Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TDDB lifetime enhancement of high-k MOSFETs damaged by plasma processing — Conflicting results in plasma charging damage evaluation

Plasma-charging damage (PCD) to high-k MOSFETs was evaluated by various parameters such as random telegraph noise (RTN), threshold voltage shift (ΔVth), and TDDB lifetimes. A new evidence of an enhancement of TDDB lifetime under constant-voltage stress (tCVS) was found for plasma-damaged high-k MOSFETs - a certain amount of PCD results in conflicting data between tCVS and other parameters (RTN, ΔVth, and constant-current TDDB lifetime). The observed feature was ascribed to a characteristic defect generation mechanism in the high-k where trapped charges played important roles in the tCVS test. This finding is another evidence of TDDB conflicting data previously pointed out for SiO2 films with pre-stressed damage, PCD, and mechanical strain. One should properly employ a test method for evaluating PCD to high-k MOSFETs.
A first step towards algorithm plagiarism detection

In this work, we address the problem of algorithm plagiarism, which occurs when a plagiarist, violating intellectual property rights, steals others' algorithms and covertly implements them. In contrast to software plagiarism, which has been extensively studied, limited attention has been paid to algorithm plagiarism. In this paper, we propose two dynamic value-based approaches, namely N-version and annotation, for algorithm plagiarism detection. Our approaches are motivated by the observation that there exist some critical runtime values which are irreplaceable and uneliminatable for all implementations of the same algorithm. The N-version approach extracts such values by filtering out non-core values. The annotation approach leverages auxiliary information to flag important variables which contain core values. We also propose a value dependence graph based similarity metric in addition to the longest common subsequence based one, in order to address the potential value reordering attack. We have implemented a prototype and evaluated the proposed schemes on various algorithms. The results show that our approaches to algorithm plagiarism detection are practical, effective and resilient to many automatic obfuscation techniques.
A study to investigate the impact of requirements instability on software defects

Software development is a dynamic process and is characterized by change. Software projects often begin with unclear, ambiguous, and incomplete requirements which give rise to intrinsic volatility. Constant change in requirements is one of the main causes of software defects and a major issue faced by the software industry. This paper describes the findings of our research-based study that investigates the impact of both the pre-release and post-release requirements changes on overall defects by defining measures, collecting data against those measures and analyzing the collected data through statistical techniques. Our findings, based on industry data from 4 software projects consisting of 30 releases, all in e-commerce domain, indicate that there is a significant relationship between pre/post release change requests initiated by the client and software defects. In addition, our data analysis indicates that changes in the design of the system at the later stages of software development i.e., during coding, testing and after release have a significant impact on the high severity defects that affect the major functionality of the system. Also, we found that insufficient time spent on the design phase and inadequate communication with the client could be some of the causes of requirements changes and consequently software defects.
Context-dependent Partitioning of Motor Learning in Bimanual Movements Howard Is, Ingram Jn, Wolpert Dm. Context-dependent Partitioning of Motor Learning in Bimanual Movements

subjects easily adapt to single dynamic or visuomotor perturbations. In contrast, when two opposing dynamic or visuomotor perturbations are presented sequentially, interference is often observed. We examined the effect of bimanual movement context on interference between opposing perturbations using pairs of contexts, in which the relative direction of movement between the two arms was different across the pair. When each perturbation direction was associated with a different bimanual context, such as movement of the arms in the same direction versus movement in the opposite direction, interference was dramatically reduced. This occurred over a short period of training and was seen for both dynamic and visuomotor perturbations, suggesting a partitioning of motor learning for the different bimanual contexts. Further support for this was found in a series of transfer experiments. Having learned a single dynamic or visuomotor perturbation in one bimanual context, subjects showed incomplete transfer of this learning when the context changed, even though the perturbation remained the same. In addition, we examined a bimanual context in which one arm was moved passively and show that the reduction in interference requires active movement. The sensory consequences of movement are thus insufficient to allow opposing perturbations to be co-represented. Our results suggest different bimanual movement contexts engage at least partially separate representations of dynamics and kinematics in the motor system. Humans show a remarkable ability to learn motor tasks. Such learning has been studied in the laboratory using experiments in which subjects are presented with dynamic or visuo-motor perturbations. For example, subjects readily adapt to a single perturbation applied unimanually (Shadmehr and Mussa-Ivaldi 1994) and can adapt when opposing perturbations are applied to each arm during bimanual movements (Tcheang et al. 2007). In contrast, when two opposing perturbations are presented unimanually in succession, dramatic interference is often seen (Bock et al. a different sensory context is associated with each perturbation, and learning takes place over an extended period, some modest reduction in interference has been observed (Imamizu et al. 2007; Osu et al. 2004; Wada et al. 2003). It has also been shown that the context of bimanual movements can reduce interference (Howard et al. 2008; Nozaki et al. 2006). For example, if the opposing dynamic perturbations are uniquely associated with unimanual and bimanual movements, interference is reduced (Nozaki et al. 2006). Similarly, interference is reduced when opposing dynamic perturbations are each associated with a different bimanual context, whereby the arms …
DELAY DEPENDENT STABILITY OF LINEAR TIME-DELAY SYSTEMS

This paper deals with the problem of delay dependent stability for both ordinary and large-scale time-delay systems. Some necessary and sufficient conditions for delay-dependent asymptotic stability of continuous and discrete linear time-delay systems are derived. These results have been extended to the large-scale time-delay systems covering the cases of two and multiple existing subsystems. The delay-dependent criteria are derived by Lyapunov's direct method and are exclusively based on the solvents of particular matrix equation and Lyapunov equation for non-delay systems. Obtained stability conditions do not possess conservatism. Numerical examples have been worked out to show the applicability of results derived.
Stator-Current-Based MRAS Estimator for a Wide Range Speed-Sensorless Induction-Motor Drive

This paper deals with an analysis of the vector-controlled induction-motor (IM) drive with a novel model reference adaptive system (MRAS)-type rotor speed estimator. A stability-analysis method of this novel MRAS estimator is shown. The influence of equivalent-circuit parameter changes of the IM on the pole placement of the estimator transfer function and the stability of the whole drive system are analyzed and tested. The influence of the adaptation-algorithm coefficients of the MRAS-estimator scheme is also tested. The allowable range of motor-parameter changes is determined, which guarantees the stable operation of the sensorless field-oriented IM drive with this speed and flux estimator. Dynamical performances of the vector-control system with the current-type MRAS estimator are tested in a laboratory setup.
The University of Birmingham ( Live System ) Privacy as a fuzzy concept : A new conceptualization of privacy for practitioners

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CENTRAL MASS AND LUMINOSITY OF MILKY WAY SATELLITES IN THE Λ COLD DARK MATTER MODEL

It has been pointed out that the Galactic satellites all have a common mass around 107 M☉ within 300 pc (M0.3), while they span almost four orders of magnitude in luminosity. It is argued that this may reflect a specific scale for galaxy formation or a scale for dark matter clustering. Here we use numerical simulations coupled with a semianalytical model for galaxy formation, to predict the central mass and luminosity of galactic satellites in the Λ cold dark matter (CDM) model. We show that this common mass scale can be explained within the CDM scenario when the physics of galaxy formation is taken into account. The narrow range of M0.3 comes from the narrow distribution of circular velocities at the time of accretion (peaking around 20 km s−1) for satellites able to form stars and not tight correlation between halo concentration and circular velocity. The wide range of satellite luminosities is due to a combination of the mass at time of accretion and the broad distribution of accretion redshifts for a given mass. This causes the satellites' baryonic content to be suppressed by photoionization to very different extents. Our results favor the argument that the common mass M0.3 reflects a specific scale (circular velocity ∼20 km s−1) for star formation.
Problem-Based Training Improves Recognition of Patient Hazards by Advanced Medical Students during Chart Review: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Study

Background Patient chart review is the gold standard for detection of potential patient hazards (i.e. medication errors or failure to follow up actionable results) in both routine clinical care and patient safety research. However, advanced medical students’ ability to read patient charts and to identify patient hazards is rather poor. We therefore investigated whether it is possible to teach advanced medical students how to identify patient hazards independent of context (i.e. cancer versus cardiac failure) in patient charts. Methods All fifth-year medical students in one semester (n = 123) were randomized into two groups. One group (IC) received a patient chart review-training first and then a control-intervention and the other group (CI) received the control-intervention first and then the patient chart review-training. Before and after the teaching sessions, students reviewed different scenarios with standardized fictional patient charts containing 12 common patient hazards. Two blinded raters rated the students’ notes for any patient hazard addressed in the notes using a checklist. The students were blinded to the study question and design. There was no external funding and no harm for the participating students. Results A total of 35 data sets had to be excluded because of missing data. Overall, the students identified 17% (IQR 8–29%) of the patient hazards before the training and 56% (IQR 41–66%) of the patient hazards after the training. At the second assessment students identified more patient hazards than at the first. They identified even more in the third. The effect was most pronounced after the patient chart review training (all p<.01). Conclusion Patient chart review exercises and problem-based patient chart review training improve students’ abilities to recognize patient hazards independent of context during patient chart review.
Anatomical Changes in Peach Leaves Infected by Taphrina deformans (Berk.) Tul.

Light microscope study of Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. (Fayette cultivar) leaf anatomical structure, naturally infected by Taphrina deformans (Berk.) Tul. has been conducted. In the infected leaves histological changes were observed such as increase of the total thickness of the mesophyll and a loss of its differentiation to palisade and spongy parenchyma. An increase in the size of the upper epidermis was established as a result of fungus localization. The results were supported by morphometric and statistical analysis.
Private English Tutoring and Adolescents' Motivation to Learn English as a Foreign Language: A Self System Perspective.

The present study investigated how self-related English learning motivation among Taiwanese adolescent learners differs between students who only receive English instruction in formal schooling and those who have additional private tutoring. A total of 1,698 teenage English learners in public secondary schools across Taiwan completed a self-reported questionnaire based on the L2 motivational self-system theory (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009). The results showed that students who had additional tutoring had a significantly stronger intention to learn English and exhibited a higher frequency of English learning behaviors compared with those who only received English instruction in the mainstream. Regression analyses revealed similarities and differences between the motivational profiles and self-conceptualizations of those with and without private tutoring, revealing that ought-to self, learning attitudes, and learning experiences were prominent predictors of learning motivation for both groups. For students without tutoring, the influence of prevention-based instrumentality was found in their intention to invest effort and their perceived motivated learning behaviors. While the motivational power of ought-to self was observed in both groups, ideal self was only a pertinent contributory factor of intended effort in those who had tutoring. The study highlights the importance of considering learning experiences across diverse learning contexts in L2 motivation research.
Genetic algorithm involving coevolution mechanism to search for effective genetic information

A new genetic algorithm which exploits an idea of "coevolution" is proposed. The proposed method consists of two GAs: Host GA and Parasite GA. The Host GA searches for the solutions, and these two GAs are closely related to each other. The Parasite GA plays an important role in searching for useful schemata in the Host GA. Furthermore, two methods of fitness evaluation of Parasite GA are examined: differentiating method and averaging method. The differentiating method will yield the search for schemata that are not yet discovered by the Host GA. The averaging method will yield the search for schemata that have high average of fitness. Various computer simulations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Pollinator population size and pollination ecosystem service responses to enhancing floral and nesting resources

Abstract Modeling pollination ecosystem services requires a spatially explicit, process‐based approach because they depend on both the behavioral responses of pollinators to the amount and spatial arrangement of habitat and on the within‐ and between‐season dynamics of pollinator populations in response to land use. We describe a novel pollinator model predicting flower visitation rates by wild central‐place foragers (e.g., nesting bees) in spatially explicit landscapes. The model goes beyond existing approaches by: (1) integrating preferential use of more rewarding floral and nesting resources; (2) considering population growth over time; (3) allowing different dispersal distances for workers and reproductives; (4) providing visitation rates for use in crop pollination models. We use the model to estimate the effect of establishing grassy field margins offering nesting resources and a low quantity of flower resources, and/or late‐flowering flower strips offering no nesting resources but abundant flowers, on bumble bee populations and visitation rates to flowers in landscapes that differ in amounts of linear seminatural habitats and early mass‐flowering crops. Flower strips were three times more effective in increasing pollinator populations and visitation rates than field margins, and this effect increased over time. Late‐blooming flower strips increased early‐season visitation rates, but decreased visitation rates in other late‐season flowers. Increases in population size over time in response to flower strips and amounts of linear seminatural habitats reduced this apparent competition for pollinators. Our spatially explicit, process‐based model generates emergent patterns reflecting empirical observations, such that adding flower resources may have contrasting short‐ and long‐term effects due to apparent competition for pollinators and pollinator population size increase. It allows exploring these effects and comparing effect sizes in ways not possible with other existing models. Future applications include species comparisons, analysis of the sensitivity of predictions to life‐history traits, as well as large‐scale management intervention and policy assessment.
EFFECTS OF A 60 HZ MAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE ON HUMAN BRAIN ACTIVITY DURING A MENTAL ROTATION TASK AS MEASURED BY FMRI

Jodi E. Miller1,2, Julien Modolo 1,2, John R. Robertson1,2, Michael Corbacio1,2, Stephanie Dubois1, Daniel Goulet3, Jacques Lambrozo4, Michel Plante3, Martine Souques4, Frank S. Prato1,2, Alex W. Thomas1,2, Alexandre Legros1,2 1BEMS, Imaging Program, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada, 2Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, 3Hydro-Québec, Montréal, QC, Canada, 4Service des Études Médicales, EDF, Paris, France. Corresponding author e-mail: jmiller@lawsonimaging.ca
A homogeneous sample of sub-damped Lyman systems – IV. Global metallicity evolution

An accurate method to measure the abundance of high-redshift galaxies involves the observation of absorbers along the line of sight towards a background quasar. Here, we present abundance measurements of 13 z≥ 3 sub-damped Lyman α (sub-DLA) systems (quasar absorbers with H i column density in the range 19 3. These new data, combined with other sub-DLA measurements from the literature, confirm the stronger evolution of metallicity with redshift for sub-DLAs than for the classical damped Lyman α absorbers. In addition, these observations are used to compute for the first time, using photoionization modelling in a sample of sub-DLAs, the fraction of gas that is ionized. Based on these results, we calculate that sub-DLAs contribute no more than 6 per cent of the expected amount of metals at z∼ 2.5. We therefore conclude that, even if sub-DLAs are found to be more metal-rich than classical DLAs, their contribution is insufficient to solve the so-called ‘missing-metals’ problem.
Genome Sequence and Analysis of the Oral Bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum Strain ATCC 25586

ABSTRACT We present a complete DNA sequence and metabolic analysis of the dominant oral bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum. Although not considered a major dental pathogen on its own, this anaerobe facilitates the aggregation and establishment of several other species including the dental pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Bacteroides forsythus. The F. nucleatum strain ATCC 25586 genome was assembled from shotgun sequences and analyzed using the ERGO bioinformatics suite (http://www.integratedgenomics.com ). The genome contains 2.17 Mb encoding 2,067 open reading frames, organized on a single circular chromosome with 27% GC content. Despite its taxonomic position among the gram-negative bacteria, several features of its core metabolism are similar to that of gram-positive Clostridium spp. , Enterococcus spp. , and Lactococcus spp. The genome analysis has revealed several key aspects of the pathways of organic acid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism. Nine very-high-molecular-weight outer membrane proteins are predicted from the sequence, none of which has been reported in the literature. More than 137 transporters for the uptake of a variety of substrates such as peptides, sugars, metal ions, and cofactors have been identified. Biosynthetic pathways exist for only three amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, and asparagine. The remaining amino acids are imported as such or as di- or oligopeptides that are subsequently degraded in the cytoplasm. A principal source of energy appears to be the fermentation of glutamate to butyrate. Additionally, desulfuration of cysteine and methionine yields ammonia, H2S, methyl mercaptan, and butyrate, which are capable of arresting fibroblast growth, thus preventing wound healing and aiding penetration of the gingival epithelium. The metabolic capabilities of F. nucleatum revealed by its genome are therefore consistent with its specialized niche in the mouth.
Semiparametric modeling of age at achieving developmental milestones after prenatal exposure to methylmercury in the Seychelles child development study.

Controversy exists concerning the fetal risk associated with exposure to low-dose methylmercury from maternal fish consumption. Previous studies of the effects of acute prenatal mercury exposure identified delays in achieving developmental milestones among exposed children. This led to public health concern that prenatal low-dose exposure from fish consumption could adversely affect the fetus. We evaluated the effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure (through maternal fish consumption) on the age that children walked and first said words in the main study cohort of the Seychelles Child Development Study. We used semiparametric generalized additive models to identify nonlinearities in the relationships between prenatal exposure and developmental outcomes, after adjusting for covariates, and to evaluate their importance. Very slight delays (<1 day) in walking were seen as mercury levels increased from 0 to 7 ppm, but this effect did not persist at the higher exposure levels represented by the cohort, making it difficult to conclude that a cause and effect relationship existed at the exposure levels seen in this cohort. There was no evidence for any association between prenatal exposure and age at talking. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4
Acute Exercise and Motor Memory Consolidation: The Role of Exercise Timing

High intensity aerobic exercise amplifies offline gains in procedural memory acquired during motor practice. This effect seems to be evident when exercise is placed immediately after acquisition, during the first stages of memory consolidation, but the importance of temporal proximity of the exercise bout used to stimulate improvements in procedural memory is unknown. The effects of three different temporal placements of high intensity exercise were investigated following visuomotor skill acquisition on the retention of motor memory in 48 young (24.0 ± 2.5 yrs), healthy male subjects randomly assigned to one of four groups either performing a high intensity (90% Maximal Power Output) exercise bout at 20 min (EX90), 1 h (EX90+1), 2 h (EX90+2) after acquisition or rested (CON). Retention tests were performed at 1 d (R1) and 7 d (R7). At R1 changes in performance scores after acquisition were greater for EX90 than CON (p < 0.001) and EX90+2 (p = 0.001). At R7 changes in performance scores for EX90, EX90+1, and EX90+2 were higher than CON (p < 0.001, p = 0.008, and p = 0.008, resp.). Changes for EX90 at R7 were greater than EX90+2 (p = 0.049). Exercise-induced improvements in procedural memory diminish as the temporal proximity of exercise from acquisition is increased. Timing of exercise following motor practice is important for motor memory consolidation.