Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Path Following Control at Driving/Handling Limits of an Autonomous Electric Racecar

This paper proposes a robust path following controller that aims to controlling the autonomous ground vehicle to the handling and driving limits, which is demonstrated by an autonomous racecar. As a worldwide competition for autonomous racecar, the formula student autonomous competition (FSAC) is introduced. The autonomous racecar developed by the authors, who won the champion of the 2017 FSAC, is also introduced. As the key of control framework, an integrated longitudinal/lateral controller is proposed, which is supposed to control the autonomous racecar to the limits on the random racetrack. The longitudinal controller is based on the G-G diagram, which is proposed in our previous work. The lateral controller is designed based on the robust H-infinity output-feedback approach. The particular uncertainties and disturbances of the autonomous racecar, which are caused by limit driving or chassis adjustments, are considered in the controller design. Finally, the proposed controller is demonstrated on the self-developed autonomous racecar. The experimental results on a random wet racetrack are discussed to show the efficiency and robustness of the proposed controller.
Passive differential UHF RFID front-ends in a 40 nm CMOS technology

The sensitivity and the bandwidth of passive UHF radiofrequency identification (RFID) transponders are strongly affected by the power conversion efficiency and the input quality factor of the used analog front-end. In this work, we present two differential UHF RFID analog front-ends, considering particularly circuit implementations in a 40 nm low power CMOS technology. We discuss design aspects of the major building blocks of the front-ends that comprise two RF voltage limiters, two RF charge pumps and a DC limiter. Measurements of the front-end circuits reveal a high power conversion efficiency of 38% and 41%, respectively, at an output power of 4 μW and an output voltage of 1 V. The quality factor of the two front-ends in this operating point is lower than 16. Moreover, we demonstrate the operation of the circuits for modulated carrier waveforms, and during the start-up at high and low levels of available power.
Protective immunity against Plasmodium yoelii malaria induced by immunization with particulate blood-stage antigens

The Plasmodium yoelii murine model was used to test several combinations of blood-stage antigens and adjuvants for the ability to induce immunity to blood-stage malaria. Upon fractionation of whole blood-stage antigen into soluble and insoluble components, only the particulate antigens (pAg) induced protective immune responses. Of a number of adjuvants tested, Quil A was the most effective. Immunization with pAg plus Quil A induced solid protection against nonlethal and lethal P. yoelii challenge infection. Analysis of cytokine production revealed mRNA for Th1-type cytokines (interleukin 2 [IL-2] and gamma interferon) as well as Th2-type cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) in the spleens of both protected and susceptible animals. The data suggested that the protective pAg response was associated with the earlier production of cytokine mRNA with a Th2 phenotype somewhat favored. Immunization of B-cell-deficient JHD mice indicated that the protection against P. yoelii induced by pAg immunization was B cell dependent. Although immunization with pAg plus Quil A increased the levels of antigen-specific antibodies of all four immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotypes, protection correlated most closely with the presence of IgG1 and IgG2b antibodies. Sera from pAg-plus-Quil A-immunized animals recognized only a limited subset of six to eight distinct P. yoelii antigens, primarily associated with the pAg fraction. These results provide the basis for the identification and characterization of potential vaccine antigens, selected solely for their ability to immunize against blood-stage malaria.
A parameter-dependent performance criterion for linear parameter-varying systems

Existing control theory for linear parameter-varying systems uses a uniform-in-the-parameters upper bound (a constant scalar) on the induced-L/sub 2/ norm. In this paper, this constant is generalized to a function of the parameters; the performance criterion generalizes to an integral quadratic constraint and implies a norm bound that depends naturally on the real-time parameter trajectory. As in existing theory, the synthesis problem reduces to convex optimization involving linear matrix inequalities. A motivating example, gain-scheduled flight control of the F-16 VISTA, demonstrates the flexibility gained by incorporating the new performance criterion.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of Cowper's gland

patients are reported to have died from distant metastases of ACC of the prostate [1]. A good prognosis has been described for ACC of the salivary gland, but ACC in other organs, e.g. the uterine cervix, has a poor prognosis and aggressive course [2,3]. ACC of Cowper’s gland is extremely rare; only two cases have been reported [4,5]. The first survived 13 years after local resection and adjuvant radiotherapy, and pelvic exenteration with CASE REPORT
Design and implementation of low power compact amplifier circuitry for wearable biosignal device

Biomedical signals are always present in few micro volts. Hence recording biomedical signals is a major challenge in clinical diagnostics. This work presents a design approach for building a signal acquisition system for capturing low amplitude signals, with focus on low power consumption, low cost of components and longer operating battery life. It consists of a compact amplifier design with data transmission over Bluetooth to a compatible recording device. The analog circuit uses INA333 as the instrumentation amplifier because of its lower power ratings and low quiescent current characteristics, with suitable gain adjustment. Suitable filters are used for selecting the signal in desired frequency range. The amplified signal is digitized which can be transmitted wirelessly to a portable device such as tablet or a smartphone via Bluetooth module (HC-05). Hence a low power, low noise compact amplifier is designed which can be used for biosignal acquisition. With added facility of wireless communication this compact system can be a part of any wearable system which can be operated anywhere anytime.
Unsupervised Alignment for Segmental-based Language Understanding

Recent years' most efficient approaches for language understanding are statistical. These approaches benefit from a segmental semantic annotation of corpora. To reduce the production cost of such corpora, this paper proposes a method that is able to match first identified concepts with word sequences in an unsupervised way. This method based on automatic alignment is used by an understanding system based on conditional random fields and is evaluated on a spoken dialogue task using either manual or automatic transcripts.
Ranking factors in peer-to-peer overlay networks

A large number of peer processes are distributed in a peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay network. It is difficult, maybe impossible for a peer to perceive the membership and location of every resource object due to the scalability and openness of a P2P network. In this article, we discuss a fully distributed P2P system where there is no centralized controller. Each peer has to obtain service information from its acquaintance peers and also send its service information to the acquaintance peers. An acquaintance peer of a peer p is a peer about whose service the peer p knows and with which the peer p can directly communicate in an overlay network. Some acquaintance peer might hold obsolete service information and might be faulty. Each peer has to find a more trustworthy one among acquaintance peers. There are many discussions on how to detect peers that hold a target object. However, a peer cannot manipulate an object without being granted access rights (permissions). In addition to detecting what peers hold a target object, we have to find peers granted access rights to manipulate the target object. The trustworthiness of each acquaintance is defined in terms of the satisfiability and ranking factor in this article. The satisfiability of an acquaintance peer shows how much each peer can trust the acquaintance peer through direct communication to not only detect target objects but also obtain their access rights. On the other hand, the ranking factor of an acquaintance peer indicates how much the acquaintance peer is trusted only by trustworthy acquaintance peers which is different from the traditional reputation concept. We evaluate how the trustworthiness of an acquaintance peer is changed through interactions among peers in a detection algorithm.
Technology exploration for adaptive power and frequency scaling in 90nm CMOS

In this paper we examine the expectations and limitations of design technologies such as adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) and adaptive body biasing (ABB) in a modem deep sub-micron process. To serve this purpose, a set of ring oscillators was fabricated in a 90nm triple-well CMOS technology. The analysis hereby presented is based on two ring oscillators running at 822MHz and 93MHz, respectively. Measurement results indicate that it is possible to reach 13.8/spl times/ power savings by 3.4/spl times/ frequency downscaling using AVS, /spl plusmn/11% power and /spl plusmn/8% frequency tuning at nominal conditions using ABB only, 22/spl times/ power savings with 5/spl times/ frequency downscaling by combining AVS and ABB, as well as 22/spl times/ leakage reduction.
An agent-based testing approach for Web applications

In recent years, Web applications have grown so quickly that they have already become crucial to the success of businesses. However, since they are built on Internet and open standard technologies, Web applications bring new challenges to researchers, such as dynamic behaviors, heterogeneous representations, novel control flow and data flow mechanisms, etc. In this paper, we propose an agent-based approach for Web application testing. While the agent-based framework greatly reduces the complexity of Web applications, a four-level dataflow test approach can be employed to perform structure testing on them. In this approach, data flow analysis is performed as function level testing, function cluster level testing, object level testing, and Web application level testing, from low abstract level to high abstract level. Each test agent in the framework takes charge of the testing in an abstract level for a particular type of Web document or object.
Regulating retrotransposon activity through the use of alternative transcription start sites

Retrotransposons, the ancestors of retroviruses, have the potential for gene disruption and genomic takeover if not kept in check. Paradoxically, although host cells repress these elements by multiple mechanisms, they are transcribed and are even activated under stress conditions. Here, we describe a new mechanism of retrotransposon regulation through transcription start site (TSS) selection by altered nucleosome occupancy. We show that Fun30 chromatin remodelers cooperate to maintain a high level of nucleosome occupancy at retrotransposon‐flanking long terminal repeat (LTR) elements. This enforces the use of a downstream TSS and the production of a truncated RNA incapable of reverse transcription and retrotransposition. However, in stressed cells, nucleosome occupancy at LTR elements is reduced, and the TSS shifts to allow for productive transcription. We propose that controlled retrotransposon transcription from a nonproductive TSS allows for rapid stress‐induced activation, while preventing uncontrolled transposon activity in the genome.
The latency-associated transcript gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is required for efficient in vivo spontaneous reactivation of HSV-1 from latency

During herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) neuronal latency, the only viral RNA detected is from the latency-associated transcript (LAT) gene. We have made a LAT deletion mutant of McKrae, an HSV-1 strain with a very high in vivo spontaneous reactivation rate. This mutant (dLAT2903) lacks the LAT promoter and the first 1.6 kb of the 5' end of LAT. dLAT2903 was compared with its parental virus and with a rescued virus containing a restored LAT gene (dLAT2903R). Replication of the LAT mutant in tissue culture, rabbit eyes, and rabbit trigeminal ganglia was similar to that of the rescued and parental viruses. On the basis of semiquantitative PCR analysis of the amount of HSV-1 DNA in trigeminal ganglia, the LAT mutant was unimpaired in its ability to establish latency. In contrast, spontaneous reactivation of dLAT2903 in the rabbit ocular model of HSV-1 latency and reactivation was decreased to approximately 33% of normal. This decrease was highly significant (P < 0.0001) and demonstrates that in an HSV-1 strain with a high spontaneous reactivation rate, deletion of LAT can dramatically decrease in vivo spontaneous reactivation. We also report here that deletion of LAT appeared to eliminate rather than just reduce in vivo induced reactivation.
Surgical Management of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Objective:To assess the surgical management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma over a time period when liver resection was considered standard management. Summary Background Data:Hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains a difficult challenge for surgeons. An advance in surgical treatment is the addition of liver resection to the procedure. However, liver resection in the setting of liver dysfunction caused by biliary obstruction can be associated with increased mortality. Methods:Between 1997 and 2004, 80 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma having surgery were reviewed. Fifty-three patients had attempted curative resections, 14 patients had palliative bypasses, while 13 patients had findings that precluded any further intervention. Twenty-three patients required portal vein resection and reconstruction to achieve negative margins, 3 of which also required reconstruction of the hepatic artery. Results:Patients undergoing resection had a 9% operative mortality, with morbidity of 40%. Patients who demonstrated lobar hypertrophy preoperatively due to tumor involvement of the contralateral liver or induced with portal vein embolization (PVE) had a significantly lower operative mortality than those patients without hypertrophy. Median overall survival in patients resected was 40 months, with 5-year survival of 35%. Negative margins were achieved in 80% of cases and were associated with improved survival. Five-year survival in patients undergoing resection with negative margins was 45%. Conclusion:Combined liver and bile-duct resection can be performed for hilar cholangiocarcinoma with acceptable mortality, though higher than that for liver resections performed for other indications. The use of PVE in cases where hypertrophy of the remnant liver has not occurred preoperatively may reduce the risk of operative mortality.
Costs of compliance with EU regulations and competitiveness of the EU dairy sector

The introduction of cross-compliance mechanism in the European Union with its 2003 CAPreform might affect the costs of production and thus competitiveness of the EU. Little evidence is avail ble to asses the costs of compliance with regulations and it implication for trade. In this study a farm level competitiveness analysis of the impacts of the Nitrate Dir ective and the Identification & registration Directive focuses on the dairy sector in Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands and UK (within EU), and the US and New Zealan d (outside EU). The findings from this study are integrated into a trade analysis which assesses the imp act of compliance costs on competitiveness of the various trading nations in global trade. Representative farm st udies were used as a basis for the cost increase calculat ions. Best-estimates of compliance are used from the exis ting literature and expert judgements. The negative impa ct of these measures (for nitrates, and animal identif ication and registration) on EU imports and exports are les than 3 percent. If a smaller increase in compliance takes place, these already relatively small trade impacts will be further diminished. When the standards for nitrate pollution taken by the US and New Zealand are taken into account along with full compliance assumption in all countries analysed, this would only slightly improve the EU exports. The trade impacts obtained when no changes are assumed to happen in key competitor cou ntries can thus be argued as providing the upper bou nd of the likely trade impacts. Keywords— Compliance, dairy sector, GTAP
MED Precoding for Multiuser MIMO-NOMA Downlink Transmission

In this paper, the design of minimum Euclidean distance (MED) precoders is developed for multiple-input multiple-output non-orthogonal multiple access (MIMO-NOMA) downlink. First, we propose the MED precoding algorithm for the two-user $2{\,\times\,} 2$ MIMO-NOMA downlink by combining the methodology of MED precoding previously developed for unicast MIMO and multicast MIMO scenarios. Then, to extend MED precoders to general multiuser scenarios, we propose two algorithms for user pairing, based on the condition number and orthogonality defect, respectively. Finally, computer simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed MED precoders as well as the user pairing algorithms.
Estimation of Apparent Tumor Vascular Permeability from Multiphoton Fluorescence Microscopic Images of P22 Rat Sarcomas In Vivo

Objective: To develop an image processing‐based method to quantify the rate of extravasation of fluorescent contrast agents from tumor microvessels, and to investigate the effect of the tumor vascular disrupting agent combretastatin A‐4‐P (CA‐4‐P) on apparent tumor vascular permeability to 40 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled dextran.
Testing Digital Circuits for Timing Failures by Output Waveform Analysis

Delay testing is done to ensure that a digital circuit functions at the designed speed. Delay testing is complicated by test invalidation and fault detection size. Furthermore, we show that simple delay models are not sufficient to provoke the longest delay through a circuit. Even if all paths are robustly tested, path delay testing cannot guarantee that the circuit functions at the desired speed. Output Waveform Analysis is a new approach for detecting timing failures in digital circuits. Unlike conventional testing where the circuit outputs are sampled, the waveform between samples is analyzed. The motivation is that delay changes affect the shape of the output waveform, and information can be extracted from the waveform to detect timing failures. This is especially useful as a Design-for-Testability technique for Built-In Self-Test or pseudo-random testing environments, where delay tests are difficult to apply and test invalidation is a problem. Stability Checking is a simple form of Output Waveform Analysis. In a fault-free circuit, the outputs are expected to have reached the desired logic values by the time they are sampled, so delay faults can be detected by observing the outputs for any changes after the sampling time. Apart from traditional delay testing, Stability Checking is also useful for on-line or concurrent testing under certain timing restrictions. A padding algorithm was implemented to show that circuits can be efficiently modified to meet the required timing constraints. By analyzing the output waveform before the sampling time, circuits with timing flaws can be detected even before the circuit fails. This is useful in high reliability applications as a screening technique that does not stress the circuit, and for wear-out prediction. A symbolic waveform simulator has been implemented to show the benefits of the proposed Output Waveform Analysis techniques. Practical test architectures have been designed, and various waveform analyzers have been manufactured and tested. These include circuits implemented using the Stanford BiCMOS process, and a design implemented in a 25k gate Test Evaluation Chip Experiment.
Obliterating The Political: One-party ideological dominance and the personalization of news in Singapore 211

Political issues are typically covered by quality dailies as hard news; in the case of the Straits Times—a highly regarded English-language newspaper in Asia and the national daily in Singapore—hard political news acquires a human-interest feel despite journalists’ efforts to follow hard news conventions and to inject controversy into their coverage. While in liberal societies, this phenomenon has been attributed to commercialization, I argue that in Singapore, this human-interest element could be traced to the ideological dominance of the one-party government. In the absence of alternative frames, the official framing of national issues as questions of personal morality becomes the dominant ideological frame for journalists. There are two significant consequences of the shift from a political to a moral frame: the distinction between hard and soft news is blurred and media discourse becomes de-politicized.
An Econometric Evidence of the Interactions between Inflation and Economic Growth in South Africa

Little has been done on the relationship between inflation and economic growth, on contrary much empirical evidence commonly show failure to control the growth in real inputs. This paper used annual secondary data to examine the interactions between inflation and economic growth in South Africa during the period of 1980-2010. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller technique in testing the unit root property of the series is used while the hypothesis on the existence of a cointegrated relationship between inflation and economic growth is also tested using Johansen-Juselius co-integration technique. After confirming that a long run relationship between these two variables does exist, an extra effort was made to investigate the causality relationship by employing the Granger causality at two and four lag periods. The findings showed that uni-directional Causality is seen running from inflation to economic growth at both lag 2 and 4. Economic policy implications of findings are discussed and suggestions for future research direction are indicated in the paper. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013. v4n13p219
HEp-2 cells classification using locally aggregated features mapped in the dissimilarity space

Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF) followed by manual evaluation of the acquired slides from specialized personnel is the preferred laboratory technique used for the detection of Antinucleolar Antibodies (ANAs) in patient serum. In this procedure, several limitations appear and thus several automatic techniques have been proposed for the task of ANA detection. In this paper we propose a system for automatic classification of HEp-2 staining patterns, inspired by a recently proposed method for aggregating local image (SIFT) features into a compact and fixed length representation. More specifically we present a novel framework in which aggregated features are mapped into feature vectors in the dissimilarity space where the dimensionality of the descriptors is “naturally reduced”. The final descriptor is low dimensional, while evaluation on a recently published dataset yields state of the art results.