Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization algorithms for estimating modulation spectrum domain filters

The goal of the work described in this paper is to develop and evaluate procedures for automatic estimation of modulation spectrum filters to compensate for distortions in the modulation spectrum domain. The modulation spectrum (MS) is often used to describe the time sequence of spectral parameters (TSSPs) that are derived from the speech waveform, and is thought to be a good representation of many sources of variability in speech. These procedures will be used in the context of automatic speech recognition (ASR) applications where there is likely to be a significant mismatch in the MS characteristics that exist for system training and evaluation. Results are presented describing application of the algorithm to one task involving an artificially introduced MS distortion and to another task involving differences in speaking styles for training and testing. It is shown in the paper that these techniques are able to compensate for the effects of artificially introduced distortions that appear in testing. It is also shown that a small degree of compensation is obtained for speaking style mismatch, and this result is compared with the measured effects of the speaking style differences in the MS domain. An algorithm is presented for automatic estimation of the An algorithm to estimate automatically filters in the modulation spectrum domain. These are used to compensate for distortions in this domain or to obtain the difference coefficients that are a part of the acoustic vector handed over to the HMM-based speech model. The mathematical properties of the new algorithm are analyzed. Its performance is studied in two different experiments: in the first the goal is to alleviate an artificially simulated distortion while in the second we try to compensate for speaking rate distortions in a database which has two distinct parts differing significantly in speaking rate.
A Practical Index for Text Retrieval Allowing Errors

We propose a text indexing technique for approximate pattern matching, which is practical and especially aimed at Information Retrieval (IR). Unlike other indices of this kind, it is able to retrieve any string that approximately matches a given search pattern. Every sequence of a xed length appearing in the text is stored in the index, together with pointers to all the positions where it appears. The search pattern is cut into pieces so that at least one must match exactly. All the pieces are searched in the index and the union of candidate positions is veriied. To reduce space requirements, pointers to blocks instead of exact positions can be used, which increases querying costs. We design an algorithm to optimize the pattern partition into pieces so that the total number of veriications is minimized. This also allows to know in advance the expected cost of the search and the expected relevance of the query to the user. We show experimentally the build time, space requirements and query times of our index, nding that it is a practical alternative for IR.
A Seismic Beamforming Approach for the Detection Of Boulders in the Shallow Sub-Seafloor

Summary Detailed knowledge of the seafloor and the shallow sub-seafloor is required to plan and construct offshore infrastructure such as windfarms. A considerable effort is made for such pre-construction surveys in the form of geophysical measurements (mostly seismic/acoustic and magnetic), coring activity and geotechnical testing. Modern wind turbines are installed on foundations that penetrate ∼60 m into the seafloor, depending on the encountered geotechnical parameters of the sediments. A significant obstruction to such foundation work are boulders on the seafloor and within the sediments ( Holeyman et al., 2015 ).
Attitude stabilization of a rigid spacecraft using two momentum wheel actuators

It is well known that three momentum wheel actuators can be used to control the attitude of a rigid spacecraft and that arbitrary reorientation maneuvers of the spacecraft can be accomplished using smooth feedback. If failure of one of the momentum wheel actuators occurs, we demonstrate that two momentum wheel actuators can be used to control the attitude of a rigid spacecraft and that arbitrary reorientation maneuvers of the spacecraft can be accomplished. Although the complete spacecraft equations are not controllable, the spacecraft equations are controllable under the restriction that the total angular momentum vector of the system is zero. The spacecraft dynamics under such a restriction cannot be asymptotically stabilized to any equilibrium attitude using a timeinvariant continuous feedback control law, but discontinuous feedback control strategies are constructed that stabilize any equilibrium attitude of the spacecraft in finite time. Consequently, reorientation of the spacecraft can be accomplished using discontinuous feedback control.
Identification of user sessions with hierarchical agglomerative clustering

We introduce a novel approach to identifying Web search user sessions based on the burstiness of users’ activity. Our method is user-centered rather than population-centered or system-centered and can be deployed in situations in which users choose to withhold personal content information. We adopt a hierarchical agglomerative clustering approach with a stopping criterion that is statistically motivated by users’ activities. An evaluation based on extracts from AOL Search™ logs reveals that our algorithm achieves 98% accuracy in identifying session boundaries compared to human judgments.
Impact of emitter resistance mismatch on base and collector current matching in bipolar transistors

Bipolar transistor matching is characterized at medium and high current levels using an HF test structure. We demonstrate the predominant impact of emitter resistance mismatch on base and collector current matching at high current. To this end, we simulate base and collector mismatch thanks to the experimental values of emitter access resistance and its variations. The results of these simulations are successfully compared to the experimental data.
Do Point of Sale RFID-Based Information Services Make a Difference? Analyzing Consumer Perceptions for Designing Smart Product Information Services in Retail Business

The increase in RFID implementation in retail allows the development of smart product information applications. However, literature describes only a few evaluations of RFID retail applications with real consumers. The question that arises is, whether such theoretically possible user-centric ubiquitous computing applications meet user needs and, if so, what method is best to investigate this? For our investigation, we developed a mobile phone application prototype based on Near Field Communication (NFC) to obtain product information at the Point of Sale (PoS). Following the ideas of Davis and Venkatesh (2004) and Abowd et al. (2005) with an extended pre-prototype approach for application development and evaluation, we conducted two focus groups (10 consumers, 10 sales assistants). While participants considered the NFC technology innovative and very easy to use ? the need for further information at the PoS was low and varied between product categories. Our approach found that user opinions about paper-based concepts and real prototypes were different from the findings of Davis and Venkatesh (2004). This paper is the first to evaluate a smart information product system with an existing prototype and real consumers, as well as sales personnel. The findings contribute to the theory of ubiquitous computing by proposing a modified approach to evaluating user acceptance and to refining information system requirements for RFID-based smart products. The findings also reflect the response of sales personnel to RFID penetration in shops, suggest how mobile services can add user benefits, and help in the selection of what is the most beneficial information to present at the PoS.
Nanostructure and magnetic properties of highly (001) oriented L10 (Fe49Pt51)1−xCux films

We report on nonepitaxially grown L10 Cu-alloyed FePt thin films with strong (001) texture. The FePt films with different Cu contents were deposited directly on Si wafers with a Fe49Pt51∕Cu multilayer structure. The Cu content was varied from 0to13at. %. All films were annealed at 600°C for 5min. X-ray-diffraction characterization showed that only one set of L10 diffraction peaks appeared and no elemental Cu diffraction peaks were visible. This result, along with a varying c∕a lattice-parameter ratio, suggests that Cu substitutes Fe or Pt in the L10 lattice and ternary FePtCu alloy films are formed. (001) texture was enhanced with the increase of Cu content. Transmission electron microscope images showed that the grain size of FePtCu was about 10nm. For FePt film with 11at. % Cu substitution, coercivity was about 5kOe, which is suitable for writing in a practical perpendicular-recording film.
Superoscillatory diffraction-free beams

It is widely known that any beam with subwavelength characteristics will diffract very fast and these features will not propagate into the far field. This is due to the existence of evanescent waves, which diffract in the near field. By using the counter-intuitive effect of superoscillations [1] we show that it is possible to create a superoscillatory diffraction free beam by superimposing already known diffraction-free [2] solutions (Bessel beams for example) of Helmholtz equation. Such optical beams do not contain any evanescent waves and can propagate practically undistorted carrying these subwavelength features into the far field. Superoscillations have been recently studied and introduced to optics in the context of superresolution [3], and subwavelength focusing [4].
Biological characterization of purified macrophage-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor

We have recently described the purification of a 54 kDa acidic protein, identified as macrophage-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor (MNCF). This protein causes in vitro chemotaxis as well as in vivo neutrophil migration even in animals treated with dexamethasone. This in vivo chemotactic activity of MNCF in animals pretreated with dexamethasone is an uncommon characteristic which discriminates MNCF from known chemotactic cytokines. MNCF is released in the supernatant by macrophage monolayers stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the present study, we describe some biological characteristics of homogenous purified MNCF. When assayed in vitro, MNCF gave a bell-shaped dose–response curve. This in vitro activity was shown to be caused by haptotaxis. Unlike N-formyl-methionylleucyl- phenylalanine (FMLP) or interleukin 8 (IL-8), the chemotactic activity of MNCF in vivo and in vitro, was inhibited by preincubation with D-galactose but not with D-mannose. In contrast with IL-8, MNCF did not bind to heparin and antiserum against IL-8 was ineffective in inhibiting its chemotactic activity. These data indicate that MNCF induces neutrophil migration through a carbohydrate recognition property, but by a mechanism different from that of the known chemokines. It is suggested that MNCF may be an important mediator in the recruitment of neutrophils via the formation of a substrate bound chemotactic gradient (haptotaxis) in the inflamed tissues.
A specification-based intrusion detection system for AODV

The Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol, designed for mobile ad hoc networks, offers quick adaptation to dynamic link conditions, low processing and memory overhead, and low network utilization. However, without keeping in mind the security issues in the protocol design, AODV is vulnerable to various kinds of attacks. This paper analyzes some of the vulnerabilities, specifically discussing attacks against AODV that manipulate the routing messages. We propose a solution based on specification-based intrusion detection to detect attacks on AODV. Briefly, our approach involves the use of finite state machines for specifying correct AODV routing behavior and distributed network monitors for detecting run-time violation of the specifications. In addition, one additional field in the protocol message is proposed to enable the monitoring. We illustrate that our algorithm, which employs a tree data structure, can effectively detect most of the serious attacks in real time and with minimum overhead.
Competition between Sympathetic Vasoconstriction and Metabolic Vasodilation in the Canine Coronary Circulation

The role of a-receptor constriction of coronary vessels in response to cardiac sympathetic activation was evaluated in closed-chest, chloralose-anesthetized dogs. Cardiac sympathetic activation was produced (1) directly by intracoronary norepinephrine infusion at several different rates and (2) reflexly by carotid sinus hypotension. The resulting changes in coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption were recorded before and after a-receptor blockade with dibozane (3.0 mg/kg, iv) or phenoxybenzamine (0.5 mg/kg, intracoronary). The changes in coronary blood flow were normalized to changes in myocardial metabolism by division of the oxygen delivery (coro- nary flow times arterial oxygen content) by the change in myocardial oxygen consumption per 100 g of myocardium. Before a-receptor blockade, either intracoronary norepinephrine infusion or reflex sympathetic activation from the carotid sinus resulted in an increase of only 0.85 ml/100 g mirr+- in oxygen delivery for each increase of 1 ml/100 g min"1 in cardiac oxygen consumption. Under these circumstances, myocardial oxygen extraction increased and coro- nary venous oxygen content fell. After a-receptor blockade, either intracoronary norepinephrine infusion or a carotid sinus reflex resulted in an increase of 1.23 ml/100 g min +- in oxygen delivery for each increase of 1 ml/100 g min+-1 in cardiac oxygen consumption. Myocardial oxygen extraction and coronary venous oxygen content changed only slightly after a-receptor blockade. The greater coronary vasodilation and lesser change in cardiac oxygen extraction after a-receptor blockade were significantly different (P < 0.001) from the values before blockade. It is concluded that the coronary a-receptor constrictor mechanism competes with metabolic vasodilation during sympathetic activation even when there are large increases in myocardial metabolism. The net effect of the a-receptor constrictor influence is to restrict the metabolically related flow increase by about 30%, thus increasing oxygen extraction and decreasing coronary venous oxygen content.
Photolysis of ortho-nitrobenzylic derivatives: the importance of the leaving group

Quantum yields for the photoinduced release of seven different commonly used leaving groups (LGs) from the o -nitroveratryl protecting group were measured. It was found that these quantum yields depend strongly on the nature of the LGs. We show that the quantum efficiency with which the LGs are released correlates with the stabilization that these LGs provide to o -nitrobenzyl-type radicals because radical stabilizing groups weaken the C–H bond that is cleaved in the photoinduced hydrogen atom transfer step, and hence lower the barrier for this process. At the same time these substituents lower the endothermicity of the thermal hydrogen atom transfer and thus increase the barrier for the reverse process, thereby enhancing the part of the initially formed aci -nitro intermediates which undergo cyclization (which ultimately leads to LG release). Radical stabilization energies computed by DFT methods are thus a useful predictor of the relative efficiency with which LGs are photoreleased from o -nitrobenzyl protecting groups.
Relationship between Na+-Ca2+-exchanger protein levels and diastolic function of failing human myocardium.

BACKGROUND In the failing human heart, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium handling is impaired, and therefore, calcium elimination and diastolic function may depend on the expression of sarcolemmal Na+-Ca2+ exchanger. METHODS AND RESULTS Force-frequency relations were studied in ventricular muscle strip preparations from failing human hearts (n=29). Protein levels of Na+-Ca2+ exchanger and SR Ca2+-ATPase were measured in the same hearts. Hearts were divided into 3 groups by discriminant analysis according to the behavior of diastolic function when stimulation rate of muscle strips was increased from 30 to 180 min-1. At 180 compared with 30 min-1, diastolic force was increased by 160%, maximum rate of force decline was decreased by 46%, and relaxation time was unchanged in group III. In contrast, in group I, diastolic force and maximum rate of force decline did not change, and relaxation time decreased by 20%. Na+-Ca2+ exchanger was 66% higher in group I than in group III. Na+-Ca2+ exchanger was inversely correlated with the frequency-dependent rise of diastolic force when stimulation rate was increased (r=-0.74; P<0.001). Compared with nonfailing human hearts (n=6), SR Ca2+-ATPase was decreased and Na+-Ca2+ exchanger unchanged in group III, whereas Na+-Ca2+ exchanger was increased and SR Ca2+-ATPase unchanged in group I. Results with group II hearts were between those of group I and group III hearts. CONCLUSIONS By discriminating failing human hearts according to their diastolic function, we identified different phenotypes. Disturbed diastolic function occurs in hearts with decreased SR Ca2+-ATPase and unchanged Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, whereas increased expression of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger is associated with preserved diastolic function.
Prolonged Low‐dose Caffeine Exposure Protects Against Hippocampal Damage but Not Against the Occurrence of Epilepsy in the Lithium‐pilocarpine Model in the Rat

Summary: Purpose: Acute caffeine exposure has proconvulsant effects and worsens epileptic and ischemic neuronal damage. Surprisingly, prolonged caffeine exposure decreases the susceptibility to seizures and the extent of ischemic damage. We explored whether the exposure to a low long‐term dose of caffeine could protect the brain from neuronal damage and epileptogenesis in the lithium‐pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Enhanced decision tree ensembles for land-cover mapping from fully polarimetric SAR data

ABSTRACT Fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) Earth Observations showed great potential for mapping and monitoring agro-environmental systems. Numerous polarimetric features can be extracted from these complex observations which may lead to improve accuracy of land-cover classification and object characterization. This article employed two well-known decision tree ensembles, i.e. bagged tree (BT) and random forest (RF), for land-cover mapping from PolSAR imagery. Moreover, two fast modified decision tree ensembles were proposed in this article, namely balanced filter-based forest (BFF) and cost-sensitive filter-based forest (CFF). These algorithms, designed based on the idea of RF, use a fast filter feature selection algorithms and two extended majority voting. They are also able to embed some solutions of imbalanced data problem into their structures. Three different PolSAR datasets, with imbalanced data, were used for evaluating efficiency of the proposed algorithms. The results indicated that all the tree ensembles have higher efficiency and reliability than the individual DT. Moreover, both proposed tree ensembles obtained higher mean overall accuracy (0.5–14% higher), producer’s accuracy (0.5–10% higher), and user’s accuracy (0.5–9% higher) than the classical tree ensembles, i.e. BT and RF. They were also much faster (e.g. 2–10 times) and more stable than their competitors for classification of these three datasets. In addition, unlike BT and RF, which obtained higher accuracy in large ensembles (i.e. the high number of DT), BFF and CFF can also be more efficient and reliable in smaller ensembles. Furthermore, the extended majority voting techniques could outperform the classical majority voting for decision fusion.
A Survey of Software Clone Detection Techniques

If two fragments of source code are identical or similar to each other, they are called code clones. Code clones introduce difficulties in software maintenance and cause bug propagation. Software clones occur due to several reasons such as code reuse by copying pre-existing fragments, coding style, and repeated computation using duplicated functions with slight changes in variables or data structures used. If a code fragment is edited, it will have to be checked against all related code clones to see if they need to be modified as well. Removal, avoidance or refactoring of cloned code are other important issues in software maintenance. However, several research studies have demonstrated that removal or refactoring of cloned code is sometimes harmful. In this study, code clones, common types of clones, phases of clone detection, the state-ofthe-art in code clone detection techniques and tools, and challenges faced by clone detection techniques are discussed.
SEMI-QUANTITATIVE SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS

Robots are becoming increasingly integrated in our daily lives, providing services in civilian, industrial and military applications. Many of those applications require robots to be remotely operated and controlled through communication channels. This makes the robotic system susceptible to a class of attacks targeting the connection between the controlling client and the robot, which can render the robot unavailable. The objective of our research is to identify, estimate and prioritize the risks associated with attacks targeting the availability of the robotic system. To achieve our objective, we perform an impact oriented semi-quantitative risk assessment of the loss of availability on the well-known PeopleBotTM mobile robot platform. We experimented with several well-known attacks that can target and affect the availability of the robot. To examine the cyber-physical impacts of the attacks on the robotic system, we setup a ten-goal test area and constructed a 2D map. The robot was programmed to tour the test area while being targeted by cyber-attacks. The physical impacts of the attacks are demonstrated in this paper. The results indicate that attacks can potentially lead to loss of availability which may result in serious cyber-physical consequences.