Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed Localization Based on Signal Propagation Loss for Underwater Sensor Networks

Localization technology for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) plays an important role in detection and navigation for underwater vehicles. In this paper, we therefore propose a novel localization scheme for UWSNs based on the propagation loss, named Communication Signal Propagation Loss Localization Scheme (CSPLLS). CSPLLS is a cooperative, passive, asynchronously distributed localization method where the target only uses communication signal’s strength from anchor nodes. The method is appropriate for a long-distance and large-scale positioning in shallow sea. Main innovative point of the research is to locate with a new rang-based method using signal propagation loss. Experiment and simulation results are presented in the paper which confirms that the proposed scheme provides a relatively high precision of as low as 2.2% positioning error with centroid optimization. Major advantages of this method includes: 1) getting rid of clock resources usually used in each node for localization, 2) reducing the total localization time, 3) saving the energy of each node which prolongs the lifetime of networks and 4) realize the design of underwater communication and localization integration.
A Lightweight Toolchain to Validate, Visualize, Analyze, and Deploy ETSI NFV TopologiesBehaviors

We demonstrate a lightweight toolchain for validating descriptors of network functions compliant with the latest ETSI NFV standards, visualizing these descriptors in the form of various diagrams (i.e. network-oriented, function-oriented, and UML2-based), analyzing these descriptors formally with the Alloy Analyzer, and deploying these virtualized network functions on OpenStack.
Vision And Odometry Based Autonomous Vehicle Lane Changing

Autonomous driving is an old desire of mankind. The main purpose of this article is to present an autonomous lane changing method, that enables fully automated lane changing if given safety criteria are met. Environment detection is executed by multiple sensors such as radar, LIDAR and a smart-camera. Intrinsic sensors of the vehicle are utilized as well to ensure a smooth transition between lanes. The test results obtained on a closed test track prove the usefulness of the presented methodology. The resulting algorithm and experiences collected during implementation could be useful for integration into a larger system.
Smart roads

The recovery of the economy, after the crisis at the beginning of this century, causes an enormous increase of traffic on the roads in the Netherlands in and around cities. After many years of discussion road pricing is considered as the most reasonable solution. Car drivers have to pay additional tax if they use the entrance roads of a city during peak times. A network of surveillance cameras along the roads have been installed and tested to register entering cars on the access roads. For many years sensors in the road surface are used to measure speed of cars on the roads to generate alarming messages for upcoming traffic jams and to provide alternative routes via panels along the road. Finally there is also a huge electrical network of traffic lights along the roads. By the enormous rise of mobile phones the interest in existing wired networks along the road is decreasing. In this paper we discuss the revival of wired networks and the integration with wireless networks.
Selection-Based Subpixel-Shifted Images Super-Resolution

The subpixel-shifted (SPS) images acquisition method based on imaging system has the limitations of complex structure, difficult production and high cost. Therefore, this paper proposes an image super-resolution reconstruction method based on registration. In the first phase, the registration algorithm is used to select the SPS images. In order to improve the accuracy of the registration algorithm, a registration algorithm combining SIFT-FLANN and misregistration points elimination (SFME) is proposed. In the second phase, an interpolation of nonuniformly spaced samples based on pixel gray correction is proposed to get the high resolution (HR) image. Experiments show that the images selection method can obtain higher-precision SPS images, and the reconstruction method can reconstruct HR image with better visual and higher spatial resolution. Finally, the image magnification factor and the number of SPS images used in the reconstruction process are analyzed to describe the practical application value of the methods proposed in this paper.
Light Driving of On-Chip Micro Gel Actuator Towards Massive Integration

In this paper, we present driving method of on-chip hydrogel microactuator by using light irradiation. The presented driving method enables local heating of temperature responsive hydrogel actuator. The hydrogel actuator is made of temperature responsive gel and fabricated on a microfluidic chip with light absorbing micropattern. Thus, the actuators can be driven by irradiating light on it and increase its temperature. The advantage of this driving method is it can achieve local heating of the actuator and reducing heat dissipation to substrate and environment. Furthermore, the local heating enables to put the multiple actuators in short distance without unintended actuation of neighbor actuators by heat dissipation. Additionally, heating with light irradiation does not need any wiring on the chip. Therefore, proposed driving method enables to integrate large number of hydrogel actuators on a chip and independently drive it. This massive integration of large number of on-chip hydrogel microactuators will realize high-throughput and highly functional various single cell manipulations on a microfluidic chip.
Tradeoff Between Duration and Energy Optimization for Speed Control of Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Along with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has attracted more and more attention from researchers. The quadrotor UAV is widely used because of free to hover, good performance, and small size. However, quadrotor UAV is still mostly controlled by human based on device-to-device communications due to the clear responsibility. Thus efficient and robust control strategy is required for high quality of safety. On the other hand, the energy consumption is a crucial issue for UAV, as the effective flight time is very short. Hence, at present, many researchers have devoted their efforts into studying minimum consumption either in time or energy of quadrotor UAV in constrained environments. In this paper, we mainly focus on tradeoff between duration and energy consumption to bring intelligence into control of UAV with safty. Firstly, we set the scenario to evaluate such problems. Then, we apply the speed control to minimize the time consumption based on the model derived from Newton’s second law. Moreover, we have also demonstrated energy costs according to various time arrangements of the flight whose values are larger than the minimal duration value that has been computed in the second step.
Non-Data-Aided Cycle Slip Self-Correcting Carrier Phase Estimation for QPSK Modulation Format of Coherent Wireless Optical Communication System

In this study, we propose a non-data-aided algorithm of the cycle slip self-correcting carrier phase estimation (CSSC-CPE) which mitigates the cycle slips caused by blind CPE in the coherent wireless optical communication (WOC) system. The CSSC-CPE uses the output of CPE for cumulative averaging and selects the difference <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta $ </tex-math></inline-formula> between two cumulative average segments as the discriminant parameter. The location and direction of cycle slips are determined by identifying the position and sign of the peak value of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta $ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The optimal thresholds for cycle slip detection could be derived from the probability density function (PDF) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta $ </tex-math></inline-formula> obtained by calculation and deduction. Finally, numerical simulations and indoor experiments are carried out. The results show that CSSC-CPE can effectively eliminate cycle slips under weak turbulence condition. Compared with relative non-data-aided cycle slip correction algorithms, the CSSC-CPE achieves a better performance in suppressing the phase noise generated by atmospheric turbulence and laser linewidth, which enhances the accuracy of the cycle slip identification and lowers the SNR requirement when the cycle slip is not allowed.
Development of a Flexible Tactile Sensor Array for Three-Dimensional Force Detection with High Sensitivity

This work presents a flexible tactile sensor array utilizing carbon nanotubes and polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite material with high sensitivity in three-dimensional force detection. An anomalous and porous microstructure was obtained by soft lithography process on the nanocomposite surface to enhance the sensitivity of the device. The sensitivity of the sensor array for normal pressure is 11.3 kPa-1 in the range of < 200 Pa and the sensitivity for tangential force is more than 40.2 N-1 in the range of < 0.05N and more than 1.6 N-1 within the range of 0.6 N. With simple manufacturing process, low production cost and a certain degree of flexibility, the proposed tactile sensor array has good performances in uniformity and repeatability.
A Preliminary Model for Optimal Load Distribution in Heterogeneous Smart Environments

Smart cities are becoming popular and, with them, a plethora of resources is emerging turning into a massive concentration of computing devices. In such environments, the deployment of a smart resources management system is envisioned as an extraordinary opportunity to provide almost unlimited computing and networking capabilities obtained by putting together a vast set of nearby devices, hence offering high performance computing while benefiting from low latency networking. In this scenario, where millions of highly heterogeneous devices are available, a key challenge is to select the set of devices suited the most to carry out some specific tasks. In this paper, we present a performance estimation model intended to find an optimal solution for load distribution over massive heterogeneous systems, considering the effects of both, distributed computing and network overhead. The current implementation is in a preliminary stage, considering only fully parallel applications. Trials conducted considering several hardware configurations, with either homogeneous or heterogeneous systems, show the fact that the predicted performance matches the one obtained by the experimental executions with an almost negligible deviation. These initial results encourage us to continue developing the model for more complex and realistic applications.
An Enhanced Battery Interface of MMC-BESS

The combination of modular multilevel converter and battery energy storage system (MMC-BESS) by integrating batteries into the submodule has been paid more and more attention for its high modularity and reliability. During the operation of modular multilevel converter, there would be large reactive power which causes voltage fluctuation in the submodule capacitor. Large capacitance capacitors are needed to limit the fluctuation and this would dramatically increase the volume of the system. To solve this problem, this paper proposed a battery interface which contained an internal reactive power source and could not only suppress the large low-frequency ripple of the battery current but also significantly reduced the fluctuation of the submodule voltage. As a result of the proposed interface, the degradation rate of the battery will be much lower, and smaller capacitor can be used in the submodule, and the power density can be increased. Simulation results verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the interface discussed above.
Photo-Regulated Reconfigurable Arithmetic Circuits Using Physically Transient Diffractive Optics

In this paper we report a kind of physically transient diffractive optical elements (DOEs) for inducing photo-regulated reconfigurable arithmetic circuits. The silk-based DOE, known for its controllable degradation, strong mechanical strength and high transmittance, can easily regulate the luminous intensity and distribution of diffractive light spots applied to tune the property of the photoresistors. By precisely controlling the property of the silk-based DOE, the resistances of the photoresistors can be regulated according to the pre-design, which provides a novel way for realizing kinds of reconfigurable arithmetic circuits.
Combining Altimetric and All Other Data with A General Circulation Model

The TOPEX/POSEIDON mission was formulated in conjunction with the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). Although altimetric data are by far the largest ocean data set that emerged from that experiment, it was recognized from the outset that the best estimate of the ocean circulation and its variability would be made by combining all the data with a good general circulation model. The US ECCO-GODAE consortium has now produced useful estimates of the threedimensional time evolving ocean circulation at 1 degree lateral resolution, 23 layers in the vertical, over the time period 1992-2004. At the present time, the solution represents a least-squares misfit to about 410 million separate observational constraints. A large variety of fields can be analyzed in the results, but the focus here will be on the overturning circulation and its changes over this time period. The residual model/data misfits raise difficult questions about remaining errors in the altimetric/geoid fields.
Contribu on Use of Modified Problem Based Learning in an Undergraduate Quantity Food Production Course

*Corresponding Author: Phone: (717) 649‐8157; E‐mail: jreynol@iastate.edu ABSTRACT Problem‐Based Learning (PBL) is a case‐driven, student‐centered, small group instruc onal strategy that encourages learning through the use of “real‐world” examples. PBL was implemented in an undergraduate quan ty food produc on course (n=75) to enhance student understanding of basic foodservice management principles while developing students’ so skills such as problem solving and cri cal thinking. Overall, PBL was perceived as an engaging and collabora ve learning environment. When implemented properly, students agreed that PBL can reinforce course learning outcomes. Group me management and group communica on were iden fied as challenges with comple ng the PBL assignment.
Face Attributes and Detection of Drug Addicts

This paper addresses the problem of detecting the prolonged drug abuse marks using “soft” face biometrics. We propose a two-stage approach that integrates both the machine learning approach and the probabilistic reasoning. We identified “drug affect facial attributes” for attribute classification, and then performed probabilistic inference for detecting the drug addicts using the five face attributes. The experiments were performed using pre-trained convolutional neural networks, GoogleNet, ResNet50 and VGG16, for face attribute classification. PCA was applied on the extracted features for dimensionality reduction along with Fisher's linear discriminant feature selection method, and then a classification of attributes was performed using a linear SVM. The average accuracy of the five “drug affect facial attribute” detection reached, in particular, 90% using the ResNet50 model. We then applied this statistics to create a Bayesian network which represented the causal model for the final decision-making to classify the subjects as drug addicts. This approach reached the accuracy of 84%.
Growth Kinetics and Modeling of ZnO Nanoparticles W

www.JCE. DivCHED.org • Vol. 82 No. 5 May 2005 • Journal of Chemical Education 775 Nanotechnology is a new and exciting area of research that is investigating, among other things, the use of nanosized particles in technological applications. Zinc oxide particles less than 100 nm in diameter, for example, are optically clear (transparent in visible light) but opaque to UV light and are being touted as the sunscreen of the future (1). The nanoparticles provide an excellent barrier to UV light, are non-allergenic, and can be incorporated into many cosmetics. Zinc oxide is also a semiconductor and fluoresces in both the UV and visible regions. The peak in fluorescence shifts as a function of particle size (2). These properties make ZnO nanoparticles an interesting system to study with many different applications. Unfortunately, students are rarely introduced to current topics of scientific interest. Flinders University started one of the first undergraduate degrees specializing in nanotechnology (3). Part of the program involves using examples of new technology and new materials applications in the laboratory course to spark the interest of students who are already focused on these current topics in their lectures. Several experiments from this Journal have been used for this purpose (4, 5). This laboratory aims to highlight key features of nanoparticulate systems and introduces a model that students can manipulate to try to understand the different parameters affecting absorption properties. The laboratory can also be used in undergraduate inorganic or physical chemistry courses to introduce colloid chemistry and growth kinetics and would stimulate discussion in a number of related areas. Our nanotechnology students have a strong physics background, so concepts such as band-gap energy and effective mass are covered in courses on solid-state physics. When adapting this laboratory for chemistry students an appropriate discussion on these concepts should be included (6). This experiment is based upon an article by Wong et al. (7) that used the spectroscopic properties of quantum-sized zinc oxide to study growth kinetics using a method initially developed by Bahnemann et al. (2). The technique for producing quantum-sized ZnO particles is much safer than a technique previously published in this Journal (8) that used hydrogen sulfide gas to produce cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanoparticles. A further advantage of this method is the ability to sample the solution over time and hence determine the growth kinetics. The procedure was incorporated into the third-year laboratory program for nanotechnology and introduced particularly relevant concepts such as growth kinetics and measurement of the size of nanoparticles. Students measured the absorbance of ZnO colloids over time and determined the band gap energy. From this data they calculated the diffusion coefficient of the particles in ethanol using both the Ostwald model and Stokes–Einstein equation. The laboratory was extended by applying a general model for absorption by small particles (9).
Why 3D Print? The 21st-Century Skills Students Develop While Engaging in 3D Printing Projects

ABSTRACT The emergence of 3D printing has raised hopes and concerns about how it can be used effectively as an educational technology in school classrooms. This paper presents the results of a survey asking teachers from multiple grade levels and subject fields about the impact of 3D projects on student learning. Teachers were asked about the kinds of 3D projects they were doing with students and what skills or knowledge students were developing by participating in those projects. Participants reported that their students developed a number of skills while working on 3D printing projects, including 3D modeling, creativity, technology literacy, problem-solving, self-directed learning, critical thinking, and perseverance. Parallels between teacher-identified skills and widely cited lists of 21st-century skills suggest that 3D projects are a promising approach to preparing students for life and work in a digital age.
The Gender Wage Gap in Italy : A Quantile Regression Analysis 1 ‖

I investigate the gender wage gap in Italy during the period 1987-2016. The analysis takes advantage of quantile regression framework to estimate gender pay differentials along the wage distribution. The observed gaps showU-shaped patterns during the entire period. The inclusion of control variables in the model leads to a flattening of the gender differentials, maintaining evidence of sticky floor effects. I examine the gap in five geographical areas, revealing heterogeneous results across the country and finding glass ceiling effects in the North, sticky floor effect in the South and a U-shaped pattern in the Islands. I use a quantile regression decomposition approach to investigate whether the male-female wage differentials are ascribable to differences in labour market attributes by gender or to differences in the rewards they receive for those characteristics. The evidence suggests that the sticky floor effects, found at national level, are mainly due to discrepancies in the returns received bymale and female workers for their attributes. Author: Roberto Moncada Supervisor: Luca Repetto
The R 2 R 3-MYB transcription factor HAG 1 / MYB 28 is a regulator of methionine-derived glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Methionine-derived glucosinolates belong to a class of plant secondary metabolites that serve as chemoprotective compounds in plant biotic defense reactions and also exhibit strong anticancerogenic properties beneficial to human health. In a screen for the trans-activation potential of various transcription factors toward glucosinolate biosynthetic genes, we could identify the HAG1 (HIGH ALIPHATIC GLUCOSINOLATE 1, also referred to as MYB28) gene as a positive regulator of aliphatic methionine-derived glucosinolates. The content of aliphatic glucosinolates as well as transcript levels of aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic genes were elevated in gain-of-function mutants and decreased in HAG1 RNAi knock-down mutants. ProHAG1:GUS expression analysis revealed strong HAG1 promoter activity in generative organs and mature leaves of A. thaliana plants, the main sites of accumulation of aliphatic glucosinolates. Mechanical stimuli such as touch or wounding transiently induced HAG1/MYB28 expression in inflorescences of flowering plants, and HAG1/ MYB28 over-expression reduced insect performance as revealed by weight gain assays with the generalist lepidopteran herbivore Spodoptera exigua. Expression of HAG1/MYB28 was significantly induced by glucose, indicating a novel transcriptional regulatory mechanism for the integration of carbohydrate availability upon biotic challenge. We hypothesize that HAG1/MYB28 is a novel regulator of aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis that controls the response to biotic challenges.