Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sincronismo em redes mestre-escravo com atraso

The dynamical behavior of synchronous telecommunication networks under slow changes caused by degradation in the oscillators composing the network is studied. These oscillators are phase-locked loops (PLLs). Through the Dynamical System Theory, the behaviors of a single second-order PLL and of such a PLL connected in master-slave single chain network and master-slave single loop networks are analysed. The delay on signal propagation between the oscillators is taken into account. The influence of the parameter values of the oscillators on the existence and on the stability of the synchronous solution for networks composed by one master and one slave is discussed. In the chain network, the delay forbids the existence of synchronous solution; in the single loop network; such a solution only can exist when the propagation time of the signal from the master to the slave is equal to that from the slave to the master.
Application of a Noise Adaptive Contrast Sensitivity Function to Image Data Compression

The visual contrast sensitivity function (CSF) has found increasing use in image compression as new algorithms optimize the display-observer interface in order to reduce the bit rate and increase the perceived image quality. In most compression algorithms, increasing the quantization intervals reduces the bit rate at the expense of introducing more quantization error, a potential image quality degradation. The CSF can be used to distribute this error as a function of spatial frequency such that it is undetectable by the human observer. Thus, instead of being mathematically lossless, the compression algorithm can be designed to be visually lossless, with the advantage of a significantly reduced bit rate. However, the CSF is strongly affected by image noise, changing in both shape and peak sensitivity. This work describes a model of the CSF that includes these changes as a function of image noise level by using the concepts of internal visual noise, and tests this model in the context of image compression with an observer study.
Characteristics of digitized images of technical articles

Document image blocks characterized using projection profiles is proposed. We have collected statistical information on scanned pages of technical articles as a by-product of digitized document analysis. Specifically, in our hierarchical block segmentation and labeling approach (syntactic), 65 training and test pages from two publications were used. Additional information on compression and profiles was also used. Pixel-level information is required as input whether the analyzing tool is an expert system or something else. The issues covered are: (1) Profile characteristics of document objects like text, line drawings, tables, and half-tones, and the variation of these profiles with block size, type size, and direction of scan. (2) Speckle noise: sizes and distribution. (3) For the hierarchical (syntactic) approach, number of tree nodes at each level along with their areas, and comparison with node areas derived from transition-cut trees. (4) CCITT-Group 4 compression statistics on document sub-blocks and whole pages. (5) Size of postscript files and postscript commands used in printing these page files. We believe that these results would allow predicting some characteristics of a printed page digitized at any specified sampling rate.
Design of feedback control systems for stable plants with saturating actuators

A systematic control design methodology is introduced for multi-input/multi-output stable open-loop plants with multiple saturations. The idea is to introduce a supervisor loop so that when the references and/or disturbances are sufficiently small, the control system operates linearly as designed. For signals large enough to cause saturations, the control law is modified in such a way to ensure stability and to preserve, to the extent possible, the behavior of the linear control design. Key benefits of this methodology are: (1) the modified compensator never produces saturating control signals: (2) integrators and/or slow dynamics in the compensator never windup: (3) the directional properties of the controls are maintained; and (4) the closed-loop system has certain guaranteed stability properties. The advantages of the proposed design methodology are illustrated by the simulation of an academic example and the simulation of the multivariable longitudinal control of a modified model of the F-8 aircraft. <<ETX>>
Interface Design for Geographic Visualization: Tools for Representing Reliability

Digital "softcopy" maps are becoming the norm—replacing static paper maps in applications from wayfinding to scientific research. As a result, the design of interface tools that allow users to manipulate map parameters effectively and efficiently is likely to become as fundamental to cartography as the design of maps themselves. This article presents some principles for the design of interfaces to geo-referenced data. These principles are summarized in a hierarchical approach to interface design with conceptual, operational, and implementational levels. This hierarchical approach leads designers from questions about the goals of the system and the users of that system to the creation of tools to accomplish those goals and interface controls that allow effective interaction with the tools. The article goes on to describe the application of these principles to a prototype geographic visualization system designed for exploration of spatial data sets and visualization of reliability of both data and data abst.
Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation for Three-Level NPC-VSI

This work addresses the design and experimental validation of a three-level Neutral-Point Clamped (NPC) inverter. A Space-Vector Modulation (SVM) algorithm which simplifies the space-vector diagram of a three-level inverter so that it can be used with a two-level inverter is developed. The dwell times are calculated on the simplification process in the same way as for a conventional two-level SVM method. Experimental results that validate the SVM algorithm developed to control the three-level NPC are presented. The SVM algorithm is programmed on a Freescale DSP56F8037 development system.
A Natural Quantum Neural-Like Network

A neural-net-like quantum information dynamics is presented. The model is based on Hopfield’s and holographic neural nets which were successfully simulated on conventional computers. An analogous natural, i.e. relatively non-artificial, quantum information processing system is developed in this article. Neuro-quantum interaction can regulate the ”collapse”-readout of quantum computation results. This paper is a comprehensive introduction into associative processing and memory-storage in quantum-physical framework.
A 10-bit current-mode low-power CMOS A/D converter with a current predictor and a modular current reference

This paper describes a 10-bit CMOS current-mode ADC with a current predictor and a modular current reference circuits. A current predictor and a modular current reference are employed to reduce the number of comparators and reference current mirrors and consequently to decrease a power dissipation. The simulation result shows a conversion rate of 10 M samples/s and a power dissipation of 110 mW.
The rate-based flow control framework for the available bit rate ATM service

A new ATM service category, the available bit rate service, is currently the subject of intense development. This new service will systematically and dynamically allocate available bandwidth to users by controlling the flow of traffic with feedback. The rate-based flow control framework has been identified as the most appropriate for the support of this new service. >
Knowledge Modeling and Semantic Retrieval for Sports Information Based on Ontology

Ontology, with the excellent concept hierarchy and appropriately supporting for logic reasoning, is the basis of knowledge modeling on the Semantic Web and the effective tool for semantic retrieval. This paper pays attention to the sports information management in WWW. Firstly, based on the domain ontology model, we build the sports ontology which has the character of wide-cover and small information granularity. Then this paper present the semantic retrieval system for sports information using SPARQL query language, which realizes the intelligent retrieval at semantic level according to the relations of “synonymy of”, “kind of” and “part of” between sports concepts. For the trend of exploding increase of sports information, this research has practical significance to some extent.
Locality Sensitive Hashing with Extended Partitioning Boundaries

Locality-sensitive hashing is a technique to allow approximate nearest search for large volume of data in a fast manner. Binary code locality-sensitive hashing distributes a data set into buckets labeled with binary code, where binary codes are determined by a set of hash functions. The binary hash codes play the role of partitioning the data space into subspaces. When close neighbors are placed around subspace boundaries, there are chances to fail in locating them. It requires to check neighboring buckets while finding nearest ones. The paper presents a technique to enhance the search performance by introducing the notion of extended boundary. It reduces the potential misses and the search overhead especially for the regions located at the double-napped corners. Keywords: locality sensitive hashing, data search, hashing, data analysis
Learner English on Computer

Computer learner corpus (CLC) research is still in its infancy. With roots both in corpus linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA) studies, it uses the methods and tools of corpus linguistics to gain better insights into authentic learner language. This volume is intended to open up a new field of research to a wider audience and includes articles on all aspects of computer learner corpus research, from the initial stage of corpus compilation to the final stage of pedagogical application. Although the main focus of the book is English as a Foreign Language, the approach could easily be applied to other foreign languages. The book is divided into three main parts. Part 1 is a general outline of learner corpus design and analysis. In the first paper, I first discuss the place of learner corpus research within corpus linguistics, SLA and ELT, and then outline the basic principles underlying learner corpus compilation and computer-aided linguistic analysis of learner data. In the second paper, Fanny Meunier presents the major linguistic software tools, focusing in particular on their relevance for interlanguage studies. In Part 2, the principles outlined in the first part of the book are put into practice through a series of case studies examining various aspects of learner lexis, discourse and grammar.The first three papers analyse learner lexis from a variety of angles: high frequency words (Hakan Ringbom), adjective intensification (Gunter Lorenz) and recurrent word combinations (Sylvie De Cock et al.). The following three papers focus on discourse phenomena: connectors (Bengt Altenberg and Marie Tapper), questions (Tuija Virtanen) and features of reader/writer visibility (Stephanie Petch-Tyson). The research in the last two papers is carried out on tagged corpora and highlights aspects of learner grammar on the basis of the frequencies of individual tags (Sylviane Granger and Paul Rayson) and tag sequences (Jan Aarts and Sylviane Granger). Part 3 shows how CLC-based studies can help improve pedagogical tools: EFL grammars (Doug Biber and Randi Reppen), dictionaries (Patrick Gillard and Adam Gadsby), writing textbooks (Przemyslaw Kaszubski) and electronic tools (John Milton). Implications for classroom methodology are highlighted in the last paper (Sylviane Granger and Chris Tribble). Interest in learner corpora is growing fast, with both SLA specialists and ELT practicioners beginning to recognize their theoretical and practical value. There is no doubt in my mind that we are on the verge of a learner corpus boom. This volume will serve its purpose if it helps would-be learner corpus builders and analysts to get started in a field of research which is certain to make an important contribution to foreign language learning and teaching.
Plain Language in Environmental Policy Documents: An Assessment of Reader Comprehension and Perceptions

Several government agencies are seeking quality improvement in environmental policy documents by asking for the implementation of Plain Language (PL) guidelines. Our mixed-methods research examines whether the application of certain PL guidelines affects the comprehension and perceptions of readers of environmental policy documents. Results show that the presence of pronouns affects inferential comprehension of environmental impact statement summaries (EIS summaries), but that the effect varies with the reader's education level. Further, headings in question phrasing affect a reader's perception of familiarity and reliability of EIS summaries. A reader's perceptions of EIS summaries and attitudes toward the organizations creating the documents are also affected by overall design features. PL guidelines on the use of pronouns and question headings are not fully supported by our research and need further validation with regard to comprehension. This article ends with a call for further research.
Design techniques for single-low-VDD CMOS systems

In this paper, a new CMOS design scheme called the single-low-V/sub DD/ CMOS (SLVCMOS) is proposed. With this scheme, a CMOS design implemented in a multi-V/sub TH/ CMOS technology can be operated with a very low external supply voltage, say 0.5-V, with a sleep current at the level of only picoampere per gate. The key items for a single-chip SLVCMOS design include a sleepless mixed-V/sub TH/ flip-flop, a boosted sleeping clock signal, and three low-power hard blocks. Analysis shows that additional benefits of using the SLVCMOS include higher performance and lower power consumption in the active mode, smaller leakage current in the sleep mode, shorter wake-up time and reduced wake-up energy during the sleep-to-active transition, and a reduced number of sleep-control signals, saving precious routing resources and reducing the chip area. A dual-rail SLVCMOS cell library and two test chips, one 32-b RISC core and the other verifying the design of hard blocks, are designed and implemented to show the feasibility of the proposed design scheme and the design techniques.
The study on the feedback of large scale content-based video retrieval

This paper addresses the problem of large scale content-based video retrieval with relevance feedback. We analyze the common methods which leverage local feature detectors to extract feature descriptors from video collections and perform multi-level matching after indexing and retrieval of feature vectors. Instead of learning similarity-preserving codes, an approach of relevance feedback in a light-weight way is proposed. A relevance model is proposed to merge semantic similarity with the original distance matching at descriptor level. By learning several weights using canonical correlation analysis (CCA), the resulting candidate list of similar videos changes according to relevance feedback. Finally, we demonstrate the improvement of the proposed method by experiments on a standard real world dataset.
NATURAL EXPERT: a commercial functional programming environment

NATURAL EXPERT is a product that allows users to build knowledge-based systems. It uses a lazy functional language, NATURAL EXPERT LANGUAGE, to implement backward chaining and provide a reliable knowledge processing environment in which development can take place. Customers from all over the world buy the system and have used it to handle a variety of problems, including applications such as airplane servicing and bank loan assessment. Some of these are used 10,000 times or more per month.
Small-scale clumps of dark matter

Small-scale clumps of dark matter are gravitationally bounded structures that have masses comparable to or lower than stellar masses and consist of noninteracting or weakly interacting dark matter particles. In this paper, the current knowledge about the formation and evolution of such structures is reviewed, various types of spectra of primordial cosmological perturbations are considered, and various dark matter models are discussed. Depending on the particular spectrum type, dark matter clumps may differ considerably in their formation processes and ultimate characteristics. The role of clumps in experiments on indirect detection of dark matter particles via their annihilation products is discussed. A number of astrophysical problems and phenomena that are related to dark matter clumps are examined.
A Study on Design and Development of Web Information Collection System Based Compare and Merge Method

논문투고일:2013년 12월 30일 논문수정완료일:2014년 03월 01일 논문게재확정일:2014년 3월 04일 * 건국대학교 정보통신대학교 인터넷미디어공학부 산학교수 Recently, the quantity of information that is accessible from the Internet is being dramatically increased. Searching the Web for useful information has therefore become increasingly difficult. Thus, much research has been done on web robots which perform internet information filtering based on user interest. If a web site which users want to visit is found, its content is searched by following the searching list or Web sites links in order. This search process takes a long time according as the number of page or site increases so that its performance need to be improved. In order to minimize unnecessary search with web robots, this paper proposes an efficient information collection system based on compare and merge method. In the proposed system, a web robot initially collects information from web sites which users register. From the next visit to the web sites, the web robot compares what it collected with what the web sites have currently. If they are different, the web robot updates what it collected. Only updated web page information is classified according to subject and provided to users so that users can access the updated information quickly. Keyword:Web Robot, Web Searching, Web Crawler, Information Collection System, Compare and Merge Method. 韓國IT서비스學會誌 第13卷 第1號 2014年 3月, pp.147-159
An information seeking and using process model in the workplace: a constructivist approach

This paper describes an in‐depth case study of auditors, and presents a non‐linear model of an information seeking and using process in the workplace. It argues for a model that focuses on information users’ perceived situations at a particular time and place. The model comprises a set of critically different situations that auditors perceived in dynamic information seeking and using processes in their workplaces: task initiation situation, focus formulating situation, ideas assuming situation, ideas confirming situation, ideas rejecting situation, ideas finalising situation and passing on ideas situation. Distinctive information behaviours associated with each situation are identified. The model has important implications: first, it highlights the impracticability of modelling a “right” information seeking and using path for all auditors; second, it explains phenomena considered as exceptions in traditional information seeking models; third, it points out the changing meaning of information for auditors in different situations. The alternative model provides a framework for transcending current practices in information literacy education, information systems design and information management.
Applying an Activity Theory Lens to Designing Instruction for Learning About the Structure, Behavior, and Function of a Honeybee System

This article reports on a study in which activity theory was used to design, implement, and analyze a 10-week curriculum unit about how honeybees collect nectar with a particular focus on complex systems concepts. Students (n = 42) in a multi-year kindergarten and 1st-grade classroom participated in this study as part of their 10 regular classroom activity. The curricular unit was composed of 4 specific activity types, each of which was intended to focus students on a particular dimension of the content: (a) Inquiry with BeeSign software was intended to help students explore the benefit of individual nectar-collecting behaviors for the hive as a whole; (b) traditional drawing activities were intended to help students learn the structures of 15 the bees; (c) participatory representation activities, in which students enacted the behavior of the bees as they collect nectar, were intended to help students link bee structures to individual behaviors; and (d) an embodied nectar-gathering game was intended to help the students recognize the challenges of finding nectar for individual bees. Pre- and posttest interviews reveal a shift in individual student understanding 20 as students progressed from discussing the superficial structures of the system to discussing both behaviors and functions.
Ameliorative role of quercetin in iron overload induced heart and brain toxicity in adult male albino rats

Although iron is an essential element for life, its excess is linked to many disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of quercetin on iron induced toxicity on the heart and brain in adult male albino rats. 50 adult male albino rats were equally divided into groups; Group I (negative control), Group II (positive control) received normal saline 0.9%. Group III (Quercetin group) was treated with quercetin (2 g/kg daily) for 8 weeks and Group IV (Iron group) was injected intraperitoneal daily with iron dextran (300 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Group V (Iron and quercetin group) was injected intraperitoneal daily with iron dextran (300 mg/kg) for 4 weeks, and then gavaged orally with quercetin (2 g/kg once a day) for another 4 weeks. At the end of the study, blood samples were taken to estimate the serum levels of iron, malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Heart and brain specimens were dissected from scarified rats to estimate tissue level of iron, histopathological examination, immunohistochemical staining for tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and comet assay. Iron overload caused increases in serum, heart and brain iron levels; increase in serum MDA and decrease in serum TAC with degenerative changes in the examined tissues and increasing expression of TNFα and DNA degradation. After administration of quercetin, a significant improvement in all these parameters was observed. Quercetin acts as iron chelator decreasing serum and tissue iron levels, ameliorating oxidative stress, inflammatory effects and DNA damage induced by iron overload. More studies are recommended to evaluate the beneficial effects of quercetin with iron excess. Key words: Iron, quercetin, heart toxicity, brain toxicity.