Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Note on the Rank Bounded Distance and Its Algorithms for Cyclic Codes

The minimum distance for linear codes is one of the important parameters. The shift bound is a good lower bound of the minimum distance for cyclic codes, Reed-Muller codes and geometric Goppa codes. It is necessary to construct the maximum value of the independent set for the calculation of the shift bound. However, its computational complexity is very large, because the construction of the independent set is not unique. The authors proposed an algorithm for calculation of the independent set using the discrete Fourier transform in 2010. In this paper we give simple modification and new recurrent algorithms to improve the original algorithm.
A Hybrid Robot Navigation Approach Based on Partial Planning and Emotion-Based Behavior Coordination

A hybrid navigation approach for mobile robots is presented in this paper, which integrates partial motion planning with emotion-based behavior coordination. According to the local sensing information and assigned goal, the partial motion planning determines a local target point for the mobile robot, and the trajectory composed of the local targets is near optimal in the sense of a given cost function. Behavior coordination based on emotional mechanism is proposed in the navigation control of mobile robots. The emotion system can properly reflect environment states, and then effectively synthesize rational and complex behaviors. The proposed hybrid approach is competent for the mobile robot to navigate autonomously and effectively in unknown environments. Simulation results demonstrate that the robot motion trajectory using the proposed hybrid navigation approach is more reasonable than the one using a pure behavior-based control or emotion-based behavior coordination alone
Water strider robots with microfabricated hydrophobic legs

This paper discusses biomimetic water strider robots that have microfabricated hydrophobic legs. Various kinds of supporting legs with hydrophobic microstructures on their surfaces were developed using MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) techniques. The lift and pull-off forces of these supporting legs were analyzed theoretically and then measured. The experimental results were in good agreement with the calculations. Two different mechanisms for autonomous water strider robots were developed. One robot with twelve microfabricated legs driven by a vibration motor successfully moved on a water surface and also made left/right turns by exploiting differences in the resonant frequencies of the legs. The other robot, with six microstructured legs, moved on water through elliptical motion of its middle legs, which is similar to the motion of actual water striders.
Decentralized sampled-data control of interconnected systems using low gain and high gain output feedback

In practice, it is common that the interconnected subsystems of a large-scale system are controlled by decentralized sampled-data stabilizers. In this case, the problem of using sampled-data output feedback to design global a decentralized stabilizer for the large-scale systems is quite challenging. To solve the problem, in this paper we propose a gain domination method that implements both low- and high- gains to negate the effects of nonlinearities found in a series of interconnected systems. The decentralized stabilizers with low gain and high gain are implemented using sampled-data output feedbacks.
Causal structure of d = 5 vacua and axisymmetric spacetimes

We study the structure of closed timelike curves (CTCs) for the near horizon limit of the five dimensional BMPV black hole, in its overrotating regime. We argue that Bousso's holographic screens are inside the chronologically safe region, extending a similar observation of Boyda et al. [1] for Godel type solutions. We then extend this result to quite generic axisymmetric spacetimes with CTCs, showing that causal geodesics can't escape the chronologically safe region. As a spin-off of our results, we fill a gap in the identification of all maximally supersymmetric solutions of minimal five dimensional supergravity, bringing this problem to a full conclusion.
Face Recognition of Illumination Tolerance in 2 D Subspace Based on the Optimum Correlation Filter

Nowadays, face recognition technology has been greatly developed; for the problem of low recognition rate in the face recognition system of illumination variation, this thesis proposes the face recognition method of illumination tolerance in two-dimensional subspace based on the optimal correlation filter. Firstly, through the use of a particular class 2D-PCA the face image is reconstructed and by using the optimum projecting image correlation filter (OPICF) the faces images will be tested to project into the two-dimensional subspace; secondly, refactoring correlation filter (RCF) is used to refactoring the image and the face images are classified according to pre-set threshold of tolerance illumination; finally, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated on two major face databases like Yale B and PIE. Experimental results show that compared to other existing correlation filters, filter system designed in this paper has the inherent tolerance of the illumination changes and emphasizes the spatial high frequency components of refactoring face images consisting of facial features. Meanwhile, the refactoring face images don’t consider the illumination variations, so the proposed method reduces the low-frequency component in the spaces and strengthens the recognition accuracy rate under the situation of illumination variations. Compared to the performances of other filters, it has a constant high accuracy and low error acceptance rate.
Energy-efficient and area-efficient switching scheme based on multi-reference for SAR ADC

A novel multi-reference capacitor switching scheme for ultralow power successive approximation register (SAR) ADCs is proposed. By using 5 references, the proposed switching scheme only dissipates 10.6 CVREF average energy and requires 256 unit capacitors, which are reduced by 99.2% and 87.5%, compared to the conventional structure. Besides, the common-mode voltage of the comparator input is approximately constant, which relaxes the required comparator’s performance. Behavioral simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed switching scheme.
Small Business Owners' Success Criteria, a Values Approach to Personal Differences1

This study of 150 Dutch small business owners, identified through business/network directories, investigated relationships between owners' understanding of success and their personal values. Business owners ranked 10 success criteria. Personal satisfaction, profitability, and satisfied stakeholders ranked highest. Multidimensional scaling techniques revealed two dimensions underlying the rank order of success criteria: person‐oriented (personal satisfaction versus business growth) and business‐oriented (profitability versus contributing back to society). Furthermore, business growth, profitability, and innovativeness were guided by self‐enhancing value orientations (power and achievement). Softer success criteria, such as having satisfied stakeholders and a good work–life balance, were guided by self‐transcendent value orientations (benevolence and universalism).
Substance P participates in immune-mediated hepatic injury induced by concanavalin A in mice and stimulates cytokine synthesis in Kupffer cells

Studies have indicated that the immune system plays a pivotal role in hepatitis. Substance P (SP) has been shown to modulate the immune response. In order to investigate the role of SP in liver injury and to determine whether it leads to pro-inflammatory signaling, we established a mouse model of hepatic injury induced by concanavalin A (ConA). We also exposed mouse Kupffer cells (KCs) to SP in vitro. Cytokine and SP levels in liver homogenates were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the protective effects of L-703,606 were evaluated through serological and histological assessments. Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The levels of SP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly increased in the ConA-treated mice and the levels of ALT and AST were markedly reduced by L-703,606-pretreatment. Liver injury was significantly reduced by treatment with L-703,606. The mouse KCs expressed NK-1R and SP increased NK-1R mRNA expression. Furthermore, NK-1R blockade eliminated the effect of SP on NK-1R mRNA expression. The cytokine levels exhibited a substantial increase in the SP-pretreated KCs compared with the KCs that were cultured in control medium. The inter-leukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in the L-703,606-pretreated KCs were significantly lower compared with those in the SP-pretreated KCs. Our study suggests that neurogenic inflammation induced by SP plays an important role in hepatitis. Mouse KCs express NK-1R and SP increases NK-1R mRNA expression. SP enhances IL-6 and TNF-α secretion and an NK-1R antagonist inhibits this secretion.
Tagging Face Using Feature Based Face Detection

Tagging face is the most prevalent topic in today's world. This paper personifies a text based approach called name tag which uses skin color segmentation for face detection. For extraction of skin region we have used RGB, HSV, Cb, Cr color models with different ranges of thresholding. Each skin region is converted into binary image. Then morphological operation and region properties are applied to detect faces in images. After detection of face a name tag appears on faces in which user can provide alternate name according to their convenience.
Characterization of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis using high‐resolution MRI study – rationale and design

Intracranial atherosclerosis is a leading cause of stroke, but little is known about the composition of the intracranial atherosclerotic lesion and how intracranial plaque morphology is related to the risk of stroke. High‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR MRI) has been used in patients with extracranial carotid atherosclerosis as an in vivo tool to identify, with high‐interrater agreement, histologically defined plaque components (i.e., intraplaque hemorrhage, fibrous cap, and lipid core), which have been shown to be predictors of recurrent stroke. With careful imaging the components of atherosclerotic plaque can be visualized in the intracranial arteries using HR MRI, but there are no reports of reproducibility or interrater reliability.
Observations of NBTI-induced atomic-scale defects

A combination of MOSFET gate-controlled diode measurements and a very sensitive electron spin resonance technique called spin-dependent recombination was utilized to observe and identify defect centers generated by a negative bias temperature stress in fully processed SiO <sub>2</sub>-based pMOSFETs. In SiO<sub>2</sub> devices, the defects include two Si/SiO<sub>2</sub> interface silicon dangling bond centers (P<sub>b0</sub> and P<sub>b1</sub>) and may also include an oxide silicon dangling bond center (E'). The observations indicate that both P <sub>b0</sub> and P<sub>b1</sub> defects play major roles in these SiO <sub>2</sub>-based devices and suggest that E' centers could play an important role
A Rare Case of an Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of Pancreas Fistulizing Into Duodenum With Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) accounts for 20-50% of all cystic neoplasms of the pancreas. Rarely, IPMN, whether benign or malignant, can fistulize into adjacent organs like duodenum, stomach or common bile duct. IPMN can be associated with other diseases like Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis. Association with adult polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is extremely rare. We report a case of a 60-year-old male with a large IPMN in the head of the pancreas diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging, endoscopic ultrasound and cyst fluid analysis. It was complicated by fistula formation into the second part of the duodenum. Patient was simultaneously having adult polycystic kidney disease. There is only one case report of uncomplicated IPMN with ADPKD in the literature so far. And even rarer, there is no any case report of fistulizing IPMN with ADPKD reported so far, to the best of our knowledge.
A Spike-Timing-Based Integrated Model for Pattern Recognition

During the past few decades, remarkable progress has been made in solving pattern recognition problems using networks of spiking neurons. However, the issue of pattern recognition involving computational process from sensory encoding to synaptic learning remains underexplored, as most existing models or algorithms target only part of the computational process. Furthermore, many learning algorithms proposed in the literature neglect or pay little attention to sensory information encoding, which makes them incompatible with neural-realistic sensory signals encoded from real-world stimuli. By treating sensory coding and learning as a systematic process, we attempt to build an integrated model based on spiking neural networks (SNNs), which performs sensory neural encoding and supervised learning with precisely timed sequences of spikes. With emerging evidence of precise spike-timing neural activities, the view that information is represented by explicit firing times of action potentials rather than mean firing rates has been receiving increasing attention. The external sensory stimulation is first converted into spatiotemporal patterns using a latency-phase encoding method and subsequently transmitted to the consecutive network for learning. Spiking neurons are trained to reproduce target signals encoded with precisely timed spikes. We show that when a supervised spike-timing-based learning is used, different spatiotemporal patterns are recognized by different spike patterns with a high time precision in milliseconds.
Consciousness and the social mind Action editor :

Phenomenal consciousness and social cognition are interlocking capacities, but the relations between them have yet to be systematically investigated. In this paper, I begin to develop a theoretical and empirical framework for such an investigation. I begin by describing the phenomenon known as social pain: the affect associated with the perception of actual or potential damage to one’s interpersonal relations. I then adduce a related phenomenon known as affective contagion: the tendency for emotions, moods, and other affective states to spread from person to person in social contexts. Experimental studies of these two phenomena suggest that affective consciousness depends on perception of the social world in much the same way that it depends on perception of the body – in short, that consciousness is ‘socially embodied’. In the second part of the paper I argue that the distinctive sociality of our species, especially its moral dimension, rests heavily on our ability to represent the conscious states of others. In closing, I put these ideas together and show how they point to a circular causal-mechanistic nexus between consciousness and social mindedness. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
SV40: A Human Pathogen?

Over the past eight years an increasing number of investigators have found SV40 genomic sequences in a variety of human samples, both malignant and normal. Tumor types recurrently reported as SV40-positive include choroid plexus neoplasms, ependymomas, osteosarcomas, and mesotheliomas. Nonetheless, considerable skepticism that SV40 is a human pathogen still prevails. More constructively, the study of SV40 in humans has renewed interest in the related BK and JC viruses and their role in human disease. New questions now must be addressed. In particular, seroepidemiologic studies utilizing reagents that distinguish SV40, BKV, and JCV immune responses would be a logical next step for independently assessing viral prevalence. Also, prospective studies of select patient groups using optimized detection methods might determine whether SV40 is associated with human oncogenesis in particular circumstances. The importance of such research is underscored by the potential to prevent human polyomavirus infections, and possible associated malignancy, through immunization of high risk populations.
The Latest Wave of Regionalism: Does Outsider Status Affect the Competitiveness of U.S. and Canadian Agricultural Exports?

The degree to which countries are pursuing regional trade agreements (RTAs) has been nothing short of extraordinary. The latest wave of regional integration, however, is “breeding concern” among academics and policymakers as to the extra‐regional effects of these agreements and their impact on North American agricultural exporters who are party to relatively few RTAs in world trade. This study constructs and uses an updated database of agricultural trade flows from 1992‐2008 to shed light on the degree to which outsiders status affects U.S. and Canadian agricultural exports and its competing suppliers. Regarding outsider status, the existing dummy‐variable approach is modified by incorporating region‐specific extra‐bloc trade flow variables to examine the degree to which RTAs divert trade from specific regions of the world, including Canadian agricultural exports. The results are quite illuminating. While RTAs may not be trade diverting on net, all RTAs considered exhibit trade diversion with respect to at least some regions. The results have important policy implications for nations that are not actively participating in the latest wave of regionalism.
Classifying vehicles with convolutional neural network and feature encoding

Vehicle type recognition has many applications in video surveillance, urban traffic management and automatic driving. This paper presents a new vehicle type recognition method using feature encoding combined with Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This method uses the CNN to learn the properties of the high-level image features. It is able to largely compensate the information loss if we use feature encoding solely. By contrast, to achieve satisfactory classification results, feature encoding algorithms do not need a large number of training samples. Thus, it can help CNN reduce the number of training samples. Therefore, we propose a hybrid algorithm by integrating method on vehicle type recognition in comparison to CNN, feature encoding algorithms and other competitive methods.
Parallel-coupled-line microstrip band-pass filter using space mapping Technique

Space mapping is a powerful technique to optimize such complex models by efficiently substituting accurate but expensive electromagnetic models, fine models, with fast and approximate models, coarse models. In this paper, we apply space mapping, an explicit space mapping techniques to Design, a micro strip pass band filter. The filter structure is made of a perfect conductor on the top of a substrate (RT_DURROID_5880) with a relative dielectric constant of 2.2 and a height of 20 mil, backed with a perfect conductor ground plane The proposed passband filter 9-10 GHz is designed and simulated with Advanced Design System (ADS2009) and was implemented with good compactness and low insertion loss.
Magnitude response peak detection and control using balanced model reduction and leakage to a target

Adaptive filters are often used in systems that need to adjust to unknown environments. Communication channels with frequency nulls, signals that lack energy in a frequency band, and transducers with a finite bandwidth present special problems since adaptive filters can develop a large gain at frequencies where excitation is lacking. Such magnitude response peaks can cause problems if unchecked. This paper suggests a procedure for detecting and controlling magnitude response peaks that uses a balanced model reduction technique to form a low-order IIR filter that approximates the performance of the filter. The poles are then studied to determine if magnitude response peaks are present. If a peak is detected, then "leakage to a target" is used to gradually reduce the peak with minimal effect on the equalizer's response at other frequencies. Several useful bounds on the equalizer frequency response magnitude are derived, and the frequency domain behavior of the leakage to a target algorithm is analyzed. A case study is provided.
The challenges in large-scale smartphone user studies

We present preliminary results of a large-scale smartphone user study that examines how users interact with and consume energy on their personal mobile devices. Our dataset consists of over one millennium of user interaction traces from over 17300 BlackBerry users. Despite the scale and detail of the dataset, there are many research questions that it cannot answer; further user studies are therefore needed. We detail our insight into the major challenges in conducting a large-scale user study on BlackBerry devices.
Partial collapse of the marine carbon pump after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary

The impact of an asteroid at the end of the Cretaceous caused mass extinctions in the oceans. A rapid collapse in surface to deepocean carbon isotope gradients suggests that transfer of organic matter to the deep sea via the biological pump was severely perturbed. However, this view has been challenged by the survival of deep-sea benthic organisms dependent on surface-derived food and uncertainties regarding isotopic fractionation in planktic foraminifera used as tracers. Here we present new stable carbon (d 13 C) and oxygen (d 18 O) isotope data measured on carefully selected planktic and benthic foraminifera from an orbitally dated deep-sea sequence in the southeast Atlantic. Our approach uniquely combines d 18 O evidence for habitat depth of foraminiferal tracer species with species-specific d 13 C eco-adjustments, and compares isotopic patterns with corresponding benthic assemblage data. Our results show that changes in ocean circulation and foraminiferal vital effects contribute to but cannot explain all of the observed collapse in surface to deep-ocean foraminiferal d 13 C
Procedural generation of mediterranean environments

This paper describes an overall process of procedural generation of natural environments through terrain generation, texturing and scattering of terrain cover. Although described process can be used to create various types of environments, focus of this paper has been put on Mediterranean which is somewhat specific and has not yet received any attention in scientific papers. We present a novel technique for procedural texturing and scattering of terrain cover based on cascading input parameters. Input parameters can be used to scatter vegetation simply by slope and height of the terrain, but they can also be easily extended and combined to use more advanced parameters such as wind maps, moisture maps, per plant distribution maps etc. Additionally, we present a method for using a satellite image as an input parameter. Comparing results with real-life images shows that our approach can create plausible, visually appealing landscapes.