Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of Channel Coding Schemes with Blind Channel Estimation

Blind channel estimation (BCE) of multi channel FIR filters is an issue arising in e.g. mobile communication systems using digital signaling. It also arises in the presence of frequency selective fading, when training (reference/pilot) symbols are unavailable. In this contribution we analyze the performances of two types of channel coding schemes; turbo coding and serial concatenated convolutional coding (SCCC), with BCE. The BCE technique used here is a second order statistics algorithm based on subspace decomposition (SSD). The coding schemes are combined with this BCE technique to characterize a realistic scenario: in that we do not assume the transmitted signal to be white. Two types of blind equalizers are investigated: the zero forcing and the minimum mean squared error equalizers. The results show that the turbo-coding scheme performs better than the SCCC scheme by an average of 1-1.5 dB
The Use of Drugs within the Techno Party Scene in European Metropolitan Cities

In 1998, a total of 3,503 visitors of techno parties in Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Rome, Vienna and Zurich were interviewed. With this data, a subtly differentiated portrait of the techno party visitor was drawn, especially with a view to his/her involvement in the scene and the use of psychotropic substances. First of all, the results show that the use of illegal substances such as cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine is relatively widespread in the examined techno party scenes. A central characteristic of the drug use could be described as the polydrug occasional user model characterised by the occasional use of diverse substances that are usually taken together. The significance of the findings is discussed with regard to the practice of drug prevention.
Fault Isolation Using Extrinsic Curvature of Nonlinear Fault Models

This paper presents an online fault isolation methodology for identifying faulty components in a dynamical system. It is hypothesized that faults in a dynamical system can be suitably represented via nonlinear functions. The isolation scheme, which is implemented online, relies on adaptive nonlinear estimates of these nonlinear fault functions based on the system input output data. The nonlinear fault estimation is achieved using a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) architecture while the fault isolation is accomplished using extrinsic curvature of the learned RBFNN model. A simple simulation example is presented to illustrate the concept
Capacitance Reduction With An Optimized Converter Connection Applied to LED Drivers

This paper presents a new control method and a detailed project methodology for the optimized connection method of two converters, aiming to reduce the redundant power processing, in order to supply high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with reduced capacitance and high efficiency, directly from the ac line. This connection method allows dealing with two major issues related to the LED driver: capacitance reduction and efficiency increasing. The first converter provides power factor correction, whereas the second converter controls the current through the LED. The basic idea consists in making the second converter to process only the low-frequency ripple (LFR) of the first converter, thus smoothing the LED current. In this way, the LFR is managed by the second stage, so that the capacitance of the first stage can be significantly reduced. The proposed control method can achieve better results for the low-frequency compensation. In addition to that, a high power factor and a low harmonic content are obtained, fulfilling the IEC 61000-3-2 Class C requirements. A laboratory prototype with a rated power of 75 W and an input voltage of 220 Vrms/60 Hz was built in order to show the feasibility of the idea. The measured overall efficiency of the converter was 91%, and electrolytic capacitors were avoided.
Highly selective agonists for substance P receptor subtypes.

The existence of a third tachykinin receptor (SP‐N) in the mammalian nervous system was demonstrated by development of highly selective agonists. Systematic N‐methylation of individual peptide bonds in the C‐terminal hexapeptide of substance P gave rise to agonists which specifically act on different receptor subtypes. The most selective analog of this series, succinyl‐[Asp6,Me‐Phe8]SP6‐11, elicits half‐maximal contraction of the guinea pig ileum through the neuronal SP‐N receptor at a concentration of 0.5 nM. At least 60,000‐fold higher concentrations of this peptide are required to stimulate the other two tachykinin receptors (SP‐P and SP‐E). The action of selective SP‐N agonists in the guinea pig ileum is antagonized by opioid peptides, suggesting a functional counteraction between opiate and SP‐N receptors. These results indicate that the tachykinin receptors are distinct entities which may mediate different physiological functions.
INCURVATA2 Encodes the Catalytic Subunit of DNA Polymerase α and Interacts with Genes Involved in Chromatin-Mediated Cellular Memory in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cell type–specific gene expression patterns are maintained by the stable inheritance of transcriptional states through mitosis, requiring the action of multiprotein complexes that remodel chromatin structure. Genetic and molecular interactions between chromatin remodeling factors and components of the DNA replication machinery have been identified in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, indicating that some epigenetic marks are replicated simultaneously to DNA with the participation of the DNA replication complexes. This model of epigenetic inheritance might be extended to the plant kingdom, as we report here with the positional cloning and characterization of INCURVATA2 (ICU2), which encodes the putative catalytic subunit of the DNA polymerase α of Arabidopsis thaliana. The strong icu2-2 and icu2-3 insertional alleles caused fully penetrant zygotic lethality when homozygous and incompletely penetrant gametophytic lethality, probably because of loss of DNA polymerase activity. The weak icu2-1 allele carried a point mutation and caused early flowering, leaf incurvature, and homeotic transformations of sepals into carpels and of petals into stamens. Further genetic analyses indicated that ICU2 interacts with TERMINAL FLOWER2, the ortholog of HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 of animals and yeasts, and with the Polycomb group (PcG) gene CURLY LEAF. Another PcG gene, EMBRYONIC FLOWER2, was found to be epistatic to ICU2. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses indicated that a number of regulatory genes were derepressed in the icu2-1 mutant, including genes associated with flowering time, floral meristem, and floral organ identity.
Simultaneous and Successive Contrast Effects in the Perception of Depth from Motion-Parallax and Stereoscopic Information

Prolonged inspection of a three-dimensional corrugated surface resulted in a successive contrast effect, or aftereffect, of depth, whereby a subsequently-viewed physically-flat test surface appeared to be corrugated in depth with the opposite phase to the adapting surface. The aftereffect occurred both when the depth was specified by motion parallax, in the absence of all other sources of depth information, and when it was specified solely by stereoscopic information. The depth aftereffect was measured by ‘nulling’ the apparent depth in the test surface with physical relative motion or binocular disparity until the test surface appeared flat. Up to 70% of the depth in the adapting surface was necessary to null the aftereffect. Simultaneous contrast effects in the perception of three-dimensional surfaces were used to investigate the spatial interactions that exist in the processing of motion-parallax and stereoscopic information. A physically vertical surface appeared to slope in depth in the opposite direction to the slope of a surrounding surface. In this case up to 50% of the slope of the inducing surface was necessary to null the contrast effect. Similar results were again obtained for motion-parallax and stereoscopic depth.
Predicting student outcomes from unstructured data

We investigated the validity of applying topic modeling to unstructured student text data from online class discussion forums to predict students’ final grades. Using only student discussion data from introductory courses in biology and economics, both probabilistic latent semantic analysis (pLSA) and hierarchical latent Dirichlet allocation (hLDA) produced significantly better than chance predictions which improved with additional data collected over the duration of the course. Predictions were more accurate from hLDA than from pLSA, suggesting the feasibility and value of deriving conceptual hierarchies relevant to actual student data. Results indicate that topic modeling of studentgenerated text may provide a useful source of formative assessment to support learning and instruction.
Wireless hotspots: current challenges and future directions

In recent years, wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) have established Wi-Fi hotspots in increasing numbers at public venues, providing local coverage to traveling users and empowering them with the ability to access email, Web, and other Internet applications on the move. In this paper, we observe that while the mobile computing landscape has changed both in terms of number and type of hotspot venues, there are several technological and deployment challenges remaining before hotspots can become an ubiquitous infrastructure. These challenges include authentication, security, coverage, management, location services, billing, and interoperability. We discuss existing research, the work of standards bodies, and the experience of commercial hotspot providers in these areas, and then describe compelling open research questions that remain.
On the use of corpora in the analysis of forensic texts

Twenty-five years ago Jan Svartvik published The Evans Statements: A Case For Forensic Linguistics in which he demonstrated that disputed parrs of a series of four statements, which had been dictated to police officers by Timothy Evans and incriminated him in the murder of his wife, had a measurably different grammatical style from the uncontested parrs and a new discipline was born. Initially its growth was slow; in unexpected places there appeared isolated articles in which the author, often a distinguished linguist, analysed disputed confessions, commented on purported records of interaction, evaluated the ability of ordinary people to understand legal language or challenged the authenticity of non-native-like language attributed to immigrants or aboriginals (see Levi, 1994 for references). There was, however, in those early days no attempt to establish a discipline or even a methodology for forensic linguistics - the work was usually undertaken as an intellectual challenge and almost always required the creation, rather than simply the application , of a method of analysis. By contrast, in the past five years, there has been a rapid growth in the frequency with which courts in a series of countries have called on linguists as expert witnesses, and, in consequence, there is now a developing methodology and a growing number of linguists who act as expert witnesses, a few even on a full-time basis (see Levi, this volume).
On the practical application of mixed effects models for repeated measures to clinical trial data

The use of mixed effects models for repeated measures (MMRM) for clinical trial analyses has recently gained broad support as a primary analysis methodology. Some questions of practical implementation detail remain, however. For example, whether and how to incorporate clinical trial data that is collected at nonprotocol‐specified timepoints or clinic visits has not been systematically studied. In this paper, we compare different methods for applying MMRM to trials wherein data is available at protocol‐specified timepoints, as well as nonprotocol‐specified timepoints due to patient early discontinuation. The methods under consideration included observed case MMRM, per protocol visits MMRM, interval last observation carried forward (LOCF) MMRM, and a hybrid of the per protocol visits and interval LOCF MMRM approaches. Simulation results reveal that the method that best controls the type I error rate is the per protocol visits method. This method is also associated with the least precision among the competing methods. Thus, in confirmatory clinical trials wherein control of type I error rates is critical, per protocol visits MMRM is recommended. However, in exploratory trials where strict type I error control is not as critical, one may prefer interval LOCF MMRM due to its increased precision. Points to consider with respect to both study design (e.g., assigning schedule of events) and subsequent analysis are offered. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The media reality: Epistemological functions of media in cultural systems

This essay focuses upon cognitive and cultural relationships now associated with the electronic “media explosion. ” Neurophysiological research is surveyed and assessed for its potential power as a means for viewing the electronic media as a social reality equal in power to the kind of understandings produced by science and everyday experiences. Particularly, the existing literature is examined for the credibility it lends to the notion that media formats affect the type of mental patterns and concommitant cultural systems controlling human communication. The case outlined suggests that the electronic media generate predominantly holistic, metaphorical, and pattern recognition understandings while simultaneously promoting an epideictic value orientation. Heuristic in design, this essay thus examines the view which holds that the media constitute a discrete reality or way of knowing.
Anger management therapy with young male offenders: An evaluation of treatment outcome

The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of a brief group-based anger management intervention with young male offenders. Eighty-seven prisoners were assessed as suitable for the intervention. Fifty of these made up the experimental group and 37 the control. Prior to intervention prisoners completed a self-report anger questionnaire (Anger Management Assessment questionnaire: AMA). Prisoners were also assessed by officers on a checklist addressing angry behaviour (Wing Behaviour Checklist: WBC). Both measures were completed approximately two weeks before the date of the intervention and eight weeks after the intervention (and while the control group remained on the waiting list). It was predicted that the experimental group would show significant improvements in both measures following intervention and that no such change would be observed in the control group. This hypothesis was supported, with significant improvements observed in the experimental group and no change observed in the control.
Minimum output entropy of bosonic channels: A conjecture

The von Neumann entropy at the output of a bosonic channel with thermal noise is analyzed. Coherent-state inputs are conjectured to minimize this output entropy. Physical and mathematical evidence in support of the conjecture is provided. A stronger conjecture—that output states resulting from coherent-state inputs majorize the output states from other inputs—is also discussed. presented. We also consider a stronger conjecture—that out- put states resulting from coherent-state inputs majorize the output states from other inputs—which, if true, would imply the minimum output entropy conjecture. (Note that the mini- mum output entropy problem was previously treated in (7), which reported some of the results that we will discuss. ) Additional supporting evidence for the minimum-entropy conjecture appears in our companion paper (8), where we show that the integer-order Renyi entropies and the Wehrl entropy at the output of the bosonic channel are minimized when the channel input is a coherent state. In Sec. II we present CP maps for the two bosonic chan- nels that will be considered in this paper. The minimum out- put entropy conjecture and its stronger (majorization) version are then stated and explained. In Sec. III we analyze the two channel maps in detail, and develop some useful properties of their output entropies. In Sec. IV we prove the minimum output entropy conjecture for the restricted scenario in which only Gaussian states may be fed into the channel. In Sec. V we present a collection of lower bounds on S. These lower bounds are consistent with the minimum output entropy con- jecture. Moreover, in the low- and high-noise regimes they approach asymptotically the upper bounds from which the conjecture arises. In Sec. VI we obtain necessary conditions on any input state that minimizes the output entropy. We demonstrate, in particular, that every coherent-state input produces an output state that achieves a local minimum of the output entropy. Finally, in Sec. VII we address the stron- ger version of the conjecture by exhibiting some evidence that output states produced by coherent-state inputs majorize all other output states. The paper is structured so that Secs. IV and VII may be read independently. The most technical parts of the derivations have been relegated to the Appendi- ces.
Predictors of Pro-Environmental Behavior in Rural American Communities

Place and community attachment, community satisfaction, and environmental attitudes have all been independently linked to environmental behaviors. However, few efforts have attempted to determine the relationship between these factors, and together, how they relate to pro-environmental behaviors. Moreover, few studies have analyzed these concepts and relationships in the context of rural and low amenity settings. This study integrates these factors in a conceptual framework and examines them in the context of rural, low amenity communities. Based on the analysis of data from a survey of residents in six small, rural communities in Kansas and Iowa (N = 1,088), we find that environmental attitudes and place attachment are the strongest predictors of self-reported pro-environmental behaviors, while community satisfaction—including satisfaction with services and satisfaction with community leadership—is not a significant predictor. Recommendations for future research following the theoretical approach used in the study are presented.
Chaos can be overplayed

Recent "connectionist" models provide a new explanatory alternative to the digital computer as a model for brain function. Evidence from our EEG research on the olfactory bulb suggests that the brain may indeed use computational mechanisms like those found in connectionist models. In the present paper we discuss our data and develop a model to describe the neural dynamics responsible for odor recognition and discrimination. The results indicate the existence of sensoryand motor-specific information in the spatial dimension of EEG activity and call for new physiological metaphors and techniques of analysis. Special emphasis is placed in our model on chaotic neural activity. We hypothesize that chaotic behavior serves as the essential ground state for the neural perceptual apparatus, and we propose a mechanism for acquiring new forms of patterned activity corresponding to new learned odors. Finally, some of the implications of our neural model for behavioral theories are briefly discussed. Our research, in concert with the connectionist work, encourages a reevaluation of explanatory models that are based only on the digital computer metaphor.
Harnessing Implicit Teamwork Knowledge to Improve Quality in Crowdsourcing Processes

Workers in online crowd sourcing systems have different levels of expertise, trustworthiness, incentives and motivations. Therefore, recruiting sufficient number of well-suited workers is always a challenge. Existing methods usually recruit workers through open calls, friendships relations, matching their profiles with task requirements or recruiting teams of workers. But there are still challenges that need more investigations, mainly all existing recruitment methods are highly vulnerable to collaborating misbehaviour, i.e., Collusion. %These groups are highly vulnerable to collusion attacks. In this paper, we propose a recruitment method which takes into account individual and social attributes of workers to find suitable workers. The method discovers indirect collaborations between workers to harness implicit teamwork knowledge in order to increase the quality of crowd sourcing tasks' outcome and in the same time prevent collusion attacks. The proposed method is implemented and tested using the simulated data, build based on a public data dump from Stack overflow. The evaluation results show the accuracy of the obtained results and superiority of our proposed method over the other related work.
Integration of Chang'E-1 Imagery and Laser Altimeter Data for Precision Lunar Topographic Modeling

Lunar orbital imagery and laser altimeter data are two major data sources for lunar topographic modeling. Most of the previous work has processed imagery and laser altimeter data separately. Usually though, there are inconsistencies between the topographic models derived from them. This paper presents an endeavor to integrate the Chang'E-1 imagery and laser altimeter data for consistent and precision lunar topographic modeling. A combined adjustment model for the Chang'E-1 imagery and laser altimeter data is developed, in which the participants are the laser altimeter points, image exterior orientation (EO) parameters, and tie points collected from the stereo images. A weighting scheme is designed for the participants in the adjustment, and a local surface constraint is imposed to improve the adjustment performance. The output of the combined adjustment is the refined image EO parameters and laser ground points. Experimental results using the Chang'E-1 data in the Apollo 15 and 16 landing site areas show that the proposed combined adjustment approach can reduce the misregistrations between the imagery and the laser altimeter data by a maximum of 1-18 pixels in image space. The Japanese SELenological and ENgineering Explorer (SELENE) laser altimeter data at the Apollo 15 and 16 landing site areas are employed for comparison analysis. Small shifts between the SELENE and Chang'E-1 laser altimeter data were found. The topography derived from Chang'E-1 data after the combined adjustment shows a relatively consistent trend with the topography determined by the SELENE laser altimeter data.
Collision-Free Access Control for Computer Communication Bus Networks

This paper considers access control for local area computer communication networks. We propose two distributed access control schemes for a bus network. The schemes are simple and asynchronous, and provide for collision-free communication among ports. In addition, one of the schemes provides a bounded, guaranteed time to transmisidon for each port. We also show that this scheme is efficient in the use of the bus bandwidth, in the sense that there is only a small fraction of time during which the bus is idle when there is at least one packet available for transmission.