that establishes the baseline for specific improvements.
Atmospheric chemistry and physics in the atmosphere of a developed megacity (London): an overview of the REPARTEE experiment and its conclusions

The REgents PARk and Tower Environmental Experiment (REPARTEE) comprised two campaigns in London in October 2006 and October/November 2007. The experiment design involved measurements at a heavily trafficked roadside site, two urban background sites and an elevated site at 160–190 m above ground on the BT Tower, supplemented in the second campaign by Doppler lidar measurements of atmospheric vertical structure. A wide range of measurements of airborne particle physical metrics and chemical composition were made as well as measurements of a considerable range of gas phase species and the fluxes of both particulate and gas phase substances. Significant findings include (a) demonstration of the evaporation of traffic-generated nanoparticles during both horizontal and vertical atmospheric transport; (b) generation of a large base of information on the fluxes of nanoparticles, accumulation mode particles and specific chemical components of the aerosol and a range of gas phase species, as well as the elucidation of key processes and comparison with emissions inventories; (c) quantification of vertical gradients in selected aerosol and trace gas species which has demonstrated the important role of regional transport in influencing concentrations of sulphate, nitrate and secondary organic compounds within the atmosphere of London; (d) generation of new data on the atmospheric structure and turbulence above London, including the estimation of mixed layer depths; (e) provision of new data on trace gas dispersion in the urban atmosphere through the release of purposeful tracers; (f) the determination of spatial differences in aerosol particle size distributions and their interpretation in terms of sources and physico-chemical transformations; (g) studies of the nocturnal oxidation of nitrogen oxides and of the diurnal behaviour of nitrate aerosol in the urban atmosphere, and (h) new information on the chemical composition and source apportionment of particulate matter size fractions in the atmosphere of London derived both from bulk chemical analysis and aerosol mass spectrometry with two instrument types.
Parametric study on free vibration and instability of a functionally graded cracked shaft in a rotor-disc-bearing system: finite element approach

Free vibration and stability analysis are studied for a rotor-disk-bearing system having a radially functionally graded (FG) shaft with a transversely fully open crack, based on finite element (FE) approach. Both viscous and hysteretic internal damping are incorporated in the FE model of FG cracked shaft using two nodded Timoshenko beam element having four degrees of freedom (DOFs) at each node. Material properties of the FG cracked shaft are assumed temperature dependent and graded along radial direction following different material gradation law. FG shaft is made of two constituents material namely zirconia (ZrO2) and stainless steel (SS) where metallic (SS) contain is decreasing towards the outer diameter of the shaft. Extended Hamilton’s principle is employed to derive the system equations of motion (EOMs) of the FG cracked shaft system. A complete code is developed in MATLAB for correcting the formulation of modeling of crack and verified with existing published results. Influences of different material gradient index, temperature gradients, size and location of crack, viscous and hysteretic internal damping, slenderness ratio, and boundary condition on dynamic responses of the FG cracked shaft system are studied.
A dynamic vocabulary spoken dialogue interface

Mixed-initiative spoken dialogue systems today generally allow users to query with a fixed vocabulary and grammar that is determined prior to run-time. This paper presents a spoken dialogue interface enhanced with a dynamic vocabulary capability. One or more word classes can be made dynamic in the speech recognizer and natural language (NL) grammar so that a context-specific vocabulary subset can be incorporated on-the-fly as the context of the dialogue changes, at each dialogue turn. Described is a restaurant information domain which continually updates the restaurant name class, given the dialogue context. We examine progress made to the speech recognizer, natural language parser and dialogue manager in order to support the dynamic vocabulary capability, and present preliminary experimental results conducted from simulated dialogues.
Semantic annotation of medical images

Diagnosis and treatment planning for patients can be significantly improved by comparing with clinical images of other patients with similar anatomical and pathological characteristics. This requires the images to be annotated using common vocabulary from clinical ontologies. Current approaches to such annotation are typically manual, consuming extensive clinician time, and cannot be scaled to large amounts of imaging data in hospitals. On the other hand, automated image analysis while being very scalable do not leverage standardized semantics and thus cannot be used across specific applications. In our work, we describe an automated and context-sensitive workflow based on an image parsing system complemented by an ontology-based context-sensitive annotation tool. An unique characteristic of our framework is that it brings together the diverse paradigms of machine learning based image analysis and ontology based modeling for accurate and scalable semantic image annotation.
Qualitative management accounting research: rationale, pitfalls and potential A comment on Vaivio (2008)

Purpose - This paper's purpose is to provide a commentary on “Qualitative management accounting research: rationale, pitfalls and potential,” a paper by Juhani Vaivio. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is to draw on alternative research paradigms to expand the definition and discussion of qualitative research in management accounting. Findings - The paper endorses many of the prescriptions in Vaivio but expands the definition and discussion of qualitative research in management accounting to recognize the blurred boundaries with field research more generally, and to be more inclusive of qualitative field research from a positivist/functionalist perspective. Similarly, the need for qualitative research to challenge textbook, economics and consulting representations of management accounting is acknowledged, but the range of catalysts is expanded to highlight the potential for qualitative research building on both qualitative and quantitative extant research. This paper also seeks to broaden the discussion of legitimate study design characteristics and data collection methods, and to stress the importance of matching research design with research question. Originality/value - The paper stresses the value of pluralism and inclusiveness in both methodological and method choices.
New approach based on tetrahedral-mesh geometry for accurate 4D Monte Carlo patient-dose calculation

In the present study, to achieve accurate 4D Monte Carlo dose calculation in radiation therapy, we devised a new approach that combines (1) modeling of the patient body using tetrahedral-mesh geometry based on the patient’s 4D CT data, (2) continuous movement/deformation of the tetrahedral patient model by interpolation of deformation vector fields acquired through deformable image registration, and (3) direct transportation of radiation particles during the movement and deformation of the tetrahedral patient model. The results of our feasibility study show that it is certainly possible to construct 4D patient models (= phantoms) with sufficient accuracy using the tetrahedral-mesh geometry and to directly transport radiation particles during continuous movement and deformation of the tetrahedral patient model. This new approach not only produces more accurate dose distribution in the patient but also replaces the current practice of using multiple 3D voxel phantoms and combining multiple dose distributions after Monte Carlo simulations. For routine clinical application of our new approach, the use of fast automatic segmentation algorithms is a must. In order to achieve, simultaneously, both dose accuracy and computation speed, the number of tetrahedrons for the lungs should be optimized. Although the current computation speed of our new 4D Monte Carlo simulation approach is slow (i.e. ~40 times slower than that of the conventional dose accumulation approach), this problem is resolvable by developing, in Geant4, a dedicated navigation class optimized for particle transportation in tetrahedral-mesh geometry.
Extension of TSVM to Multi-Class and Hierarchical Text Classification Problems With General Losses

Transductive SVM (TSVM) is a well known semi-supervised large margin learning method for binary text classification. In this paper we extend this method to multi-class and hierarchical classification problems. We point out that the determination of labels of unlabeled examples with fixed classifier weights is a linear programming problem. We devise an efficient technique for solving it. The method is applicable to general loss functions. We demonstrate the value of the new method using large margin loss on a number of multiclass and hierarchical classification datasets. For maxent loss we show empirically that our method is better than expectation regularization/constraint and posterior regularization methods, and competitive with the version of entropy regularization method which uses label constraints.
The emission‐line pulse pattern in the intermediate polar RX J0558+53

We observed the intermediate polar RX J0558+53 with the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and find a `corkscrew' pattern in the pulsed emission lines, which indicates a two-pole white dwarf accretion. The `corkscrew' pattern consists of two emission-line pulses, separated by half the white dwarf spin period, and moving from red to blue velocities. The detected emission-line pulsations have an amplitude of 1.1--2.7 per cent in the He II and Balmer emission lines at the 545-s spin period of the white dwarf compared with 3.5--4.8 per cent for the continuum double-peak pulsations. We image the emission-line pulse pattern and it is shown to lag the continuum pulse by 0.12 spin cycles. We interpret the pattern by invoking an accretion curtain from the disrupted, inner disc to the two poles of the magnetic white dwarf. The semi-amplitude of the He II pulse of 408 ± 35 km s-1 can be used to constrain the size of the magnetosphere, R ∼ 4.1 × 104 km, and the magnetic moment of the white dwarf (∼ 2.4 × 1032 G cm3). Power spectra show dominant frequencies at 2 ο and 2(ο - Ο) which suggest reprocessing of the illuminating beams of the white dwarf in the accretion disc. Finally, the steady He II emission line shows a strong sinusoidal component moving from red to blue at binary phase 0.5, with a width similar to that expected from irradiation of the secondary star. Imaging of the emission lines indicates illuminated locations at the inner side of the red star and the back side of the accretion disc.
Error Performance of Physical-Layer Network Coding in Multiple-Antenna TWRC

In this paper, the error performance of physical-layer network coding (PNC) is studied in multiple-antenna two-way relay channels (TWRCs), where two users exchange their messages with the help of a relay. We assume that the TWRC system uses binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation and that all channels are Rayleigh faded. In particular, we consider a general system model where two users may have different numbers of antennas and different average signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) to the relay. Considering a TWRC with multiple antennas at both users and the relay [referred to as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-TWRC], we derive the upper and lower bounds on the uplink error probability of PNC based on maximum-likelihood (ML) detection. In this scheme, a transmit antenna selection (TAS) strategy is applied at two users, where each user selects the strongest transmit antenna for transmission. Furthermore, we also present the upper and lower bounds for two special cases, namely, the single-input multiple-output (SIMO)-TWRC with single-antenna users and the multiple-antenna relay and the multiple-input single-output (MISO) TWRC with multiple-antenna users and the single-antenna relay. Then, the diversity order is investigated for the schemes. We show that the PNC with TAS outperforms the PNC with space-time block codes (STBCs) significantly. The numerical results also demonstrate that our bounds are very tight to the Monte Carlo simulation.
Coronary artery calcium measurement: agreement of multirow detector and electron beam CT.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to establish the most suitable algorithm to compare coronary artery calcium measurements performed with electron beam CT and multirow detector CT for the assessment of coronary artery disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Coronary artery screening was performed in 100 patients with both electron beam and multirow detector CT. The images were transferred to a dedicated workstation for determination of the calcium score, volume, mass, density, and number of lesions. In addition to the traditional threshold of 130 H, the score of multirow detector CT studies was reevaluated at a threshold of 90 H. Fifty-nine of the patients underwent conventional coronary catheterization. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the different scoring algorithms for detection of significant coronary artery stenosis was performed. RESULTS The correlation between electron beam CT and multirow detector CT was high for every quantification algorithm. Determination of the score and the number of lesions with multirow detector CT revealed a systematic error of the measurement compared with electron beam CT. The areas under the curve in the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses for electron beam and multirow detector CT were similar for the score, volume, and mass, whereas they were lower for the density. No significant difference was found for the areas under the curve between scores using a 130-H and those using a 90-H threshold. CONCLUSION Volume and mass indexes are superior to the traditional score, density, and number of lesions for comparing the results of electron beam and multirow detector CT and for determining significant coronary artery disease.
Sixty years of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) in Europe: where are we now? A European network approach to defining the epidemiology and management patterns for TTR-FAP

Purpose of review Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is a highly disabling, life-threatening disease characterized by progressive sensorimotor and autonomic neuropathy. The profile of the disease across Europe is inadequately understood at present. Recent findings The incidence and clinical presentation of TTR-FAP varies widely within Europe, with early and late-onset disease subtypes. In those regions in which the disease is endemic (Portugal, Sweden, Cyprus, and Majorca), a Val30Met substitution in the TTR gene is the predominant genetic cause, whereas in the rest of Europe, cases of TTR-FAP are mainly sporadic with genetic heterogeneity. Current management strategies lack cohesion and patients can experience years of misdiagnosis and suboptimal treatment. Summary The article aims to disseminate the findings and recommendations from two recent meetings of the European Network for TTR-FAP (ATTReuNET), a panel comprising representatives from 10 European countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey) with expertise in the diagnosis and management of TTR-FAP. We explore the epidemiology and genetic mark of TTR-FAP across Europe and assess current management strategies, with a view to developing an alternative framework – a networked approach to disease management with an emphasis on collaboration and sharing of best practice.
PVT variations in differential flip-flops: A comparative analysis

In this paper, the impact of variations on the most representative CMOS differential flip-flops has been evaluated. The analysis explicitly considers fundamental sources of variations such as process, voltage, temperature and clock slope. For each FF topology, the variations are statistically evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations and they explicitly include the non-negligible impact of layout parasitics.
Direct synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes bridging metal electrodes by laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition

Direct synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) bridging prepatterned Mo electrodes has been achieved using laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). The synthesized SWNTs are found predominantly semiconducting. By controlling the spot size of the focused laser beam, synthesis of SWNTs can be achieved in a localized manner, which is governed by the thermal and optical properties of materials as well as the laser parameters. The synthesis process is fast and can be achieved in both far- and near-infrared laser wavelength regions. LCVD method provides a potential approach to in situ remove SWNTs with specific chiralities during the growth.
A bayesian model for collaborative filtering

Consider the general setup where a set of items have been partially rated by a set of judges, in the sense that not every item has been rated by every judge. For this setup, we propose a Bayesian approach for the problem of predicting the missing ratings from the observed ratings. This approach incorporates similarity by assuming the set of judges can be partitioned into groups which share the same ratings probability distribution. This leads to a predictive distribution of missing ratings based on the posterior distribution of the groupings and associated ratings probabilities. Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and a hybrid search algorithm are then used to obtain predictions of the missing ratings.
Proc . CAV 2015 , ( c ) Springer Boosting k-Induction with Continuously-Refined Invariants

k-induction is a promising technique to extend bounded model checking from falsification to verification. In software verification, k-induction works only if auxiliary invariants are used to strengthen the induction hypothesis. The problem that we address is to generate such invariants (1) automatically without user-interaction, (2) efficiently such that little verification time is spent on the invariant generation, and (3) that are sufficiently strong for a k-induction proof. We boost the k-induction approach to significantly increase effectiveness and efficiency in the following way: We start in parallel to k-induction a data-flow-based invariant generator that supports dynamic precision adjustment and refine the precision of the invariant generator continuously during the analysis, such that the invariants become increasingly stronger. The k-induction engine is extended such that the invariants from the invariant generator are injected in each iteration to strengthen the hypothesis. The new method solves the above-mentioned problem because it (1) automatically chooses an invariant by step-wise refinement, (2) starts always with a lightweight invariant generation that is computationally inexpensive, and (3) refines the invariant precision more and more to inject stronger and stronger invariants into the induction system. We present and evaluate an implementation of our approach, as well as all other existing approaches, in the open-source verification-framework CPACHECKER. Our experiments show that combining k-induction with continuously-refined invariants significantly increases effectiveness and efficiency, and outperforms all existing implementations of k-induction-based verification of C programs in terms of successful results.