Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost-efficient Acceleration of Hardware Trojan Detection Through Fan-Out Cone Analysis and Weighted Random Pattern Technique

Fabless semiconductor industry and government agencies have raised serious concerns about tampering with inserting hardware Trojans (HTs) in an integrated circuit supply chain in recent years. In this paper, a low hardware overhead acceleration method of the detection of HTs based on the insertion of 2-to-1 MUXs as test points is proposed. In the proposed method, the fact that one logical gate has a significant impact on the transition probability of the logical gates in its logical fan-out cone is utilized to optimize the number of the inserted MUXs. The nets which have smaller transition probability than the user-specified threshold and minimal logical depth from the primary inputs are selected as the candidate nets. As for each candidate net, only its input net with smallest signal probability is required to be inserted the MUXs-based test points. The procedure repeats until the minimal transition probability of the entire circuit is not smaller than the threshold value. In order to further optimize the number of required insertions and reduce the overhead, the weighted random pattern technique is also applied. Experiment results on ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits show that our proposed method can achieve remarkable improvement of transition probability with on average 9.50% power, 2.37% delay, and 10.26% area penalty.
On culture, ethics, and hierarchy: How cultural variations in hierarchical relations are manifested in the code of ethics of British and Korean organizations

The present research examined if cultural differences in the extent to which hierarchical relations dictate individuals’ behaviors are embedded in objective institutional regulations. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, we examined codes of ethics of Korean and British organizations in relation to working relationships and corruptive behaviors. We found that, unlike British organizations, Korean organizations endorsed codes of ethics that place greater emphasis on hierarchical relations and contained prescriptions for individuals occupying senior or junior ranks. Ethical codes also appeared to be geared more towards preventing the abuse of power in Korean organizations compared with British organizations. Finally, unlike British organizations, Korean organizations often permitted top-down exchanges (not bottom-up exchanges), suggesting that in upper echelons benevolence may be more normative in Korean organizations than in British organizations.
Image Categorization with Semi-Supervised Learning

This paper addresses the problem of categorizing/classifying images, with an emphasis on utilizing unlabeled image data to achieve higher classification accuracy. The main contribution of this paper is two-fold: firstly we introduce graph based semi-supervised learning to the problem of image categorization. Secondly we propose a novel neighborhood preserving graph-based semi-supervised learning method. Experiments of applying the proposed method to categorize image data demonstrated its effectiveness.
Aberrant expression of microRNA-99a and its target gene mTOR associated with malignant progression and poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma

Background The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been reported to act as a target gene of microRNA (miR)-99a in various cancer cells and identified as an independent prognostic marker of human osteosarcoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-99a/mTOR axis in human osteosarcoma. Methods A total of 130 pairs of osteosarcoma and matched noncancerous bone tissues were used to detect the expression levels of miR-99a and mTOR mRNA by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Then, associations of miR-99a and/or mTOR expression with clinico-pathological features and prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma were statistically analyzed. Results The expression levels of miR-99a (tumor vs normal: 2.11±1.03 vs 4.69±1.21, P<0.001) and mTOR mRNA (tumor vs normal: 4.40±1.13 vs 1.74±0.85, P<0.001) in osteosarcoma tissues were, respectively, lower and higher than those in noncancerous bone tissues. The expression levels of miR-99a in osteosarcoma tissues were negatively correlated with those of mTOR mRNA. Additionally, miR-99a-low and/or mTOR-high expression were all significantly associated with advanced surgical stage, positive metastasis and recurrence, and poor response to chemotherapy (all P<0.05). Moreover, patients with osteosarcoma with miR-99a-low and/or mTOR-high expression had shorter overall and disease-free survivals than those in miR-99a-high and/or mTOR-low expression groups. Multivariate Cox analyses showed that miR-99a and/or mTOR expression were all independent prognostic factors of osteosarcoma. Conclusion Our data showed the crucial role of miR-99a/mTOR axis in the malignant progression of human osteosarcoma, implying that conjoined expression of miR-99a and mTOR may offer an attractive novel prognostic marker for this disease.
A theory of motivation and satisfaction of software engineers

Context: Previous research work in the Software Engineering field indicates that a proper management of motivation and job satisfaction at work can help software organisations to achieve higher levels of project success. However, the little concern with the adequate use of well-established theories to underpin these researches left unclear several theoretical and practical aspects of work motivation and job satisfaction in the software context. In fact, there is enough knowledge about job satisfaction factors, but not on specific characteristics of the work that motivate software engineers. Objective: The starting point of this research comprises the Job Satisfaction and the Job Characteristics theories, which argue that job satisfaction and work motivation are distinguishable phenomena, with distinct antecedents and different outcomes. Then, this thesis aims to clarify specifically what factors drive motivation of software engineers at work. Method: The initial theoretical framework was evaluated and enhanced based on findings from a multiple case study that comprised four different software organisations from Recife, Brazil. For 11 months, rich data was collected independently in those organisations, by means of semi-structured interviews, diary studies, and document analyses, and the synthesis followed a standard procedure of cross-case analysis. Results: The results point out that (1) practitioners are not aware of the distinction between work motivation and job satisfaction, (2) work motivation is characterized by engagement and concentration, (3) work motivation is affected by software engineering tasks characteristics and by the co-workers’ engagement, workload and technical confidence, (4) work motivation improves satisfaction moderated by feedback information provided about the individual’s performance, and (5) the mediating role of individual characteristics is pervasive. Conclusion: Based on these data, it was possible to draw up a new theory of motivation and satisfaction of software engineers (TMS-SE), which unites elements from well established theories, expands and adapts them to the software engineering specific context. The TMS-SE represents an advance on our understanding of software engineers’ behaviour as well as it raises new questions and provides an organised ground for future investigations in this area.
A new metric for quantifying performance impairment on the psychomotor vigilance test

We have developed a new psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) metric for quantifying the effects of sleep loss on performance impairment. The new metric quantifies performance impairment by estimating the probability density of response times (RTs) in a PVT session, and then considering deviations of the density relative to that of a baseline‐session density. Results from a controlled laboratory study involving 12 healthy adults subjected to 85 h of extended wakefulness, followed by 12 h of recovery sleep, revealed that the group performance variability based on the new metric remained relatively uniform throughout wakefulness. In contrast, the variability of PVT lapses, mean RT, median RT and (to a lesser extent) mean speed showed strong time‐of‐day effects, with the PVT lapse variability changing with time of day depending on the selected threshold. Our analysis suggests that the new metric captures more effectively the homeostatic and circadian process underlying sleep regulation than the other metrics, both directly in terms of larger effect sizes (4–61% larger) and indirectly through improved fits to the two‐process model (9–67% larger coefficient of determination). Although the trend of the mean speed results followed those of the new metric, we found that mean speed yields significantly smaller (∼50%) intersubject performance variance than the other metrics. Based on these findings, and that the new metric considers performance changes based on the entire set of responses relative to a baseline, we conclude that it provides a number of potential advantages over the traditional PVT metrics.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) – a new factor that interplays between inflammation, malnutrition, and atherosclerosis in elderly hemodialysis patients

Background/aim In the past decade, in most regions of the world, an increasing number of adults aged 65 years and older were started on renal replacement therapy each year. In contrast to the general population for whom overnutrition or obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, for patients who are maintained on hemodialysis (HD), malnutrition and malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome are associated with poor outcome. In recent years, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been considered to be the liver manifestation of metabolic syndrome, and the development of NAFLD is strongly associated with all components of metabolic syndrome (arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes mellitus type 2) in the general population. The primary end point of this study was to determine the patient’s survival in relation to nutritional and inflammatory state and the presence or absence of NAFLD. The secondary end point of this analysis was the association among NAFLD and various clinical and laboratory data, with the nutritional and inflammatory state of our elderly HD patients. Methods Using a single-center, prospective, cohort study design, we followed the progress of 76 patients who were ≥65 years and treated with chronic HD for at least 6 months, at the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation. All patients were followed for a minimum of 18 months or until death. Survival was defined as the time from study initiation to death (or end of study, if still alive). Results The main findings of our study were a remarkable positive correlation between NAFLD and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r=0.659; P<0.0001) and consequent negative correlation with the nutritional parameter, serum albumin (r=−0.321; P=0.004). Interestingly, we showed that in contrast to the general population, where NAFLD is associated with obesity, in the present study, there was no statistically significant association between NAFLD and overnutrition in elderly HD patients. Furthermore, the presence of NAFLD, low serum albumin levels, and high hs-CRP were strong predictors of poor outcome in our elderly HD patients. Conclusion Our results indicated that NAFLD probably interplays between inflammation, malnutrition, and atherosclerosis in elderly HD patients. NAFLD could be a new factor that contributes to type 2 malnutrition in elderly HD patients, who may be amenable to adequate nutritional and HD support.
Analysis of Leigh Syndrome Mutations in the Yeast SURF1 Homolog Reveals a New Member of the Cytochrome Oxidase Assembly Factor Family

ABSTRACT Three missense SURF1 mutations identified in patients with Leigh syndrome (LS) were evaluated in the yeast homolog Shy1 protein. Introduction of two of the Leigh mutations, F249T and Y344D, in Shy1 failed to significantly attenuate the function of Shy1 in cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) biogenesis as seen with the human mutations. In contrast, a G137E substitution in Shy1 results in a nonfunctional protein conferring a CcO deficiency. The G137E Shy1 mutant phenocopied shy1Δ cells in impaired Cox1 hemylation and low mitochondrial copper. A genetic screen for allele-specific suppressors of the G137E Shy1 mutant revealed Coa2, Cox10, and a novel factor designated Coa4. Coa2 and Cox10 are previously characterized CcO assembly factors. Coa4 is a twin CX9C motif mitochondrial protein localized in the intermembrane space and associated with the inner membrane. Cells lacking Coa4 are depressed in CcO activity but show no impairment in Cox1 maturation or formation of the Shy1-stabilized Cox1 assembly intermediate. To glean insights into the functional role of Coa4 in CcO biogenesis, an unbiased suppressor screen of coa4Δ cells was conducted. Respiratory function of coa4Δ cells was restored by the overexpression of CYC1 encoding cytochrome c. Cyc1 is known to be important at an ill-defined step in the assembly and/or stability of CcO. This new link to Coa4 may begin to further elucidate the role of Cyc1 in CcO biogenesis.
Changing climate, changing forests: the impacts of climate change on forests of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada

Decades of study on climatic change and its direct and indirect effects on forest ecosystems provide important insights for forest science, management, and policy. A synthesis of recent research from the northeastern United States and eastern Canada shows that the climate of the region has become warmer and wetter over the past 100 years and that there are more extreme precipitation events. Greater change is projected in the future. The amount of projected future change depends on the emissions scenarios used. Tree species composition of northeast forests has shifted slowly in response to climate for thousands of years. However, current human-accelerated climate change is much more rapid and it is unclear how forests will respond to large changes in suitable habitat. Projections indicate significant declines in suitable habitat for spruce-fir forests and expansion of suitable habitat for oak-dominated forests. Productivity gains that might result from extended growing seasons and carbon dioxide and nitrogen fertilization may be offset by productivity losses associated with the disruption of species assemblages and concurrent stresses associated with potential increases in atmospheric deposition of pollutants, forest fragmentation, and nuisance species. Investigations of links to water and nutrient cycling suggest that changes in evapotranspiration, soil respiration, and mineralization rates could result in significant alterations of key ecosystem processes. Climate change affects the distribution and abundance of many wildlife species in the region through changes in habitat, food availability, thermal tolerances, species interactions such as competition, and susceptibility to parasites and disease. Birds are the most studied northeastern taxa. Twenty-seven of the 38 bird species for which we have adequate long-term records have expanded their ranges predominantly in a northward direction. There is some evidence to suggest that novel species, including pests and pathogens, may be more adept at adjusting to changing climatic conditions, enhancing their competitive ability relative to native species. With the accumulating evidence of climate change and its potential effects, forest stewardship efforts would benefit from integrating climate mitigation and adaptation options in conservation and management plans.
Will You Accept an App? Empirical Investigation of the Decisional Calculus Behind the Adoption of Applications on Facebook

Despite a rapidly increasing number of third-party applications on Facebook and, as a consequence, exploding concerns regarding their data handling practices, little is understood about the rationale behind app installation decisions. Following a Grounded Theory approach and drawing on the results of 20 interviews and textual responses of 392 subjects, we propose a unified model of users’ decision-making process when installing a Facebook app. We conceptualize the decisional calculus behind the adoption of applications and locate it in the proposed process model. To complement our findings, we analyze results of the experiment, finding that trust in the app provider and intrusiveness of the information request have a significant impact on willingness to accept an app for experienced users. The effect of trust, however, disappears once friend recommendation is involved. Nonusers are found to be insensitive to these secondary factors, rather aligning their behavior with the perceived value of the app.
Contribution of the Monkey Frontal Eye Field to Covert Visual Attention

The frontal eye field (FEF) has long been regarded as a cortical area critically involved in the execution of voluntary saccadic eye movements. However, recent studies have suggested that the FEF may also play a role in orienting attention. To address this issue, we reversibly inactivated the FEF using multiple microinjections of muscimol, a GABAA agonist, in two macaque monkeys performing visually guided saccades to a single target. The effects of FEF inactivation were also studied in a covert visual search task that required monkeys to search for a target presented among several distractors without making any eye movements. As expected, inactivating the FEF caused spatially selective deficits in executing visually guided saccades, but it also altered the ability to detect a visual target presented among distractors when no eye movements were permitted. These results allow us to conclude definitively to an involvement of the FEF in both oculomotor and attentional functions. Comparison of the present results with a similar experiment conducted in the lateral intraparietal cortex area revealed qualitatively different deficits, suggesting that the two areas may make distinct contributions to selective attention processes.
Do Social Networks Solve Information Problems for Peer-to-Peer Lending? Evidence from Prosper.Com

This paper studies peer-to-peer (p2p) lending on the Internet. Prosper.com, the first p2p lending website in the US, matches individual lenders and borrowers for unsecured consumer loans. Using transaction data from June 1, 2006 to July 31, 2008, we examine what information problems exist on Prosper and whether social networks help alleviate the information problems. As we expect, data identifies three information problems on Prosper.com. First, Prosper lenders face extra adverse selection because they observe categories of credit grades rather than the actual credit scores. This selection is partially offset when Prosper posts more detailed credit information on the website. Second, many Prosper lenders have made mistakes in loan selection but they learn vigorously over time. Third, as Stiglitz and Weiss (1981) predict, a higher interest rate can imply lower rate of return because higher interest attracts lower quality borrowers. Micro-finance theories argue that social networks may identify good risks either because friends and colleagues observe the intrinsic type of borrowers ex ante or because the monitoring within social networks provides a stronger incentive to pay off loans ex post. We find evidence both for and against this argument. For example, loans with friend endorsements and friend bids have fewer missed payments and yield significantly higher rates of return than other loans. On the other hand, the estimated returns of group loans are significantly lower than those of non-group loans. That being said, the return gap between group and non-group loans is closing over time. This convergence is partially due to lender learning and partially due to Prosper eliminating group leader rewards which motivated leaders to fund lower quality loans in order to earn the rewards.
Waist-to-Height Ratio and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Elderly Individuals at High Cardiovascular Risk

Introduction Several anthropometric measurements have been associated with cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes mellitus and other cardiovascular risk conditions, such as hypertension or metabolic syndrome. Waist-to-height-ratio has been proposed as a useful tool for assessing abdominal obesity, correcting other measurements for the height of the individual. We compared the ability of several anthropometric measurements to predict the presence of type-2 diabetes, hyperglycemia, hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia or metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods In our cross-sectional analyses we included 7447 Spanish individuals at high cardiovascular risk, men aged 55–80 years and women aged 60–80 years, from the PREDIMED study. Logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the odds ratio of presenting each cardiovascular risk factor according to various anthropometric measures. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) were used to compare the predictive ability of these measurements. Results In this relatively homogeneous cohort with 48.6% of type-2 diabetic individuals, the great majority of the studied anthropometric parameters were significantly and positively associated with the cardiovascular risk factors. No association was found between BMI and body weight and diabetes mellitus. The AUCs for the waist-to-height ratio and waist circumference were significantly higher than the AUCs for BMI or weight for type-2 diabetes, hyperglycemia, atherogenic dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. Conversely, BMI was the strongest predictor of hypertension. Conclusions We concluded that measures of abdominal obesity showed higher discriminative ability for diabetes mellitus, high fasting plasma glucose, atherogenic dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome than BMI or weight in a large cohort of elderly Mediterranean individuals at high cardiovascular risk. No significant differences were found between the predictive abilities of waist-to-height ratio and waist circumference on the metabolic disease.
Responding to misinformation about climate change

ABSTRACT This study examined responses to climate change misinformation and messages designed to counter misinformation. Participants (N = 406) first responded to a social media post denying the existence of global warming and then were randomly assigned to read one of three responses to the original post (correction, collaboration, control). Participants in the collaboration condition reported the highest likelihood of posting their own comment, were more likely to agree with or like the comment, and were less likely to be argumentative in their own response. Support of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions did not vary based on experimental condition.
A two stage learning technique using PSO-based FLC and QFIS for the pursuit evasion differential game

This paper presents a two stage learning technique that combines a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based fuzzy logic control (FLC) algorithm with the Q-Learning fuzzy inference system (QFIS) algorithm. The PSO algorithm is used as a global optimizer to autonomously tune the parameters of a fuzzy logic controller. On the other hand, the QFIS algorithm is used as a local optimizer. We simulate mobile robots playing the differential form of the pursuit evasion game. The game is played such that the pursuer should learn its default control strategy on-line by interacting with the evader. We assume that the evader plays a well defined strategy which is to run away along the line of sight. The pursuer's learning process depends on the rewards received from its environment. The proposed technique is compared through simulation with the default control strategy, the PSO-based fuzzy logic control algorithm, and the QFIS algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed learning technique outperform the PSO-based fuzzy logic control algorithm and the QFIS algorithm with respect to the learning time which represents an important factor in on-line applications.