Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beam Slice-Based Recognition Method for Acoustic Landmark With Multi-Beam Forward Looking Sonar

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been widely used for many risky underwater tasks. For these tasks, AUVs require navigational aids, such as active beacon-type underwater acoustic landmarks, which are the most widely used. It requires heavy installation loads and regular maintenance with high price sensors. In this paper, we propose a novel localization method in shallow water with a multi-beam forward looking sonar (MFLS), where positioning is based on passive-type acoustic landmarks. The proposed landmark comprises a combination of concrete pillars with a highly reliable and efficient recognition method for the real-time use of AUVs. The proposed landmark system has many advantages in the practical use, such as no maintenance, being strong on the marine bio-fouling, and light installation load with low price concrete pillars. The proposed recognition method is divided into two processes to verify the landmark. First, a pillarlike object is separated from the background, and the height of the pillar is calculated by the length of the shadow, which has a very high recognition rate and accuracy. Through modeling, the distance from the landmark to the MFLS can be calculated. The proposed method stochastically updates the navigation data based on the positional relationship with the landmark. The performance of the proposed landmark and its recognition method is verified through a water tank and field experiments using the AUV (Cyclops). The recognition rate and accuracy are also discussed.
Room-temperature fast deposition and characterization of nanocrystalline Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 thick films by aerosol deposition

P-type nanocrystalline Bi0.4Sb1. 6Te3 thick films were directly deposited on copper substrates by aerosol deposition (AD) involving shock compaction of the starting powder at room temperature. The film deposition rate was over 700 μm/min. The relative density of the films was above 95%. Films with a thickness of over 2 mm were obtained. They consisted of nanocrystals with grain sizes of several tens of nanometers. The crystal structure of the films was the same as the bulk materials prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using the same starting powder. We measured the electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, Hall mobility, and thermal conductivity of the films and compared them with those of the bulk materials. The thermal conductivity of the AD film was 20-30% lower than that of the bulk materials, which is attributed to the increased number of grain boundaries and some defects in the AD films.
Cholesterol Regulates Volume-Sensitive Osmolyte Efflux from Human SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells following Receptor Activation

The ability of cholesterol to modulate receptor-mediated increases in the volume-dependent release of the organic osmolyte, taurine, has been examined. Depletion of cholesterol from SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma by preincubation of the cells with 5 mM methyl-β-cyclodextrin (CD) for 10 min resulted in a 40 to 50% reduction in cholesterol and an enhancement of the ability of proteinase-activated receptor (PAR) 1, muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR), and sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor to stimulate taurine efflux, when monitored under hypoosmotic conditions. Basal (swelling-induced) release of taurine was also enhanced by cholesterol depletion, but less markedly. Both basal- and receptor-mediated increases in taurine efflux were mediated via a volume-sensitive organic osmolyte and anion channel in control and cholesterol-depleted cells. Studies with the PAR-1 and mAChR receptor subtypes indicated that the stimulatory effect of CD pretreatment could be reversed by incubation of the cells with either CD/cholesterol or CD/5-cholesten-3α-ol donor complexes and that cholesterol depletion increased agonist efficacy, but not potency. The ability of cholesterol depletion to promote the PAR-1 receptor-mediated stimulation of osmolyte release was most pronounced under conditions of isotonicity or mild hypotonicity. In contrast to CD pretreatment, preincubation of the cells with cholesterol oxidase, a condition under which lipid microdomains are also disrupted, had no effect on either basal- or receptor-stimulated taurine efflux. Taken together, the results suggest that cholesterol regulates receptor-mediated osmolyte release via its effects on the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane, rather than its presence in lipid microdomains.
Representing and Tracking of Dynamics Objects using Oriented Bounding Box and Extended Kalman Filter

Representing and tracking of dynamics objects is one of the main parts of autonomous navigation in urban areas. In the framework of the development of a multiple objects tracking system using multisensor fusion, this paper presents an oriented bounding box (OBB) representation with uncertainty computation as well as a model for object tracking. The uncertainty computation method, which takes into account laser range finder sensor uncertainty and object's relative position, is evaluated. The influence of this uncertainty on the accuracy of the estimation is shown. The tracking model, based on the extended Kalman filter is tested and evaluated using the OBB object's representation.
A robust R-FFAST framework for computing a k-sparse n-length DFT in O(k log n) sample complexity using sparse-graph codes

The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is the most efficiently known way to compute the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) of an arbitrary n-length signal, and has a computational complexity of O(n log n). If the DFT X⃗ of the signal x⃗ has only k non-zero coefficients (where k <; n), can we do better? In [1], we presented a novel FFAST (Fast Fourier Aliasing-based Sparse Transform) algorithm that cleverly induces sparse graph codes in the DFT domain, via a Chinese-Remainder-Theorem (CRT)-guided sub-sampling operation of the time-domain samples. The resulting sparse graph code is then exploited to devise a simple and fast iterative onion-peeling style decoder that computes an n length DFT of a signal using only O(k) time-domain samples and O(k log k) computations, in the absence of any noise. In this paper, we extend the FFAST framework of [1] to the case where the time-domain samples are corrupted by white Gaussian noise. In particular, we show that the extended noise robust algorithm R-FFAST computes an n-length k-sparse DFT X⃗ using O(k log n)1 noise-corrupted time-domain samples, in O(n log n) computations2. While our theoretical results are for signals with a uniformly random support of the non-zero DFT coefficients and additive white Gaussian noise, we provide simulation results which demonstrates that the R-FFAST algorithm performs well even for signals like MR images, that have an approximately sparse Fourier spectrum with a non-uniform support for the dominant DFT coefficients.
Prostaglandins in the eye: Function, expression, and roles in glaucoma

ABSTRACT Prostaglandins are small pro-inflammatory molecules derived from arachidonic acid that play roles in a multitude of biological processes including, but not limited to, inflammation, pain modulation, allergies, and bone formation. Prostaglandin analogues are the front-line medications for the treatment of glaucoma, a condition resulting in blindness due to the death of retinal ganglion cells. These drugs act by lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), a major risk factor for glaucoma. The currently used prostaglandin analogues (latanoprost, bimatoprost, tafluprost, and travoprost) mimic PGF2 and target one of the prostaglandin receptors (FP), though research into harnessing the other receptors using compounds like Sulprostone (EP3 receptor), or Iloprost (IP receptor) are currently ongoing. In this review, we summarize the research into each of the prostaglandin molecules (PGD2, PGE2, PGF2, PGI2, TXA2) and their respective receptors (DP, EP1, 2, 3, 4, FP, IP). We examine the modes of action of each of these receptors, their expression, their role in aqueous humour production and outflow within the eye, as well as their roles as medications for the treatment of glaucoma.
Relative Lempel-Ziv Factorization for Efficient Storage and Retrieval of Web Collections

Compression techniques that support fast random access are a core component of any information system. Current state-of-the-art methods group documents into fixed-sized blocks and compress each block with a general-purpose adaptive algorithm such as gzip. Random access to a specific document then requires decompression of a block. The choice of block size is critical: it trades between compression effectiveness and document retrieval times. In this paper we present a scalable compression method for large document collections that allows fast random access. We build a representative sample of the collection and use it as a dictionary in a LZ77-like encoding of the rest of the collection, relative to the dictionary. We demonstrate on large collections, that using a dictionary as small as 0.1% of the collection size, our algorithm is dramatically faster than previous methods, and in general gives much better compression.
Clique topology reveals intrinsic geometric structure in neural correlations

Significance Detecting structure in neural activity is critical for understanding the function of neural circuits. The coding properties of neurons are typically investigated by correlating their responses to external stimuli. It is not clear, however, if the structure of neural activity can be inferred intrinsically, without a priori knowledge of the relevant stimuli. We introduce a novel method, called clique topology, that detects intrinsic structure in neural activity that is invariant under nonlinear monotone transformations. Using pairwise correlations of neurons in the hippocampus, we demonstrate that our method is capable of detecting geometric structure from neural activity alone, without appealing to external stimuli or receptive fields. Detecting meaningful structure in neural activity and connectivity data is challenging in the presence of hidden nonlinearities, where traditional eigenvalue-based methods may be misleading. We introduce a novel approach to matrix analysis, called clique topology, that extracts features of the data invariant under nonlinear monotone transformations. These features can be used to detect both random and geometric structure, and depend only on the relative ordering of matrix entries. We then analyzed the activity of pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampus, recorded while the animal was exploring a 2D environment, and confirmed that our method is able to detect geometric organization using only the intrinsic pattern of neural correlations. Remarkably, we found similar results during nonspatial behaviors such as wheel running and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This suggests that the geometric structure of correlations is shaped by the underlying hippocampal circuits and is not merely a consequence of position coding. We propose that clique topology is a powerful new tool for matrix analysis in biological settings, where the relationship of observed quantities to more meaningful variables is often nonlinear and unknown.
Filter-and-forward distributed relay beamforming for cognitive radio systems

In this paper, the problem of distributed beamforming for cognitive radio systems with frequency-selective channel is studied. Our proposed scheme is based on the filter-and-forward (FF) relay beamforming approach and aims to maximize the received signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) at the secondary destination, while suppressing the interference introduced to the primary user. This scheme is further extended to accommodate a relay node output power constraint. Under certain conditions, the extended scheme can be transformed into two sub-schemes with lower computational complexity, where their closed-form solutions are derived. Simulation results are provided to show the performance of the proposed schemes.
Convex Structure Learning in Log-Linear Models: Beyond Pairwise Potentials

Previous work has examined structure learning in log-linear models with ‘1regularization, largely focusing on the case of pairwise potentials. In this work we consider the case of models with potentials of arbitrary order, but that satisfy a hierarchical constraint. We enforce the hierarchical constraint using group ‘1-regularization with overlapping groups. An active set method that enforces hierarchical inclusion allows us to tractably consider the exponential number of higher-order potentials. We use a spectral projected gradient method as a subroutine for solving the overlapping group ‘1regularization problem, and make use of a sparse version of Dykstra’s algorithm to compute the projection. Our experiments indicate that this model gives equal or better test set likelihood compared to previous models.
A glimpse on constant delay enumeration

We survey some of the recent results about enumerating the answers to queries over a database. We focus on the case where the enumeration is performed with a constant delay between any two consecutive solutions, after a linear time preprocessing. This cannot be always achieved. It requires restricting either the class of queries or the class of databases. We describe here several scenarios when this is possible
On the Maximum Weighted Sum-Rate of MIMO Gaussian Broadcast Channels

In this paper, we investigate the maximum weighted sum-rate problem (MWSR) of MIMO Gaussian broadcast channels (MIMO-BC). We propose an efficient algorithm that employs conjugate gradient projections (CGP) to solve the MWSR problem. The proposed CGP offers provable convergence. By deflecting gradient direction to its Hessian conjugate, CGP enjoys a superlinear convergence rate. Also, CGP has a modest memory requirement. It only needs the solution information from the previous step. More importantly, CGP is able to solve the MWSR problem with arbitrary number of antennas on both sides of a MIMO-BC.
After-school program to reduce obesity in minority children: a pilot study

This study explored a community-based after-school program’s effect on obesity in minority children. Study participants included 178 third through fifth graders (47% Latino, 25% Asian, and 18% African-American) enrolled in America SCORES Bay Area. Outcomes were attendance, change in fitness (20-meter shuttle test), and body mass index (BMI) z-score over eight months. At baseline, 52 percent of children were overweight or obese. Children attended SCORES > 4 days/week and fitness significantly improved (p < 0.01). BMI z-score decreased by 0.04 (p = 0.10) overall, and by 0.05 (p = 0.08) among obese children, but increased among African-American children. These results suggest that SCORES increases fitness and may improve BMI in some minority children. Effect modification by race may relate to differential growth patterns or engagement in SCORES. These findings suggest community-based programs could effectively address obesity. A randomized trial of the SCORES program is warranted to rigorously examine this type of after-school program’s impact on child health.
Integrated RF-MEMS switch based on a combination of thermal and electrostatic actuation

We have demonstrated the feasibility of a fully integrated RF microswitch. It is based on a combination of thermal actuation and electrostatic latching hold. This method enables to combine the advantages of both actuation modes : the low voltage power supply and high reliability of the thermal actuation, and the low power consumption of the electrostatic latching. An analytical model was developed in order to predict the shape of the beam versus the temperature. An algorithm was also developed in order to evaluate the damping behavior of the switch taking the beam shape deflection into account. A design composed of a 400/spl times/50 /spl mu/m silicon nitride clamped beam was selected. The beam includes titanium nitride heating resistors, and aluminum blocks for bimorph actuation. The RF lines and the contacts are made of a 1 /spl mu/m thick gold layer. The 3 /spl mu/m air gap is fabricated using a polymer sacrificial layer. The driver of the switch, for the thermal actuation and the electrostatic latching, was manufactured in a 0.25 /spl mu/m BiCMOS technology. For each activation, the switch requires a 20 mA current under 2 V during /spl sim/200 /spl mu/s. For the electrostatic hold, the MEMS was designed for less than 10 volts. Due to residual stress in the beam material, a 5 V shift of the hold voltage has been experimentally observed on first prototypes. Reliability of thermal actuation has been tested with more than 10/sup 9/ cycles without any failure or contact degradation. Very interesting RF performances were measured, even with standard wafer (15/spl Omega/.cm) : -57 dB isolation and 0.18 dB insertion loss at 2 GHz.
Residual Wall Thickness Study of Variable Cross-section Tube in Water-assisted Injection Molding

Abstract Residual wall thickness is an important measure of the quality of water-assisted injection molding (WAIM) parts. Based on the traditional injection molding model, Reynolds stress was introduced into the WAIM model for the turbulent characteristics of high pressure water. In addition, residual wall thickness was computed by a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, and the results matched well with experimental data. The results show that the hollowed core ratio changes from small to large in the first half of water penetration, while in the latter half it is just the opposite. Difference of the residual wall thickness is larger at the large-diameter position of a part than other position. Residual wall thickness is mainly affected by water injection pressure, delay time, melt temperature, mold temperature and amount of short shot, in which the amount of short shot is the most obvious.
Oil Shocks and External Adjustment

This paper investigates how oil price shocks affect the trade balance and terms of trade in a two country DSGE model. We show that the response of the external sector depends critically on the structure of financial market risk-sharing. Under incomplete markets, higher oil prices reduce the relative wealth of an oil-importing country, and induce its nonoil terms of trade to deteriorate, and its nonoil trade balance to improve. The magnitude of the nonoil terms of trade response hinges on structural parameters that affect the divergence in wealth effects across oil importers and exporters, including the elasticity of substitution between oil and other inputs in production, and the discount factor. By contrast, cross-country wealth differences effectively disappear under complete markets, with the implication that oil shocks have essentially no effect on the nonoil terms of trade or the nonoil trade balance.
Preparation and Characterization of Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Blends with Gelatin

Porous hydrogel blends composed of various weight ratios of hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin (Gel) were fabricated by a freeze-drying method. The 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) was used as a crosslinker to improve their biostability. The effect of the component and crosslinker content on the morphology, swelling ratio (SR), and mechanical properties were investigated. The results indicated that after chemical crosslinking the hydrogel showed a smoother and denser surface with less pores and a crosssection with smaller pores than that without crosslinking. The crosssection morphologies of the HA/Gel hydrogels changed from a sheet-like appearance to a fiber-like appearance with increasing HA content. The addition of HA improved the swelling property, but reduced the compressive strength. As the crosslinker content increased, the SR decreased; however, the compressive strength of the HA/Gel hydrogels increased. All these results suggest that HA/Gel hydrogel crosslinked by EDC is a potential candidate for tissue engineering scaffolds.
Constraint-induced Crack Initiation and Crack Growth at Electrode Edges in Piezoelectric Ceramics

Piezoelectric ceramic actuators are nowadays used for numerous applications in adaptive structures and vibration control. Respective components have been accepted in the aircraft and automobile industry as well as in printing and textile machinery. Albeit exhibiting some ferroelastic toughening, the fracture toughness of ferroelectric actuator materials is rather small. They are susceptible to fracture under high electric fields or mechanical stresses. Therefore, the limited reliability of the component due to cracking constitutes a major impediment to large scale usage. A cost efficient geometry for actuators with large displacements is that of the cofired multilayer geometry. The common design consists of two interdigitated electrodes. This geometry carries the disadvantage of electrodes ending inside the ceramic. As a consequence, the ceramic material, which exhibits ferroelectric, ferroelastic as well as piezoelectric behavior, experiences a strain incompatibility between the electrically active and inactive material regions. A complex mechanical stress field originating at the electrode edge arises and can lead to crack initiation in this area, crack growth, and finally to the failure of the device. To obtain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms crack nucleation and crack propagation have to be separated. In ferroelectric ceramics crack nucleation is governed by statistics of defects. Knowledge of the geometrical and electrical conditions resulting in critical stresses is therefore required. After crack initiation the crack propagation is the dominant mechanism which is characterized by an equilibrium of crack driving and crack resistance forces. Both are highly dependent on the geometry and the applied boundary conditions. The present work provides a study of crack nucleation as well as crack propagation in model geometries under various electrical and mechanical boundary conditions. Non-linear finite element modelling and fracture mechanical analysis are used to investigate the material response and the equilibrium conditions.
Linear and quadratic functionals of random hazard rates: An asymptotic analysis

A popular Bayesian nonparametric approach to survival analysis consists in modeling hazard rates as kernel mixtures driven by a completely random measure. In this paper we derive asymptotic results for linear and quadratic functionals of such random hazard rates. In particular, we prove central limit theorems for the cumulative hazard function and for the path--second moment and path--variance of the hazard rate. Our techniques are based on recently established criteria for the weak convergence of single and double stochastic integrals with respect to Poisson random measures. We illustrate our results by considering specific models involving kernels and random measures commonly exploited in practice.
CNRS - TELECOM ParisTech at ImageCLEF 2013 Scalable Concept Image Annotation Task: Winning Annotations with Context Dependent SVMs

In this paper, we describe the participation of CNRS TELE- COM ParisTech in the ImageCLEF 2013 Scalable Concept Image Anno- tation challenge. This edition promotes the use of many contextual cues attached to visual contents. Image collections are supplied with visual fea- tures as well as tags taken from dierent sources (web pages, etc.). Our framework is based on training support vector machines (SVMs) using a class of kernels referred to as context dependent. These kernels are designed by minimizing objective functions mixing visual features and their contextual cues resulting from surrounding tags. The results clearly corroborate the complementarity of tags and visual features and the ef- fectiveness of these context dependent SVMs for image annotation.