Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A digital phase-sensitive detector for electrical impedance tomography

This paper presents a design of a phase-sensitive detector based on matched filter principles and implemented using digital signal processing (DSP) technology for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The digital phase-sensitive detector (DPSD) was realized with DSP, field programmable gate array (FPGA) chips and other analog circuits. The sampling pulse controlling the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) was generated from the FPGA and synchronized with the exciting sine signal produced by the direct digital synthesis (DDS) module implemented in the FPGA. Thus the phase calculated by the DPSD had a real reference. In order to avoid having samples taken at the same phase over multiple cycles, the nonuniform sampling technique was adopted. Measurements on a saline filled tank show that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the system can be up to 60 dB.
Performance Evaluation of Routing Protocols in Static and Dynamic Ad-hoc Networks Based on Energy Consumption

Energy efficient Routing is one of the key issues in MANETs due to their highly dynamic topology and limited battery power at the nodes. In particular identifying energy efficient routing is the most important design criterion in static and dynamic ad-hoc networks. Power failure of a mobile node not only affects the node itself but also reduces the overall network lifetime. The goal of this paper is to facilitate research efforts in combining existing solutions in order to offer a more energy efficient routing approach. Towards this goal, we compared the performance of three routing protocols AODV, DSR and WRP for mobile ad-hoc networks in static and dynamic scenarios. Our evaluation considers mainly the energy consumed by each protocol both in uniform and random placement strategies. We have used the GloMoSim network simulator to implement the proposed work.
Model-Based Eye-Tracking Method for Low-Resolution Eye-Images

Techniques for estimating gaze without restricting user movements are highly desired for their potential applications. Although commercial gaze estimation systems achieve high accuracy using infrared light, gaze estimation systems with webcams have become indispensable because of their low price. The problem using webcams is that their resolution is too low to estimate the direction of eye-gaze accurately without restricting user movements. Lowresolution eye-images have strong sources of noise that result in inaccurate estimation. In this paper, we propose a novel gaze-estimation method that uses both image processing and geometrical processing to reduce various kinds of noise in low-resolution eye-images and thereby achieve high accuracy. In our experiments, the mean horizontal error of 5 participants is 3.0° and the mean vertical error is 1.5° with calibration. Author
A NEW PRUNING/MERGING ALGORITHM FOR MHT MULTITARGET TRACKI NG

In this paper we develop a new general Viterbi algorithm for m ultitarget tracking. A standard Multiple Hypothesis Tracking ( MHT) formulation, based on Maximum A Posterior (MAP) estimation , is considered for optimally associating measurement data ove r tim to form estimates of the multiple tracks. For estimating K tracks, a trellis diagram of the measurements is used to depict all tr ack set hypotheses as trellis paths. MAP path costs are computed usi ng Kalman filters anda priori track set probabilities. A newK-track, List-Viterbi algorithm is then employed to effectively pru ne the numberof evaluated hypothesesto a manageable level. Furth er hypothesis reduction is implemented through path merging and trellis truncation. The resultingViterbi MHT algorithm is sequential. It is very flexible in that it can handle missed detections, fals e larms and number-of-track estimation. It provides an ordered lis t of best track sets, which can be useful in subsequent data fusion. Co mpared to MHT algorithms which prune candidate track sets usi ng “gating volumes”, the new Viterbi MHT is less prone to loosin g tracks.
Relational expertise in participatory design

This paper positions relation expertise as a core competence in participatory design. It is an expertise that demands the participatory designer to stimulate the emergence of loosely coupled knotworks, and obtain symbiotic agreement between participants disregarding their professional and social status. We illustrate our theoretical argument for a relational expertise with a running example from a participatory design process engaging an interprofessional group of participants in a project on future technology enabled learning environments.
Scalable and Hardware-friendly Wavelet Entropy Coding

In the RESUME project we explore the use of reconfigurable hardware for the design of portable multimedia systems by developing a scalable wavelet-based video codec. A scalable video codec provides the ability to produce a smaller video stream with reduced frame rate, resolution or image quality starting from the original encoded video stream with almost no additional computation. This is important for portable devices that have different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and power restrictions. Conventional video codecs do not possess this property; reduced quality is obtained through the arduous process of decoding the encoded video stream and recoding it at a lower quality. Producing such a smaller stream has therefore a very high computational cost. In this article we present the results of our investigation into the hardware implementation of such a scalable video codec. We focus on the “entropy decoder” (ED), which is a significant bottleneck. The ED consists of two subcomponents: At the lowest level there is an arithmetic decoder (AD) that decodes the texture bit stream. At a higher level the Model Selector (MS) characterizes the pixel environment and steers the AD. Originally the “QuadTree Limited” (QTL) algorithm [1], [4], [5], [6], [7] was used for ED. The QTL-algorithm is a state of the art wavelet image compression algorithm that is said to outperform zerotreelike encoders and inherently supports resolution and quality (PSNR) scalability. Unfortunately its complexity, large memory footprint, irregular memory access pattern, and recursive quadtree structure hamper an elegant hardware implementation. We present an alternative, hardware-friendly algorithm for entropy coding with superior data locality (both temporal and spatial), with a small memory footprint and excellent compression while maintaining all scalability properties.
Recent Developments in Econometric Modeling and Forecasting

Eighty-four post-1990 empirical studies of international tourism demand modeling and forecasting using econometric approaches are reviewed. New developments are identified, and it is shown that applications of advanced econometric methods improve the understanding of international tourism demand. An examination of the 22 studies that compare forecasting performance suggests that no single forecasting method can outperform the alternatives in all cases. The time-varying parameter (TVP) model and structural time-series model with causal variables, however, perform consistently well.
Numerical Models of Caldera-Scale Volcanic Eruptions on Earth, Venus, and Mars

Volcanic eruptions of gassy magmas on Earth, Venus, and Mars produce plumes with markedly different fluid dynamics regimes. In large part the differences are caused by the differing atmospheric pressures and ratios of volcanic vent pressure to atmospheric pressure. For each of these planets, numerical simulations of an eruption of magma containing 4 weight percent gas were run on a workstation. On Venus the simulated eruption of a pressure-balanced plume formed a dense fountain over the vent and continuous pyroclastic flows. On Earth and Mars, simulated pressure-balanced plumes produced ash columns, ash falls, and possible small pyroclastic flows. An overpressured plume, illustrated for Mars, exhibited a complex supersonic velocity structure and internal shocks.
A Gaussian-mixture PHD filter based on random hypersurface model for multiple extended targets

This paper presents an approach to track an unknown number of extended targets, in the presence of clutter measurements and missed detections, where the extensions of targets are modeled as random hypersurfaces. The random hypersurface model developed recently by Baum et al. is embedded into the extended target PHD framework. To do this, the pseudo-measurement and measurement likelihood function for extended target are constructed, and the update of PHD filter is derived based on the random hypersurface model under the necessary assumptions and approximations. The simulation results show that the proposed extended target filter could track the kinematic state and extension state of extended targets well.
Computational Design of New Peptide Inhibitors for Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease: Application of a Novel Methodology

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a neurodegenerative and incurable disease that is associated with the tight packing of amyloid fibrils. This packing is facilitated by the compatibility of the ridges and grooves on the amyloid surface. The GxMxG motif is the major factor creating the compatibility between two amyloid surfaces, making it an important target for the design of amyloid aggregation inhibitors. In this study, a peptide, experimentally proven to bind Aβ40 fibrils at the GxMxG motif, was mutated by a novel methodology that systematically replaces amino acids with residues that share similar chemical characteristics and subsequently assesses the energetic favorability of these mutations by docking. Successive mutations are combined and reassessed via docking to a desired level of refinement. This methodology is both fast and efficient in providing potential inhibitors. Its efficiency lies in the fact that it does not perform all possible combinations of mutations, therefore decreasing the computational time drastically. The binding free energies of the experimentally studied reference peptide and its three top scoring derivatives were evaluated as a final assessment/valuation. The potential of mean forces (PMFs) were calculated by applying the Jarzynski‚s equality to results of steered molecular dynamics simulations. For all of the top scoring derivatives, the PMFs showed higher binding free energies than the reference peptide substantiating the usage of the introduced methodology to drug design.
Reconfigurable computing technology used for modern scientific applications

The inventions of modern scientific applications of recent era have introduced many new dimensions of the computing technology. Conventionally two basic types of the computing technologies have ever been in use including the computing based on the extremely high speed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and the computing based on the most flexible programmable general purpose processors (GPPs). So far these domains of computing have been targeting the two different types of the applications including the high speed applications with the use of the ASICs and versatile programmable applications with the use of the GPPs. But the recent scientific research has introduced many new application areas which are requiring both the high speed as well as flexibility of the computing platforms. In order to fulfill these requirements of such type of applications, the reconfigurable computing technology has been introduced. Reconfigurable computing is intended to fill the gape between the ASICs and GPPs by integrating the both technologies on a single chip. This research paper introduces the role of reconfigurable computing in the execution of such a type of newly born modern scientific applications.
Gaussian Mixture Model for Multi-sensor Tracking

We present an algorithm for tracking many objects observed with distributed, non-overlapping sensors. Our method is derived from a proposition that the observations of some constant, intrinsic properties of an object form a cluster (eg. in the color space). However sensors also provide dynamic data about an object like time and location. Tracking is achieved by probabilistic clustering of observations with a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). We extend the GMM with auxiliary hidden variables that capture Markov dependencies between points generated by the same kernel. Since the new variables are deterministic given trajectories, the inference in our model can be done effectively with forward-backward propagation. The experiments on real and artificial data suggest that such an approach might be a faster alternative to the existing tracking methods based on MCMC sampling of trajectories.
Region detection and description for Object Category Recognition

The way images are decomposed and represented biases how well subsequent object learning and recognition methods will perform. We choose to initially represent the images by sets of local distinctive regions and their description vectors. We evaluate the problems of distinctive region detection and description in two separate stages, by first reviewing some of the state-of-the-art methods, and then discussing the methods we propose to use for object category recognition. In comparing the performance of our region detection-description technique for scale and rotation invariance with the performance of the other detection-description techniques, we find that our approach provides better results than existing methods, in the context of object category recognition. The evaluation consists of clustering similar descriptor regions and computing (1) the number of single measure clusters (measures intra-class sensitivity), (2) cluster precision clusters (measures how clusters are shared between different classes) and (3) the generalizability property of regions (measures matching to classes). Our technique, which is a variant on the Kadir-Brady saliency detector scored better and not worse than all the other methods evaluated.
Critical Perspectives on Urban Teaching and Learning: Four Projects in One Urban College of Education.

This study encompassed four different projects implemented in one urban College of Education. Projects included discussions in the faculty diversity self-study group, teaching and learning about culturally responsive pedagogy in an early childhood methods class, the use of fieldwork as a site for student learning about educational change, and teaching and learning about critical literacy in professional development sessions conducted at an elementary school. Following the descriptions of individual projects, joint analysis of these projects is offered by using lenses from a four-dimensional critical perspective (Lewison, Flint, & Van Sluys, 2002; Van Sluys, Lewison, & Flint, 2006).
A Group Iterative QR Receiver Based on Flat MIMO Channels

The VBLAST architecture has been proposed as an extremely spectral efficient tool for wireless communications. However, owing to the error propagation, the performance of VBLAST is constrained by the accuracy of the symbols recovered in the previous layer when the traditional detection successive interference cancellation (SIC) algorithm is applied. In this paper, we present a new group iterative receiver algorithm based on QR decomposition to mitigating the error propagation of VBLAST. For enhancing the performance of the first detected group signal, the iterative detection is applied. The proposed algorithm achieves good performance compared to standard ZF-VBLAST with reduced computational complexity.
Identification of protein complexes that bind to histone H3 combinatorial modifications using super-SILAC and weighted correlation network analysis

The large number of chemical modifications that are found on the histone proteins of eukaryotic cells form multiple complex combinations, which can act as recognition signals for reader proteins. We have used peptide capture in conjunction with super-SILAC quantification to carry out an unbiased high-throughput analysis of the composition of protein complexes that bind to histone H3K9/S10 and H3K27/S28 methyl-phospho modifications. The accurate quantification allowed us to perform Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to obtain a systems-level view of the histone H3 histone tail interactome. The analysis reveals the underlying modularity of the histone reader network with members of nuclear complexes exhibiting very similar binding signatures, which suggests that many proteins bind to histones as part of pre-organized complexes. Our results identify a novel complex that binds to the double H3K9me3/S10ph modification, which includes Atrx, Daxx and members of the FACT complex. The super-SILAC approach allows comparison of binding to multiple peptides with different combinations of modifications and the resolution of the WGCNA analysis is enhanced by maximizing the number of combinations that are compared. This makes it a useful approach for assessing the effects of changes in histone modification combinations on the composition and function of bound complexes.
Food Insecurity and Culture - A Study of Cambodian and Brazilian Immigrants

This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact scholarworks@library.umass. edu. Modarresi Ghavami, Sarvnaz, "Food Insecurity and Culture A Study of Cambodian and Brazilian Immigrants" (2013). Masters Theses 1911 February 2014. 1141. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass. edu/theses/1141 brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac. uk
Optimizing waveforms for positioning in 5G

Today's mobile radio systems deploy reference signals which can be used or which are even dedicated for signal propagation delay-based mobile terminal positioning. Usually, the signal power of such reference signals is uniformly distributed over the available spectrum. It is known from estimation theory that such a uniform power distribution of reference signals is not optimal for signal propagation delay estimation. In this paper we consider mobile terminal positioning based on signal propagation delay estimation in the uplink case. For positioning, we introduce a parametric waveform. This waveform provides a scalar parameter for controlling the distribution of the available signal power over the spectrum. Using this waveform parameter we aim to minimize the positioning error. For optimization, we require a functional dependency between the waveform parameter and the positioning error we can expect. For the derivation of this function we combine the approaches of the Cramér-Rao and Ziv-Zakai bounds for position and propagation delay estimation. As an exemplary environment we consider a mobile terminal located in an area surrounded by 3 base stations. For this environment we show that the optimized waveform spends a significant part of the available power at the spectrum edges, leading to a performance gain of 37.3% at the center of the area between the base stations.
Characterization of SINR Region for Interfering Links With Constrained Power

In this paper, a communication system including n interfering additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) links is considered. Each transmitter uses a Gaussian codebook and each receiver only decodes the data of the corresponding transmitter. For the case that the transmit powers are subject to arbitrary linear constraints, a mathematical expression for the boundary points of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) region is obtained. Moreover, when the channels are time-varying and the average powers are constrained, the zero-outage SINR region of the system is derived. In addition, a scenario where the demanded SINR of the users is out of the SINR region is considered. A common approach is to remove a subset of the users such that the demanded SINR can be provided for the remaining users; the removed users are serviced in a later time slot. With the aim of maximizing the number of serviced users in each time slot, a suboptimal algorithm is developed, which outperforms the other known alternatives.
Can operators simply share millimeter wave spectrum licenses?

Because of their often noise-limited behavior, millimeter wave systems may be able to share spectrum licenses without any coordination. We establish the theoretical feasibility of uncoordinated sharing by considering a downlink system containing multiple mmWave cellular providers. We compute the downlink rate distribution, and compare that against systems with exclusive licenses. We show that shared licenses can use a smaller bandwidth to achieve the same per-user median rate as providers with an exclusive spectrum license. We also show that both total interference and available bandwidth increase with the size of the spectrum sharing coalition, which implies that the optimal amount of spectrum sharing depends on the target rate.
Source Coding with Causal Side Information at the Decoder ∗

2 ⌋ }. The i-th reconstruction is of the form X̂i(T, Y ), i.e., it is allowed to depend on the side information, but only causally. The motivation for studying this problem comes from source coding systems that are constrained to operate with no, or with limited, delay. Sequential source codes with a limited-delay encoder and a sequential, zero-delay, decoder with access to side information comprise a subfamily of the schemes that our notion of causal decoder side information allows, since our formulation does not limit the encoding delay. In particular, our formulation encompasses “real-time Wyner Ziv” coding schemes, as recently introduced in [8]. Consequently, our negative (converse) results immediately apply to all such source coding scenarios. On the positive side, as we show, in some cases, schemes from the more limited (and realistic) family of “real-time” codes can achieve optimum performance within the larger family that we allow. Another motivation for our work is to better understand the duality between channel coding and source coding problems. If the Wyner-Ziv problem [13] is the source coding analogue of the Gelfand-Pinsker setting of channel coding with non-causal state information at the transmitter [1], then the problem we consider here is the source coding analogue of channel coding with causal state information at the transmitter, as considered by Shannon in [6]. Our work characterizes the relationship between the non-causal and causal versions of the source coding problem and highlights some similarities to the relationship between the non-causal and causal channel coding problems. Our work can also be viewed a complement to the recent study in [9], which examined various causal source coding scenarios involving side information. Specifically, the effect of the introduction of side information into the causal source coding framework of Neuhoff and Gilbert [4] was studied. As was pointed out, Neuhoff and Gilbert’s notion of causal source codes is not well-matched for situations involving side information at the decoder which, consequently, were not considered in [9].
Interaction between the tobacco mosaic virus movement protein and host cell pectin methylesterases is required for viral cell‐to‐cell movement

Virus‐encoded movement protein (MP) mediates cell‐to‐cell spread of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) through plant intercellular connections, the plasmodesmata. The molecular pathway by which TMV MP interacts with the host cell is largely unknown. To understand this process better, a cell wall‐associated protein that specifically binds the viral MP was purified from tobacco leaf cell walls and identified as pectin methylesterase (PME). In addition to TMV MP, PME is recognized by MPs of turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV) and cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV). The use of amino acid deletion mutants of TMV MP showed that its domain was necessary and sufficient for association with PME. Deletion of the PME‐binding region resulted in inactivation of TMV cell‐to‐cell movement.