Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Existence of horseshoe maps in voltage-mode controlled buck converters

In this paper, chaos in a voltage-mode controlled buck converter is studied. The existence of chaos is proven theoretically in this system. The proof consists of showing that the dynamics of the system is semiconjugate to that of a one-sided shift map, which implies positive entropy of the system and hence chaotic behaviour. The essential tool is the horseshoe hypotheses proposed by Kennedy and Yorke, which will be reviewed prior to the discussion of the main finding.
Placebo Acupuncture Devices: Considerations for Acupuncture Research

Determining an appropriate control for use in acupuncture research remains one of the largest methodological challenges acupuncture researchers face. In general, acupuncture controls fall under one of two categories: (1) sham acupuncture, in which the skin is punctured with real acupuncture needles either fully at nonacupoint locations or shallowly at acupoint locations or both and (2) placebo acupuncture, which utilizes nonpenetrating acupuncture devices. In this study, we will focus on non-penetrating placebo acupuncture devices (blunted-needle and nonneedle devices) that are currently available in acupuncture research. We will describe each device and discuss each device's validation and application in previous studies. In addition, we will outline the advantages and disadvantages of these devices and highlight how the differences among placebo devices can be used to isolate distinct components of acupuncture treatment and investigate their effects. We would like to emphasize that there is no single placebo device that can serve as the best control for all acupuncture studies; the choice of an acupuncture control should be determined by the specific aim of the study.
Diamond nanophotonics

We demonstrate the coupling of single color centers in diamond to plasmonic and dielectric photonic structures to realize novel nanophotonic devices. Nanometer spatial control in the creation of single color centers in diamond is achieved by implantation of nitrogen atoms through high-aspect-ratio channels in a mica mask. Enhanced broadband single-photon emission is demonstrated by coupling nitrogen–vacancy centers to plasmonic resonators, such as metallic nanoantennas. Improved photon-collection efficiency and directed emission is demonstrated by solid immersion lenses and micropillar cavities. Thereafter, the coupling of diamond nanocrystals to the guided modes of micropillar resonators is discussed along with experimental results. Finally, we present a gas-phase-doping approach to incorporate color centers based on nickel and tungsten, in situ into diamond using microwave-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The fabrication of silicon–vacancy centers in nanodiamonds by microwave-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition is discussed in addition.
Anti-Jamming Schedules for Wireless Data Broadcast Systems

Modern society is heavily dependent on wireless networks for providing voice and data communications. Wireless data broadcast has recently emerged as an attractive way to disseminate dynamic data to a large number of clients. In data broadcast systems, the server proactively transmits the information on a downlink channel; the clients access the data by listening to the channel. Wireless data broadcast systems can serve a large number of heterogeneous clients, minimizing power consumption as well as protecting the privacy of the clients' locations. The availability and relatively low cost of antennas resulted in a number of potential threats to the integrity of the wireless infrastructure. In particular, the data broadcast systems are vulnerable to jamming, i.e., the use of active signals to prevent data broadcast. The goal of jammers is to cause disruption, resulting in long waiting times and excessive power consumption. In this paper we investigate efficient schedules for wireless data broadcast that perform well in the presence of a jammer. We show that the waiting time of client can be reduced by adding redundancy to the schedule and establish upper and lower bounds on the achievable minimum waiting time under different requirements on the staleness of the transmitted data
Diversity-multiplexing tradeoff in MIMO Gaussian interference channels

In this paper we analyze the generalized degrees of freedom (GDOF) and the DMT performances of both the symmetric and asymmetric MIMO Gaussian interference fading channel with a fixed-power-split HK scheme for two transmit-receive pairs. Exact characterizations of both the GDOF and DMT performance measures are given. It is shown in the SIMO case that when the number of receive antennas is at least two, full region of GDOF can be achieved, as if the non-intending transmitter does not exist. The same conclusion is applied to the DMT measure as well. In particular, if the channel is symmetric, both receivers are able to achieve the single-user performance regime.
Geographic Routing in IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networks with Channel Width Adaptation

In this paper, we propose two geographic routing metrics applied to wireless mesh networks that consider the use of channel width adaptation. The proposed metrics are evaluated through simulations jointly with a next hop channel width selection algorithm. The results show that the proposed metrics and algorithm generate greater throughput values when compared with existing geographic routing metrics. Keywords-Geographic Routing, Software Defined Radio, IEEE 802.11, Channel Width Adaptation, Routing Metric.
Infection of Gammarus duebeni populations by two vertically transmitted microsporidia; parasite detection and discrimination by PCR–RFLP

We screened a population of the brackish water crustacean Gammarus duebeni from the Isle of Cumbrae for the presence of vertically transmitted microsporidia. We compared 2 screening techniques; light microscopy and PCR-based detection using generic 16S rDNA microsporidian primers. Fifty percent of females from this population tested positive for vertically transmitted microsporidia. The PCR screen was 100% efficient in comparison with existing LM based screening. In addition, the PCR screen produced bands of 2 sizes suggesting that more than 1 species of microsporidian was present. Sequencing revealed 2 distinct species of vertically transmitted microsporidia; 33% of females were infected with the feminizer Nosema granulosis and 17% were infected with a new species which we provisionally designate Microsporidium sp. On the basis of sequence information, we developed a discriminatory PCR–RFLP test based on MspI and HaeIII digests. This screen allows rapid detection and discrimination of vertically transmitted microsporidia in natural field populations. We applied the PCR–RFLP screen to a second G. duebeni population from the Isle of Man. This population also hosted these 2 parasite species. In total 45% of females harboured N. granulosis and 10% harboured Microsporidium sp. No dual-infected individuals were found in either population. The occurrence of 2 vertically transmitted parasites within a population has implications for our understanding of parasite–host relationships in the field and we discuss factors affecting the dynamics of parasite–parasite competition and coexistence.
Tamil Font Recognition Using Gabor Filters and Support Vector Machines

Tamil Font Recognition is one of the Challenging tasks in Optical Character Recognition and Document Analysis. Most of the existing methods for font recognition make use of local typographical features and connected component analysis. In this paper, Tamil font recognition is done based on global texture analysis. The main objective of this proposal is to employ support vector machines (SVM) in identifying various fonts in Tamil. The feature vectors are extracted by making use of Gabor filters and the proposed SVM is trained using these features. The method is found to give superior performance over neural networks by avoiding local minima points. The SVM model is formulated tested and the results are presented in this paper. It is observed that this method is content independent and the SVM classifier shows an average accuracy of 92.5%.
Construction and characterization of recombinant human adenovirus type 5 expressing foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid proteins of Indian vaccine strain, O/IND/R2/75

Aim: Generation of recombinant human adenovirus type 5 expressing foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid protein genes along with full-length 2B, 3B and 3Cpro and its characterization. Materials and Methods: FMD viral RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, and polymerase chain reaction were performed to synthesize expression cassettes (P1-2AB3BCwt and P1-2AB3BCm) followed by cloning in pShuttle-CMV vector. Chemically competent BJ5183-AD-1 cells were transformed with the recombinant pShuttle-CMV to produce recombinant adenoviral plasmids. HEK-293 cells were transfected with the recombinant adenoviral plasmids to generate recombinant adenoviruses (hAd5/P1-2AB3BCwt and hAd5/P1-2AB3BCm). Expression of the target proteins was analyzed by sandwich ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assay. The recombinant adenoviruses were purified and concentrated by CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation. Growth kinetics and thermostability of the recombinant adenoviruses were compared with that of non-recombinant replication-defective adenovirus (dAd5). Results: The recombinant adenoviruses containing capsid protein genes of the FMDV O/IND/R2/75 were generated and amplified in HEK-293 cells. The titer of the recombinant adenoviruses was approximately 108, 109.5 and 1011 TCID50/ml in supernatant media, cell lysate and CsCl purified preparation, respectively. Expression of the FMDV capsid protein was detectable in sandwich ELISA and confirmed by immunofluorescence assay. Growth kinetics of the recombinant adenoviruses did not reveal a significant difference when compared with that of dAd5. A decrement of up to 10-fold at 4°C and 21-fold at 37°C was recorded in the virus titers during 60 h incubation period and found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). Conclusion: Recombinant adenoviruses expressing capsid proteins of the FMDV O/IND/R2/75 were constructed and produced in high titers. In vitro expression of the target proteins in the adenovirus vector system was detected by sandwich ELISA and immunofluorescence assay.
Industrial Upscaling of Electrospinning and Applications of Polymer Nanofibers: A Review

Electrospun nanofibers are extensively studied and their potential applications are largely demonstrated. Today, electrospinning equipment and technological solutions, and electrospun materials are rapidly moving to commercialization. Dedicated companies supply laboratory and industrial-scale components and apparatus for electrospinning, and others commercialize electrospun products. This paper focuses on relevant technological approaches developed by research, which show perspectives for scaling-up and for fulfilling requirements of industrial production in terms of throughput, accuracy, and functionality of the realized nanofibers. A critical analysis is provided about technological weakness and strength points in combination with expected challenges from the market.
Bayesian compressed sensing-based channel estimation for massive MIMO systems

The efficient and highly accurate channel state information (CSI) at the base station is essential to achieve the potential benefits of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, due to limitations of the pilot contamination problem. It has recently been shown that compressed sensing (CS) techniques can address the pilot contamination problem, however, the CS-based channel estimation requires prior knowledge of channel sparsity. To solve this problem, in this paper, an efficient channel estimation approach based on Bayesian compressed sensing (BCS) that based on prior knowledge of statistical information about the channel sparsity is therefore proposed for the uplink of multi-user massive MIMO systems. Simulation results show that the proposed method can reconstruct the original channel coefficient effectively when compared to conventional based channel estimation.
Analyzing the quality of information solicited from targeted strangers on social media

The emergence of social media creates a unique opportunity for developing a new class of crowd-powered information collection systems. Such systems actively identify potential users based on their public social media posts and solicit them directly for information. While studies have shown that users will respond to solicitations in a few domains, there is little analysis of the quality of information received. Here we explore the quality of information solicited from Twitter users in the domain of product reviews, specifically reviews for a popular tablet computer and L.A. -based food trucks. Our results show that the majority of responses to our questions (>70%) contained relevant information and often provided additional details (>37%) beyond the topic of the question. We compare the solicited Twitter reviews to other user-generated reviews from Amazon and Yelp, and found that the Twitter answers provided similar information when controlling for the questions asked. Our results also reveal limitations of this new information collection method, including its suitability in certain domains and potential technical barriers to its implementation. Our work provides strong evidence for the potential of this new class of information collection systems and design implications for their future use.
Slot antennas fed by circular waveguides

Slot antennas fed by a circular waveguide or a cylindrical cavity have been developed. The slot antennas can be rectangular slots or cross slots. Radiation patterns have been measured for both slot configurations. The use of circular waveguides has many advantages, such as a symmetrical feeding arrangement and the realization of cross polarization feeding. <<ETX>>
Parametrized K-Theory

In nature, one observes that a K-theory of an object is defined in two steps. First a "structured" category is associated to the object. Second, a K-theory machine is applied to the latter category to produce an infinite loop space. We develop a general framework that deals with the first step of this process. The K-theory of an object is defined via a category of "locally trivial" objects with respect to a pretopology. We study conditions ensuring an exact structure on such categories. We also consider morphisms in K-theory that such contexts naturally provide. We end by defining various K-theories of schemes and morphisms between them.
Disk Drive Workload Captured in Logs Collected During the Field Return Incoming Test

Hard disk drives returned back to Seagate undergo the Field Return Incoming Test. During the test, the available logs in disk drives are collected, if possible. These logs contain cumulative data on the workload seen by the drive during its lifetime, including the amount of bytes read and written, the number of completed seeks, and the number of spin-ups. The population of returned drives is considerable and the respective collected data represents a good source of information n disk drive workloads. In this paper, we present an in-breadth analysis of these logs for the Cheetah 10K and 15K families of drives. We observe that over an entire family of drives, the workload behavior is variable. The workload variability is more enhanced during the first month of the drive's life than afterward. Our analysis shows that the drives are generally underutilized. Yet, there is a portion of them, about 10%, that experience higher utilization levels. Also, the data sets indicate that the majority of disk drivesWRITE more than they READ during their lifetime. These observations can be used in the design process of disk drive features that intend to enhance overall drive operation, including reliability, performance, and power consumption.
Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/halloysite nanotubes nanocomposites: The structures, properties, and tensile fracture behaviors

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites with good dispersion were prepared. The effect of HNTs on the crystalline structure, dynamic rheological properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and tensile properties was investigated. Results showed that at low concentration, the effect of HNTs on the modulus was minor. However, at high concentration, improvement of the modulus can be observed. The tensile fracture behaviors were investigated, which showed that the addition of HNTs changed the fracture mode. When the concentration of HNTs was 20 phr, a fracture mode change from microductility/brittle to brittle/fibrillation occurred.
Intersection Types for the lambda-mu Calculus

We introduce an intersection type system for the lambda-mu calculus that is invariant under subject reduction and expansion. The system is obtained by describing Streicher and Reus's denotational model of continuations in the category of omega-algebraic lattices via Abramsky's domain-logic approach. This provides at the same time an interpretation of the type system and a proof of the completeness of the system with respect to the continuation models by means of a filter model construction. We then define a restriction of our system, such that a lambda-mu term is typeable if and only if it is strongly normalising. We also show that Parigot's typing of lambda-mu terms with classically valid propositional formulas can be translated into the restricted system, which then provides an alternative proof of strong normalisability for the typed lambda-mu calculus.
Investigating techniques for low resource conversational speech recognition

In this paper we investigate various techniques in order to build effective speech to text (STT) and keyword search (KWS) systems for low resource conversational speech. Subword decoding and graphemic mappings were assessed in order to detect out-of-vocabulary keywords. To deal with the limited amount of transcribed data, semi-supervised training and data selection methods were investigated. Robust acoustic features produced via data augmentation were evaluated for acoustic modeling. For language modeling, automatically retrieved conversational-like Webdata was used, as well as neural network based models. We report STT improvements with all the techniques, but interestingly only some improve KWS performance. Results are reported for the Swahili language in the context of the 2015 OpenKWS Evaluation.
Use of interconnected reinforcement in magnesium for stiffness critical applications

Abstract In the present study, magnesium composites with three different volume fractions of interconnected reinforcement (1·77, 2·65 and 3·85%) were successfully synthesised by using disintegrated melt deposition technique followed by hot extrusion. Microstructural characterisation revealed the absence of macro pores, minimal porosity and good reinforcement–matrix interfacial integrity. Thermomechanical analysis of the composites showed that the use of interconnected wire preforms as reinforcement marginally decreased the average coefficient of thermal expansion of the magnesium matrix. The mechanical characterisation of the composites revealed that the rule of mixture stiffness was closely realised in all the composite materials. The hardness and yield strength increased while the ultimate tensile strength and the ductility of the composite materials were adversely affected. The fracture surface revealed brittle mode of fracture for the matrix and ductile mode of fracture for the iron wire.
Jacobian joint adaptation to noise, channel and vocal tract length

A new Jacobian approach that linearly decomposes the composite of additive noise, multiplicative noise (channel transfer function) and speaker's vocal tract length, and adapts the acoustic model parameters simultaneously to these factors is proposed in this paper. Due to the fact that these factors non-linearly degrade the observed features for speech recognition, existing approaches fail to adapt the acoustic models adequately. Approximating the nonlinear operation by a linear model enables to employ the least square error estimation of the factors and adapt the acoustic model parameters with small amount of speech samples. Speech recognition experiments on ATR isolated word database demonstrate significant reduction of error rates, which supports the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Generating Fixes from Object Behavior Anomalies

Advances in recent years have made it possible in some cases to locate a bug (the source of a failure) automatically. But debugging is also about correcting bugs. Can tools do this automatically? The results reported in this paper, from the new PACHIKA tool, suggest that such a goal may be reachable. PACHIKA leverages differences in program behavior to generate program fixes directly. It automatically summarizes executions to object behavior models, determines differences between passing and failing runs, generates possible fixes, and assesses them via the regression test suite. Evaluated on the ASPECTJ bug history, PACHIKA generates a valid fix for 3 out of 18 crashing bugs; each fix pinpoints the bug location and passes the ASPECTJ test suite.
Influence of Web Advertising Strategies, Consumer Goal-Directedness, and Consumer Involvement on Web Advertising Effectiveness

Determining the best way to utilize on-line media for advertising purposes is a critical question. This research, based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), incorporates consumer goal-directedness and involvement as moderators influencing when a particular advertising strategy (i. e., variation strategy vs. appeal strategy) will be appropriate for Web advertisements. The results of a laboratory experiment supported the use of ELM in the Web environment and showed how advertising strategies should be designed and implemented in accordance with consumer goal-directedness and involvement to achieve Web advertising effectiveness. The results demonstrated the uniqueness of the Web media and the importance of goal-directedness and consumer involvement in the Web advertising context.
Parameters Influencing the Utilization of Composts for Energy Production

Ten composts produced by composting plants in the Moravosilesian Region (the Czech Republic) were studied from the point of view of their possible utilization for energy production. The parameters relevant for this possible application of low-quality composts were determined: elemental composition (C,H,O,N,S), volatile combustibles, fixed carbon, ash, gross calorific value, moisture, water leachable potassium and chlorine, alkali index, C/N.