Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contourlet based image watermarking using optimum detector in the noisy environment

In this paper, a new multiplicative image watermarking system is presented. As human visual system is less sensitive to the image edges, watermarking is applied in the contourlet domain, which represents image edges sparsely. In the presented scheme, watermark data is embedded in the most energetic directional subband. By modeling general gaussian distribution (GGD) for the contourlet coefficients, the distribution of watermarked noisy coefficients is analytically calculated. At the receiver, based on the maximum likelihood (ML) decision rule, the optimal detector is proposed. Experimental results show the imperceptibility and high robustness of the proposed method against Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and JPEG compression attacks.
Strain-Gradient-Dependent Stress-Strain Curve for Normal-Strength Concrete

The stress-strain distribution of concrete in the compression zone of reinforced concrete (RC) flexural members is the most important parameter for assessing the ultimate flexural strength and ductility. Currently, the stress-strain curve of concrete developed in flexure is taken as the uni-axial compressive curve incorporating a scale-down factor k3, which is the ratio of the maximum concrete stress developed under flexure to the concrete cylinder strength. In current RC design codes, the ratio of the equivalent concrete stress to cylinder strength is taken as constant equal to 0.85 for normal-strength concrete but reduces as concrete strength increases. However, in a recent study carried out by the authors, it was found that the maximum concrete stress developed in the flexure increases significantly as the strain gradient (ratio of extreme concrete strain to neutral axis depth) increases, until reaching a maximum limit. Therefore, the value of k3 should not be taken as a constant for flexural RC members. In this study, the authors will adopt the results obtained in the previous experimental tests on concentrically, eccentrically and horizontally loaded RC columns to derive the stress-strain curve of concrete under different extents of strain gradient. The derived values of k3 are then correlated to the strain gradient using empirical equation. The applicability of the proposed equation is checked by comparing the flexural strengths of NSC beams and columns so calculated with those experimentally measured by different researchers, in which good agreement has been obtained.
Modeling Sintering Process of Iron Ore

In this chapter, a methodology for simulating the sintering process of iron ore is presented. In order to study the process parameters and inner phenomena, a mathematical model based on transport equations of momentum energy and chemical species is proposed and the numerical implementations is discussed. The model is applied to simulate the impact of new technologies based on alternative sources of fuels, new operational design and the environmental concerns related to the new raw materials is estimated. The model is validated with pot test experiments and applied to industrial scale of sinter strand machine.
Lab Based Curriculum for CIS and Related Technology

The Computer Information System (CIS) is information and communication technology in support of business processes. In this paper, we present a typical undergraduate computer information system curriculum examining the degree of lab intensity and its effect on the course efficacy. A CIS program is usually part of the school of business as it is in support of business processes. We also explore the differences between a CIS curriculum and other computer related technology courses, such as Information Technology (IT), Computer Science (CS), and Software Engineering (SE). The curriculum is composed of several elements such as content and sequence of subjects, classrooms equipped with computer projection, internet, and local network access, and appropriate computing and software infrastructure. We will focus on the importance and adequacy of labs for the CIS curriculum. The proposed CIS curriculum works for a 4-year as well as a 3-year program. This paper provides a recommendation for local and Federal Accreditation agencies and curriculum committees.
Framework for Optimal Fault-Tolerant Control Synthesis: Maximize Prefault While Minimize Post-Fault Behaviors

In an earlier work, we introduced a framework for fault-tolerant supervisory control of discrete event systems and presented a necessary and sufficient condition for its existence. In this paper, we introduce the synthesis of an optimal fault-tolerant supervisory controller. Given a discrete event plant with both post-fault and prefault behaviors, an optimal fault-tolerant supervisor we synthesize enforces a set of behaviors in which: 1) a recovery is guaranteed within a bounded delay following any fault; 2) all safety and nonblocking properties are satisfied; 3) the enforced set of prefault behaviors is maximized, and 4) a minimal set of post-fault behaviors is tolerated to achieve recovery in a minimal number of steps. An optimal solution requires a simultaneous maximization (of prefault behaviors) and minimization (of post-fault and prerecovery behaviors), which is quite novel. The optimal solution further minimizes the delay of recovery. The computation has complexity quadratic in the size of plant.
Sensitivity analysis for misclassification in logistic regression via likelihood methods and predictive value weighting

The potential for bias due to misclassification error in regression analysis is well understood by statisticians and epidemiologists. Assuming little or no available data for estimating misclassification probabilities, investigators sometimes seek to gauge the sensitivity of an estimated effect to variations in the assumed values of those probabilities. We present an intuitive and flexible approach to such a sensitivity analysis, assuming an underlying logistic regression model. For outcome misclassification, we argue that a likelihood‐based analysis is the cleanest and the most preferable approach. In the case of covariate misclassification, we combine observed data on the outcome, error‐prone binary covariate of interest, and other covariates measured without error, together with investigator‐supplied values for sensitivity and specificity parameters, to produce corresponding positive and negative predictive values. These values serve as estimated weights to be used in fitting the model of interest to an appropriately defined expanded data set using standard statistical software. Jackknifing provides a convenient tool for incorporating uncertainty in the estimated weights into valid standard errors to accompany log odds ratio estimates obtained from the sensitivity analysis. Examples illustrate the flexibility of this unified strategy, and simulations suggest that it performs well relative to a maximum likelihood approach carried out via numerical optimization. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Solid rocket motor internal insulation

Internal insulation in a solid rocket motor is defined as a layer of heat barrier material placed between the internal surface of the case propellant. The primary purpose is to prevent the case from reaching temperatures that endanger its structural integrity. Secondary functions of the insulation are listed and guidelines for avoiding critical problems in the development of internal insulation for rocket motors are presented.
Interpenetrating polymer network-based drug delivery systems: emerging applications and recent patents

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) systems use novel polymers that are synthesized by the interlacing of two independent polymers in a cross-linked form. For successful preparation of such IPN systems, at least one of the participating polymers should be synthesized/cross-linked in the immediate presence of the other. The polymers used to fabricate an IPN system are independently cross-linked or cross-linked to each other. They can be prepared by selective combination of the starting polymers to tailor the final product based on the ultimately desired characteristics. The nontoxic nature and biodegradability of natural polymers can thus be combined with the robustness and strength offered by the synthetic polymers by fabricating their IPN systems. The present review aims to summarize the IPN systems in terms of their advantages, disadvantages, and different drug delivery systems based on these polymers and their numerous biomedical applications. This review includes a detailed study of the recent publications and patents describing the use of IPNs in different spheres/formulations.
The Past , Present , and Future of Software Defined Networking

We trace the intellectual underpinnings of software defined networking (SDN) to earlier research threads spanning nearly 20 years and including active networking, early efforts to separate the control and data plane, and more recent work on a specific approach to SDN, namely the OpenFlow API. We highlight key concepts, as well as the technology pushes and application pulls that spurred each innovation. We identify and debunk myths and misconceptions about the technologies and clarify the relationship between SDN and related technologies such as network virtualization. We outline an agenda for future work on SDN and reflect on the context in which the phases of work took place. Understanding the history and lessons it offers may help guide the next set of innovations in this rapidly evolving field.
Immunoglobulins in Otitis-Prone Children

Defective or immature antibody responses to pathogens in children may explain the increased susceptibility to acute otitis media (AOM) in otitis-prone children. In literature, data on immunology have been based on studies of small groups of severely otitis-prone children and have not been consistent. Humoral immune status was assessed in 365 children, 1–7 years old, with two or more documented episodes of AOM in the previous year. Children with 4 or more episodes in the preceding year were defined as otitis-prone. Serum immunoglobulin levels were determined by radial immunodiffusion. Immunoglobulin levels of otitis-prone children were compared with those of children who had experienced 2-3 AOM episodes per year. Children with recurrent episodes of AOM were found to have normal or increased serum IgA, IgM, IgG, and IgG1 levels compared with normal values for age, whereas the serum IgG2 levels were mostly in the lower normal range. Twenty-two percent of all children showed IgG2 levels lower than 2 SD below the age-specific mean. Interestingly, the otitis-prone group of children showed significantly lower median and mean levels for all immunoglobulins compared with those children with only 2-3 previous AOM episodes. Lower immunoglobulin levels in otitis-prone children suggest a generalized decreased antibody response in otitis-prone children.
Density-Induced Support Vector Data Description

The purpose of data description is to give a compact description of the target data that represents most of its characteristics. In a support vector data description (SVDD), the compact description of target data is given in a hyperspherical model, which is determined by a small portion of data called support vectors. Despite the usefulness of the conventional SVDD, however, it may not identify the optimal solution of target description especially when the support vectors do not have the overall characteristics of the target data. To address the issue in SVDD methodology, we propose a new SVDD by introducing new distance measurements based on the notion of a relative density degree for each data point in order to reflect the distribution of a given data set. Moreover, for a real application, we extend the proposed method for the protein localization prediction problem which is a multiclass and multilabel problem. Experiments with various real data sets show promising results
Energy Minimization and Kirchhoff’s Laws in Negative Capacitance Ferroelectric Capacitors and MOSFETs

Capacitor networks consisting of ferroelectric and nonferroelectric materials can be described using two different perspectives: either the Gibb’s energy minimization of the overall system, or the energy minimization of the ferroelectric capacitor alone, followed by the Kirchhoff’s laws used to connect the individual capacitors. This letter revisits the physics behind the networks of ferroelectric and nonferroelectric capacitors, and it helps reconcile the two above perspectives and the corresponding modeling methodologies.
1.8 V.0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS wideband programmable gain amplifier

∗ Group of Electronic Design, Department of Electronic and Communications Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. e-mails: [becalvo,scelma,pemar2,materesa]@unizar.es, tel. : +34 976 761240, fax: +34 976 762143. Abstract − This paper presents a low-voltage high-frequency programmable gain amplifier (PGA) based on a very simple gm-boosted source-degenerated differential pair using a combined polysilicon-MOS resistor network as the degeneration resistance. The PGA is designed in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS process and consumes less than 0.5 mW from a 1.8 V supply. The gain varies linearly in a dB-scale from 0 to 18 dB in 6 dB steps, while maintaining an almost constant bandwidth exceeding 170 MHz. With 0.2 Vp-p differential output the total harmonic distortion levels are below -72 dB at 10 MHz over the whole gain setting range.
Preparation of Graphene-Containing Composite Film and the Research on its Thermal Conductivity

A smooth and flexible carbon film was prepared via liquid exfoliation method followed by liquid evaporation using the natural flake graphite as the starting material. The XRD and Raman results demonstrated that the obtained film is composed of chemically reduced graphene, graphene oxide and graphite. The thermal transport property of the as-obtained film was investigated by light flash measurements. It is found that the as-obtained graphene-containing composite film has a high in-plane thermal diffusivity (2157 m2/s), and the corresponding thermal conductivity (754 W/m K) is higher than the other metal and normal graphite materials, which is very promising for applications requiring 2D heat conduction.
A parallel processing algorithm for Schnorr-Euchner sphere decoder

This paper presents a category of detection schemes for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system called Parallel Sphere Decoder (PSD). Compared to the conventional depth-first sphere decoder with Schnorr-Euchner enumeration (SE-SD), the proposed PSD algorithms use parallel computations and achieve approximately 50% searching time reductions under the same amount of computations. Namely, in hardware implementation, the proposed work provides trade-off between computational time and computing units. Simulations of the proposed algorithms in 4×4 16-QAM and 3×3 64-QAM MIMO systems show the searching time reductions of the proposed algorithms while maintaining ML performances.
A Novel Distal Enhancer Module Regulated by Pregnane X Receptor/Constitutive Androstane Receptor Is Essential for the Maximal Induction of CYP2B6 Gene Expression*

CYP2B6 plays an important role in the metabolism of a variety of structurally unrelated xenobiotics, including the anticancer drugs cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. Previous studies have shown that the nuclear receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR) are involved in the transcriptional regulation of CYP2B genes through the phenobarbital-responsive enhancer module (PBREM). However, for humanCYP2B6 the relatively weak response of the PBREM to PXR and CAR activation in transfection assays fails to describe the potent induction observed in primary human hepatocyte cultures. In this report, a novel nuclear receptor response module located −8.5 kilobases upstream from the CYP2B6 encoding region is described. Several potential PXR/CAR binding motifs were identified within the distal regulatory cluster. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, one DR4 motif showed the strongest binding to both PXR and CAR. Transient transfection assays in HepG2 cells demonstrated that the novel distal response cluster could be activated by PXR and CAR. In primary human hepatocytes, both PBREM and the distal responsive element were activated individually by endogenous nuclear receptors upon exposure to prototypical inducers. However, in both HepG2 cells and primary human hepatocytes maximal reporter activation was observed in a construct containing both PBREM and the distal responsive element. In mouse tail-vein injection experiments, a construct containing both the distal responsive element and the proximal PBREM exhibited a strong synergistic expression in phenobarbital-treated mice. These results show that a novel xenobiotic-responsive enhancer module in the distal region of the CYP2B6 promoter (CYP2B6-XREM) together with the PBREM mediates optimal drug-induced expression ofCYP2B6.
Channel estimation for LTE and LTE-A MU-MIMO uplink with a narrow transmission band

The 3GPP LTE and LTE-A standards provide for multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) transmission in the uplink. But the property of reference signals (RSs) is such that care must be exercised in channel estimation to minimize the interference among different antenna channels. Typical DFT- and DCT-based channel estimation methods have low complexity but may yield relatively high inter-channel interference, especially when user equipments (UEs) are allocated narrow transmission bands. Methods that can attain better channel separation often have much higher computational requirements. In this paper, we propose an MU channel estimation technique that seeks to minimize an L1 norm of error. It does not need second-order statistics as the linear minimum mean-square error (LMMSE) technique, has good numerical properties, and yields a performance between the least-square (LS), the DFT, and the LMMSE techniques.
A Pronoun Analysis of Couples’ Support Transactions

The present study collected data about couples’ level of relationship quality and their usage of pronouns that express we-ness or separateness in the context of support interactions. The sample consisted of 48 couples in a long-term relationship who provided questionnaire data and participated in two videotaped social support interaction tasks. Couples’ videotaped interactions were subsequently coded for the number of personal pronouns—we-words (e.g., we, ours, ourselves) versus you and me-words (e.g., me, mine, you, yours)—used by both partners.
Telangiectatic osteogenic sarcoma

Of approximately 1,000 cases of osteogenic sarcomas at the Mayo Clinic, 25 were diagnosed as telangiectatic osteogenic sarcomas. Of the 25 patients involved, 16 were males and 9 were females, and their ages ranged from 6 to 49 years. Six patients had had pathologic fracture. The lesions were typically located centrally and usually in the distal femur or proximal humerus and roentgenographically were large and purely lytic with destruction of cortex. Grossly, the lesions were cystic and contained clotted blood. Histologically, cystic spaces that contained blood were lined with anaplastic spindle cells and benign giant cells; sometimes, there were so few malignant cells that diagnosis was difficult. Usually, fine, lacelike osteoid was present. Of the 25 patients, 23 have died of metastatic disease, and another has developed pulmonary metastasis 11 months after amputation. Only one patient has survived for more than five years; however, he has developed pneumothorax. Data from this series suggest that the outlook in telangiectatic osteogenic sarcoma is more bleak than in conventional osteosarcoma.
Coupled tensor decompositions for applications in array signal processing

For the case of a single colocated receive antenna array and additional linear diversity (e.g. oversampling or polarization), tensor decomposition based signal separation is now well-established. For increasing the spatial diversity of communication systems, the use of several widely separated colocated antenna arrays has been suggested. However, for such problems no algebraic framework has been proposed. We explain that recently developed coupled tensor decompositions provide such a framework. In particular, we explain that the use of several widely separated colocated antenna arrays may lead to improved identifiability results.
The Endomorphin System and Its Evolving Neurophysiological Role

Endomorphin-1 (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NH2) and endomorphin-2 (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2) are two endogenous opioid peptides with high affinity and remarkable selectivity for the μ-opioid receptor. The neuroanatomical distribution of endomorphins reflects their potential endogenous role in many major physiological processes, which include perception of pain, responses related to stress, and complex functions such as reward, arousal, and vigilance, as well as autonomic, cognitive, neuroendocrine, and limbic homeostasis. In this review we discuss the biological effects of endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 in relation to their distribution in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We describe the relationship between these two μ-opioid receptor-selective peptides and endogenous neurohormones and neurotransmitters. We also evaluate the role of endomorphins from the physiological point of view and report selectively on the most important findings in their pharmacology.
A transformation definition metamodel for model transformation

Automated model transformation from PIMs to PSMs is a pivotal challenge of model driven development. Since models are usually represented in a graphic manner of class diagram (CD), current graphic-transformation based approach seems to be a natural approach. To overcome deficiencies of this approach, i.e. insufficiency of direct support for CD and explicit formal definition, we define a transformation definition metamodel, which employs the rule template match technique. The rule iteration algorithm and the rule schedule algorithm form the computing model. We also define and implement a transformation rule set for the transformation from UML class models to EJB models. Explicitly formal definition, transformation metamodel and demonstration make our work comprehensible and applicable. Besides MDD, our work also has potential to be applied in software evolution and integration.
Effects of Intra-session Exercise Sequence during Water-based Concurrent Training

Abstract The aim was to investigate the effects of the intra-session exercise order during water-based concurrent training on the neuromuscular adaptations in young women. 26 women (25.1±2.9 years) were placed into 2 groups: resistance prior to (RA) or after (AR) aerobic training. Subjects performed resistance (sets at maximal effort) and aerobic training (exercises at heart rate corresponding to the second ventilatory threshold) twice a week over 12 weeks, performing both exercise types in the same training session. Upper (elbow flexion) and lower-body (knee extension) one-repetition maximum test (1RM) and peak torque (PT) were evaluated. The muscle thickness (MT) of upper (sum of MT of biceps brachii and brachialis) and lower-body (sum of MT of vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris) was determined by ultrasonography. Moreover, the maximal electromyographic activity (EMG) of upper (biceps brachii) and lower-body (sum of EMG of vastus lateralis and rectus femoris) was measured. Both RA and AR groups increased the upper and lower-body 1RM and PT, while the lower-body 1RM increases observed in the RA was greater than AR (43.58±14.00 vs. 27.01±18.05%). RA and AR showed MT increases in all muscles evaluated, while the lower-body MT increases observed in the RA were also greater than AR (10.24±3.11 vs. 5.76±1.88%). There were increases in the maximal EMG of upper and lower-body in both RA and AR, with no differences between groups. Performing resistance prior to aerobic exercise during water-based concurrent training seems to optimize the lower-body strength and hypertrophy.