Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FPGA-based hardware implementation of optical flow constraint equation of Horn and Schunck

In hardware implementation, there are different architectures that can represent the same algorithm into hardware. The different architectures are usually caused by using different number representations. In this work, two hardware architectures of optical flow constraint equation of Horn and Schunck (OFCE-HS) are presented and compared. The first architecture (OFCE-HS MZ) is previous work using full integer number to represent the architecture. The second architecture (OFCE-HS RH) is our work using combination between integer and fraction number to represent the architecture. Hardware designs of the architectures are performed using Xilinx System Generator through HW-SW co-simulation scheme. As a result, our proposed work has better performance compared to the previous work. It has the ability to reduce noise as well as hardware resources.
A Monitoring and Checking Framework for Run-time Correctness Assurance

Computer systems are often monitored for performance evaluation and enhancement, debugging and testing, control or to check for the correctness of the system. Recently, the problem of designing monitors to check for the correctness of system implementation has received increased attention from the research community. Traditionally, verification has been used to increase the confidence that a system will be correct by making sure that a design specification is correct. However, even if a design has been formally verified, it still does not ensure the correctness of an implementation of the design. This is because the implementation often is much more detailed, and may not strictly follow the formal design. So, there is possibility for introduction of errors into an implementation of a design that has been verified. One way that people have traditionally tried to overcome this gap between the design and the implementation has been to test the implementation's behavior on a pre-determined set of input sequences. This approach, however, fails to provide guarantees about the correctness of the implementation on all possible input sequences. Consequently, when a system is running, it is hard to guarantee whether the current execution of the system is correct or not using the two traditional methods. Therefore, the approach of continuously monitoring a running system has received much attention, as it attempts to overcome the difficulties encountered by the two traditional methods for checking the correctness of the current execution of the system. We describe a framework that provides assurance on the correctness of program execution at run-time. This approach is based on the Monitoring and Checking (MaC) architecture, and complements the two traditional approaches for ensuring that a system is correct, namely static analysis and testing. Unlike these approaches which try to ensure that all possible executions of the system are correct, this approach ensures only that the current execution of the system is correct. The MaC architecture consists of three components: filter, event recognizer, and runtime checker. The filter extracts low-level information, in the form of values of program variables, from the instrumented system code, and sends it to the event recognizer. From this low-level information, the event recognizer detects the occurrence of abstract events, and informs the run-time checker about these. The run-time checker then, based on the events, checks the conformance of the behavior of the system on the current execution, to the formal requirement specification for the system. Acknowledgment. This research was supported in part by NSF CCR-9415346, NSF CCR9619910, AFOSR F49620-95-1-0508, ARO DAAG55-98-1-0393, ARO DAAG55-98-1-0466, and ONR N00014-97-1-0505 (MURI). The current address of Ben-Abdallah is at Department of d’Informatique, Universite de Sfax, Tunisia.
Identifying users profiles from mobile calls habits

The huge quantity of positioning data registered by our mobile phones stimulates several research questions, mainly originating from the combination of this huge quantity of data with the extreme heterogeneity of the tracked user and the low granularity of the data. We propose a methodology to partition the users tracked by GSM phone calls into profiles like resident, commuters, in transit and tourists. The methodology analyses the phone calls with a combination of top-down and bottom up techniques where the top-down phase is based on a sequence of queries that identify some behaviors. The bottom-up is a machine learning phase to find groups of similar call behavior, thus refining the previous step. The integration of the two steps results in the partitioning of mobile traces into these four user categories that can be deeper analyzed, for example to understand the tourist movements in city or the traffic effects of commuters. An experiment on the identification of user profiles on a real dataset collecting call records from one month in the city of Pisa illustrates the methodology.
Enhancing access technique for non real time services in 802.16 systems

The access technique of non real time services in 802.16 networks is generally based on multicast or broadcast polling and contentions resolution mechanisms. Thus, the major problem that faces this class of service is the number of collisions that occur between the bandwidth request messages of subscribers' stations (SSs). These collisions cause waste of bandwidth and increase the access delay. In this paper, we propose a new strategy that aims at reducing to the minimum the collision probability in contention periods. The proposed approach allows to the base station (BS) to select the SSs that can participate to the multicast polling, based on the amount of bandwidth already used by their active connection. Once this selection is made, the considered SSs will adopt a queue status-based contention window (QCW) technique that combines the minimum value sent by the BS and the number of nrtps packets waiting in the queue. Using the simulation results obtained with NS2, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, especially at reducing access delay and collision rate.
Elevated circulatory level of GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids in patients with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

Background. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a multisystem neurobiological disorder with chronic alterations in various neurochemical systems. Levels of the GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate derivate, dehydro-epiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) may be relevant to depressive and anxiety disorders, including PTSD. Methods. We assessed the circulatory levels of morning plasma DHEA and DHEAS in 21 male out-patients with untreated chronic combat-related PTSD (CR-PTSD), and 18 healthy control male subjects. Results. Compared with the control subjects, the PTSD patients showed significantly higher plasma DHEA and DHEAS levels. Conclusions. Chronic CR-PTSD may be associated with increased circulatory level of neuroactive steroids with inhibitory activity at the GABAA receptors. Neurosteroid-induced decreased GABA-ergic tone may be relevant to the symptomatology and pathophysiology of chronic PTSD, as well as to the frequent co-morbidity of PTSD with depression and anxiety disorders.
Investigation of Material Models for Laser Welds in Crash Applications using LS-DYNA

In general the body-in-white (BIW) consists of thin walled structures joined with adhesives, spot welds, laser welds etc. Due to the efficiency and reliability of laser welding, it is increasingly applied in automotive applications to join structures made of steel. The analysis of the behavior of all these joining technologies at crash is generally of great interest. Therefore a suitable model for spot welds has been already published by DaimlerChrysler AG at the LS-DYNA Forum 2005 [2]. Although there are a lot of similarities between laser welds and spot welds, new models and methods are required due to different weld properties and numerous possible laser weld geometries. Because the crash model of a BIW target structure consists of a relatively coarse mesh, a simplified model with reduced complexity is needed. Besides the modeling technique, the material model determines the quality and the efficiency of the modeled laser weld and BIW model. In this paper three different material models are investigated: a bi-linear elasto-plastic material (MAT100), a linear elastic visco-plastic material (MAT24) and a new linear elastic material with an anisotropic yield surface according to Hill, viscoplasticity and anisotropic damage according to Chaboche together with a failure criterion are compared. These material models are tested on standard substitute joint models with a single weld, where the weld has been modeled with a solid element.
Instructional Factors Analysis: A Cognitive Model For Multiple Instructional Interventions

In this paper, we proposed a new cognitive modeling approach: Instructional Factors Analysis Model (IFM). It belongs to a class of Knowledge-Component-based cognitive models. More specifically, IFM is targeted for modeling student’s performance when multiple types of instructional interventions are involved and some of them may not generate a direct observation of students’ performance. We compared IFM to two other pre-existing cognitive models: Additive Factor Models (AFMs) and Performance Factor Models (PFMs). The three methods differ mainly on how a student’s previous experience on a Knowledge Component is counted into multiple categories. Among the three models, instructional interventions without immediate direct observations can be easily incorporate into the AFM and IFM models. Therefore, they are further compared on two important tasks—unseen student prediction and unseen step prediction—and to determine whether the extra flexibility afforded by additional parameters leads to better models, or just to over fitting. Our results suggested that, for datasets involving multiple types of learning interventions, dividing student learning opportunities into multiple categories is beneficial in that IFM out-performed both AFM and PFM models on various tasks. However, the relative performance of the IFM models depends on the specific prediction task; so, experimenters facing a novel task should engage in some measure of model selection.
Thread Assignment of Multithreaded Network Applications in Multicore/Multithreaded Processors

The introduction of multithreaded processors comprised of a large number of cores with many shared resources makes thread scheduling, and in particular optimal assignment of running threads to processor hardware contexts to become one of the most promising ways to improve the system performance. However, finding optimal thread assignments for workloads running in state-of-the-art multicore/multithreaded processors is an NP-complete problem. In this paper, we propose BlackBox scheduler, a systematic method for thread assignment of multithreaded network applications running on multicore/multithreaded processors. The method requires minimum information about the target processor architecture and no data about the hardware requirements of the applications under study. The proposed method is evaluated with an industrial case study for a set of multithreaded network applications running on the UltraSPARC T2 processor. In most of the experiments, the proposed thread assignment method detected the best actual thread assignment in the evaluation sample. The method improved the system performance from 5 to 48 percent with respect to load balancing algorithms used in state-of-the-art OSs, and up to 60 percent with respect to a naive thread assignment.
The Combined Effects of IT and HRM Capabilities on Competitive Performance: Empirical Evidence from Service and Manufacturing SMEs

Building on the resource-based perspective, we analyze the combined effects of two highly-valued organizational resources, namely IT capabilities and HRM capabilities, on the competitive performance of SMEs. Three resource configurations are derived from data on 227 SMEs (121 manufacturing SMEs, 106 service SMEs) through a cluster analysis: “IT Capabilities-Dominant Configuration” (ITC), “E-Business Capabilities-Dominant Configuration” (EBC), and “HRM Capabilities-Dominant Configuration” (HRC). HRC is the best-performing one, followed by EBC, and ITC is the worst-performing. The results show that manufacturing and service firms are very unevenly distributed within HRC and ITC configurations, suggesting notable differences between the two sectors regarding their respective IT and non-IT capability-building. The fact that service SMEs are overwhelmingly represented (93%) in the worstperforming configuration and completely absent (0%) in the most effective configuration while displaying the strongest IT infrastructure capabilities confirms that the IT productivity paradox is aggravated in service SMEs and calls for further investigation.
The interfascicular trigeminal nucleus: A precerebellar nucleus in the mouse defined by retrograde neuronal tracing and genetic fate mapping

We have found a previously unreported precerebellar nucleus located among the emerging fibers of the motor root of the trigeminal nerve in the mouse, which we have called the interfascicular trigeminal nucleus (IF5). This nucleus had previously been named the tensor tympani part of the motor trigeminal nucleus (5TT) in rodent brain atlases, because it was thought to be a subset of small motor neurons of the motor trigeminal nucleus innervating the tensor tympani muscle. However, following injection of retrograde tracer in the cerebellum, the labeled neurons in IF5 were found to be choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) negative, indicating that they are not motor neurons. The cells of IF5 are strongly labeled in mice from Wnt1Cre and Atoh1 CreER lineage fate mapping, in common with the major precerebellar nuclei that arise from the rhombic lip and that issue mossy fibers. Analysis of sections from mouse Hoxa3, Hoxb1, and Egr2 Cre labeled lineages shows that the neurons of IF5 arise from rhombomeres caudal to rhombomere 4, most likely from rhombomeres 6–8. We conclude that IF5 is a significant precerebellar nucleus in the mouse that shares developmental gene expression characteristics with mossy fiber precerebellar nuclei that arise from the caudal rhombic lip. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:697–708, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Deep optimization for spectrum repacking

Over 13 months in 2016--17 the U.S. Federal Communications Commission conducted an "incentive auction" to repurpose radio spectrum from broadcast television to wireless internet. In the end, the auction yielded $19.8 bn, $10.05 bn of which was paid to 175 broadcasters for voluntarily relinquishing their licenses across 14 Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels. Stations that continued broadcasting were assigned potentially new channels to fit as densely as possible into the channels that remained. The government netted more than $7 bn (used to pay down the national debt) after covering costs (including retuning). A crucial element of the auction design was the construction of a solver, dubbed SAT-based Feasibility Checker (SATFC), that determined whether sets of stations could be "repacked" in this way; it needed to run every time a station was given a price quote. This paper describes the process by which we built SATFC. We adopted an approach we dub "deep optimization," taking a data-driven, highly parametric, and computationally intensive approach to solver design. More specifically, to build SATFC we designed software that could pair both complete and local-search SAT-encoded feasibility checking with a wide range of domain-specific techniques, such as constraint graph decomposition and novel caching mechanisms that allow for reuse of partial solutions from related, solved problems. We then used automatic algorithm configuration techniques to construct a portfolio of 8 complementary algorithms to be run in parallel, aiming to achieve good performance on instances that arose in proprietary auction simulations. To evaluate the impact of our solver in this paper, we built an open-source reverse auction simulator. We found that within the short time budget required in practice, SATFC solved more than 95% of the problems it encountered. Furthermore, the incentive auction paired with SATFC produced nearly optimal allocations in a restricted setting and substantially outperformed other alternatives at national scale.
Combining Deconvolution and Noise Analysis for the Estimation of Transmitter Release Rates at the Calyx of Held

The deconvolution method has been used in the past to estimate release rates of synaptic vesicles, but it cannot be applied to synapses where nonlinear interactions of quanta occur. We have extended this method to take into account a nonlinear current component resulting from the delayed clearance of glutamate from the synaptic cleft. We applied it to the calyx of Held and verified the important assumption of constant miniature EPSC (mEPSC) size by combining deconvolution with a variant of nonstationary fluctuation analysis. We found that amplitudes of mEPSCs decreased strongly after extended synaptic activity. Cyclothiazide (CTZ), an inhibitor of glutamate receptor desensitization, eliminated this reduction, suggesting that postsynaptic receptor desensitization occurs during strong synaptic activity at the calyx of Held. Constant mEPSC sizes could be obtained in the presence of CTZ and kynurenic acid (Kyn), a low-affinity blocker of AMPA-receptor channels. CTZ and Kyn prevented postsynaptic receptor desensitization and saturation and also minimized voltage-clamp errors. Therefore, we conclude that in the presence of these drugs, release rates at the calyx of Held can be reliably estimated over a wide range of conditions. Moreover, the method presented should provide a convenient way to study the kinetics of transmitter release at other synapses.
The risk of hip fracture after initiating antihypertensive drugs in the elderly.

BACKGROUND Initiating antihypertensive drugs in the elderly has been associated with an immediate increased risk of falls. However, it is unknown whether initiation of antihypertensive drugs (eg, thiazide diuretics, angiotensin II converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or β-adrenergic blockers) is associated with an immediate increased risk of hip fractures. METHODS A population-based, self-controlled case series design using health care administrative databases identifying patients initiating an antihypertensive drug in Ontario, Canada. A cohort of newly treated hypertensive elderly patients was linked to the occurrence of hip fractures from April 1, 2000, to March 31, 2009, to create exposed cases. The risk period was the first 45 days following antihypertensive therapy initiation with control periods before and after treatment in a 450-day observation period. The outcome measure was the first occurrence for a proximal femoral fracture during the risk period. The analysis determined the relative incidence (incidence rate ratio), defined as the hip fracture rate in the risk period compared with control periods. RESULTS Among the 301,591 newly treated hypertensive community-dwelling elderly patients, 1463 hip fractures were identified during the observation period. Hypertensive elderly persons who began receiving an antihypertensive drug had a 43% increased risk of having a hip fracture during the first 45 days following treatment initiation relative to the control periods (incidence rate ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.19-1.72). CONCLUSIONS Antihypertensive drugs were associated with an immediate increased hip fracture risk during the initiation of treatment in hypertensive community-dwelling elderly patients. Caution is advised when initiating antihypertensive drugs in the elderly.
SOIL STABILIZATION FIELD TRIAL

A five-year study was initiated seeking materials/additives and procedures that help to mitigate crack susceptibility in cement-treated material (CTM). A field test program of six 305-m (1000ft) test sections was implemented in August 2000. The following additives/procedures were included for investigation: • 5.5% cement additive (control section); design based on a reduced strength criteria. • 5.5% cement precracked 24 to 48 hours after finishing. • 5.5% cement precut (grooved) every 3 m (10 ft). • 3.5% cement with 8% fly ash (CFA). • 6% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) with 2% lime admixture (LGBFS). • 3% lime and 12% fly ash; stabilization technique used by MDOT (LFA). The first interim report covering the first phase of investigation/monitoring during the 28day period was submitted on April 21, 2001. Two layers of hot mix asphalt (HMA) – 110-mm (4.5-in.) base, 60-mm (2.25-in.) polymer modified binder – were placed over the stabilized layer beginning September 21, 2000, followed by the second field monitoring on November 13, 2001. Field tests included deflection tests employing Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), retrieval of 100-mm (4-in.) cores for compression tests, and a manual crack survey. The results were presented in Interim Report II. On June 16, 2003, (nominally three years) the test sections were monitored again, also with a deflection test employing FWD and a manual crack survey. Prior to the June 2003 survey, a 50-mm (2-in.) polymer modified surface course was placed, with the road opening to traffic on July 8, 2002. Nominally five years after construction, again deflection tests deploying FWD (December 1, 2004), compression tests on 102-mm (4-in.) cores, and a manual crack survey (March 8, 2005) were conducted. Presented in this final report are (i) the results of the deflection analysis and moduli of layers, (ii) the compressive strength results of 102-mm (4-in.) diameter cores, and (iii) the crack survey results. Backcalculation of moduli from deflection data was accomplished by deploying MODULUS v.6, with pavement modeled as a four-layer system and, in a few cases, as a threeyear system as well. The backcalculated results show that the moduli of all the sections, except that of the CFA, increased steadily from 28 days to 1654 days. In CFA, however, the modulus was not only relatively low but it also leveled off after 440 days. In the LFA section, the modulus remained significantly low in the beginning and continued at a low level over the five-year period. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) determined from 102-mm (4-in.) diameter cores consistently increased with time in all of the six mixes. The strength gain of the 5.5% cement control mix leveled off after 440 days, thus not attaining the target strength of 2070 kPa (300 psi). Lime-fly ash mix strength was indeed low compared to those of the other mixes. With 220 mm (8.75 in.) of HMA overlay, no reflection cracks were observed throughout the five-year monitoring period.