Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear predictive control for SRM based on TSE

A novel scheme for nonlinear predictive control of Switched Reluctance Motor(SRM) based on Target State Equations (TSEs) is proposed in this paper. According to the nonlinear model of SRM, the offsets of the torque and angular speed of SRM is defined as TSEs by applying the nonlinear control theory. Based on TSEs and predictive control theory, a nonlinear predictive control for SRM control system is designed. Using the torque and angular speed as feedback variables, a nonlinear predictive control law is got. The designed controller is validated by software simulation and hardware experiment.The results of simulation and experiment show that the scheme has excellent dynamic and static performances, and good effects for restraining the ripple of torque of SRM simultaneously.
A 76–84 GHz CMOS  $4\times$  Subharmonic Mixer With Internal Phase Correction

A CMOS <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> subharmonic mixer (SHM) with an internal phase error correction mechanism operating at mm-wave frequencies is proposed in this paper. The SHM operates with a 81-GHz RF input signal and a 20-GHz local oscillator (LO) signal to produce a 1-GHz output. The single ended input is converted into octet-phase, through an active input balun, an active polyphase filter, and certain phase adders. A phase calibration technique is employed, to compensate the phase deviations due to the circuit mismatches, offering a ±5° phase adjustment between the generated phase shifts. By this technique, a close to optimal performance can be obtained, especially in terms of conversion gain and LO-IF isolation, which can be improved by 1.5 to 7.5 dB and by 5 to 17 dB, respectively. Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS low-power technology, the prototype exhibits a conversion gain of −8 dB (without using an IF amplifier), a 1 dB compression point (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{P}_{\mathrm {1dB}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of −10 dBm, a third-order intercept point (IIP3) of 1 dBm, and a noise figure of 15 dB. The power consumption is 213 mW, and port-to-port isolation is >70 dB. The achieved performance compares well with the state of the art at these high frequencies despite the use of a slower CMOS process.
Conditioned Superstition: Desire for Control and Consumer Brand Preferences

There are many opportunities in everyday life to associate consumer products with success or failure. For example, when a basketball fan drinks a particular brand of soda while watching her favorite team win a game, she may perceive that this consumption facilitated the victory. Subsequently, the fan may continue to purchase and consume this same item during future games, in an attempt to help the team. This behavior is known as "conditioned superstition. " Data from five experiments indicate that preference for lucky products (i.e., those associated with positive outcomes) increases with higher levels of desire for control combined with lower levels of perceived ability to control outcomes (e.g., low generalized self-efficacy). People who express a preference for these lucky products form an illusion of control over future outcomes, so that they perceive superstitious behavior to be an effective strategy to achieve the desired result.
Distributed Set Intersection and Union with Local Differential Privacy

Privacy-preserving distributed set intersection and union have been widely applied in many scenarios and lots of work has paid attention to the problem. Existing solutions to privacy-preserving set intersection and union are built on secure multiparty computation protocols, which can theoretically solve it, but result in heavy computation and communication overhead. Worse still, most of the existing schemes cannot work once some participant fails. In this paper, we propose two differentially private approaches for distributed set intersection and union, respectively. In our schemes, each data contributor possesses a secret data set and perturbs it by randomized response technique to satisfy local differential privacy. Then the collector gathers all contributors' perturbed data sets and utilizes maximum likelihood estimation to gain an accurate estimation of intersection and union. Compared to existing schemes, the proposed schemes can dramatically reduce computation and communication overhead, and tolerate participant's failure. We formally prove that the proposed schemes satisfy local differential privacy, and leverage extensive experiments to evaluate the proposed approaches. The results indicate that our schemes have low computation and communication complexity, strong robustness and good utility.
ULTRASOUND-CATALYZED TEMPO-MEDIATED OXIDATION OF NATIVE CELLULOSE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NANOCELLULOSE: EFFECT OF PROCESS VARIABLES

In this study application of ultrasound in oxidizing native cellulose for the production of nanocellulose has been explored for the first time. Bleached hardwood kraft pulp was oxidized with an ultrasound (US) catalyzed 2,2,6,6-tetramethylepiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPO) system (US-TEMPO-system) at five different temperatures – 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45°C and two pH ranges, 8.5-9.0 and 10.0-10.5 – to obtain the optimum reaction conditions. The reaction pH and temperature have significant effect on the kinetics of the formation of carboxylate in the oxidized pulps and produce depolymerization at temperatures greater than 25°C. Formation of carboxylate on the cellulose chain is directly proportional to the NaBr concentration. The pulp oxidized by the US-TEMPO-system at 25°C had 10-15% more carboxyls and showed a ca. 10% increase in the nanocellulose yield when compared to the TEMPO-system without sono-catalysis.
axl, a transforming gene isolated from primary human myeloid leukemia cells, encodes a novel receptor tyrosine kinase

Using a sensitive transfection-tumorigenicity assay, we have isolated a novel transforming gene from the DNA of two patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Sequence analysis indicates that the product of this gene, axl, is a receptor tyrosine kinase. Overexpression of axl cDNA in NIH 3T3 cells induces neoplastic transformation with the concomitant appearance of a 140-kDa axl tyrosine-phosphorylated protein. Expression of axl cDNA in the baculovirus system results in the expression of the appropriate recombinant protein that is recognized by antiphosphotyrosine antibodies, confirming that the axl protein is a tyrosine kinase. The juxtaposition of fibronectin type III and immunoglobulinlike repeats in the extracellular domain, as well as distinct amino acid sequences in the kinase domain, indicate that the axl protein represents a novel subclass of receptor tyrosine kinases.
Robust analysis of convergence in per capita GDP in BRICS economies

Whilst the issue of whether or not per capita GDP adheres to the convergence theory continues to draw increasing attention within the academic paradigm, with very little consensus having been reached in the literature thus far. Our study contributes to the literature by examining the stationarity of per capita GDP for BRICS countries using annual data collected between 1971 and 2015. Considering that our sample covers a period underlying a number of crisis and structural breaks within and amongst the BRICS countries, we rely on a robust nonlinear unit root testing procedure which captures a series of unobserved structural breaks. Our results confirm on Brazil and China being the only two BRICS economies who present the most convincing evidence of per capita GDP converging back to it’s natural equilibrium after an economic shock, whilst Russia and South Africa provide less convincing evidence of convergence dynamics in the time series and India having the weakest convergence properties.
Higher Neural Functions and Behavior The rhythmic nature of visual perception

Helfrich RF. The rhythmic nature of visual perception. J Neurophysiol 119: 1251–1253, 2018. First published December 20, 2017; doi:10.1152/jn.00810. 2017. —Our continuous perception of the world could be the result of discrete sampling, where individual snapshots are seamlessly fused into a coherent stream. It has been argued that endogenous oscillatory brain activity could provide the functional substrate of cortical rhythmic sampling. A new study demonstrates that cortical rhythmic sampling is tightly linked to the oculomotor system, thus providing a novel perspective on the neural network underlying top-down guided visual perception.
Mobile acoustic Emotion Recognition

The applicability of Emotion Recognition using machines spans on or many industries. It is due to this thai much resource has been put into researching and developing algorithms that can perform such task more accurately and efficiently. However, despite all the work done and its uses, such technology is not readily available to non-professionals. Most applications in the market tend to be complex. In this paper, we document the development of EmoRec. an application made for iOS that strive to serve this purpose. It achieves this through two folds. Firstly, it is presents an intuitive interface that a layperson can use to predict his or her emotions through an audio input easily. Also, it allows users to record and upload their audio data and labels which can be used for future work in the field of Emotion Recognition. As with the algorithm used for EmoRec. deep learning algorithms work best with a huge dataset. Hence, this function will also improve the result of these algorithms. This paper will detail the process of development from designing to optimization and testing, and end off with a discussion of the result and future work that could be done.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus toxRS operon ( VP 0819-VP 0820 ) regulates outer membrane proteins OmpU and OmpN that are important for survival in acid stress

Introduction One of the main regulators of virulence in Vibrio cholerae is the two-component regulator ToxRS. In V. cholerae, ToxR binds to the promoter and activates the toxT gene, which in turn activates the expression of a number of virulence genes, such as ctxA and tcpA (DiRita et al. 1991). Additonally, ToxR has also been shown to regulate the two outer membrane porins, OmpU and OmpT in a manner that is independent of ToxT (Miller et al. 1988). It has also been demonstrated in V. cholerae that ToxRS is necessary for the survival of the organism when faced with certain environmental stresses such as low pH and bile (Merrel et al. 1999; Provenzano et al. 2000a; Provenzano et al. 2000b). Furthermore, it has been shown that the survival defect exhibited by toxRS knockout mutants is most likely due to the lack of OmpU in the outer membrane, though an exact mechanism has yet to be elucidated (Merrel et al. 2000).
Triandis' Theoretical Framework as a Theoretical Foundation for User Behavior Testing in Information Systems Use and Acceptance Research

Theoretical models from social psychology have been widely used by information systems (IS) researchers as theoretical foundations to explain and predict information systems use and acceptance. Unfortunately none of these models explicitly addresses: individual personality traits that trigger intentions within the individuals leading to the observable behaviors of the individual; how environmental factors, such as Culture and Social Situations within which the individual lives impact on the individual’s personality traits leading to goal directed behaviors; and how environmental factors such as Facilitating Conditions, Social Situations, Genetic/Biological Factors cumulate into objective consequences of an individual’s behavior, the interpretations of such behavior and the reinforcement of that behavior in the individual. This paper presents Triandis’ Theoretical Framework that explicitly addresses these personality traits and environmental factors which impact on individual’s behavior towards the use and acceptance of IS. An application of the Framework in an IS research study is presented.
An efficient magnetic localization system for indoor planar mobile robot

For indoor mobile robot localization, the main objective is to find the robot position, x and y coordinates in its motion plane. Compared with the typical magnetic positioning system having 3 position and 2 orientation parameters, the algorithm can be much simplified if the computation model can be found only on two x and y parameters. In this paper, we present a method by set upping a magnetic transmitting coil over in the robot, while fixing 3-axis sensor coils in a spatial location in the indoor room. Because the height of the transmitting and receiving coils are fixed, and the main axis of the transmitting coil is perpendicular to the x-y plane, the localization problem is simplified to determine two unknown coordinate parameters. By finding the coupling signals between the transmitting and receiving coils, the amplitudes of the AC magnetic sensing signals in a specific frequency are extracted. Then, the robot position parameters are computed by some analytic equations derived from the magnetic dipole model, in which multi-solution and non-positive real solution problems are handled. By using this method, a localization system is built, and the real experiment results show that the localization accuracy is about several decimeters and the execution speed is about 5mS.
Tornadoes from squall lines and bow echoes. Part I: Climatological distribution

The primary objective of this study was to estimate the percentage of U.S. tornadoes that are spawned annually by squall lines and bow echoes, or quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs). This was achieved by examining radar reflectivity images for every tornado event recorded during 1998–2000 in the contiguous United States. Based on these images, the type of storm associated with each tornado was classified as cell, QLCS, or other. Of the 3828 tornadoes in the database, 79% were produced by cells, 18% were produced by QLCSs, and the remaining 3% were produced by other storm types, primarily rainbands of landfallen tropical cyclones. Geographically, these percentages as well as those based on tornado days exhibited wide variations. For example, 50% of the tornado days in Indiana were associated with QLCSs. In an examination of other tornado attributes, statistically more weak (F1) and fewer strong (F2–F3) tornadoes were associated with QLCSs than with cells. QLCS tornadoes were more probable during the winter months than were cells. And finally, QLCS tornadoes displayed a comparatively higher and statistically significant tendency to occur during the late night/early morning hours. Further analysis revealed a disproportional decrease in F0–F1 events during this time of day, which led the authors to propose that many (perhaps as many as 12% of the total) weak QLCSs tornadoes were not reported.
Title Fast Radiation Mapping and Unknown Multiple Sources Localization using Topographic Contour Map and Incremental Density Estimation

Toward a global picture of the radiation exposure of an area, particularly for fast emergency response, a UAV based exploration method is proposed. Without a priori knowledge of the radiation field, it is difficult to select the region of interest (ROI) which includes all radiation sources. For the case of a single radiation source, a greedy algorithm may localize the source by finding the maximum radiation value. However, when multiple sources generate a hotspot in a cumulative manner, the hotspot position does not coincide with one of the source positions. Therefore, we propose an efficient exploration method to quickly localize the radiation sources using the following procedures: (1) ROI selection using topographic maps with specific radiation level selection methods and (2) source localization estimating the number of sources and their positions with incremental variational Bayes inference of Gaussian mixtures. Under three different conditions according to the number of sources and their positions, we have shown that the proposed model can reduce the ROI and significantly improve the estimation accuracy than existing methods.
Repetition Rate Stabilization and Optical Axial Mode Linewidth Reduction of a Chip-Scale MLL Using Regenerative Multitone Injection Locking

A novel injection locking architecture is demonstrated to simultaneously improve the axial mode linewidth and stabilize the repetition rate of a monolithically integrated mode-locked laser. First, linewidth reduction is demonstrated via multitone injection locking. Then, the passive mode-locked laser is used as a source to make a coupled optoelectronic oscillator, and its RF spectral characteristics are investigated for different optical delays. A novel combination of these two techniques is established by creating a coupled optoelectronic oscillator via multitone injection locking, using an intracavity element as photodetector to generate the feedback signal to a Mach-Zehnder modulator. Using this combination of methods, the axial mode linewidth is reduced by over 6000× to <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>100 kHz and the RF linewidth is reduced by a factor of 70 at <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula>30 dBc, resulting in a 3 dB RF linewidth of 400 Hz. The improvement in RF phase noise at 200 kHz offset is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$>$</tex-math></inline-formula>40 dB. Finally, the system is referenced to a RF synthesizer using a variable voltage phase-shifter and a PID controller. Allan deviation measurements show a resolution limited stability in the repetition rate of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{-10}$</tex-math> </inline-formula> at 1 second following a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1/\tau$</tex-math> </inline-formula> trend.
Circulating Current Suppressing Strategy for MMC-HVDC Based on Nonideal Proportional Resonant Controllers Under Unbalanced Grid Conditions

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is considered as a promising topology for voltage-source converter (VSC) high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) applications. This paper presents a new control strategy for MMC-HVDC under unbalanced grid conditions. First, a new inner loop current control strategy based on nonideal proportional resonant (PR) controllers in stationary αβ frame is designed, which is more concise compared to the existing dual sequence current control scheme. Second, an analytical expression for circulating current is obtained which shows that the circulating currents will be asymmetric under unbalanced grid conditions and can be decomposed into positive-, negative-, and zero-sequence component. In order to suppress all these components, a new circulating current suppressing strategy is analyzed and designed also based on nonideal PR controllers. Application of nonideal PR controllers makes the control system well adapt to the fluctuation of grid frequency. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified through a simulation case of a 251-level MMC-HVDC transmission system using real-time digital simulator.
Geographic distribution and conservation status of the bay cat Catopuma badia, a Bornean endemic

Abstract Despite being one of the rarest felids in the world the Endangered Bornean bay cat Catopuma badia has received little conservation attention. Most information consists of historical records, morphological descriptions, and anecdotes from various sources. During 2003–2006 we undertook surveys using camera trapping, interviews and field observations, to determine the species’ distribution and document any threats to its persistence. We also examined museum specimens and completed a thorough literature review, collecting 15 additional geographic records throughout Borneo. Our results show that opportunistic hunting and land use changes are the main threats to the bay cat, and we make recommendations for its conservation.
Snapping to Reduce Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

Cybersickness in virtual reality (VR) is an on-going problem, despite recent advances in technology. In this paper, we propose a method for reducing the likelihood of cybersickness onset when using stationary (e.g., seated) VR setups. Our approach relies on reducing optic flow via inconsistent displacement – the viewpoint is “snapped” during fast movement that would otherwise induce cybersickness. We compared our technique, which we call viewpoint snapping, to a control condition without viewpoint snapping, in a custom-developed VR first-person shooter game. We measured participant cybersickness levels via the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and user reported levels of nausea, presence, and objective error rate. Overall, our results indicate that viewpoint snapping significantly reduced SSQ reported cybersickness levels by about 40% and resulted in a reduction in participant nausea levels, especially with longer VR exposure. Presence levels and error rate were not significantly different between the viewpoint snapping and the control condition.
License plate recognition system based on contour properties and deep learning model

The intent of this research is to design a license plate recognition (LPR) system in the domain of Bangla language for smart vehicle management. The proposed system is designed on the basis of computer vision tools and deep supervised machine learning model. The system has three modules: license plate detection, character segmentation and recognition of the characters of the License Plate (LP). The goal of detection is to localize the plate area from the vehicle image and to crop region of interest (LP). It is executed by applying following process: preprocessing the image, conversion to binary image, contour detection and filtering the contours to get the LP's character contours, tilt correction and cropping the plate area from the image. Then, the cropped LP is segmented to extract the characters from the plate. Finally, the recognition step classifies the characters by means of deep convolution neural network where the features of the character are crafted and learned by the convolution layers of the networks. The system is implemented in Python OpenCV environment for offline car license plates images which are taken in different illuminations, road scenarios and colored cars. The system performance is evaluated in terms of detection rate, segmentation rate, recognition rate and execution time. The results illustrate that the performance of the system is remarkable.
PRE-MIGRATORY FATTENING AND MASS GAIN IN FLAMMULATED OWLS IN CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

Abstract Hatching-year (HY) and presumed HY Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) were captured during a period of pre-migratory activity in central New Mexico from 2000 to 2003. Mass gains were evident through the pre-migratory period. Fat deposition was an important component of these mass gains; muscle growth appeared to contribute to a lesser degree. Fat scores and pectoral-muscle scores were positively related to body mass and to each other, and, from first to last capture, most recaptured owls showed increases in body mass that were accompanied by fat deposition and growth in pectoral muscles. These data add to a growing body of research indicating that pre-migration increases in fat and muscle mass may be interdependent, but the magnitude of increased muscle mass may be too small to be detected at certain scales.