Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
iTimes: Investigating Semisupervised Time Series Classification via Irregular Time Sampling

Semi-supervised learning (SSL) provides a powerful paradigm to mitigate the reliance on large labeled data by leveraging unlabeled data during model training. However, for time series data, few SSL models focus on the underlying temporal structure of time series, which results in a suboptimal representation learning quality on unlabeled time series. In this article, we propose a framework of semisupervised time series classification by investigating irregular time sampling (iTimes), which learns the underlying temporal structure of unlabeled time series in a self-supervised manner to benefit semisupervised time series classification. Specifically, we propose four different irregular time sampling functions to transform the original time series into different transformations. Then, iTimes employs a supervised module to classify labeled time series directly and employs a self-supervised module on unlabeled time series by predicting the transformation type of irregular time sampling. Finally, the underlying temporal structure pattern of unlabeled time series can be captured in the self-supervised module. The feature spaces between labeled data and unlabeled data can be aligned by jointly training the supervised and self-supervised modules which boost the ability of model learning and the representation quality. Extensive experimental results on multiple real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of iTimes compared with the state-of-the-art baselines.
Knots and primes : an introduction to arithmetic topology

Preliminaries - Fundamental Groups and Galois Groups. - Knots and Primes, 3-Manifolds and Number Rings. - Linking Numbers and Legendre Symbols. - Decompositions of Knots and Primes. - Homology Groups and Ideal Class Groups I - Genus Theory. - Link Groups and Galois Groups with Restricted Ramification. - Milnor Invariants and Multiple Power Residue Symbols. - Alexander Modules and Iwasawa Modules. - Homology Groups and Ideal Class Groups II - Higher Order Genus Theory. - Homology Groups and Ideal Class Groups III - Asymptotic Formulas. - Torsions and the Iwasawa Main Conjecture. - Moduli Spaces of Representations of Knot and Prime Groups. - Deformations of Hyperbolic Structures and of p-adic Ordinary Modular Forms.
High-angular and high-contrast VLTI observations from Y to M band with the Asgard instrumental suite

The Very Large Telescope Interferometer is one of the most proficient observatories in the world for high angular resolution. Since its first observations, it has hosted several interferometric instruments operating in various bandwidths in the infrared. As a result, the VLTI yields countless discoveries and technological breakthroughs. We introduce to the VLTI the new concept of Asgard: an instrumental suite including four natively collaborating instruments: BIFROST, a stellar interferometer dedicated to the study of the formation of multiple systems; Hi- 5, a nulling interferometer dedicated to imaging young nearby planetary systems in the M band; HEIMDALLR, an all-in-one instrument performing both fringe tracking and stellar interferometry with the same optics; Baldr, a fibre-injection optimiser. These instruments share common goals and technologies. Thus, the idea of this suite is to make the instruments interoperable and complementary to deliver unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy from J to M bands. The interoperability of the Asgard instruments and their integration in the VLTI are the main challenges of this project. In this paper, we introduce the overall optical design of the Asgard suite, the different modules, and the main challenges ahead.
DeTTO: Dependency-Aware Trustworthy Task Offloading in Vehicular IoT

In this paper, we investigate the dependency-aware trustworthy task offloading problem (DeTTO), especially in an IoT-enabled vehicular network, where a large computation-intensive task offloaded from a vehicle is fragmented into multiple subtasks and then offloaded to multiple trusted nodes. First, we formulate the task offloading problem as a graph optimization problem intending to find an optimal set of trustworthy nodes for offloading the subtasks. We aim to minimize the task completion delay and energy consumption, while satisfying the dependency relations between the subtasks and the trust requirements of the tasks. We consider three types of dependency structures – fully independent task, fully dependent task, and partially dependent task. For a fully independent task with no dependency between the subtasks, we propose a greedy algorithm to get the optimal set of nodes for task offloading. After showing the NP-hardness of solving the dependent task offloading problem, we propose a two-fold efficient heuristic approach for the tasks with all dependent subtasks. We adopt the solution approaches used by the first two types of tasks for a partially dependent task. Through simulation experiments, we analyze the performance of the proposed algorithms for three types of intra-task dependencies. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms significantly reduce the delay and energy consumption, when compared to the benchmark schemes.
Noise Characterization of a CMOS X-Ray Image Sensor

The objective of this thesis is to validate the noise performance of a high resolution CMOS X-ray imager. We carry out a detailed noise analysis on a four-quadrant CMOS imager and the external hardware. Careful analysis reveals several design issues on the printed circuit board (PCB). We propose solutions to improve the PCB design. Experimental results show the modified system outperforms the original one with a sizable margin.
VIRUS DE LA “MANCHA ROJA” DE LA VID: UNA POTENCIAL ENFERMEDAD EN LOS VIÑEDOS DE MÉXICO

Background. The grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is a member of the Geminiviridae family that has a single-stranded DNA genome consisting of 3,206 nucleotides, from which two clades (1 and 2) diverge with differences of up to 8.5% in the genome. The symptoms associated with the red blotch disease are leaves with irregular red spots, the veins turn red and occasionally margins of the same color can be observed; white grape cultivars symptoms are less marked, involving slight chlorosis of irregular shape that may become necrotic as time, causing delays in fruit maturation and alterations in the chemical characteristics of the juice. Objective. Introduce the current situation of the grapevine red blotch virus on the vine worldwide and the risk that it represents as an emerging disease in Mexico, as well as the available detection methods and strategies for managing the disease and its known vectors. Methodology. Employed method was a literature review about Grapevine “red spot” virus and its damages on the vine plants. Main findings. A review is obtained with the distribution of GRBV worldwide, highlighting the main differences with Pierce disease and GLRaV, knowledge of the vectors and the amin detection techniques. Implications. The real spread of the red blotch disease caused by GRBV in Mexico, specific vectors or alternative hosts is not known, which represents a latent risk to the national grape production. Communicate timely and available information about possible vectors, detection techniques and symptoms caused by GRBV are very important for a monitoring and control strategy design. Conclusions. The disease caused by GRBV has been recently detected in Mexico country, making crucial to establish effective and reliable detection strategies that improve the monitoring and control of GRBV and its possible vectors. This review shows the current panorama of the GRBV distribution in Mexico and the world, the repercussions on the crop due to the effect of the symptoms that affect the physiology and metabolism of the plants, which affects the production and quality fruit, as well as the information available to support the vine production systems in Mexico.
Surrogate Model for the Prediction of the Performance of a Tubular Pulsated Heat Pipe

Power electronics like Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT), Central Processing Units (CPU), Graphics Processing Units (GPU), and diodes, among others are key pieces for the control of electronics embedded in the new generation (more electrical) aircraft. These power electronics are smaller and more and more efficient. However, the increase in their performance and their miniaturization also increases their heat release. A solution to cool down these power electronics is the Pulsated Heat Pipes (PHP), which are very efficient and passive two-phase flow heat exchangers. This work discusses the construction of a PHP predesign tool using surrogate modelling. For this purpose, the database generation, surrogate training, and performance in predicting the thermal resistance of different PHP geometries are presented.
Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals the Active Involvement of Macrophage Polarizations in Pulmonary Hypertension

Background Sustained hypoxia can trigger a progressive rise in pulmonary artery pressure and cause serious pulmonary diseases. Macrophages play important roles along the progression of pulmonary hypertension. However, the state of macrophage polarization during the early stage of pulmonary hypertension is unclear. Methods Unlike traditional sequencing method, single-cell sequencing can accurately distinguish among cell types and better understand cell-to-cell relationships. In this study, we investigated the polarization of macrophages in pulmonary hypertension via single-cell RNA-sequencing in a mice hypoxia model, which was then validated in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Results We identified that the intermittent exposure to hypoxic conditions could lead to the production of more M2-type macrophages than M1-type macrophages in a mouse model. Further validation analysis was performed by analyzing lung tissue of patients with pulmonary hypertension, revealing that the number of disease-associated M2 macrophages was substantially increased. Conclusions In this study, the active anti-inflammatory response of macrophage involved in pulmonary hypertension has been identified, suggesting that intervention against the polarization of macrophages to the M2 type may be a potential way to reduce chronic pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and artery pressure. Thus, investigation of macrophage polarization associated with hypoxia could help us better understand disease mechanism and craft effective prevention strategies and approaches.
DEPICTING U.S.-CHINA DISPUTES ON TECH GIANTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: AN ATTEMPT OF COMPUTATIONAL POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

Computational political communication based on big data analytics of social media texts brings a prospecting framework to understand the public's perception of and interaction with political issues globally. This study collects a large scale of user-generated Twitter data to delineate online political communication dynamics upon U.S.-China disputes. Tech giants Huawei, Tencent, and ByteDance are chosen as epitomes of the U.S.-China power game to grasp more detailed opinions. Seven English-speaking countries: the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Pakistan, are selected as keywords for filtering among tweets collected from March 2020 to March 2021 across the globe. Automated text-based sentiment analysis is conducted. This study shows that the popularity of discussions about given countries and companies is inconsistent and might be event-induced. Also, the discourse of all these companies is interrelated rather than separated. This research facilitates future studies on fine-grained, categorized, and automated sentiment & discourse analysis to depict a broader panorama of online public opinion.
An Auto-Reconfigurable Multi-Output Regulating Switched-Capacitor DC–DC Converter for Wireless Power Reception and Distribution in Multi-Unit Implantable Devices

An automatically reconfigurable switched-capacitor DC-DC converter with multiple regulated outputs is presented for wireless-powered multi-unit implantable medical devices (IMDs). In such devices, the main controller unit is powered wirelessly and provides supply voltages to the circuits of the main unit as well as multiple connected sub-units. The proposed DC-DC converter simultaneously generates two regulated voltages for the main unit and two unregulated voltages for the sub-units, which have on-site low-dropout regulators. The converter consists of i) an input-adaptive DC-DC conversion stage with two switched-capacitor (SC) DC-DC converters in series and ii) a regulating stage. In the DC-DC conversion stage, the proposed converter automatically reconfigures the conversion ratio and connection order of the two SC DC-DC converters and selects the output nodes by load selection switches depending on the input level. Thanks to these adaptive configurations, the proposed converter offers high conversion efficiencies over a wide input voltage range even with fewer flying capacitors required for the reconfigurable conversion ratios. Moreover, the selection switches are reused to regulate the output voltages to desired levels, minimizing the overhead for subsequent regulation. The IC fabricated in a 180-nm standard CMOS process achieves a conversion efficiency of 95.5% for the unregulated voltages and up to 77.4% for the regulated voltages over a wide input range of 1 V to 4 V with 0.74-mV output ripple for a load current of 20 mA, while providing four outputs (2 regulated, 2 unregulated).
A Survey of Mainstream Indoor Positioning Systems

Indoor positioning problems have been one of the most challenging research topics in recent years, which comprise smartphone-based indoor localization, tracking, and navigation. Many positioning systems have been designed to provide such reliable indoor location-based services (LBS). In this paper, we have compared different indoor positioning systems, and discussed its future improvements.
The Efficiency of Capsaicin in Chilli on Antibacterial Activity of Salmonella

This research aimed to study the extraction of capsaicin from Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens fruits by the reflux extraction method and its ability to inhibit the growth of salmonella bacteria. Material and method: Capsaicin from Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens fruits were extracted by reflux method using acetone as a solvent. Then, the acetone was separated from the extracts by a rotary evaporator, taken the extracts for measure the absorbance and tested for inhibiting the growth of Salmonella bacteria. Each group of 3 samples were prepared. The control group is a 100µL solution containing Salmonella at a concentration of 1:1000, mixed with 900 µL of saline. Experimental groups were the plates mixed with Salmonella and the extracts. All plates were incubated for 24 hours at 35.5 °C. and counted bacterial colonies as the number of bacteria colonies forming units (CFUs). Results: Revealed the light absorbance of the extracts from the Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens was in the same range as the absorbance of pure capsaicin. To test the ability to inhibit the growth of Salmonella bacteria, the average number of Salmonella colonies was 134 CFUs in the control group, and the experimental groups with the capsaicin from both chilli peppers did not find the number of Salmonella colonies. Conclusion: The extracts of Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens fruits had capsaicin. The substances obtained from the extracts of both peppers were able to inhibit the growth of Salmonella with no difference in effectiveness.
Sex Differences in Dietary Patterns of Adults and Their Associations with the Double Burden of Malnutrition: A Population-Based National Survey in the Philippines

A dietary pattern transition is a risk factor for the double burden of malnutrition (DBM), but related information is limited. This study aimed to identify sex differences in dietary patterns of adults in a low–middle income country and to examine their association with DBM. A total of 8957 adults (4465 men and 4492 non-pregnant and non-lactating women) who participated in the 2013 Philippine National Nutrition Survey were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models were formulated to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and DBM. The factor analysis derived seven dietary patterns for males and six patterns for females. Results showed that approximately 30% of Filipino adults suffered from DBM. The rice pattern was associated with lower odds of DBM for males only. The meat and sugar pattern in males and the protein-rich foods, cereal, and sugar pattern in females decreased DBM likelihood. An inverse relationship was observed for the vegetables and corn patterns, wherein females had an increased risk for DBM. Our findings suggest that rice-based and meat-containing patterns could play protective roles in DBM development among adults in the Philippines. Understanding sex-specific dietary patterns can be utilized to guide public health nutrition interventions in the prevention of malnutrition in all its forms.
Comparison of the Status Quo of Chinese Contemporary Popular Music and Traditional Music Based on Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics

In real life and activities, music is everywhere. With the development of the times, Chinese pop music and traditional music have also continued to develop and present new characteristics. However, there is no fixed law in the development of music, and traditional analysis methods cannot capture the current situation of music development in time. Probability theory and mathematical statistics is a subject that studies possibility, which contains many analytical methods. To this end, the article takes the current situation of music teaching development as an example. From the perspective of probability theory and mathematical statistics, the correlation coefficient is introduced and incorporated into the analysis of the development status of popular music and traditional music. In this study, first the general methods of probability theory and mathematical statistics are analyzed, then related experiments from the mathematical level are designed, and a series of investigations are carried out. Finally, starting from the four groups of schools, teachers, parents, and students, the article raises the field of comparison from the campus to the society and focuses on comparing the comprehensive development status of Chinese popular music and traditional music. After a series of experiments and analysis, it can be concluded that the correlation between the students’ interest level and the development status of popular music reaches 7.33, and the correlation with the development status of traditional music reaches 7.61. At the same time, after analysis, it is found that most of the students prefer popular music, but they know little about Chinese traditional music. This fully shows that the comparison of the status quo of Chinese popular music and traditional music based on probability theory and mathematical statistics can intuitively describe the development status of the two, which is very important for promoting the national music and creating a good music environment.
Intensity interferometry at Calern and beyond: progress report

We present the current status of the I2C stellar intensity interferometer used towards high angular resolution observations of stars in visible wavelengths. In these proceedings, we present recent technical improvements to the instrument, and share results from ongoing campaigns using arrays of small diameter optical telescopes. A tip-tilt adaptive optics unit was integrated into the optical system to stabilize light injection into an optical fiber. The setup was successfully tested with several facilities on the Calern Plateau site of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur. These include one of the 1m diameter telescopes of the C2PU observatory, a portable 1m diameter telescope, and also the 1.5m MéO telescope. To better constrain on-sky measurements, the spectral transmission of instrument was characterized in the laboratory using a high resolution spectrograph. The system was also tested with two of the auxiliary telescopes of the VLTI resulting in successful temporal and spatial correlation measurements of three stars.
Consumer Behavior: Why Engineers Need to Read About It [Guest Editorial]

Energy involves everybody. Current changes in energy and power systems, including the distributed production of renewables, an increasing need for flexibility of operations, and energy storage and transmission, affect consumers in one way or another. Changes often require the active participation and support of consumers, who may become prosumers. All the new systems and technologies developed by electrical engineers may influence consumer behavior and trigger positive or negative responses. Hence, it is important for electrical engineers to understand how their work may affect consumers, which behavior changes their solutions involve, and which consumer needs and preferences must be considered when developing new technology. This issue encourages a conversation among electrical engineers and social scientists and facilitates the integration of their different expertise.
High-Throughput FPGA-Compatible TRNG Architecture Exploiting Multistimuli Metastable Cells

This paper presents a True Random Number Generator (TRNG) exploiting latched-XOR (LX) gates and its implementation on a Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA device. The proposed LX-TRNG aims at improving the Throughput (TP) of conventional ring oscillators (ROs) based TRNGs by combining the effect of latches metastability and ROs jitter. Measurements results have demonstrated that the generated bitstreams show very good randomness exhibiting a byte (bit) entropy of 7.9979 (0.9997), according to T8-test of AIS-31. The proposed TRNG has also been extensively tested under voltage and temperature variations showing very good robustness. In particular both NIST’s and AIS-31 tests are passed for all the considered supply voltage and temperature ranges. The FPGA implementation occupies only 9 Slices and, despite its compactness, it exhibits a throughput as high as 12.5 Mbit/s with a 50 MHz operating frequency. The computation of the figure of merit $FOM_{E}$ has shown the capability of the proposed TRNG to optimize the trade-off between hardware resources, bitstreams entropy and throughput, outperforming previous works.