ppxscal/embedding_network huggingface dataset:
Studies on dielectric relaxation and defect generation for reliability assessments in ultrathin high-k gate dielectrics on Ge
Authors: C. Mahata, M. K. Bera, A. K. Chakraborty, P. K. Bose, C. K. Maiti
Venue: Microelectronic Engineering (2008)

In this work, we present the results of dielectric relaxation and defect generation kinetics towards reliability assessments for Zr-based high-k gate dielectrics on p-Ge (100). Zirconium tetratert butoxide (ZTB) was used as an organometallic source for the deposition of ultra thin (~14nm) ZrO"2 films on p-Ge (100) substrates. It is observed that the presence of an ultra thin lossy GeO"x interfacial layer between the deposited high-k film and the substrate, results in frequency dependent capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics and a high interface state density (~10^1^2cm^-^2eV^-^1). Use of nitrogen engineering to convert the lossy GeO"x interfacial layer to its oxynitride is found to improve the electrical properties. Magnetic resonance studies have been performed to study the chemical nature of electrically active defects responsible for trapping and reliability concerns in high-k/Ge systems. The effect of transient response and dielectric relaxation in nitridation processes has been investigated under high voltage pulse stressing. The stress-induced trap charge density and its spatial distribution are reported. Charge trapping/detrapping of stacked layers under dynamic current stresses was studied under different fluences (-10mAcm^-^2 to -50mAcm^-^2). Charge trapping characteristics of MIS structures (Al/ZrO"2/GeO"x/Ge and Al/ZrO"2/GeO"xN"y/Ge) have been investigated by applying pulsed unipolar (peak value - 10V) stress having 50% duty-cycle square voltage wave (1Hz-10kHz) to the gate electrode.
FairCast: fair multi-media streaming in ad hoc networks through local congestion control
Authors: Gustavo Marfia, Paolo Lutterotti, Stephan Eidenbenz, Giovanni Pau, Mario Gerla
Venue: Proceedings of the 11th international symposium on Modeling, analysis and simulation of wireless and mobile systems (2008)

Multicast streaming is gaining increasing importance in wireless ad hoc networks, in part because ad hoc scenarios often include team activities and the requirement for distribution of audio, video and situation awareness to the members. At the network level, techniques for routing the multimedia streams are quite mature. Much more challenging is the allocation of resources, the fair sharing among streams and the control of congestion. While in rate adaptive UNICAST streams congestion control and fair sharing are accomplished with end-to-end feedback techniques inspired to TCP, the feedback does not scale well in MULTICAST. In fact, it leads to the well knows ACK/NAK "implosion" problem and unfair penalties for heterogeneous receivers. These limitations can be overcome using backpressure from congestion points to the sources - but this approach suffers of latency and cannot rapidly adjust to changes in traffic. Another solution is multilayer adaptive coding. Namely, the encoding adaptation is done locally by dropping layers. It does not require end-to-end feedback nor changes in input rates. Multi-resolution codes are now becoming attractive due to the progress in technology; we expect these to become the prevalent techniques in large scale media distribution. One issue, however, that still remains to be resolved is the fair sharing among competing multicast streams. In this paper we address the congestion control AND fair sharing in a multilayer multicast scenario. We show that lack of proper fairness provisions in the "local adjustments" can lead to serious capture situations, especially in heterogeneous traffic mixes (e.g. voice and video). We then propose a FAIR local adjustment that targets a fair dropping of packets in each interference domain. We show that the scheme can be interpreted as a distributed implementation of a utility function minimization, where the utility is the packet loss subject to fairness bounds across flows. This formulation guarantees stability and convergence of the distributed algorithm. The main contributions of this paper are the low overhead design of the local fairness enforcement algorithm, the utility function framework and the demonstration of convergence via simulation in representative scenarios.
Cytoprophet
Authors: Faruck Morcos, Charles Lamanna, Marcin Sikora, Jesús Izaguirre
Venue: Bioinformatics (2008)

Summary:Cytoprophet is a software tool that allows prediction and visualization of protein and domain interaction networks. It is implemented as a plug-in of Cytoscape, an open source software framework for analysis and visualization of molecular networks. Cytoprophet implements three algorithms that predict new potential physical interactions using the domain composition of proteins and experimental assays. The algorithms for protein and domain interaction inference include maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) using expectation maximization (EM); the set cover approach maximum specificity set cover (MSSC) and the sum-product algorithm (SPA). After accepting an input set of proteins with Uniprot ID/Accession numbers and a selected prediction algorithm, Cytoprophet draws a network of potential interactions with probability scores and GO distances as edge attributes. A network of domain interactions between the domains of the initial protein list can also be generated. Cytoprophet was designed to take advantage of the visual capabilities of Cytoscape and be simple to use. An example of inference in a signaling network of myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is presented and available at Cytoprophet's website. Availability: http://cytoprophet.cse.nd.edu Contact: cytoprophet@cse.nd.edu Supplementary information: Examples and supplementary data are accessible at http://cytoprophet.cse.nd.edu
Audiovisual laughter detection based on temporal features
Authors: Stavros Petridis, Maja Pantic
Venue: Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Multimodal interfaces (2008)

Previous research on automatic laughter detection has mainly been focused on audio-based detection. In this study we present an audio-visual approach to distinguishing laughter from speech based on temporal features and we show that integrating the information from audio and video channels leads to improved performance over single-modal approaches. Static features are extracted on an audio/video frame basis and then combined with temporal features extracted over a temporal window, describing the evolution of static features over time. The use of several different temporal features has been investigated and it has been shown that the addition of temporal information results in an improved performance over utilizing static information only. It is common to use a fixed set of temporal features which implies that all static features will exhibit the same behaviour over a temporal window. However, this does not always hold and we show that when AdaBoost is used as a feature selector, different temporal features for each static feature are selected, i.e., the temporal evolution of each static feature is described by different statistical measures. When tested on 96 audiovisual sequences, depicting spontaneously displayed (as opposed to posed) laughter and speech episodes, in a person independent way the proposed audiovisual approach achieves an F1 rate of over 89%.
Predicting two facets of social verticality in meetings from five-minute time slices and nonverbal cues
Authors: Dinesh Babu Jayagopi, Sileye Ba, Jean-Marc Odobez, Daniel Gatica-Perez
Venue: Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Multimodal interfaces (2008)

This paper addresses the automatic estimation of two aspects of social verticality (status and dominance) in small-group meetings using nonverbal cues. The correlation of nonverbal behavior with these social constructs have been extensively documented in social psychology, but their value for computational models is, in many cases, still unknown. We present a systematic study of automatically extracted cues - including vocalic, visual activity, and visual attention cues - and investigate their relative effectiveness to predict both the most-dominant person and the high-status project manager from relative short observations. We use five hours of task-oriented meeting data with natural behavior for our experiments. Our work suggests that, although dominance and role-based status are related concepts, they are not equivalent and are thus not equally explained by the same nonverbal cues. Furthermore, the best cues can correctly predict the person with highest dominance or role-based status with an accuracy of 70% approximately.
FPGA Implementation of Integer Transform and Quantizer for H.264 Encoder
Authors: Reeba Korah, J. Raja Perinbam
Venue: Journal of Signal Processing Systems (2008)

This paper deals with the process of Transformation and Quantization that is carried out on each inter-predicted residual block in a video encoding process and their reduced complexity hardware implementation. H.264/AVC utilizes 4¿×¿4 integer transform, which is derived from the 4¿×¿4 DCT. We propose, a reduced complexity algorithm and a pipelined structure for the Core forward integer transform module. A multiplier-less architecture is realized with less number of shifts and adds compared to existing works. The corresponding inverse transform is exactly reversible. Each of the transformed coefficients is quantized by a scalar quantizer. The quantization step size can be varied from macroblock to macroblock. The proposed unified pipelined architecture outperforms many recent implementations in terms of gate count and is capable of processing a 4¿×¿4 residual block in 4 clock cycles.
Six-Shot Broadcast: A Context-Aware Algorithm for Efficient Message Diffusion in MANETs
Authors: Benoît Garbinato, Adrian Holzer, François Vessaz
Venue: Proceedings of the OTM 2008 Confederated International Conferences, CoopIS, DOA, GADA, IS, and ODBASE 2008. Part I on On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems: (2008)

In this paper, we introduce six-shot broadcast (6SB), a new context-aware message diffusion algorithm that uses location information to fine-tune its broadcasting process. Message diffusion is indeed one of the core challenges brought up by distributed systems and has therefore largely been studied in the context of traditional network structures such as the Internet. With the emergence of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), new broadcasting algorithm especially geared at these networks have been introduced. These algorithms must reach two conflicting objectives when broadcasting a message, namely reliability vs. efficiency. That is, they must maximize the number of nodes that deliver the message (reliability), while minimizing the number of nodes that forward the message (efficiency). In recent years as more and more mobile devices have become context-aware, several broadcasting algorithms have been introduced using contextual information, such as location, in order to increase reliability and efficiency. Along that line, we provide a in-depth performance evaluation of our 6SB algorithm, by comparing it to similar broadcasting algorithms also targeted at MANETs. Our results show that 6SB competes with the most efficient algorithms in high densities of nodes and offers increased reliability in low densities at a reasonable overhead.
The complexity of forecast testing
Authors: Lance Fortnow, Rakesh V. Vohra
Venue: ACM SIGecom Exchanges (2008)

Consider a weather forecaster predicting the probability of rain for the next day. We consider tests that given a finite sequence of forecast predictions and outcomes will either pass or fail the forecaster. It is known that any test which passes a forecaster who knows the distribution of nature can also be probabilistically passed by a forecaster with no knowledge of future events. This note summarizes and examines the computational complexity of such forecasters.
STBenchmark: towards a benchmark for mapping systems
Authors: Bogdan Alexe, Wang-Chiew Tan, Yannis Velegrakis
Venue: Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment (2008)

A fundamental problem in information integration is to precisely specify the relationships, called mappings, between schemas. Designing mappings is a time-consuming process. To alleviate this problem, many mapping systems have been developed to assist the design of mappings. However, a benchmark for comparing and evaluating these systems has not yet been developed. We present STBenchmark, a solution towards a much needed benchmark for mapping systems. We first describe the challenges that are unique to the development of benchmarks for mapping systems. After this, we describe the three components of STBenchmark: (1) a basic suite of mapping scenarios that we believe represents a minimum set of transformations that should be readily supported by any mapping system, (2) a mapping scenario generator as well as an instance generator that can produce complex mapping scenarios and, respectively, instances of varying sizes of a given schema, (3) a simple usability model that can be used as a first-cut measure on the case of use of a mapping system. We use STBenchmark to evaluate four mapping systems and report our results, as well as describe some interesting observations.
Monitoring the status of a research community through a Knowledge Map
Authors: Paola Velardi, Alessandro Cucchiarelli, Fulvio D'Antonio
Venue: Web Intelligence and Agent Systems (2008)

The NoE (Network of Excellence) INTEROP is an instrument for strengthening the excellence of European research in interoperability of enterprise applications, by bringing together the complementary competences required to develop interoperability in a more global and innovative way. One of the main objectives of INTEROP was to build a so-called &ldquo;Knowledge Map&rdquo; (KMap) of partner competences, a competency management system used to perform a periodic diagnostic of the extent of the research collaboration and coordination among the NoE members. The aim was to monitor the status of research in the field of interoperability through a web-based platform that allows the user to retrieve information according to his/her actual need in a specific situation. In the KMap, the information is semantically indexed and retrieved through a domain ontology, which was semi-automatically created using a novel methodology, based on interleaved machine learning and collaborative validation phases. This paper describes the architecture of the KMap and provides a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the advantages of a semantically indexed knowledge base as a means to improve information accessibility and network analysis.
On-orbit calibration and inter-comparison of Terra and Aqua MODIS surface temperature spectral bands
Authors: X. Xiong, A. Wu, C. Cao
Venue: International Journal of Remote Sensing (2008)

Two moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments have been operating on board the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft for 7 and 4.5 years, respectively. The MODIS is a cross-track scanning radiometer that collects data in 36 spectral bands with wavelengths from visible (VIS) to long-wave infrared (LWIR). MODIS thermal emissive bands (TEB) on-orbit calibration is performed using an on-board blackbody (BB). Bands 31 and 32, with centre wavelengths at 11 and 12 µm, are primarily used for surface temperature (ST) retrieval. This paper provides a brief description of MODIS TEB calibration methodology and presents bands 31 and 32 on-orbit performance in terms of their calibration stability and detector noise characterization. It also describes an approach to examine the ST spectral band calibration consistency between two MODIS instruments using similar spectral channels of an advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) instrument currently operated on board NOAA-16 and NOAA-17. Inter-comparison data sets are carefully selected from near-simultaneous and near-nadir observations made by each pair of MODIS and AVHRR instruments. Results show that ST spectral bands 31 and 32 in both the Terra and Aqua MODIS are performing better than their design requirements, with excellent calibration stability and satisfactory cross-sensor calibration consistency. The on-orbit noise equivalent temperature differences (NEdTs) of all detectors have been continuously below the design specifications of 0.05 K. The calibration coefficients are extremely stable with scan-by-scan variations of less than 0.10%. In addition, calibration differences between two MODIS instruments are less than 0.10 K for both bands 31 and 32.
Updating generalized association rules with evolving taxonomies
Authors: Ming-Cheng Tseng, Wen-Yang Lin, Rong Jeng
Venue: Applied Intelligence (2008)

Mining generalized association rules among items in the presence of taxonomies has been recognized as an important model for data mining. Earlier work on mining generalized association rules, however, required the taxonomies to be static, ignoring the fact that the taxonomies of items cannot necessarily be kept unchanged. For instance, some items may be reclassified from one hierarchy tree to another for more suitable classification, abandoned from the taxonomies if they will no longer be produced, or added into the taxonomies as new items. Additionally, the analysts might have to dynamically adjust the taxonomies from different viewpoints so as to discover more informative rules. Under these circumstances, effectively updating the discovered generalized association rules is a crucial task. In this paper, we examine this problem and propose two novel algorithms, called Diff_ET and Diff_ET2, to update the discovered frequent itemsets. Empirical evaluation shows that the proposed algorithms are very effective and have good linear scale-up characteristics.
Monitoring farmers' decisions on Mediterranean irrigated crops using satellite image time series
Authors: P. Serra, X. Pons
Venue: International Journal of Remote Sensing (2008)

The main purpose of this study is to present a methodology for mapping and monitoring temporal signatures of Mediterranean crops over several years in irrigated areas, and to study their inter-annual dynamics. These goals were achieved by remote sensing using 36 Landsat images from 2002 to 2005. Four crop maps, one for each year, with six agricultural categories and a thematic accuracy of 93%, 95%, 96% and 94% were obtained using a hybrid classifier. A mean of nine images produced these highly accurate results, but the absence of one image in the growth period of 2002 resulted in lower accuracies, particularly in fruit trees (85% of user accuracy). This highlights the importance of a multi-temporal approach based on a relatively large number of images. After the classification results were validated, two parameters were used to characterize the dynamics of the four crops (rice, maize, alfalfa and fruit trees): greenness, extracted from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and wetness, calculated from the Tasselled Cap Wetness (TCW) Index. In order to differentiate the wetness origin of crops, an analysis of local daily precipitation (which could cause significant anomalies in the TCW coefficients) and water stored in the Susqueda reservoir (which may result in farmers making important management decisions when water is limited) was conducted during this four-year period. After applying statistical analysis, the results showed that, of the four crops analysed, rice, alfalfa and fruit trees had more stable dynamics than maize, which was planted later in case of water deficit at the beginning of the irrigation campaign (in 2002) and earlier when the deficit occurred later (in 2005).
Adaptive fuzzy tracking control of nonlinear systems
Authors: Song-Shyong Chen, Yuan-Chang Chang, Chen Chia Chuang, Chau-Chung Song, Shun-Feng Su
Venue: WSEAS Transactions on Systems and Control (2007)

Adaptive linearization controllers have been shown to have nice control performance. However, two functions in the controllers are derived from the considered system. Thus, those controllers can only work for known systems. In this paper, we proposed a fuzzy modeling approach to model those two functions. The proposed approach is called the adaptive model reference fuzzy control. In this approach, the considered dynamic nonlinear model can be unknown. Different from previous adaptive fuzzy controllers, our approach does not need any auxiliary operations on input trajectories and on system states. The proposed controller and the weight update laws only need system states and the current desired output without using any their derivatives. The Lyapunov stability theorem is used to derive controller parameters update laws, which ensure that the system states be bounded and the plant output asymptotically tracks an arbitrary piecewise reference trajectory. The proposed method is successfully applied to an unstable nonlinear system and a chaotic system. The learning and control performance of our approach is nice and also superior to that of previous approaches.
Novel hydrogen gas sensor based on single ZnO nanorod
Authors: Oleg Lupan, Guangyu Chai, Lee Chow
Venue: Microelectronic Engineering (2008)

For extensive use in an industrialized process of individual ZnO nano/microrods as building nanoblock in novel hydrogen sensors, a simple, inexpensive, and bio-safe synthesis process and nanofabrication route is required. Here, we report a cost-effective and fast synthesis route for ZnO one-dimensional nanorod using an aqueous-based approach in a reactor. Our synthesis technique permits nano/microrods to be easily transferred to other substrates and to be distributed on the surface. This flexibility of substrate choice opens the possibility of using focused ion beam (FIB/SEM) system for handling and fabricating nanosensors. The main advantage of this procedure is a quick verification/testing of concept and is compatible with micro/nanoelectronic devices. The described nanofabrication steps permitted us to obtain a 90% success rate for building single nanorod sensor. A sensitivity of ~4% was obtained for a single ZnO nanorod hydrogen sensor at 200ppm H"2 in the air at room temperature. The nanosensor has a high selectivity for H"2, since its sensitivity for O"2, CH"4, CO, ethanol or LPG are less than 0.25%.
An efficient spatial domain technique for subpixel image registration
Authors: Irene G. Karybali, Emmanouil Z. Psarakis, Kostas Berberidis, Georgios D. Evangelidis
Venue: Image Communication (2008)

In this paper a new technique for performing image registration with subpixel accuracy is presented. The proposed technique, which is based on the maximization of the correlation coefficient function, does not require the reconstruction of the intensity values and provides a closed-form solution to the subpixel translation estimation problem. Moreover, an efficient iterative scheme is proposed, which reduces considerably the overall computational cost of the image registration problem. This scheme properly combined with the proposed similarity measure results in a fast spatial domain technique for subpixel image registration.
Adaptive two-way uniform partition for multicast routing problem with separate paths in ad hoc networks
Authors: Tzu-Chiang Chiang, Cheng-Feng Tai, Ting-Wei Hou
Venue: Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal (2009)

Finding a near-optimal routing solution for multicast requests is a challenge for supporting different multicast applications including video and group communications over wireless ad hoc networks. A heuristic partitioning algorithm for solving the multicast routing problem with separate paths in ad hoc networks is presented. We consider scheduling a set of multicast requests which may have a source node with multiple destinations respectively through a wireless network. Our heuristic method for partitioning arbitrary routing requests is both effective in finding a near-optimal solution, and efficient to solve large multicast requests. Our simulation shows that the average overall latency reduces up to 38%. We also find that the handling scales up well from 8 nodes to 64 nodes.