Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Wiener–Hopf Monte Carlo simulation technique for Lévy processes

We develop a completely new and straightforward method for simulating the joint law of the position and running maximum at a fixed time of a general Levy process with a view to application in insurance and financial mathematics. Although different, our method takes lessons from Carr's so-called "Canadization" technique as well as Doney's method of stochastic bounds for Levy processes; see Carr [Rev. Fin. Studies 11 (1998) 597-626] and Doney [Ann. Probab. 32 (2004) 1545-1552]. We rely fundamentally on the Wiener-Hopf decomposition for Levy processes as well as taking advantage of recent developments in factorization techniques of the latter theory due to Vigon [Simplifiez vos Levy en titillant la factorization de Wiener-Hopf (2002) Laboratoire de Mathematiques de L'INSA de Rouen] and Kuznetsov [Ann. Appl. Probab. 20 (2010) 1801-1830]. We illustrate our Wiener-Hopf Monte Carlo method on a number of different processes, including a new family of Levy processes called hypergeometric Levy processes. Moreover, we illustrate the robustness of working with a Wiener-Hopf decomposition with two extensions. The first extension shows that if one can successfully simulate for a given Levy processes then one can successfully simulate for any independent sum of the latter process and a compound Poisson process. The second extension illustrates how one may produce a straightforward approximation for simulating the two-sided exit problem.
Cross‐sectional Echocardiography 1. Analysis of Mathematic Models for Quantifying Mass of the Left Ventricle in Dogs

Cross-sectional echocardiography was used to quantify left ventricular mass noninvasively in 21 dogs. Short- and long-axis cross-sectional images of the left ventricle were reproducibly traced at endocardial and epicardial borders during stop-motion video-tape replay. We used area, length and diameter measurements to calculate left ventricular mass by seven mathematic models, including the standard formulas used with I'-mode echocardiography and cineangiography. Calculated mass was compared with excised weight of the left ventricle by regression and percent error analyses. Formulas using short-axis areas and longaxis length resulted in higher correlation coefficients (0.94-0.95) and lower mean errors (6-7%) than for standard formulas. Since short-axis areas account for regional left ventricular irregularities, noninvasive quantification of left ventricular mass by cross-sectional echocardiography in dogs is most accurate with formulas using short-axis areas.
An efficient approximate allocation algorithm for combinatorial auctions

We propose a heuristic for allocation in combinatorial auctions. We first run an approximation algorithm on the linear programming relaxation of the combinatorial auction. We then run a sequence of greedy algorithms, starting with the order on the bids determined by the approximate linear program and continuing in a hill-climbing fashion using local improvements in the order of bids. We have implemented the algorithm and have tested it on the complete corpus of instances provided by Vohra and de Vries as well as on instances drawn from the distributions of Leyton-Brown, Pearson, and Shoham. Our algorithm typically runs two to three orders of magnitude faster than the reported running times of Vohra and de Vries, while achieving an average approximation error of less than 1%. This algorithm can provide, in less than a minute of CPU time, excellent solutions for problems with over 1000 items and 10,000 bids. We thus believe that combinatorial auctions for most purposes face no practical computational hurdles.
Inclusion stresses in a two-phase alloy deformed to a plastic strain of 1%

Abstract An X-ray technique has been used to measure the strains in silicon particles in a 7Si, 0·43Mg aluminium casting alloy during pure bending. Following the work of Shibata and Ono (1978), three components of the inclusion stress have been successfully identified and measured w functions of the applied strain. These components are the misfit stress, occurring because of differential thermal expansion effects, the inhomogeneity stress, occurring because of differences in elastic moduli, and the plasticity stress, which occurs when the matrix flows plastically around the elastic inclusion. The point at which the inclusions fracture has been identified and a calculation made of their fracture strength.
A Multilevel AC/AC Converter With Reduced Number of Switches

In this paper, a single-phase multilevel ac/ac converter with reduced number of power semiconductor devices is proposed. For the simple case of a three-level converter, only three bidirectional switches and two capacitors are required. The proposed converter provides a highly sinusoidal and regulated output voltage with a simple topology. The efficiency is high because in each state of operation only one semiconductor conducts. The converter can be easily extended to any desired levels in the output voltage to even more reduce the output total harmonics distortion. Another advantage of the proposed converter is that by increasing the voltage levels, the stress on the switches will decrease. The proper performance of the proposed converter is confirmed through extensive simulation and experimental tests.
Enhanced Surface Preparation Techniques for the Si/High-k Interface

Introduction In order to meet the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) requirements for Equivalent Oxide Thickness (EOT) and gate leakage current, the conventional SiOxNy gate dielectrics will need to be replaced by higher dielectric constant materials [1]. As transistor sizes continue to shrink, the gate dielectric’s EOT must scale below 1.0 nm to increase the gate stack capacitance density. With decreasing physical gate oxide thickness, however, gate leakage becomes a major device issue as it contributes to increased power consumption [2]. By increasing the permittivity of the gate dielectric, however, the physical thickness of the gate may be increased, providing reduced gate leakage current and enhanced transistor device characteristics with comparable device capacitance.
A fast two-step coarse-fine calibration (CFC) technique for precision comparator design

A two-step offset correction technique for high precision comparator design is proposed. The two step coarse-fine calibration (CFC) technique provides precise offset correction much faster than a single step calibration and the circuit implementation is less complicated. The proposed two step calibration technique was employed on a two-stage dynamic latched comparator using 0. 35μm CMOS process. The post layout simulations shows that the proposed technique improves the correction precision 15 times compared to a single stage offset correction while requiring less die area, correction cycles, and calibration time.
From the Phenomenology to the Mechanisms of Consciousness: Integrated Information Theory 3.0

This paper presents Integrated Information Theory (IIT) of consciousness 3.0, which incorporates several advances over previous formulations. IIT starts from phenomenological axioms: information says that each experience is specific – it is what it is by how it differs from alternative experiences; integration says that it is unified – irreducible to non-interdependent components; exclusion says that it has unique borders and a particular spatio-temporal grain. These axioms are formalized into postulates that prescribe how physical mechanisms, such as neurons or logic gates, must be configured to generate experience (phenomenology). The postulates are used to define intrinsic information as “differences that make a difference” within a system, and integrated information as information specified by a whole that cannot be reduced to that specified by its parts. By applying the postulates both at the level of individual mechanisms and at the level of systems of mechanisms, IIT arrives at an identity: an experience is a maximally irreducible conceptual structure (MICS, a constellation of concepts in qualia space), and the set of elements that generates it constitutes a complex. According to IIT, a MICS specifies the quality of an experience and integrated information ΦMax its quantity. From the theory follow several results, including: a system of mechanisms may condense into a major complex and non-overlapping minor complexes; the concepts that specify the quality of an experience are always about the complex itself and relate only indirectly to the external environment; anatomical connectivity influences complexes and associated MICS; a complex can generate a MICS even if its elements are inactive; simple systems can be minimally conscious; complicated systems can be unconscious; there can be true “zombies” – unconscious feed-forward systems that are functionally equivalent to conscious complexes.
Growing Cells Atop Microelectronic Chips: Interfacing Electrogenic Cells In Vitro With CMOS-Based Microelectrode Arrays

Complementary semiconductor-metal-oxide (CMOS) technology is a very powerful technology that can be more or less directly interfaced to electrogenic cells, like heart or brain cells in vitro. To this end, the cells are cultured directly atop the CMOS chips, which usually undergo dedicated postprocessing to obtain a reliable bidirectional interface via noble-metal microelectrodes or high-k dielectrics. The big advantages of using CMOS integrated circuits (ICs) include connectivity, the possibility to address a large number of microelectrodes on a tiny chip, and signal quality, the possibility to condition small signals right at the spot of their generation. CMOS will be demonstrated to constitute an enabling technology that opens a route to high-spatio-temporal-resolution and low-noise electrophysiological recordings from a variety of biological preparations, such as brain slices, or cultured cardiac and brain cells. The recording technique is extracellular and noninvasive, and the CMOS chips do not leak out any toxic compounds, so that the cells remain viable for extended times. In turn, the CMOS chips have been demonstrated to survive several months of culturing while being fully immersed in saline solution and being exposed to cellular metabolic products. The latter requires dedicated passivation and packaging techniques as will be shown. Fully integrated, monolithic microelectrode systems, which feature large numbers of tightly spaced microelectrodes and the associated circuitry units for bidirectional interaction (stimulation and recording), will be in the focus of this review. The respective dense microelectrode arrays (MEAs) with small pixels enable subcellular-resolution investigation of regions of interest in, e.g., neurobiological preparations, and, at the same time, the large number of electrodes allows for studying the activity of entire neuronal networks . Application areas include neuroscience, as the devices enable fundamental neurophysiological insights at the cellular and circuit level, as well as medical diagnostics and pharmacology.
CONSTRAINING THE COSMOLOGICAL BARYON DENSITY WITH X-RAY CLUSTERS

We study the properties of X-ray galaxy clusters in four cold dark matter models with different baryon fractions ΩBM, ranging from 5 to 20 per cent. By using an original three-dimensional hydrodynamic code based on the piecewise parabolic method, we run simulations on a box with a size of 64 h−1 Mpc and we identify the clusters by selecting the peaks in the X-ray luminosity field. We analyse these mock catalogues by computing the mass function, the luminosity function, the temperature distribution and the luminosity–temperature relation. By comparing the predictions of the different models to a series of recent observational results, we find that only the models with low baryonic content agree with the data, while models with larger baryon fraction are well outside the 1σ error bars. In particular, the analysis of the luminosity functions, both bolometric and in the energy band [0.5–2] keV, requires ΩBM ≲ 0.05 when we fix the values h = 0.5 and n = 0.8 for the Hubble parameter and the primordial spectral index, respectively. Moreover we find that, independently of the cosmological scenario, all the considered quantities have very little redshift evolution, particularly between z = 0.5 and 0.
Temporal Control of Trichome Distribution by MicroRNA156-Targeted SPL Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana[W][OA]

The microRNA156-targeted SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE genes, which were reported to define an endogenous phase transition pathway, temporally control the trichome distribution on the stem and inflorescences by activating the trichome negative regulator genes TRICHOMELESS1 and TRIPTYCHON. The production and distribution of plant trichomes is temporally and spatially regulated. After entering into the flowering stage, Arabidopsis thaliana plants have progressively reduced numbers of trichomes on the inflorescence stem, and the floral organs are nearly glabrous. We show here that SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE (SPL) genes, which define an endogenous flowering pathway and are targeted by microRNA 156 (miR156), temporally control the trichome distribution during flowering. Plants overexpressing miR156 developed ectopic trichomes on the stem and floral organs. By contrast, plants with elevated levels of SPLs produced fewer trichomes. During plant development, the increase in SPL transcript levels is coordinated with the gradual loss of trichome cells on the stem. The MYB transcription factor genes TRICHOMELESS1 (TCL1) and TRIPTYCHON (TRY) are negative regulators of trichome development. We show that SPL9 directly activates TCL1 and TRY expression through binding to their promoters and that this activation is independent of GLABROUS1 (GL1). The phytohormones cytokinin and gibberellin were reported to induce trichome formation on the stem and inflorescence via the C2H2 transcription factors GIS, GIS2, and ZFP8, which promote GL1 expression. We show that the GIS-dependent pathway does not affect the regulation of TCL1 and TRY by miR156-targeted SPLs, represented by SPL9. These results demonstrate that the miR156-regulated SPLs establish a direct link between developmental programming and trichome distribution.
A bilayer prototype woven vascular prosthesis with improved radial compliance

To minimize radial compliance mismatch between native arteries and vascular prostheses over the entire blood pressure range, a biomimetic woven prosthesis sample with a bilayer wall has been developed. Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) filaments were used as the circumferential yarns in the inner layer to increase the radial compliance of the inner wall, and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) filaments formed the outer layer to provide a strong and more rigid external prosthesis wall. The two layers were joined together axially along the sample's length by a stitched weave. By means of a special weave design, the cross‐section of the tubular sample included a circumferentially crimped outer layer woven around the inner layer. This bilayer wall structure allowed only the inner layer of the sample to deform radially under small loads equivalent to low normal physiological (diastolic) blood pressures. As the load increased, the inner layer stretched until it came into contact with the outer layer. At higher (systolic) pressures, further loading caused both layers of the wall to deform together. As a result, the prosthesis showed high pressure‐induced compliance when the load was within the normal diastolic pressure range and lower compliance at higher systolic pressures.
Optimism and Suicide Ideation Among Young Adult College Students

Given that college students may be at increased risk for suicide, it is important to conduct research that could guide suicide prevention efforts on college campuses. Although much research has been conducted on the role of hopelessness and depression in suicide ideation, the role of dispositional optimism is unclear. Subjects were 284 college students (185 female, 65%), ages 18 and over. Optimism was assessed with the Life Orientation Test–Revised. The outcome measure was the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. A hierarchical, multivariate regression was used to test the hypothesis that optimism is inversely associated with suicide ideation, even after controlling for age, gender, depressive symptoms, and hopelessness. The hypothesis was supported. Optimism holds promise as a cognitive characteristic associated with decreased thoughts of suicide in college students; a better understanding of its putative protective role in this group, and cross-culturally, is needed. Prevention programs designed to enhance optimism in the college setting might decrease suicide risk.
Similarity Analysis of Protein Binding Sites: A Generalization of the Maximum Common Subgraph Measure Based on Quasi-Clique Detection

Protein binding sites are often represented by means of graphs capturing their most important geometrical and physicochemical properties. Searching for structural similarities and identifying functional relationships between them can thus be reduced to matching their corresponding graph descriptors. In this paper, we propose a method for the structural analysis of protein binding sites that makes use of such matching techniques to assess the similarity between proteins independently of sequence or fold homology. More specifically, we propose a similarity measure that generalizes the commonly used maximum common subgraph measure in two ways. First, using algorithms for so-called quasi-clique detection, our measure is based on maximum ‘approximately’ common subgraphs, a relaxation of maximum common subgraphs which is tolerant toward edge mismatches. Second, instead of focusing on equivalence, our measure is a compromise between a generalized equivalence and an inclusion measure. An experimental study is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the method and to show that both types of relaxation are useful in the context of protein structure analysis.
Supervised texture segmentation using wavelet transform

This paper presents a supervised segmentation algorithm based on wavelet transform for the textured image of remote sensing. A discrete wavelet frame is adopted to decompose an image into multichannel images. An improved method for feature extraction is developed in this paper. It is adaptive and takes the nonstationary characteristics of noise filtering into account. Further, this method incorporates contextual/spatial information among feature images to reduce variability of texture feature estimates while retaining the accuracy of region boundaries. In the stage of segmentation, the estimated feature vector of each pixel is sent into a Bayes classifier to make an initial probabilistic labeling. To obtain a more accurate result of segmentation, a probabilistic relaxation method is used to introduce the spatial constraints into the segmentation algorithm. Finally, the performance of the proposed segmentation algorithm is demonstrated on a variety of images including remote sensing images.
A general and versatile procedure for coating of hydrophobic nanocrystals with a thin silica layer enabling facile biofunctionalization and dye incorporation.

Here we report a method for coating of hydrophobic nanocrystals (NCs) with a thin silica layer. By using this approach 11 nm NaGdF4 NCs were coated with a mesoporous silica shell thinner than 20 nm resulting in highly monodisperse core-shell nanocomposite particles smaller than 50 nm. The synthetic protocol used here is based on the two-phase system that ensures high repeatability of the nanoparticle morphology and can be conveniently adapted for large-scale production. The use of an organic solvent as a diluent for tetraethoxysilane allows us to control not only the thickness, but also the porosity of the uniform silica shell. This procedure can be applied for coating NCs of various sizes and can be generalized to encapsulate other nanocrystals, e.g. semi-conductor quantum dots, into silica spheres. Furthermore, it allows facile surface modification with -NH2 groups that can be then used to conjugate biomolecules to the nanoparticle surface, as well as straightforward incorporation of various organic molecules (e.g. dyes or drugs) into the silica shell during its growth. To demonstrate potential applications up-converting NaGd0.80Yb0. 18Er0.02F4 NCs were used as cores and zinc phthalocyanine was incorporated into the silica shell as a photosensitizer. Under irradiation with a 980 nm laser diode efficient generation of singlet oxygen was observed indicating that such nanocomposite particles have the capability to be used for photodynamic therapy.
Keyword-Driven SPARQL Query Generation Leveraging Background Knowledge

The search for information on the Web of Data is becoming increasingly difficult due to its dramatic growth. Especially novice users need to acquire both knowledge about the underlying ontology structure and proficiency in formulating formal queries (e. g. SPARQL queries) to retrieve information from Linked Data sources. So as to simplify and automate the querying and retrieval of information from such sources, we present in this paper a novel approach for constructing SPARQL queries based on user-supplied keywords. Our approach utilizes a set of predefined basic graph pattern templates for generating adequate interpretations of user queries. This is achieved by obtaining ranked lists of candidate resource identifiers for the supplied keywords and then injecting these identifiers into suitable positions in the graph pattern templates. The main advantages of our approach are that it is completely agnostic of the underlying knowledge base and ontology schema, that it scales to large knowledge bases and is simple to use. We evaluate17 possible valid graph pattern templates by measuring their precision and recall on 53 queries against DBpedia. Our results show that 8 of these basic graph pattern templates return results with a precision above 70%. Our approach is implemented as a Web search interface and performs sufficiently fast to return instant answers to the user even with large knowledge bases.
Toward Optimal Classifier System Performance in Non-Markov Environments

Wilson's (1994) bit-register memory scheme was incorporated into the XCS classifier system and investigated in a series of non-Markov environments. Two extensions to the scheme were important in obtaining near-optimal performance in the harder environments. The first was an exploration strategy in which exploration of external actions was probabilistic as in Markov environments, but internal actions (register settings) were selected deterministically. The second was use of a register having more bit-positions than were strictly necessary to resolve environmental aliasing. The origins and effects of the two extensions are discussed.
Adaptive Tracking Techniques in Non-Stationary Environments

The continuously changing environments have been the main challenge for classical GNSS receiver implementations, as they can have a great impact on signal tracking performance and positioning. For this reason techniques capable of mitigating the impact of time-varying phenomena by adapting to changing conditions, thus improving performance are of great interest. This study reports the benefits of using adaptive techniques for standalone GNSS receivers in three different scenarios. The first scenario compares an adaptive Kalman filter against a classical DLL/PLL architecture in interference environments with user dynamics. The second scenario uses a multipath propagation channel to test alternative carrier tracking architectures which provide better results in terms of robustness. The third scenario uses the same multipath propagation channel to test the adaptive switching technique, 2-Step, in order to evaluate its capacity of guaranteeing and maintaining unambiguous tracking for BOC-type modulations. In order to assess the performance of these techniques a semi-analytical platform has been used. The results presented here show the benefits and trade-offs of different techniques taking into account different propagation channels and scenarios.