gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Making programming more conversational (2011)

Accelerated by the Do-It-Yourself mindset of the Web 2.0 culture, end-user programming-programming by end users with limited or even no formal programming background-is growing rapidly. Especially in educational settings, children are exposed to computational thinking by making games, building scientific simulations and creating stories. Early educational programming languages such as Logo have made programming substantially more accessible to end-users. More recent approaches include visual programming with a drag-and-drop style of programming that makes it nearly impossible to compose syntactically incorrect programs. However, as the syntactic challenges of end-user programming are gradually fading into the past, the new frontier of semantic programming support emerges. This demonstration introduces Conversational Programming, a system to make programming more conversational. A conversational programming agent runs programs one step into the future in order to help end-users visualize discrepancies between the programs they intended to write and their actual programming results.
Curing and Consolidation of Advanced Thermoset Composite Laminate Parts by Pressing Between a Heated Mold and Customized Rubber-Faced Mold (2010)

Curing and consolidating thermoset composite laminates and sandwich structures typically involves vacuum bagging an uncured and formed layup over a thin-walled mold, placing it in an autoclave, and subjecting the entire unit to temperature, vacuum and pressure cycles as prescribed by the manufacturer. Autoclaving is generally considered the major bottleneck in manufacturing of advanced composites parts because of high capital and consumable costs, energy usage, waste generated and process scalability. A new curing and consolidation process, called ‘thermal press curing’ is discussed and demonstrated as an alternative to autoclaving. The process involves compressing a composite laminate between a special mold set — heated metal mold and a matching rubber-covered mold made of an insulative material — designed to provide uniform temperature and pressure over the metal mold surface, that is, mimic the process conditions provided by an autoclave. The thermal press curing process is demonstrated for the first time using a mold set for a simple 2-dimensional axisymmetric shape. An aluminum curing mold with embedded electric resistance cartridge heaters is heuristically designed to provide uniform temperature in operation across the mold surface within 1°C of the target value (177°C). With the mold set compressing an eight-ply carbon/epoxy composite workpiece and well insulated on all sides, the power draw is at least 1–2 orders-of-magnitude less than a comparable autoclaving operation. The potential to significantly improve pressure uniformity from the compressed rubber mask is shown by changing the mask shape. Even without an optimized rubber layer shape and thickness, the eight-ply composite part was successfully cured. Finally, a plan for future work is described.
Circular geometry liquid crystal adaptive lens with Fresnel lens phase profile (2000)

The liquid crystal adaptive lens (LCAL) is an electro-optical device using a set of electrodes to grade the refractive index across its aperture. We report initial efforts at developing an LCAL using circular electrodes to provide a simpler architecture and faster response than previous devices based on linear electrodes. A Fresnel lens phase profile is applied to yield a lens with a useful F-number. Numerical simulation is developed to study the aberration of the LCAL and predict its performance with a circular electrode geometry. The LCAL is designed with a set of high density electrodes in the conductive ladder meshing configuration which results in a small number of externally controlled electrodes. A new feedback auto-focusing system based on LabVIEW software has been developed to optimize control output voltages using signals from a CID camera. The application of LCAL in microscope imaging systems for focus adjustment without lens motion is described. A prototype LCAL is being designed that has a 7.86 mm diameter aperture and a focal length adjustable from 0.38 m to infinity. It is fabricated on a glass substrate with two layers of transparent electrodes, insulating layers, and vias to connect the two conducting layers. The special fabrication challenges involved will be reviewed.
Optimal multistage interference cancellation for CDMA systems using the nonlinear MMSE criterion (2002)

This paper proposes an optimal multistage interference cancellation scheme for a multiuser DS/CDMA system with linear or nonlinear modulation. The proposed canceler is optimal in terms of minimizing the energy of the difference between true and reconstructed interference due to each user. Solutions for the special cases of BPSK and M-ary orthogonal modulation are derived using the general solution and efficient architectures are proposed for implementation. A novel blind channel estimation strategy based on an adaptive filtering approach that yields unbiased channel estimates and low estimation variance is also proposed. Simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme achieves substantial capacity gains with very little additional computational complexity compared to the conventional multistage canceler.
Dynamic and Label-Free Cell-Based Assays Using the Real-Time Cell Electronic Sensing System (2006)

Cell-based assays have become an integral part of the preclinical drug development process. Recently, noninvasive label-free cell-based assay technologies have taken center stage, offering important and distinct advantages over and in addition to traditional label-based endpoint assays. Dynamic monitoring of live cells, the preclusion of label, and kinetics are some of the fundamental features of cell-based label-free technologies. In this article we will discuss the real-time cell electronic sensing (RT-CES, ACEA Biosciences Inc., San Diego, CA) system and some of its key applications for cell-based assays such as cell proliferation and cytotoxicity, functional assays for receptor-ligand analysis, cell adhesion and spreading assays, dynamic monitoring of endothelial barrier function, and dynamic monitoring of cell migration and invasion. Also, where appropriate we will briefly discuss other label-free technologies in an application-specific manner.
Proposal of a novel semiconductor optical waveguide isolator (2003)

A novel semiconductor optical waveguide isolator is proposed and analyzed. The proposed isolator has semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) structure with a ferromagnetic metal (iron or nickel, for example) deposited on top for providing the magneto-optical effect as well as electrical contact. By nonreciprocal complex effective refractive index change through the magneto-optical effect and by appropriate current injection into SOA, only the backward-propagating light is to become subject to optical loss. The amount of nonreciprocal complex effective refractive index change has been estimated by a perturbation method. Wavelength dispersion and tolerance of fabrication errors have also been calculated. As a result the isolator is predicted to have practical isolation ratio (40 dB) with compact size (1.58 mm) at 1.55 /spl mu/m wavelength, wide operation wavelength range, and large fabrication tolerance.
Structures, Function and Applications of Amphiphilic Peptides (2003)

Abstract For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.
Robot-assisted three-dimensional registration for cochlear implant surgery using a common-path swept-source optical coherence tomography probe (2014)

Cochlear implantation offers the potential to restore sensitive hearing in patients with severe to profound deafness. However, surgical placement of the electrode array within the cochlea can produce trauma to sensorineural components, particularly if the initial turn of the cochlea is not successfully navigated as the array is advanced. In this work, we present a robot-mounted common-path swept-source optical coherence tomography endoscopic platform for three-dimensional (3-D) optical coherence tomography (OCT) registration and preoperative surgical planning for cochlear implant surgery. The platform is composed of a common-path 600-μm diameter fiber optic rotary probe attached to a five degrees of freedom robot capable of 1 μm precision movement. The system is tested on a dry fixed ex vivo human temporal bone, and we demonstrate the feasibility of a 3-D OCT registration of the cochlea to accurately describe the spatial and angular profiles of the canal formed by the scala tympani into the first cochlear turn.
Comparison of Quartz-enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy and Conventional Photoacoustic Spectroscopy based Detectors (2010)

Performance of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy and conventional photoacoustic spectroscopy based detectors applied to trace gas sensing was compared. Nitrogen with 10 ppmv of acetylene and a diode laser accessing 6529.17 cm −1 absorption line were used.
A calibration technique for measuring the complex permittivity of materials with planar transmission lines (2013)

A simple two-standard calibration procedure for determining the permittivity of a material from the propagation constant measured with planar transmission lines is presented. The suitability of this procedure is demonstrated by using a coplanar waveguide transmission-line sensor to measure the permittivity of five liquids, covering a wide range of complex permittivity. The results agree closely with expected values when the radiation and conductor losses are small. This technique allows the permittivity of materials to be measured without knowing the planar transmission-line dimensions apart from the line lengths.
Application of wavelet transforms in terahertz spectroscopy of rough surface targets (2010)

Previously, it has been shown that scattering of terahertz waves by surface roughness of a target can alter the terahertz absorption spectrum and thus obscure the detection of some chemicals in both transmission and reflection geometries. In this paper it is demonstrated that by employing Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT) coefficients, wavelet-based methods can be used to retrieve spectroscopic information from a broadband terahertz signal reflected from a rough surface target. It is concluded that while the commonly used direct frequency domain deconvolution method fails to accurately characterize and detect the resonance in the dielectric constant of rough surface lactose pellets, wavelet techniques were able to successfully identify such features.
A sensor-based solution to the "next best view" problem (1996)

Acquiring the complete surface geometry of an object using a range scanner invariably requires that multiple range images be taken of it from different viewpoints. An algorithm is presented which solves the "next best view" (NBV) problem: determine the next position for the range scanner given its previous scans of the object. As part of a complete surface acquisition system the scanner's next position should cause it not only to sample more of the object's surface but to resample part of the object already scanned to allow for the registration and integration of the new data with the previous scans. A novel representation, positional space, is presented which facilitates a solution to the NBV problem by representing what must be and what can be scanned in a unified data structure. The expensive operation of determining the visibility of part of the viewing volume is computed only once, not for each potential position of the scanner thus breaking the computational burden of choosing the NBV from a large number of positions. No assumptions are made about the geometry or topology of the object. The algorithm is self-terminating will scan all visible surfaces of an object and can be directed to resample surfaces which were scanned with low confidence. In addition, the algorithm will work with nearly any range camera and scanning setup. A completely automated surface acquisition system featuring the proposed NBV algorithm is demonstrated on a real object.
Ice Water Path Estimation and Characterization Using Passive Microwave Radiometry (1991)

Microwave emission emerging from a precipitating cloud top and lying in a radiometer's field of view represents the culmination of a complex interaction between emitted microwave radiation and its ongoing extinction through overlapping regions of liquid, melting phase, and ice. The encounter with the ice region represents the final interaction between the upwelling microwave radiation and the cloud constituents. Hence, an ice phase characterization perhaps represents a more inherently retrievable property from a combination of scattering-based channels above 37 GHz than the underlying rainfall. Model computations of top-of-atmospheric microwave brightness temperatures TB from layers of precipitation-sized ice of variable bulk density and ice water content (IWC) are presented. The 85-GHz TB is shown to depend essentially on the ice optical thickness, while the possibility of using the 37- and 85-GHz brightness temperature difference ΔTB to estimate the integrated ice water path (IWP) is investigated. The results demonstrate the potential usefulness of using scattering-based channels to characterize the ice phase and suggest a top-down methodology for retrieval of cloud vertical structure and precipitation estimation from multifrequency passive microwave measurements. Radiative transfer model results using the multiparameter radar data initialization from the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) in northern Alabama are also presented. The vertical behavior of the simulated multifrequency TB, albedo, and extinction is presented along with the associated multiparameter radar measurements during the cloud lifecycle. Ice water path values estimated from the radar measurements are compared with the above theoretical computations for the corresponding TB values and show agreement for values of IWP less than 1 kg m−1. Above this, assumptions in the form of the ice-size distribution fail to adequately characterize the ice scattering process. Brightness temperature TB warming effects due to the inclusion of a cloud liquid water profile are shown to be especially significant at 85 GHz during later stages of cloud evolution.
Analysis of systematic variation and impact on circuit performance (2008)

Yield loss due to process variations can be classified as catastrophic or parametric. Parametric variations can further be random or systematic in nature. Systematic parametric variations are being projected as a major yield limiter in sub- 65nm technologies. Though several models exist to describe process-induced parametric effects in layouts, there is no existing design methodology to study the variational (across process window) impact of all these effects simultaneously. In this paper, we present a methodology for analyzing multiple process-induced systematic and statistical layout dependent effects on circuit performance. We describe physical design models used to describe four major sources of parametric variability - lithography, stress, etch and contact resistance - and their impact on device properties. We then develop a methodology to determine variability in circuit performance based on integrating the above device models with a circuit simulator like SPICE. A circuit simulation engine for 45nm SOI devices is implemented, which shows the extent of the impact of layout-dependent systematic variations on circuit parameters like delay and power. Based on the analysis, we demonstrate that all systematic effects need to be simultaneously included to match the hardware data. We believe a flow that is capable of understanding process-induced parametric variability will have major advantages in terms of improving physical design and yield in addition to reducing design to hardware miscorrelations and advantages in terms of diagnosis and silicon debug.
A Proposed Design for an Expanding Hip Nail (1982)

Hip fractures are a common problem and many devices have been utilized in the fixation of these fractures. The fixation of hip fractures is reviewed. A new expanding, sliding, compression nail is described. The nail's unique feature is its ability to be expanded within the femoral head providing secure fixation to the proximal fragment.
Improvements in or relating to nuclear reactors (1973)

The reactor described employs a fuel system comprising a critical mass of U nitride fuel in contact with a non-critical solution of fissile metal in a molten metal solvent of low neutron absorption cross section. The fuel system is contained in an inert refractory- reactor vessel under a N/ sub 2/ atmosphere. The molten metal solvent consists of Sn, and graphite is employed for the reactor vessel. The non-critical solution is present in an amount sufficient to dissolve metal fission products, while precipitating from solution an amount of nitride substantially equal to that lost by fission. The N/sub 2/ atmosphere is maintained under pressure and temperaiure conditions conducive to maintaining the fuel system at the desired temperature as fission occurs and heat is withdrawn from the reactor. A portion of the molten metal solution is withdrawn from the reactor vessel as fission continues, freed from metal fission products, and then returned to the reactor vessel. Removal of the metal fission products is accomplished by subjecting the molten metal solvent to nitrification under conditions of temperature and N/sub 2/ pressure to selectively precipitate in nitride form the fuel present. The precipitated nitride fuel is returned to the reactor, the metal fissionmore » products removed from the residual molten metal solution, and the remaining molten metal solution returned to the reactor vessel. Removal of the metal fission products from the residual molten metal solution may be effected by fractional distillation or by further nitrification under appropriate temperature and N/sub 2/ pressure conditions. (UK)« less
Chemical probes of quorum sensing: from compound development to biological discovery (2016)

Bacteria can utilize chemical signals to coordinate the expression of group-beneficial behaviors in a method of cell-cell communication called quorum sensing (QS). The discovery that QS controls the production of virulence factors and biofilm formation in many common pathogens has driven an explosion of research aimed at both deepening our fundamental understanding of these regulatory networks and developing chemical agents that can attenuate QS signaling. The inherently chemical nature of QS makes studying these pathways with small molecule tools a complementary approach to traditional microbiology techniques. Indeed, chemical tools are beginning to yield new insights into QS regulation and provide novel strategies to inhibit QS. Here, we review the most recent advances in the development of chemical probes of QS systems in Gram-negative bacteria, with an emphasis on the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa We first describe reports of novel small molecule modulators of QS receptors and QS signal synthases. Next, in several case studies, we showcase how chemical tools have been deployed to reveal new knowledge of QS biology and outline lessons for how researchers might best target QS to combat bacterial virulence. To close, we detail the outstanding challenges in the field and suggest strategies to overcome these issues.
Designing communication systems via iterative improvement: error correction coding with Bayes decoder and codebook optimized for source symbol error (2018)

In most error correction coding (ECC) frameworks, the typical error metric is the bit error rate (BER) which measures the number of bit errors. For this metric, the positions of the bits are not relevant to the decoding, and in many noise models, not relevant to the BER either. In many applications this is unsatisfactory as typically all bits are not equal and have different significance. We consider the problem of bit error correction and mitigation where bits in different positions have different importance. For error correction, we look at ECC from a Bayesian perspective and introduce Bayes estimators with general loss functions to take into account the bit significance. We propose ECC schemes that optimize this error metric. As the problem is highly nonlinear, traditional ECC construction techniques are not applicable. Using exhaustive search is cost prohibitive, and thus we use iterative improvement search techniques to find good codebooks. We optimize both general codebooks and linear codes. We provide numerical experiments to show that they can be superior to classical linear block codes such as Hamming codes and decoding methods such as minimum distance decoding. For error mitigation, we study the case where ECC is not possible or not desirable, but significance aware encoding of information is still beneficial in reducing the average error. We propose a novel number presentation format suitable for emerging storage media where the noise magnitude is unknown and possibly large and show that it has lower mean error than the traditional number format.
Stimulated Brillouin scattering in highly birefringent microstructure fiber: experimental analysis (2008)

We report on an experimental analysis of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a 20-m-long highly birefringent microstructure fiber for sensing applications. In particular, an experimental setup based on Brillouin optical frequency-domain analysis, operating at a wavelength of 1550 nm, has been employed in order to analyze the distribution of Brillouin frequency shift along the fiber, as well as to study the dependence of Brillouin frequency shift on optical polarization, temperature, and strain. Our results indicate that, for any fixed polarization, the fiber has a dual-peaked Brillouin spectrum. A study about the origin of these two peaks is presented.
Barcode annotations for medical image retrieval: A preliminary investigation (2015)

This paper proposes to generate and to use barcodes to annotate medical images and/or their regions of interest such as organs, tumors and tissue types. A multitude of efficient feature-based image retrieval methods already exist that can assign a query image to a certain image class. Visual annotations may help to increase the retrieval accuracy if combined with existing feature-based classification paradigms. Whereas with annotations we usually mean textual descriptions, in this paper barcode annotations are proposed. In particular, Radon barcodes (RBC) are introduced. As well, local binary patterns (LBP) and local Radon binary patterns (LRBP) are implemented as barcodes. The IRMA x-ray dataset with 12,677 training images and 1,733 test images is used to verify how barcodes could facilitate image retrieval.
A metal-on-silicon differential capacitive shear stress sensor (2009)

The paper presents a direct, capacitive shear stress sensor with performance sufficient for time-resolved turbulence measurements. The device employs a bulk-micromachined, metal-plated, differential capacitive floating-element design. A simple, two-mask fabrication process is used with DRIE on an SOI wafer to form a tethered floating element structure with comb fingers for transduction. Experimental results indicate a linear sensitivity of 7.66 mV/Pa up to the testing limit of 1.9 Pa at a bias voltage of 10 V , and a bandwidth of 6.2 kHz . The sensor possesses a dynamic range Gt 102 dB and a noise floor of 14.9 muPa/radic(Hz) at 1 kHz , outperforming previously reported sensors by nearly two orders of magnitude in MDS.