Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis on the effect of beam overlap of a low directivity ultrasonic sensor ring

This paper presents the analysis on the effect of beam overlap of a low directivity ultrasonic sensor ring. It is assumed that a set of ultrasonic sensors of the same type are arranged along a circle of non-zero radius at regular spacings with their beams overlapped. Due to beam overlap of an ultrasonic sensor ring, the detection zone of each ultrasonic sensor can be divided into three smaller sub-zones, and also for a given obstacle distance, its uncertainty arc can be divided into three smaller sub-arcs. First, taking into account the range of sensing distance as well as the dead angle region, the entire range of obstacle detection of an overlapped ultrasonic sensor ring is specified. Second, the effective beam width of an overlapped ultrasonic sensor ring is assessed in terms of the lengths of uncertainty sub-arcs. Third, alternative assessment of effective beam width of an overlapped ultrasonic sensor ring is proposed in terms of the areas of detection sub-zones. Lastly, using a commercial low directivity ultrasonic sensors, the changes of the effective beam widths depending on the parameter of an overlapped ultrasonic sensor ring are examined.
The C. elegans Chp/Wrch Ortholog CHW-1 Contributes to LIN-18/Ryk and LIN-17/Frizzled Signaling in Cell Polarity

Wnt signaling controls various aspects of developmental and cell biology, as well as contributing to certain cancers. Expression of the human Rho family small GTPase Wrch/RhoU is regulated by Wnt signaling, and Wrch and its paralog Chp/RhoV are both implicated in oncogenic transformation and regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics. We performed developmental genetic analysis of the single Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of Chp and Wrch, CHW-1. Using a transgenic assay of the distal tip cell migration, we found that wild-type CHW-1 is likely to be partially constitutively active and that we can alter ectopic CHW-1-dependent migration phenotypes with mutations predicted to increase or decrease intrinsic GTP hydrolysis rate. The vulval P7.p polarity decision balances multiple antagonistic Wnt signals, and also uses different types of Wnt signaling. Previously described cooperative Wnt receptors LIN-17/Frizzled and LIN-18/Ryk orient P7.p posteriorly, with LIN-17/Fz contributing approximately two-thirds of polarizing activity. CHW-1 deletion appears to equalize the contributions of these two receptors. We hypothesize that CHW-1 increases LIN-17/Fz activity at the expense of LIN-18/Ryk, thus making the contribution of these signals unequal. For P7.p to polarize correctly and form a proper vulva, LIN-17/Fz and LIN-18/Ryk antagonize other Wnt transmembrane systems VANG-1/VanGogh and CAM-1/Ror. Our genetic data suggest that LIN-17/Fz represses both VANG-1/VanGogh and CAM-1/Ror, while LIN-18/Ryk represses only VANG-1. These data expand our knowledge of a sophisticated signaling network to control P7.p polarity, and suggests that CHW-1 can alter ligand gradients or receptor priorities in the system.
Uplink Scheduling Algorithms for QoS Support in Broadband Wireless Access Networks

In order to support different types of multimedia applications, the IEEE 802.16 standard defines different service classes with their associated Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. The scheduling algorithm is the crucial point in QoS provisioning over such broadband wireless access (BWA) network and it is important that the scheduling algorithm have a multi-dimensional objective of satisfying QoS requirements of the users, maximizing system utilization and ensuring fairness among users. In this article we present two different scheduling algorithms for the uplink (UL) connection. One is a combination of legacy scheduling algorithms earliest deadline first (EDF) and weighted fair queuing (WFQ). The other proposed algorithm is a cross-layer algorithm that pledges fairness among admitted connections and it also supports all service classes. The proposed scheduling algorithms are compared to several other scheduling algorithms for UL traffic under different mixes of traffic and for various characteristics of the IEEE 802.16 MAC layer such as UL burst preamble, frame length and bandwidth request mechanisms. Simulation results indicate that legacy scheduling algorithms are not suitable for the multi-class traffic in IEEE 802.16 since they do not explicitly incorporate the QoS parameters for the given standard.
Parallel Algorithms for the Training Process of a Neural Network-Based System

This paper addresses the problem of developing efficient parallel algorithms for the training procedure of a neural network-based Fingerprint Image Comparison (FIC) system. The target architecture is assumed to be a coarse-grain distributed-memory parallel architecture. Two types of parallelism—node parallelism and training set parallelism (TSP)—are investigated. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that node parallelism has low speedup and poor scalability, while TSP proves to have the best speedup performance. TSP, however, is amenable to a slow convergence rate. To reduce this effect, a modified training set parallel algorithm using weighted contributions of synaptic connections is proposed. Experimental results show that this algorithm provides a fast convergence rate while keeping the best speedup performance obtained. The combination of TSP with node parallelism is also investigated. A good performance is achieved by this approach. This provides better scalability with the trade-off of a slight decrease in speedup. The above algorithms are implemented on a 32-node CM-5.
The 1989 May outburst of the soft X‐ray transient GS 2023+338 (V404 Cyg)

We reanalyse archival Ginga data of the soft X-ray transient source GS 20231338 covering the beginning of its 1989 May outburst. The source showed a number of rather unusual features: very high and apparently saturated luminosity, dramatic flux and spectral variability (often on ,1 s time-scale), and generally very hard spectrum, with no obvious soft thermal component characteristic for soft/high state. We describe the spectrum obtained at the maximum of flux and we demonstrate that it is very different from spectra of other soft X-ray transients at similar luminosity. We confirm previous suggestions that the dramatic variability was the result of heavy and strongly variable photoelectric absorption. We also demonstrate that for a short time the spectrum of the source did look like a typical soft/high state spectrum but that this coincided with very
Efficient Patch-Wise Non-Uniform Deblurring for a Single Image

In this paper, we address the problem of estimating a latent sharp image from a single spatially variant blurred image. Non-uniform deblurring methods based on projective motion path models formulate the blur as a linear combination of homographic projections of a clear image. But they are computationally expensive and require large memory due to the calculation and storage of a large number of the projections. Patch-wise non-uniform deblurring algorithms have been proposed to estimate each kernel locally by a uniform deblurring algorithm, which does not require to calculate and store the projections. The key issues of these methods are the accuracy of kernel estimation and the identification of erroneous kernels. To perform accurate kernel estimation, we employ the total variation (TV) regularization to recover a latent image, in which the edges are better enhanced and the ringing artifacts are reduced, rather than Tikhonov regularization that previous algorithms adopt. Thus blur kernels can be estimated more accurately from the latent image and estimated in a closed form while previous methods cannot estimate kernels in closed forms. To identify the erroneous kernels, we develop a novel metric, which is able to measure the similarity between the neighboring kernels. After replacing the erroneous kernels with the well-estimated ones, a clear image is obtained. The experiments show that our approach can achieve better results on the real-world blurry images while using less computation and memory.
SELECTING AN A/D CONVERTER

Selecting an A/D converter for a digitizing system can seem an arduous task. There are a plethora of converters available in the marketplace from a wide variety of manufacturers. The process of selection can be simplified by means of a checklist, organized by importance. This bulletin is intended to walk the reader through this checklist, describe the factors in some detail, learn which manufacturer’s specifications apply to these factors and how to interpret those specifications
Estimation of a two‐component mixture model with applications to multiple testing

We consider a two‐component mixture model with one known component. We develop methods for estimating the mixing proportion and the unknown distribution non‐parametrically, given independent and identically distributed data from the mixture model, using ideas from shape‐restricted function estimation. We establish the consistency of our estimators. We find the rate of convergence and asymptotic limit of the estimator for the mixing proportion. Completely automated distribution‐free honest finite sample lower confidence bounds are developed for the mixing proportion. Connection to the problem of multiple testing is discussed. The identifiability of the model and the estimation of the density of the unknown distribution are also addressed. We compare the estimators proposed, which are easily implementable, with some of the existing procedures through simulation studies and analyse two data sets: one arising from an application in astronomy and the other from a microarray experiment.
Journalism and Democracy : An Evaluation of the Political Public Sphere

1. Journalism and Democracy: the debate 2. The Political Public Sphere: an anatomy 3. Policy, Process, Performance and Sleaze an evaluation of the political news agenda 4. The Interpretative Moment: the journalism of commentary and analysis 5. The Interrogative Moment: the British political interview 6. The Sound of the Crowd access and the political media 7. 'Spin, whores, spin! ' the demonisation of political public relations 8. The Media and Politics, 1992-97 9. Political Journalism and the Crisis of Mass Representation
Use of the cross time-frequency distribution for the analysis of the class of PSK signals

Phase Shift- Keying (PSK) modulation has been applied widely in most of the data communication system nowadays due to its noise immunity and bandwidth efficiency capability. Analysis of digital modulation is an important component of spectrum monitoring. Furthermore, it has been identified recently that spectrum sensing is part of the function in cognitive radio. Works on bilinear time-frequency distribution (TFD) previously does not represent the phase information of a signal and it is incapable to analyze PSK type of signals. The cross TFD method proposed overcomes this problem, and is able to analyze signal carrying phase information like the class of PSK signals. From the cross time-frequency representation (TFR), signal parameters like the subcarrier frequency, instantaneous phase and bit duration can be estimated. The choice of the window width has significant effect on the accuracy of the phase estimation as well as the frequency resolution of the Time Frequency Representation (TFR). It is shown that the cross TFD with appropriate window width can give a complete representation of a phase modulated signal.
On Objectives of Instructional Laboratories, Individual Assessment, and Use of Collaborative Remote Laboratories

Three key issues should be addressed to enable universities to deliver engineers who have a solid documented laboratory experience enabling them to design goods and services complying with the requirements of a sustainable society. First, introduce learning objectives of engineering instructional laboratories in courses including laboratory components. Second, implement individual student assessment. Third, introduce free access to online experimental resources as a supplement to the equipment in traditional laboratories. Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Sweden and the University of South Australia (UniSA) have created online laboratory workbenches for electrical experiments that mimic traditional ones by combining virtual and physical reality. Online workbenches not only supplement traditional ones, but they can also be used for low-cost individual assessment. BTH has started a project disseminating the BTH workbench concept, The Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality (VISIR) Open Laboratory Platform, and invites other universities to set up replicas and participate in further development and standardization. Further, online workbenches offer additional learning possibilities. UniSA has started a project where students located in different countries can perform experiments together as a way to enhance the participants' intercultural competence. This paper discusses online laboratory workbenches and their role in an engineering education appropriate for a sustainable society.
COACH: Learning continuous actions from COrrective Advice Communicated by Humans

COACH (COrrective Advice Communicated by Humans), a new interactive learning framework that allows non-expert humans to shape a policy through corrective advice, using a binary signal in the action domain of the agent, is proposed. One of the main innovative features of COACH is a mechanism for adaptively adjusting the amount of human feedback that a given action receives, taking into consideration past feedback. The performance of COACH is compared with the one of TAMER (Teaching an Agent Manually via Evaluative Reinforcement), ACTAMER (Actor-Critic TAMER), and an autonomous agent trained using SARSA(? ) in two reinforcement learning problems. COACH outperforms all other learning frameworks in the reported experiments. In addition, results show that COACH is able to transfer successfully human knowledge to agents with continuous actions, being a complementary approach to TAMER, which is appropriate for teaching in discrete action domains.
Palmprint recognition based on multi-feature integration

Palmprint image contains a wealth of global feature and local feature. We designed palmprint identification system based on the global strategy and the integration of local feature. Global feature selected as Fourier characteristic. Local feature selection is Gabor feature. Gabor feature for palmprint into blocks, a set of features the same position is a new feature then through local classifiers as the serial integration. The second local feature classifier layer can be obtained.
To Switch or Not to Switch, That's the Question. An Analysis of the Potential Gains from Switching Pension Provider

The question of whether or not to switch from an existing personal pension to another personal or stakeholder pension is a timely one following the introduction of stakeholder pensions. The maximum 1% charge makes stakeholder pensions cheaper than many personal pensions sold in the past - making it potentially attractive for some people to switch. For example, it is estimated that there are about two million people in the government's original target group for stakeholder pensions who already have a personal pension and who might therefore consider whether to switch to a stakeholder pension. Whether someone would benefit from switching or not is not a simple issue. There are potential gains from switching if the charges on the new pension are lower than those on their existing pension. But there are also potential costs because of up-front charges and/or exit charges on the existing pension. Consumers need to weigh carefully the costs and benefits before making their decision and may need to consider taking financial advice. This paper discusses the range of different issues that consumers need to consider in deciding whether or not to switch pension provider.
Sequential Therapy versus Triple Therapy for the First Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori in Korea: A Nationwide Randomized Trial

Background/Aims Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection with standard triple therapy (TT) has declined primarily because of increased antibiotic resistance. Sequential therapy (ST) has been suggested as an alternative to TT for the first-line treatment of H. pylori. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of ST with TT. Methods This was a multicenter, randomized open-label trial performed at nine centers in Korea. Patients with H. pylori infection were randomly assigned to receive either 7 day TT or 10 day ST. Eradication rates, drug compliance, and adverse events were compared among the two regimens. Results A total of 601 patients were enrolled between March 2011 and September 2014. The intention-to-treat eradication rates were 70.8% for TT and 82.4% for ST (p=0.001). The corresponding per protocol eradication rates were 76.9% and 88.8% for TT and ST, respectively (p=0.000). There were no statistically significant differences between the two regimens with respect to drug compliance and adverse events. Conclusions ST achieved better eradication rates than TT as a first-line therapy for H. pylori eradication in Korea.
Citrate Utilization by Corynebacterium glutamicum Is Controlled by the CitAB Two-Component System through Positive Regulation of the Citrate Transport Genes citH and tctCBA

ABSTRACT In this work, the molecular basis of aerobic citrate utilization by the gram-positive bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum was studied. Genome analysis revealed the presence of two putative citrate transport systems. The permease encoded by citH belongs to the citrate-Mg2+:H+/citrate-Ca2+:H+ symporter family, whereas the permease encoded by the tctCBA operon is a member of the tripartite tricarboxylate transporter family. The expression of citH or tctCBA in Escherichia coli enabled this species to utilize citrate aerobically, indicating that both CitH and TctABC are functional citrate transporters. Growth tests with the recombinant E. coli strains indicated that CitH is active with Ca2+ or Sr2+ but not with Mg2+ and that TctABC is active with Ca2+ or Mg2+ but not with Sr2+. We could subsequently show that, with 50 mM citrate as the sole carbon and energy source, the C. glutamicum wild type grew best when the minimal medium was supplemented with CaCl2 but that MgCl2 and SrCl2 also supported growth. Each of the two transporters alone was sufficient for growth on citrate. The expression of citH and tctCBA was activated by citrate in the growth medium, independent of the presence or absence of glucose. This activation was dependent on the two-component signal transduction system CitAB, composed of the sensor kinase CitA and the response regulator CitB. CitAB belongs to the CitAB/DcuSR family of two-component systems, whose members control the expression of genes that are involved in the transport and catabolism of tricarboxylates or dicarboxylates. C. glutamicum CitAB is the first member of this family studied in Actinobacteria.
What Determines Demand for Freight Transport

Decisions about investments in the long-lived assets of transport infrastructure require some assumptions about prospective long-term demand from services using that infrastructure. To improve the basis for such predictions, the authors estimated the long-run determinants of domestic freight transport, using single-equation regressions on a cross-section of data from developed (high-income), developing (low-income) and former socialist economies. They also sought answers to two related questions. First, since statistics on national ton-kilometers of freight transport are much scarcer for developing than for developed countries, what is the scope for generalizing from data on high-income countries? Second, within what limits may one apply results obtained from data on market economies to the prospective evolution of freight transport demand in the socialist transitional economies? They report the following finds, subject to caveats related to the simple methodology used. For the sample of developed countries, and the merged samples of developed plus developing countries, total ton-kilometers of freight transport (excluding transit) are adequately explained by two variables: a country's area and total GDP. Ton-kilometers by road are chiefly explained by GDP; ton-kilometers by rail are explained by country area. Road freight in developed and developing market economies shows very similar response (in additional ton-kilometers) to variations in GDP. But the elasticity of demand for road ton-kilometers with regard to GDP should be about or above 1.25 for developing countries, compared with close to unity for the high-income countries. Demand for rail freight transport appears to be determined in closely similar ways in both groups of countries. Elasticity with GDP appears to be close to unity. Judging from the narrow basis of evidence on socialist economies (China and the former USSR were excluded for technical reasons), transport demand was determined very differently in their systems than in the market economies. The contrasts are almost entirely explained by the differences in the role of, and demand for, rail transport in the different economic systems. The road sector of freight transport, on the other hand, conforms closely to norms in the market economies; the marginal response (additional ton-kilometer for additional GDP) and elasticity with respect to GDP, appear - on the available evidence - to be close to what is found for developed market economies. In short, structural change in the socialist economies is likely to bring about far greater changes in rail freight activity than in road transport.
Causes of inflation in Namibia : an empirical exploration

This paper sets out to establish possible causes of inflation in Namibia. These are: growth in Namibia’s money supply, aggregate demand and domestic costs of production; and pass-through of South Africa’s prices and costs to domestic prices in Namibia. This paper argues that inflation in Namibia is caused by a combination of monetary and structural factors. The paper recommends the following strategies:optimal mix of monetary and fiscal policy measures; exploration of Namibia’s import substitution possibilities; reduction of monopolistic and oligopolistic powers in manufacturing and trade; and increase labour productivity, as a means of reducing average cost of production.
Semi-Contraction : Axioms and Construction In memory of

Semi-contraction is a withdrawal operation defined by Ferm é in “On the logic of theory change: Contraction without recovery. ” In this paper we propose: (1) an axiomatic characterization of semi-contraction; (2) an alternative construction for semi-contraction based on semi-saturatable sets , inspired by Levi’s saturatable sets ; (3) a special kind of semi-contraction that satisfies theLindström and Rabinowicz interpolation thesis .
Leisure Services Management

Chapter 1. The Competent Leisure Services Manager Chapter 2. Foundations of Management Chapter 3. Leisure Services Managers Chapter 4. Legal Foundations for Managers Chapter 5. Organizational Structure Chapter 6. Coordination of Resources, Programs, and Services Chapter 7. Planning and Decision Making Chapter 8. Marketing and Public Relations Chapter 9. Communications and Customers Chapter 10. Personnel Procedures and Practices Chapter 11. Motivation, Rewards, and Discipline Chapter 12. Sources and Methods of Financing Chapter 13. Budgets and Financial Cost Analysis Chapter 14. Evaluation.