Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eccentricity‐Paced Southern Hemisphere Glacial‐Interglacial Cyclicity Preceding the Middle Miocene Climatic Transition

We present new paleoclimate proxy data from the Southwest Pacific spanning the middle Miocene climatic transition (circa 16.2–13.5 Ma), which indicate a dynamic South Pacific Oceanic system with two periods of increasing and decreasing current strength in response to orbitally paced ice volume variations. A magneto‐biostratigraphic age model provides age control for magnetic susceptibility and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility data from a mudstone succession in Western Southland, New Zealand. Magnetic susceptibility in this succession reflects changes in carbonate content, which we suggest is proxy for ocean productivity or sea level variations and therefore a proxy for ice volume variations. The Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility data carry a record of deep current strength in response to ice volume changes. Our data show that periods of increased ice volume resulted in the northward migration of erosive currents in this sector of the Pacific and that large, dynamic ice sheets may have persisted in Antarctic during the middle Miocene climatic optimum.
TO FLUSH or NOT: Zero Padding in the File System with SSD Devices

Guaranteeing data persistency is extremely critical in the file system, and for data consistency, most file systems use the flush command to force data to the persistent storage media, such as SSD devices. However, the FLUSH command significantly decreases the overall performance for flushing the data and the L2P mapping table stored on the write buffer. In this paper, we propose a novel alternative scheme, called zero padding, that ensures the same effect as physically issuing the FLUSH command while mitigating the performance problem of the flush command. To achieve this, zero padding fully utilizes both the behaviors of the write buffer and the bandwidth of SATA 3.0 interface. We have successfully realized zero padding in ext4 and JBD2 with a small modification, called ext4-zp, and experimentally compared it with the traditional ext4 journal modes. Our experimental results show that ext4-zp provides the best throughput in various workloads and outperforms ext4 with ordered mode by up to 40%.
Animal models of epilepsy: legacies and new directions

Human epilepsies encompass a wide variety of clinical, behavioral and electrical manifestations. Correspondingly, studies of this disease in nonhuman animals have brought forward an equally wide array of animal models, i.e. species and acute or chronic seizure induction protocols. Epilepsy research has a long history of comparative anatomical and physiological studies on a range of mostly mammalian species. Nonetheless, a relatively limited number of rodent models emerged as the primary choices for most epilepsy-related investigations. In many cases these animal models are selected based on convenience or tradition, though technical or experimental rationale does, and should, factor into these decisions. More complex mammalian brains and, especially, genetic model organisms including zebrafish have been studied less but offer significant advantages that are being widely recognized.
A Weighted Overlapped Block-Based Compressive Sensing in SAR Imaging

The compressive sensing (CS) theory has been widely used in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging for its ability to reconstruct image from an extremely small set of measurements than what is generally considered necessary. Because block-based CS approaches in SAR imaging always cause block boundaries between two adjacent blocks, resulting in namely the block artefacts. In this paper, we propose a weighted overlapped block-based compressive sensing (WOBCS) method to reduce the block artefacts and accomplish SAR imaging. It has two main characteristics: 1) the strategy of sensing small and recovering big and 2) adaptive weighting technique among overlapped blocks. This proposed method is implemented by the well-known CS recovery schemes like orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) and BCS-SPL. Promising results are demonstrated through several experiments. key words: SAR imaging, block-based compressive sensing, weighted overlapped reconstruction, the block artefacts reduction
Analyzing program flow within a many-kernel OpenCL application

Many developers have begun to realize that heterogeneous multi-core and many-core computer systems can provide significant performance opportunities to a range of applications. Typical applications possess multiple components that can be parallelized; developers need to be equipped with proper performance tools to analyze program flow and identify application bottlenecks. In this paper, we analyze and profile the components of the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) Computer Vision algorithm written in OpenCL. Our profiling framework is developed using built-in OpenCL API function calls, without the need for an external profiler. We show we can begin to identify performance bottlenecks and performance issues present in individual components on different hardware platforms. We demonstrate that by using run-time profiling using the OpenCL specification, we can provide an application developer with a fine-grained look at performance, and that this information can be used to tailor performance improvements for specific platforms.
Energy Efficiency in Cell-Free Massive MIMO with Zero-Forcing Precoding Design

We consider the downlink of a cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) network, where numerous distributed access points (APs) serve a smaller number of users under time division duplex operation. An important issue in deploying cell-free networks is high power consumption, which is proportional to the number of APs. This issue has raised the question as to their suitability for green communications in terms of the total energy efficiency (bits/Joule). To tackle this, we develop a novel low-complexity power control technique with zero-forcing precoding design to maximize the energy efficiency of cell-free massive MIMO considering the Backhaul power consumption and the imperfect channel state information.
NASPInet - The Internet for Synchrophasors

NASPI is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and North American electric utilities, vendors, consultants, federal and private researchers and academics. NASPInet is an effort to develop an "industrial grade", secure, standardized, distributed, and expandable data communications infrastructure to support synchrophasor applications in North America. In some aspects NASPInet mirrors the Internet in its construct but not all. Some of the management and administrative features are similar while others such as the continuous streaming of data from phasor measurement units are not. This paper will broadly discuss the similarities and differences between the two networks.
A management architecture for active networks

We present an architecture for network and applications management, which is based on the active networks paradigm and shows the advantages of network programmability. The stimulus to develop this architecture arises from an actual need to manage a cluster of active nodes, where it is often required to redeploy network assets and modify node connectivity. In our architecture, a remote front-end of the managing entity allows the operator to design new network topologies, to check the status of the nodes and to configure them. Moreover, the proposed framework allows to explore an active network, to monitor the active applications, to query each node and to install programmable traps. In order to take advantage of the active networks technology, we introduce active SNMP-like MIBs and agents, which are dynamic and programmable. The programmable management agents make tracing distributed applications a feasible task. We propose a general framework that can interoperate with any active execution environment. In this framework, both the manager and the monitor front-ends communicate with an active node (the Active Network Access Point) through the XML language. A gateway service performs the translation of the queries from XML to an active packet language and injects the code in the network. We demonstrate the implementation of an active network gateway for PLAN (Packet Language for Active Networks) in a forty active nodes testbed. Finally, we discuss an application of the active management architecture to detect the causes of network failures by tracing network events in time.
Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated with Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Treatment for Malignancies: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Treatment of cancers with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors can lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which could be serious and even fetal. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the characteristics of irAEs associated with the use of such drugs. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched to find potential studies using the following strategies: anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment; irAEs; and cancer. R© package Meta was used to pool incidence. Results: Forty-six studies representing 12,808 oncologic patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents were included in the meta-analysis. The anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents included nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, avelumab, and BMS-936559. The tumor types were melanomas, Hodgkin lymphomas, urothelial carcinomas, breast cancers, non-small cell lung cancers, renal cell carcinomas (RCC), colorectal cancers, and others. We described irAEs according to organ systems, namely, the skin (pruritus, rash, maculopapular rash, vitiligo, and dermatitis), endocrine system (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, hypophysitis, thyroiditis, and adrenal insufficiency), digestive system (colitis, diarrhea, pancreatitis, and increased AST/ALT/bilirubin), respiratory system (pneumonitis, lung infiltration, and interstitial lung disease), and urinary system (increased creatinine, nephritis, and renal failure). In patients treated with the PD-1 signaling inhibitors, the overall incidence of irAEs was 26.82% (95% CI, 21.73–32.61; I2, 92.80) in any grade and 6.10% (95% CI, 4.85–7.64; I2, 52.00) in severe grade, respectively. The development of irAEs was unrelated to the dose of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 agents. The incidence of particular irAEs varied when different cancers were treated with different drugs. The incidence of death due to irAEs was around 0.17%. Conclusion: The occurrence of irAEs was organ-specific and related to drug and tumor types.
Incorporating query difference for learning retrieval functions in world wide web search

We discuss information retrieval methods that aim at serving a diverse stream of user queries such as those submitted to commercial search engines. We propose methods that emphasize the importance of taking into consideration of query difference in learning effective retrieval functions. We formulate the problem as a multi-task learning problem using a risk minimization framework. In particular, we show how to calibrate the empirical risk to incorporate query difference in terms of introducing nuisance parameters in the statistical models, and we also propose an alternating optimization method to simultaneously learn the retrieval function and the nuisance parameters. We work out the details for both L1 and L2 regularization cases, and provide convergence analysis for the alternating optimization method for the special case when the retrieval functions belong to a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods using modeling data extracted from a commercial search engine. We also point out how the current framework can be extended in future research.
Towards a Framework and a Design Methodology for Autonomic SoC

This paper proposes autonomic or organic computing principles to be applied to hardware design methods for future SoC solutions. Incorporating self-calibration, fault tolerance or even self-healing concepts into integrated circuit systems represents a major conceptual shift, which requires new design processes and tools. In the future, guarantee of functional correctness at the chip level includes self configuration of adaptable components and flexible interfaces supporting a flexible component composition within complex SoC systems
Competing regression models for longitudinal data

The choice of an appropriate family of linear models for the analysis of longitudinal data is often a matter of concern for practitioners. To attenuate such difficulties, we discuss some issues that emerge when analyzing this type of data via a practical example involving pretest–posttest longitudinal data. In particular, we consider log‐normal linear mixed models (LNLMM), generalized linear mixed models (GLMM), and models based on generalized estimating equations (GEE). We show how some special features of the data, like a nonconstant coefficient of variation, may be handled in the three approaches and evaluate their performance with respect to the magnitude of standard errors of interpretable and comparable parameters. We also show how different diagnostic tools may be employed to identify outliers and comment on available software. We conclude by noting that the results are similar, but that GEE‐based models may be preferable when the goal is to compare the marginal expected responses.
Adaptive non-coherent integration

Radar systems use a combination of coherent and non-coherent integration to optimize detection performance. However, the optimum balance between coherent and non-coherent integration is a function of both radar operation and the target's radar cross section statistics. In this paper a method for adaptively optimizing the balance of coherent and non-coherent integration for targets being tracked by a radar is proposed and experimentally validated. It is shown that choosing the optimum balance of coherent and non-coherent integration reduces the amount of the radar's energy and thus time resources that must be expended to produce a satisfactory probability of detection.
Systematic review of studies generating individual participant data on the efficacy of drugs for treating soil-transmitted helminthiases and the case for data-sharing

Background Preventive chemotherapy and transmission control (PCT) by mass drug administration is the cornerstone of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s policy to control soil-transmitted helminthiases (STHs) caused by Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) and hookworm species (Necator americanus and Ancylostama duodenale) which affect over 1 billion people globally. Despite consensus that drug efficacies should be monitored for signs of decline that could jeopardise the effectiveness of PCT, systematic monitoring and evaluation is seldom implemented. Drug trials mostly report aggregate efficacies in groups of participants, but heterogeneities in design complicate classical meta-analyses of these data. Individual participant data (IPD) permit more detailed analysis of drug efficacies, offering increased sensitivity to identify atypical responses potentially caused by emerging drug resistance. Methodology We performed a systematic literature review to identify studies concluding after 2000 that collected IPD suitable for estimating drug efficacy against STH. We included studies that administered a variety of anthelmintics with follow ups less than 60 days after treatment. We estimated the number of IPD and extracted cohort- and study-level meta-data. Principal findings We estimate that there exist individual data on approximately 35,000 participants from 129 studies conducted in 39 countries, including 34 out of 103 countries where PCT is recommended. We find significant heterogeneity in diagnostic methods, times of outcome assessment, and the reported measure of efficacy. We also quantify cohorts comprising pre-school age children, pregnant women, and co-infected participants, including with HIV. Conclusions We argue that establishing a global IPD repository would improve the capacity to monitor and evaluate the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs, respond to changes and safeguard the ongoing effectiveness of PCT. Establishing a fair, transparent data governance policy will be key for the engagement of the global STH community.
On quality metrics of bounding volume hierarchies

The surface area heuristic (SAH) is widely used as a predictor for ray tracing performance, and as a heuristic to guide the construction of spatial acceleration structures. We investigate how well SAH actually predicts ray tracing performance of a bounding volume hierarchy (BVH), observe that this relationship is far from perfect, and then propose two new metrics that together with SAH almost completely explain the measured performance. Our observations shed light on the increasingly common situation that a supposedly good tree construction algorithm produces trees that are slower to trace than expected. We also note that the trees constructed using greedy top-down algorithms are consistently faster to trace than SAH indicates and are also more SIMD-friendly than competing approaches.
Scalable mining of large video databases using copy detection

Mining the video content itself can bring to light important information regarding the internal structure of large video databases, compensating for a lasting absence of extensive and reliable annotations. Many valuable links between video segments can be identified by content-based copy detection methods, where "copies" are transformed versions of original video sequences. To make this approach viable for large video databases, we put forward a new mining method relying on the definition of a compact keyframe-level descriptor and of a specific index structure. The performance obtained in detecting links between video segments is evaluated with the help of a ground truth and several illustrations are given. The scalability of the approach is then demonstrated for databases of up to 10,000 hours of video.
Assessment of groundwater facies in Wates Coastal Area, Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The groundwater quality in Wates coastal area is generally a good category but there are high salinity values at some locations. The chemical quality of groundwater from place to place is different. The difference of water quality is a major problem in the study area. A total of 27 groundwater samples were collected in August, 2017. Geochemical signatures of groundwater were used to analyze the major ionic concentrations in the groundwater, to identify the dominant hydrogeochemical processes, and to determine the relationship between groundwater flow and spatial distribution of water types. Hierarchical Cluster analysis and Schoeller diagram, Gibbs plots, Scatter diagrams, and Piper Trilinear diagram were employed to evaluate the hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater. In Schoeller diagrams, the relative tendency of ions in meq/L shows Na + > Mg 2+ > Ca 2+ > K + and HCO 3 - >Cl - > SO 4 2- trends, typically in saline water. Gibbs diagram reveals that the groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contribution from evaporation source. Based on the results of Hierarchical Cluster analysis and Piper diagram, dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the study area are Ca-HCO 3 , Na-Cl, and Ca-Na-HCO 3 types. Ca-HCO 3 facies are almost throughout the study area and the evolution of groundwater was mainly controlled by the silicate weathering process. Na-Cl water types are grouping in the study area influenced by cation exchange and evaporation processes, while Ca-Na-HCO 3 types are locally grouping with silicate weathering and cation exchange processes. The geology implies that common silicate minerals are found everywhere in the study area. In fact, the distributions of groundwater facies are related to the local geology, which may result in different hydrochemical processes. In addition, lithology is very influential on the existence of groundwater in the study area
Random generation of English sentences

IN the paper "A Framework for Syntactic Translation",1 it was proposed that a translation routine could be divided into six logically separate parts. There was a horizontal division into three steps: sentence analysis, transfer of structure, and sentence synthesis; and there was a vertical division into the operational parts, or routines proper, and the parts that contained all the necessary knowledge of the structures of the languages involved and their interrelation. It was hoped that to divide is to conquer. In the work reported here we are concerned with just two of the six parts of a translation routine the sentence-synthesis routine and the grammar, which is eventually to contain as complete a set of rules for English sentence structure as possible. Of the various possible forms for writing a grammar, the generative2 form seems to have the most to recommend it. A generative grammar is a grammar written in a manner analogous to a deductive system. Its main advantage is that it offers a relatively easy method of dealing with the difficult problems posed by the multiple function of words and constructions. It also seems plausible that a generative type of grammar is not necessarily confined in its use to a sentence synthesis routine, but could be used equally well with a sentence recognition routine.3 A number of forms of generative grammar have been explored. The original transformational type of grammar has been abandoned because it cannot be mechanized by a finite device, because of the difficulty of assigning a phrase structure to the result of a transformation, and for several other lesser technical reasons.
Solving Data Sparsity by Morphology Injection in Factored SMT

SMT approaches face the problem of data sparsity while translating into a morphologically rich language. It is very unlikely for a parallel corpus to contain all morphological forms of words. We propose a solution to generate these unseen morphological forms and inject them into original training corpora. We observe that morphology injection improves the quality of translation in terms of both adequacy and ﬂuency. We verify this with the experiments on two morphologically rich languages: Hindi and Marathi, while translating from English.
Applying a Multi-Attribute Metrics Approach to Detect Contents of Blog Communities

The rapid development of blogs has brought on some serious problems such as disclosure of sensitive information, spread of unhealthy information, etc. So it is very important for supervisors to detect them. The common methods based on search engines have some drawbacks such as lower efficiency and lower precision because they need to retrieve and update blog pages frequently, and to analyze all blog pages downloaded In this paper, we present a new method for detecting contents of blogs based on communities discovery. It adopts a hierarchical clustering algorithm based on multi-attribute metrics. By this method, we can monitor the whole blog community by detecting the contents of eigenvalue nodes . Our experimental result shows that the algorithm proposed is highly effective.