Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction of Vasopressin and the Baroreceptor Reflex System in the Regulation of Arterial Blood Pressure in the Dog

The hemodynamic effects of 1-hour intravenous infusions of vasopressin were evaluated in trained, unanesthetized dogs in the normal state and following sinoaortic baroreceptor denervation. Pressor sensitivity to vasopressin was greatly enhanced following baroreceptor denervation; threshold sensitivity was increased 11-fold and sensitivity at higher dose levels was increased 60–100-fold. Infusion of physiological levels of vasopressin caused an average increase in arterial blood pressure of 33 mm Hg in conscious, baroreceptor-denervated dogs compared with an increase of 5 mm Hg in normal dogs. In contrast, similar intravenous infusions of norepinephrine at physiological levels resulted in a 3-fold increase in pressor sensitivity with no change in threshold dose. Hy-pophysectomy of baroreceptor-denervated dogs did not significantly alter their pressor sensitivity to vasopressin in the conscious state. The arterial blood pressure response to intravenous vasopressin infusions was greatly depressed when a high background level of circulating vasopressin was present. Decapitated, spinal, anesthetized dogs maintained with a small continuous infusion of norepinephrine exhibited the greatest sensitivity to vasopressin; the threshold dose for a pressor response was similar to that in conscious baroreceptor-denervated dogs, but pressor sensitivity at physiological dose levels was increased nearly 8, 000-fold. The elevations in arterial blood pressure resulting from vasopressin infusions of less than 1.0 munits/kg min−1 were large enough to implicate the direct pressor effect of vasopressin in the normal control of arterial blood pressure.
Does sustained lung inflation at resuscitation reduce lung injury in the preterm infant?

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common outcome of preterm birth. Experimental animal work has shown that initial ventilation strategies injure the immature lung and may lead to BPD. Studies with asphyxiated babies have shown that, if tidal ventilation at birth is preceded by sustained lung inflation, larger inflation volumes can be achieved, which is thought to lead to clearance of lung fluid and formation of the functional residual capacity (FRC). Objective: To see if sustained lung inflation at initial resuscitation of preterm babies would facilitate the removal of lung fluid, establish the FRC, and allow an even distribution of alveolar opening, permitting less aggressive ventilation, leading to a reduction in pulmonary inflammation and subsequent BPD. Method: The outcomes of 52 babies of less than 31 weeks gestation, resuscitated at birth using either a sustained lung inflation of five seconds or a conventional lung inflation of two seconds for the first assisted breath of resuscitation, were examined. Evidence of pulmonary inflammation was determined by quantification of interleukins 6, 10, and 1β and tumour necrosis factor α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: There were no significant differences in any of the cytokines. Death occurred in 3/26 babies in the conventional group and 6/26 babies in the sustained lung inflation group. Survival without BPD occurred in 13/26 and 14/26 respectively. Conclusion: The use of sustained lung inflation at resuscitation did not reduce lung injury, as measured by inflammatory markers.
Matching age separated composite sketches and digital face images

Matching sketches with digital face images is one of the highly sought face recognition applications. An important aspect, though less explored till now, is matching age separated sketches with digital face images. Several law enforcement agencies are progressively using composite sketches for apprehending individuals. This research proposes an algorithm for matching composite sketches with digital face images across different age. It extracts discriminative shape, orientation, and texture features from local regions of a face using image moments and histogram of oriented gradients. The complementary information from these two features is further combined at match score level for efficiently matching composite sketches with digital face images across different age. To study the effects of age variations, this research also presents a composite sketch database with age separated sketches and digital face images. The results on a large gallery experiment suggest that the proposed algorithm efficiently encodes discriminative information from local facial regions useful for matching composite sketches with age separated digital face images.
Fluent model checking for event-based systems

Model checking is an automated technique for verifying that a system satisfies a set of required properties. Such properties are typically expressed as temporal logic formulas, in which atomic propositions are predicates over state variables of the system. In event-based system descriptions, states are not characterized by state variables, but rather by the behavior that originates in these states in terms of actions. In this context, it is natural for temporal formulas to be built from atomic propositions that are predicates on the occurrence of actions. The paper identifies limitations in this approach and introduces "fluent" propositions that permit formulas to naturally express properties that combine state and action. A fluent is a property of the world that holds after it is initiated by an action and ceases to hold when terminated by another action. The paper describes an approach to model checking fluent-based linear-temporal logic properties, with its implementation and application in the LTSA tool.
Transmission timing configuraiton for control and non-payload communication of unmanned aerial vehicle

For the safe control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a reliable communication link is very important, so a Control and Non-Payload Communication (CNPC) standard is progressing in Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) [1][2]. Currently, CNPC standard only includes the physical layer specification, so the upper layer protocol is required for implementing a CNPC transceiver. In this paper, we assume that the LTE based upper layer protocol is implemented in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) board, and analyze the configuration of timing ticks for reducing transmission delay. The application of half subframe tick can decrease 38.4% of transmission delay compared with the subframe tick.
Evaluating the competence of physicians in practice: from peer review to performance assessment

Evaluation of physician competence has traditionally been defined by the medical profession largely through standardized tests and board certifying examinations. However, a level of physician evaluation that takes place outside academic medical centers and certifying boards is rapidly developing. This article describes three programs for such physician evaluation: (1) the program of US Healthcare, a national managed health care company; (2) the DEMPAQ–Developing and Evaluating Methods to Promote Ambulatory Care Quality–project, a joint research effort between Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and the State of Maryland's (and District of Columbia's) Peer Review Organization (PRO); and (3) a project initiated by the American College of Physicians (ACP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to assess both medical competence and technical performance in the hospital setting. The authors argue for the need to inform physicians-in-training about the types of evaluation to which they will be subjected over the courses of their careers. In order to further this goal, the authors advocate increased collaboration between leaders in the academic setting and those spearheading these new programs for assessment of physician performance.
Towards Integrating Wireless LANs with Wireless WANs using Mobile-IP

To allow a seamless integration between wireless LANs and Wireless WANs, we developed a full stack adaptation model and a simple subnet architecture that superimposes Mobile-IP on cellular-type wireless LANs. The idea is to use Mobile IP as an integrative layer atop different LAN/WAN networks. While Mobile-IP is widely used in wireless WANs, it is not known how well it performs under a wireless LAN environment, against native MAC-level handoff. Through experimentation using 802.11 W-LAN, we found that under practical values of handoff frequencies, the performance of Mobile IP based WLAN handoff is almost identical to the performance of W-LAN handoff. Further performance studies show the suitability of Mobile-IP as an integrative layer in this architecture.
LPI Optimization Framework for Radar Network Based on Minimum Mean-Square Error Estimation

This paper presents a novel low probability of intercept (LPI) optimization framework in radar network by minimizing the Schleher intercept factor based on minimum mean-square error (MMSE) estimation. MMSE of the estimate of the target scatterer matrix is presented as a metric for the ability to estimate the target scattering characteristic. The LPI optimization problem, which is developed on the basis of a predetermined MMSE threshold, has two variables, including transmitted power and target assignment index. We separated power allocation from target assignment through two sub-problems. First, the optimum power allocation is obtained for each target assignment scheme. Second, target assignment schemes are selected based on the results of power allocation. The main problem of this paper can be considered in the point of views based on two cases, including single radar assigned to each target and two radars assigned to each target. According to simulation results, the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the total Schleher intercept factor of a radar network, which can make a great contribution to improve the LPI performance of a radar network.
Impact Mechanics of Football Helmet with Various Shell Liner Configurations

The structure of the skull reveals that the cranial is made up of a number of bones. These bones, except the temporomandibular joint, are joined by sutures. The adjacent bones are strongly united by a matrix of connective tissues consisting of bundles of strong collagenous fibres connecting periosteum to the bones. The little movement at the sutures contributes to the elasticity and compliance of the cranial. This composition serves as a shock absorber and distributes impact force evenly around the skull. Frequent head impacts by footballers cause concussion which leads to brain and neurological disorders such as; Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), dementia, depression, and a loss of attention span. These disorders are primarily caused by shock waves following impact, which moves from the front to the back of the brain. As such, the effort is geared at reducing head injuries from concussion by optimising helmet design through shock absorption increase and stress amplification reduction during impact. In this paper, the suture structure is mimicked in the design of a football helmet. A fibre-reinforced composite liner is introduced in the shell of the helmet. The liner runs from the front to the back of the helmet and bisects the shell into two equal parts. Hyperelastic material model is employed in the modelling of the composite liner while the polycarbonate helmet shell is modelled as a nonlinear elastoplastic material. A finite element model based on realistic geometric features of a football helmet was carried out, and an explicit finite element code LS-DYNA® is employed to simulate dynamic responses at different impact velocities of the helmet. The simulation was repeated for various compositions of the composite liner. Impact loads are applied on one side of the helmet shell while the responses are taken on the other side of the shell body of the helmet. To establish the validity of the model, the liner, and the shell materials are made to be the same. The results revealed that the responses of the helmet during impact are the same when the two components are of the same material compared with when there is no liner on the helmet shell. It was also shown that the dynamic response curve of the helmet emanating from different impacting conditions is judged by the maximum principal stress, Von Mises stress, and acceleration monitored within the impact period. The helmet composition with a sinusoidal liner form on the shell absorbed more impact load than other liner configurations.
Crashworthiness optimisation of a step-like bi-tubular energy absorber for subway vehicles

Abstract This paper presents the crashworthiness optimisation of a step-like energy absorber which is composed of nested thin-walled rectangular tubes. The impact experiment and numerical simulation were carried out. The results had a good agreement and indicated that the collapse process is clearly divided into two phases. To investigate the effects of geometry parameters of the structure on essential crashworthiness characteristics, two groups of samples with different wall thickness and inner tube dimensions were simulated, respectively. The change in the outer tube and inner tube wall thickness has obvious influence on energy distribution and crashworthiness characteristics. The thickness of the diaphragms has little influence on these responses. The increase of inner tube dimensions leads to the interactive obstruction of outer tube and inner tube. The decrease of inner tube dimensions leads to the self-obstruction of inner tube. The above two results lead to the increase of EA1 and MCF2 values. Then, the design of experiments (DOE) based on simulations were established. Finally, based on the developed surrogate models, optimisation design for the absorber to maximize the specific energy absorption (SEA) under the constraint of two important indicators was carried out. It was clearly found that the optimal solution increased the value of SEA from 8.93 to 9.36 kJ/kg while satisfying the two constraints.
Latency and cost requirements of systems for teaching MAC protocols

Over the past decade, the physical (PHY) layer of communication systems has evolved with the addition of techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multi-carrier aggregation. This has resulted in significant performance improvements, but it has come at the cost of increased power consumption and system complexity. To overcome this problem, a wide range of new Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols have been proposed for wireless networks. However, the speed of innovation in MAC protocols has not been able to keep up with the fast pace of PHY layer research; the latter being fueled by the availability of a variety of Software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms. These systems have eventually made their way into the classrooms and labs, thus giving communication engineers an experiential learning opportunity. They have provided students cost effective options to acquire real-world signals and analyze them using digital signal processing techniques. In essence, this has done for communications engineering students, what the sound card did for students learning audio signal processing. On the other hand, computer science students have been left with the option of learning about MAC protocols only through text books or by using software simulations. This is because most SDR systems do not meet the stringent latency and performance requirements required for creating real-world communication links; and the few that do are priced out of reach for classroom sizes typically found in Indian engineering colleges. In this paper, we analyze this situation at hand and discuss the emergence of a new design space for MAC layer prototyping systems. This paper discusses the key requirements, namely latency, processing speed, and cost, of systems in this design space. Finally, this paper describes how availability of commercial technology and careful trade-off with other requirements, such as throughput and frequency agility, is making it feasible to design a system that meets these key requirements.
Acoustic Modeling for Overlapping Speech Recognition: Jhu Chime-5 Challenge System

This paper summarizes our acoustic modeling efforts in the Johns Hopkins University speech recognition system for the CHiME-5 challenge to recognize highly-overlapped dinner party speech recorded by multiple microphone arrays. We explore data augmentation approaches, neural network architectures, front-end speech dereverberation, beamforming and robust i-vector extraction with comparisons of our in-house implementations and publicly available tools. We finally achieved a word error rate of 69.4% on the development set, which is a 11.7% absolute improvement over the previous baseline of 81.1%, and release this improved baseline with refined techniques/tools as an advanced CHiME-5 recipe.
Adversarial Multi-label Prediction for Spoken and Visual Signal Tagging

We introduce an adversarial multi-label classification (ADMLC) framework to improve the robustness and performance of existing algorithms on multi-domain signals. The core contribution of our ADMLC is the innovation of an ‘adversarial module’ that serves as a critic to provide augmenting information to improve supervised learning in multi label classification (MLC) tasks. Our approach is not intended to be regarded as an emerging competitor for many well-established algorithms in the field. In fact, many existing deep and shallow architectures can all be adopted as building blocks integrated in the ADMLC framework. We show the performance and generalization ability of ADMLC on diverse tasks including audio and image tagging.
GPU Implementation of Extended Gaussian Mixture Model for Background Subtraction

Although trivial background subtraction (BGS) algorithms (e.g. frame differencing, running average.) can perform quite fast, they are not robust enough to be used in various computer vision problems. Some complex algorithms usually give better results, but are too slow to be applied to real-time systems. We propose an improved version of the Extended Gaussian mixture model that utilizes the computational power of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to achieve real-time performance. Experiments show that our implementation running on a low-end GeForce 9600GT GPU provides at least 10x speedup. The frame rate is greater than 50 frames per second (fps) for most of the tests, even on HD video formats.
Using the MGGI Methodology for Category-Based Language Modeling in Handwritten Marriage Licenses Books

Handwritten marriage licenses books have been used for centuries by ecclesiastical and secular institutions to register marriages. The information contained in these historical documents is useful for demography studies and genealogical research, among others. Despite the generally simple structure of the text in these documents, automatic transcription and semantic information extraction is difficult due to the distinct and evolutionary vocabulary, which is composed mainly of proper names that change along the time. In previous works we studied the use of category-based language models to both improve the automatic transcription accuracy and make easier the extraction of semantic information. Here we analyze the main causes of the semantic errors observed in previous results and apply a Grammatical Inference technique known as MGGI to improve the semantic accuracy of the language model obtained. Using this language model, full handwritten text recognition experiments have been carried out, with results supporting the interest of the proposed approach.
Sox1a mediates the ability of the parapineal to impart habenular left-right asymmetry

Left-right asymmetries in the zebrafish habenular nuclei are dependent upon the formation of the parapineal, a unilateral group of neurons that arise from the medially positioned pineal complex. In this study, we show that both the left and right habenula are competent to adopt left-type molecular character and efferent connectivity upon the presence of only a few parapineal cells. This ability to impart left-sided character is lost in parapineal cells lacking Sox1a function, despite the normal specification of the parapineal itself. Precisely timed laser ablation experiments demonstrate that the parapineal influences neurogenesis in the left habenula at early developmental stages as well as neurotransmitter phenotype and efferent connectivity during subsequent stages of habenular differentiation. These studies reveal a tight coordination between the formation of the unilateral parapineal nucleus and emergence of asymmetric habenulae, ensuring that appropriate lateralised character is propagated within left and right-sided circuitry.
The PerfSim Algorithm for Concept Drift Detection in Imbalanced Data

There is currently a surge of interest in adaptive learning algorithms for applications ranging from ozone level peak predictions, learning stock market indicators, and detecting smart phone usage patterns. In such scenarios, the detection of change (or drift) in the concept being learned is important to ensure that correct, timely and relevant models are constructed. In addition, such data is often imbalanced and, to further complicate the issue, we are frequently interested in learning the minority class. It follows that ignoring these two aspects during learning may lead to unreliable, or even incorrect, models being built. In this research we discuss the interplay between concept drift detection and imbalanced data sets in order to ensure reliable results. We introduce a novel algorithm that, rather than considering a single performance evaluation measure such as accuracy for change detection, considers all the components of a confusion matrix and employs the cosine similarity coefficient. We evaluate our algorithm against a real world mobile phone database, as well as benchmarking datasets, and we compare it with two other state-of-the-art methods. The results show that our approach is particularly sensitive to concept drifts occurring in imbalanced data sets. Our evaluation indicates that our algorithm is able to detect concept drift reliably. Further, our method is shown to perform very well compared to the other techniques, especially when the drift occurs in the minority class of a class imbalance problem.
Miniature Low-Power Inertial Sensors: Promising Technology for Implantable Motion Capture Systems

Inertial and magnetic sensors are valuable for untethered, self-contained human movement analysis. Very recently, complete integration of inertial sensors, magnetic sensors, and processing into single packages, has resulted in miniature, low power devices that could feasibly be employed in an implantable motion capture system. We developed a wearable sensor system based on a commercially available system-in-package inertial and magnetic sensor. We characterized the accuracy of the system in measuring 3-D orientation-with and without magnetometer-based heading compensation-relative to a research grade optical motion capture system. The root mean square error was less than 4 ° in dynamic and static conditions about all axes. Using four sensors, recording from seven degrees-of-freedom of the upper limb (shoulder, elbow, wrist) was demonstrated in one subject during reaching motions. Very high correlation and low error was found across all joints relative to the optical motion capture system. Findings were similar to previous publications using inertial sensors, but at a fraction of the power consumption and size of the sensors. Such ultra-small, low power sensors provide exciting new avenues for movement monitoring for various movement disorders, movement-based command interfaces for assistive devices, and implementation of kinematic feedback systems for assistive interventions like functional electrical stimulation.