Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Free take-home virtual laboratories using professional simulation software

It is well known that computer simulations can aid the understanding of complex devices and systems, particularly if they allow the students to modify parameters and see the results on laboratory-like virtual instrumentation. However, a drawback of commercial simulation tools is that they cannot be distributed freely to students, for 'take-home' assignments. To address this problem, VPI has developed VPIplayer™, which has the full simulation capabilities of VPItransmissionMaker™ and VPIcomponentMaker™, including exactly the same numerical models as the full commercial tools. VPIplayer can illustrate basic concepts through to complex systems designs, and is distributed freely to anyone with a PC. This paper discusses the advantages of using commercial software in education, introduces VPIplayer and how to create Virtual Laboratories, charts the range of possible experiments, and provides some illustrations of virtual 'take home' laboratories.
Monitoring Convergence of Temporal Features in Spontaneous Dialogue Speech

This paper presents ongoing research on convergence of speech features in human dialogues, in view of simulating this behaviour in spoken dialogue systems. The TAMA method (time-aligned moving average), previously used on monitoring convergence of acoustic prosodic (a/p) features, is applied to temporal properties of speech (between-turn pauses and overlaps). The results are compared to those of an older study on the same features.
Automatic text classification of English newswire articles based on statistical classification techniques

The basic process of automatic text classification is learning a classification scheme from training examples and then using it to classify unseen textual documents. It is essentially the same as the process of graphic or character pattern recognition. Thus, the pattern recognition approaches can be used for automatic text categorization. In this research several statistical classification techniques that include Euclidean distance, various similarity measures, linear discriminant function, projection distance, modified projection distance, and SVM, have been used for automatic text classification. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector. Comparative experiments have been conducted using the Reuters‐21578 test collection of English newswire articles. The results illustrate that the overall efficiency of modified projection distance is better than the other methods and that principal component analysis is suitable for reducing the dimensionality of the text features. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 152(1): 50–60, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20108
Design science in IS research : a literature analysis

The publication of the work on design science by Alan Hevner and his colleagues has fostered much discussion on what is and what is not considered to be design science in Information Systems (IS) research. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some authors claim design science as a methodology in their work, without much consideration of theoretical or methodological aspects, or the appropriateness of their artefact. Also it would appear that design science papers have been proliferating rapidly of late. Accordingly, we were interested to identify the proliferation, nature and quality of design science research in Information Systems conference publications since the publication of Hevner et al.’s work in 2004. We examine design science articles published at five major IS conferences over the last three years. We subject 83 articles, identified as relevant via a rigorous analysis process, to three types of analysis - statistical, thematic and methodological. The results of these analyses indicate that design science appears to be a growing stream of research in IS. We also found design science research to be strongly prevalent in the research domains of process, knowledge and information management. The most interesting results stem out of our methodological analysis, which suggests that only a small percentage of the papers discuss a concise and consistent implementation of the design science methodology suggested by Hevner et al.
Discrete-Time Processing of Speech Signals

Preface to the IEEE Edition. Preface. Acronyms and Abbreviations. SIGNAL PROCESSING BACKGROUND. Propaedeutic. SPEECH PRODUCTION AND MODELLING. Fundamentals of Speech Science. Modeling Speech Production. ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES. Short--Term Processing of Speech. Linear Prediction Analysis. Cepstral Analysis. CODING, ENHANCEMENT AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT. Speech Coding and Synthesis. Speech Enhancement. Speech Quality Assessment. RECOGNITION. The Speech Recognition Problem. Dynamic Time Warping. The Hidden Markov Model. Language Modeling. The Artificial Neural Network. Index.
Evaluation of shielding effectiveness for different designs of building apertures in cellular communications frequency bands

Building apertures are the main source of electromagnetic wave penetration into buildings. The shielding effectiveness is evaluated for different thirteen models of apertures to cover all possible variation of designs, which may affect the radiation levels inside buildings. The analysis is performed in cellular communication frequency bands because the cellular base station becomes the main source of radiation inside buildings. Finite difference time domain method is used because most of the analytical methods is restricted by many conditions such as simplicity of designs and electrically small apertures that is not applicable in building apertures case.
Effects of Optical Flow and Discrete Warnings on Deceleration Detection during Car Following

Tau specifies time-to-contact between a driver and a lead car, and is potentially useful to prevent rear-end collisions. However, studies suggest that time-to-contact judgments are based on multiple information sources and that effective information varies with distance. We focused on three questions: Does a driver's response to a lead car's deceleration occur when the car's optical size, expansion rate, or tau reaches a “critical” value? Does effective information differ for near and far lead cars? Is a driver's response affected by discrete warnings (brake lights and auditory warnings) that occur independently of optical flow information? Results suggested that responses were not based on a critical value of the optical parameters considered here, and were affected by discrete warnings. Further, effective information varied with the distance and deceleration rate of the lead car. Results were consistent with prior proposals that advanced brake warning systems and collision-avoidance warning systems can reduce the incidence of rear-end collisions. Future studies of this kind will help to improve the design of collision-avoidance systems and to reduce rear-end collisions.
Facial Emotion Recognition and Adaptative Postural Reaction by a Humanoid based on Neural Evolution

﻿﻿ We present a method of bidirectional interaction between a human and a humanoid robot in terms of emotional expressions. The robot is able to detect continuous transitions of human emotions that ranges from very sad to very happy using Active Appearance Models (AAMs) and Neural Evolution Algorithm to determinate the face shape and gestures. As a response of the human emotions, the robot performs postural reactions that dynamically adapt to the human expressions, performing a body language which changes in terms of intensity as the human emotions vary. Our method is implemented in the HOAP-3 humanoid robot.
DETECTION AND RECOGNITION OF VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES USING TEMPLATE MATCHING, GENETIC ALGORITHMS AND NEURAL NETWORKS

In this paper, we propose a system for automatic detection and recognition of vehicle license plates using template matching, genetic algorithms and neural networks. In the license plate detection part, an artificial template that consists of an outer rectangle that encloses two smaller rectangles is constructed. The size of the outer and inner rectangles, the positioning, size, orientation, position and color of the template are all controlled using the genetic algorithm. To fill the areas outside the inner rectangle, random selection of color pixels from a plate color database are used. In the character recognition part, we combine two methods into a hybrid system. In the first method, we train neural networks to recognize the characters and in the second method, we use template matching. To control the size of both the neural network inputs and the template, we apply a genetic algorithm to guide the search. The final system accuracy achieved is 96.8% for character recognition and 98.01% for license plate detection. Keywords: License plates, Neural networks, Genetic algorithms, Template matching, Character recognition
A cellular analog front end with a 98 dB IF receiver

To date, mixed-signal CMOS devices designed for cellular telephony have adopted conventional receiver architectures. They consist of dual baseband A/D converters with performance limited to approximately 60 to 75 dB dynamic range. Thus, these architectures require the following components in the preceding IF strip. Since the overall system dynamic range is on the order of 140 dB, a large amount of programmable gain (80-100 dB) is required in the preceding RF/IF strip to preserve the system noise. External filters at both the first and second IF frequencies are required to provide full channel selectivity before the A/D conversion is performed. Also, dual analog quadrature mixers are required to convert the receive signal from the second IF to baseband. The mixed-signal CMOS device presented in this paper substantially reduces the programmable gain, filtering, and external components required in the IF strip. This is accomplished by performing an IF A/D conversion and providing 98 dB dynamic range. <<ETX>>
Replication vs Erasure Coding in Data Centric Storage for Sensor Networks

In-network storage of data in wireless sensor networks (such as DCS-GHT, for instance) is considered a viable alternative to external storage since it contributes to reduce the communications inside the network and to favor data aggregation. In current approaches it exploits pure data replication to assure data availability. In this paper, we consider the use of codes and data dispersal in combination to in-network storage. In particular, given an abstract model of in-network storage we show how codes can be employed, and we discuss how this can be achieved in three cases of study. Since the configuration of the network is particularly critical with respect to correct data encoding, we define framework aimed at evaluating the probability of correct data encoding and decoding. Then we exploit this result and simulations to show how, in the cases of study, the parameters of the codes and the network should be configured in order to achieve correct data coding and decoding with high probability.
Pipelined Asynchronous Cache Design

This thesis describes the development of pipelined asynchronous cache memories. The work is done in the context of the performance characteristics of memories and transistor logic of a late 1990's high-performance asynchronous microprocessor. We describe the general framework of asynchronous memory systems, caching, and those system characteristics that make caching of growing importance and keep it an interesting research topic. Finally, we present the main contribution of this work, which is a latency-tolerating asynchronous cache micro-architecture suitable for asynchronous microprocessors. In Chapter Two, we present a case study of the Level 1 data and instruction caches for the Caltech MiniMIPS asynchronous microprocessor, currently under development at Caltech. The implementation is quasi-delay-insensitive in 0.6 micron scalable CMOS rules, with a logic latency of approximately 2 nanoseconds.
What's wrong with mean-squared error?

The invention relates to a spark plug tightener with a cylindrical housing having on one end a multi-faceted opening for engaging the spark plug and on the other end an annular shaped profile in front view through which passes a turning shaft with a corresponding profile in front view whereby the turning shaft is held under the tension of cup springs by means of a cover cap screwed over the housing.
The Effects of Graphic Organizers and Content Familiarity on Second Graders' Comprehension of Cause/Effect Text

The Effects of Graphic Organizers and Content Familiarity on Second Graders’ Comprehension of Cause/Effect Text Anne Elizabeth Snyder The ability to comprehend expository text is vital for academic and professional success; however, many students struggle with this genre. While it has been found that text structure-based graphic organizers (GOs) may assist older students in comprehending expository text, it is uncertain whether this type of scaffold is effective for primary-grade students. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of graphic organizers, level of text structure complexity, and content familiarity on second grade students’ comprehension, recall, and sensitivity to cause/effect text structure. A mixed-factorial posttest-only design was utilized, with two between-subjects factors (graphic organizers and level of cause/effect structure complexity) and one within-subjects factor (content familiarity). Eighty second-grade students from two elementary schools were asked to read four cause/effect passages with familiar content (i.e. concerning objects and events that students encounter in their everyday lives) and four cause/effect passages with unfamiliar science content. Students were randomly assigned to either a graphic organizer condition or a control condition. Students in the graphic organizer condition read a cause/effect graphic organizer after reading each passage, while students in the control condition re-read the passage. Half of the students read passages with a one cause-one effect text structure and half read passages with a more complex one cause-multiple effects structure. Text structure comprehension, recall, and sensitivity were measured via student performance on three tasks. In the first task, students answered questions designed to assess structural awareness and comprehension. The proportions of structure questions answered correctly were calculated for
Validation of neural network analysis to predict prognosis in breast cancer patients

In order to analyze the possibility to utilize alternative techniques for statistical evaluation of biomedical data, the authors have applied neural network analysis for prediction of probability of relapse in a series of 101 node negative breast cancer patients treated by radical surgery without any further systemic therapy. On the basis of the authors' preliminary results, the neural model, based on Kohonen map, seems able to individualize specific clusters of patients with different clinical pathological characteristics and probability of relapse. <<ETX>>
Optimal Policies for Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes

The main objective of this report is to provide implementation details for the more popular exact algorithms for solving finite horizon partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs). Along with the existing algorithms, a new algorithm, Witness, is proposed that has empirically been faster than the existing exact techniques. In addition to algorithmic details, the basic formulas and concepts of POMDPs are presented, as well as explanations and discussion about the basic form of POMDP solutions. This document is aimed at those who do not have a lot of experience with the techniques or concepts of POMDPs.
The Conundrums of Language Policy and Politics in South Africa and Zimbabwe

This article reflects on and reinterprets South Africa's documented human rights-inspired language policy and Zimbabwe's assimilation–tolerance approach to language use. The overall intention is to expose and discuss the intolerant, undemocratic and homogenizing ideologies underpinning language policy in the two neighbouring southern African countries. The article spotlights the ceremonial ‘official language’ status of South Africa's nine African languages and the ‘national language’ status of the Ndebele language in Zimbabwe. It is argued that contrary to rosy policy enunciations, actual patterns of language use and discursive practices of ruling political elites confer higher functional status to English and Afrikaans in South Africa and English and Shona in Zimbabwe. Therefore, as well as being firmly located and resident in political statements of the ruling elites, language policy ideologies are also hidden in the fissures and faultlines of official documents. The article concludes that the documented language policies of South Africa and Zimbabwe epitomize lofty ideals that are not consonant with actual patterns of language use mediated and legitimized by hegemonic discourses of ruling politicians.
A High Performance MEG Based BCI Using Single Trial Detection of Human Movement Intention

Human volitional movement is orchestrated by dynamic changes in brain activity that can be detected by noninvasive electrophysiological recording using electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG). At least two kinds of movement-related brain activity can be observed: movement–related cortical potentials (MRCP) and event-related desynchronization/ synchronization (ERD/ERS) in the alpha (8-13Hz) and beta frequency band (16-30Hz) as reviewed in [1-3]. Both have been observed prior to movement onset and represent the activation of widespread sensorimotor networks responsible for the preparation and intention to move. Although it may be more difficult to identify premovement activity from the spatial distribu‐ tion of MRCP due to the small amplitude of the signal and the need for signal averaging to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, changes in oscillatory activity may be detectable even on a single trial basis. Functional mapping studies using EEG and MEG have demonstrated that somatotopical‐ ly restricted motor areas are activated before the actual production of certain limb movements. For example, as assessed by studying movement-related ERD in [4-6], the hand area is activat‐ ed before the production of hand movements whereas the foot area is activated prior to foot movements. Furthermore, there is a consistent lateralization of activation with right hand movements activated by predominantly left sensorimotor cortex whereas left hand move‐ ments are activated by right sensorimotor cortex. If the spatial resolution of the signal is high enough, discrimination of different movement intentions from the spatiotemporal distribution of oscillatory brain activity should be possible on a single trial basis and could be harnessed as a flexible control signal for external devices in the design of brain computer interfaces (BCI).
Face Interface : a methodology for experimental learning of input modalities

This thesis demonstrates that creating a system with a visual representation of the face which mirrors the user’s facial gestures appears to solve problems in teaching a user to use the new input affordances of face-based interfaces. From experiences with the Attentive Interaction Design Toolkit, “Attention Meter,” a methodology for helping the user design their own interactions with an unfamiliar input modality is created. This methodology is then applied to face-based interfaces, through a program called “Face Interface. ” The subsequent evaluations of Face Interface through its revisions show that it is ready to successfully apply the methodology through further experimentation. Thesis Supervisor: Edwin J. Selker Title: Associate Professor
Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms

From the Publisher: Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms by Allen Tucker and Robert Noonan is provides balanced coverage of both the principles of language design and the different programming paradigms. The principles of language design are covered using a formal model and a hands-on laboratory suite that uses a Java interpreter to implement the formal model. This approach gives students an excellent grasp of language design theory and its relationship to practice. It also lays the foundation for the paradigms that are presented in the second half of the book. The text presents and contrasts six major programming paradigms: imperitave,object-oriented,functional,logic,concurrent,and event-driven programming. Through the use of one language for each paradigm,students gain a deep understanding of the paradigm without being distracted by a profusion of languages.
Design of Simplified Television Remote Controls: A Case for Behavioral and Emotional Usability

Remote controls are part of everyday life. Unfortunately, the experience of using a remote is not always pleasurable. This research documents the process of developing multiple remote control concepts that are ergonomic and enjoyable to use. As part of the design process, we researched design concepts with 147 consumers in three cities. The research yielded design-specific data, but also provided insight to some general consumer trends in remote usage and preference for children and adults. This research also suggests that an expanded definition of usability may be required for certain product categories such as consumer electronics. Central to this expanded definition are the concepts of behavioral and emotional usability. Behavioral usability refers to the traditional work related definition of usability. Emotional usability refers to additional needs, such as entertainment or enjoyment, that enhance the product usage experience.
Kernel methods for advanced statistical process control

Acknowledgment I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors Professor Claus Weihs and Professor Mohamed Limam. This thesis would not have been possible without their encouragement, guidance and support. I am deeply indebted to the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) for financing my study and for giving me the chance to conduct my research in such high quality environment. Many thanks go to my DAAD coordinator Mrs Cornelia Hanzlik-Rudolph for her valuable help and advice. I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues Björn Bornkamp and Adrian Wilk for helping me with valuable advice during the start of my study at the University of Dortmund. I am heartily thankful to Mrs Sabine Bell for her great efforts throughout my stay at the university. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their support. I am greatly and forever indebted to my parents for their love and generosity throughout my entire life.
A low cost monolithic accelerometer

The ADXL50, a complete scaled and temperature-compensated surface micromachined accelerometer with an output voltage proportional to acceleration with full-scale measurement range of +or-50 g and unpowered shock survival at 2000 g, is designed for crash detection in second-generation automotive air bag systems. A digitally activated self-test electrostatically deflects a functional beam so that a -50-g acceleration is indicated. An uncommitted amplifier, with rail-to-rail output range, allows rescaling and offsetting of the raw output signal. Capacitors can be introduced in the gain network surrounding the uncommitted amplifier so that two poles of low-pass filters are possible without the addition of off-chip active circuitry. Measured performance results for the ADXL50 are summarized. <<ETX>>