Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Method call sequences in JML

— In a pre and postconditions style specification, it is difficult to specify allowed sequences of method calls, often called protocols. However, the protocols are essential properties of reusable object-oriented classes and application frameworks, and the approaches based on the pre and postconditions, such as design by contracts (DBC) and formal behavioral interface specification languages (BISL), are being accepted as a practical and effective way of describing precise interfaces of (reusable) program modules. We propose a simple extension to JML, a BISL for Java, to specify protocol properties in an intuitive and concise manner. We also define a formal semantics of our extension and provide runtime checks. We believe that our approach can be easily adopted for other BISLs.
MuiCSer: A Multi-Disciplinary User-Centered Software Engineering Process to Increase the Overal User Experience

In this paper we present an incremental and user-centered process to create suitable and usable user interfaces. Validation is done throughout the process by prototyping, the prototypes evolve from low-fidelity to the final user interface. Applications developed with this process are more likely to correspond to users’ expectations. Furthermore, the process takes into account the need for sustainable evolution often required by modern software configurations, by combining traditional software engineering with a user-centered approach. We think our approach is beneficial in its scope, since it considers evolving software beyond the deployment stage and supports a multi-disciplinary team.
Real-time video tracking using PTZ cameras

Automatic tracking is essential for a 24 hours intruder-detection and, more generally, a surveillance system. This paper presents an adaptive background generation and the corresponding moving region detection techniques for a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera using a geometric transform-based mosaicing method. A complete system including adaptive background generation, moving regions extraction and tracking is evaluated using realistic experimental results. More specifically, experimental results include generated background images, a moving region, and input video with bounding boxes around moving objects. This experiment shows that the proposed system can be used to monitor moving targets in widely open areas by automatic panning and tilting in real-time.
mcr-1.2, a New mcr Variant Carried on a Transferable Plasmid from a Colistin-Resistant KPC Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain of Sequence Type 512

ABSTRACT A novel mcr variant, named mcr-1.2, encoding a Gln3-to-Leu functional variant of MCR-1, was detected in a KPC-3-producing ST512 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate collected in Italy from a surveillance rectal swab from a leukemic child. The mcr-1.2 gene was carried on a transferable IncX4 plasmid whose structure was very similar to that of mcr-1-bearing plasmids previously found in Escherichia coli and K. pneumoniae strains from geographically distant sites (Estonia, China, and South Africa).
Licófitas Cormofíticas Arborescentes do Afloramento Quitéria Formação do Rio Bonito (Bacia do Paraná), RS

This study reports on a in situ lycopod assemblage of stumps and trunks from a sand-rich coaly section of the Rio Bonito Formation (Artinskian – Kungurian) in Rio Grande do Sul state. These dense tickets of arborescent forms have been found in situ ; their cormose rooting systems are “non stigmarioid”. The variation observed, from elliptical ( Brasilodendron type) to rhomboidal ( Lycopodiopsis type) leaf cushion in the same specimen indicates that both can represent different levels in the same trunk. Considering that the South Brazilian coals are mainly hipoautochthonous, lycopods of Brasilodendron type could be dominants in the plant forming association of the peat.
Music, technology and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: The effectiveness of the touch screen interface

ABSTRACT The use of technology in music education is gaining momentum, although very little work has focused on students with disabilities. Our SoundScape programme addressed this gap through implementing a technology-based music programme for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Programme participants met on a weekly basis for 9 weeks and engaged in a range of music-related activities mostly utilising touch screen technology and iPads. We were particularly interested in how those with ASD responded to the iPad interface and its impact on social interactions among participants. We also investigated whether participating in the programme reduced stress and anxiety among participants. Questionnaire data completed by programme participants at the beginning and end of the programme, as well as qualitative analysis of focus groups conducted with parents, provided evaluation of the efficacy of our programme model. Findings from the questionnaires indicated that more than half of the participants reported feeling less stressed and anxious at the end of the programme compared to their responses at the beginning, said they benefited socially from the programme, and had made friends. This was supported in the analysis of the focus group transcriptions which highlighted the advantages of the iPads compared to a more traditional desktop platform, the utility of the iPad technology for promoting social skills, the significance of the university setting, and the participants’ use of music to regulate mood. Future research evaluating the use of technology in music education for students with disabilities seems warranted.
Showing Automatically Generated Students' Conceptual Models to Students and Teachers

A student conceptual model can be defined as a set of interconnected concepts associated with an estimation value that indicates how well these concepts are used by the students. It can model just one student or a group of students, and can be represented as a concept map, conceptual diagram or one of several other knowledge representation formats. Some e-assessment systems that automatically evaluate free-text students' answers have recently been extended to include the possibility of automatically generating students' conceptual models. The research reported in this paper focuses on studying the effects of showing these automatically generated models to students and teachers. The e-assessment system used was the Will Tools suite with a group of Engineering students during a semester at the Universidad Autonoma of Madrid.
Texture-Independent Vision-Based Closed-Loop Fuzzy Controllers for Navigation Tasks | NIST

This paper deals with vision-based closed-loop control schemes for collision avoidance as well as maintenance of clearance in a-priori unknown textured environments. These control schemes are based on fuzzy logic and employ a visual motion cue, we call the Visual Threat Cue (VTC) that provides some measure for a relative change in range as well as clearance between 3D surface and a fixated observer in motion. It is a collective measure obtained directly from the raw data of gray level images, is independent of the 3D surface texture and needs no optical flow information, 3D reconstruction, segmentation, feature tracking or preprocessing. This motion cue is scale-independent, rotation independent and is measured in [time-1] units. Design of a closed-loop conventional controller for vision based navigation tasks pose a problem as the system is complex and ill-defined. On the other hand fuzzy control which is closer in spirit to human thinking and can implement linguistically expressed heuristic control policies directly without any knowledge about the dynamics of the complex process. The fuzzy controllers were tested in real time using a 486-based Personal Computer and a camera capable of undergoing 6-DOF motion. Results are highly encouraging.
The Secret Trauma: Incest In The Lives Of Girls And Women

This landmark book, based on a scientifically sound, large-scale study, presents convincing evidence that both the incidence and the consequences of incest have been grossly underestimated. The Secret Trauma remains the definitive argument for the overwhelming prevalence of incestuous abuse. Based on findings about San Francisco, the book makes a persuasive case for an epidemic of abuse on a national scale. In a new introduction to the revised edition, Russell takes on the most important issue to arise in the field since the book was originally published in 1986: the serious backlash that followed the outpouring of reports by victims/survivors, and the controversy over false accusations and false memories. } The Secret Trauma remains the definitive argument for the overwhelming prevalence of incestuous abuse. Based on findings about San Francisco, the book makes a persuasive case for an epidemic of abuse on a national scale. In her nuanced and sophisticated analysis, Russell carefully explores the complex variables of incestuous abuse: the changing incidence of abuse over time, the severity of th abuse, the victims age, factors of class, race, and ethnicity, and long term effects on victims.In a new introduction to the revised edition, Russell takes on the most important issue to arise in the field since the book was originally published in 1986: the serious backlash that followed the outpouring of reports by victims/survivors, and the controversy over false accusations and false memories. }
Reflection of autonomic regulation behaviour using short-term cross-spectral analysis on RR and QT intervals

The balance of autonomic nervous system (ANS) is of great significance for regulating normal physiological functions of heart and avoiding risk of cardiac diseases. This project is aimed to reveal the regulation state of ANS by analyzing the linear relationship between RR interval (RRI) and QT interval (QTI). The data for this analysis were provided by the Telemetric and Holter ECG Warehouse (THEW), among which database Normal was selected as normal controls (n=189) and database ESRD as typical subjects of ANS dysfunction with high risk for cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death(n=43). A causal cross-spectral approach based on the autoregressive model was applied to distinguish the directional effect from RRI to QTI. And the causal cross-spectral analysis used here was focused on 2-minute-length series. Firstly, the validity of the short-term indices was verified. Then the relevant indices, such as cross-spectral energy in both low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) bands, as well as transfer function G, were calculated. Inner-comparison for the same index between day and night and inter-comparison between Normal and ESRD were made. Results showed that: 1) For Normal, there were significant differences between daytime and nigh-time results of GLF, GHF and LF/HF. However, no significant diurnal variation of the corresponding indices existed in ESRD; 2) GLF-d/GLF-n and (LF/HF) d/(LF/HF)n were significantly smaller in ESRD than that in Normal. The above results suggest the loss of circadian rhythm in ESRD. Furthermore, there is no statistic difference of GHF-d/GHF-n between Normal and ESRD. Since HF band mainly reflect the influence of vagal tone, it was revealed that loss of circadian rhythm in ESRD was primarily caused by the overactivity of sympathetic branch. Our study confirmed the feasibility of very short series based analysis and provided an approach for investigating ANS activity.
Supervised Learning from Clustered Input Examples

In this paper we analyse the effect of introducing a structure in the input distribution on the generalization ability of a simple perceptron. The simple case of two clusters of input data and a linearly separable rule is considered. We find that the generalization ability improves with the separation between the clusters, and is bounded from below by the result for the unstructured case, recovered as the separation between clusters vanishes. The asymptotic behaviour for large training sets, however, is the same for structured and unstructured input distributions. For small training sets, the dependence of the generalization error on the number of examples is observed to be non-monotonic for certain values of the model parameters.
Non-commercial Research and Educational Use including without Limitation Use in Instruction at Your Institution, Sending It to Specific Colleagues That You Know, and Providing a Copy to Your Institution's Administrator. All Other Uses, Reproduction and Distribution, including without Limitation Comm

Mobile robots must cope with uncertainty from many sources along the path from interpreting raw sensor inputs to behavior selection to execution of the resulting primitive actions. This article identifies several such sources and introduces methods for (i) reducing uncertainty and (ii) making decisions in the face of uncertainty. We present a complete vision-based robotic system that includes several algorithms for learning models that are useful and necessary for planning, and then place particular emphasis on the planning and decision-making capabilities of the robot. Specifically, we present models for autonomous color calibration, autonomous sensor and actuator modeling, and an adaptation of particle filtering for improved localization on legged robots. These contributions enable effective planning under uncertainty for robots engaged in goal-oriented behavior within a dynamic, collaborative and adversarial environment. Each of our algorithms is fully implemented and tested on a commercial off-the-shelf vision-based quadruped robot.
The Harmonic Order Tracking Analysis Method for the Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors Under Time-Varying Conditions

This paper introduces a new approach for improving the fault diagnosis in induction motors under time-varying conditions. A significant amount of published approaches in this field rely on representing the stator current in the time-frequency domain, and identifying the characteristic signatures that each type of fault generates in this domain. However, time-frequency transforms produce three-dimensional (3-D) representations, very costly in terms of storage and processing resources. Moreover, the identification and evaluation of the fault components in the time-frequency plane requires a skilled staff or advanced pattern detection algorithms. The proposed methodology solves these problem by transforming the complex 3-D spectrograms supplied by time-frequency tools into simple $x{-\rm{ }}y$ graphs, similar to conventional Fourier spectra. These graphs display a unique pattern for each type of fault, even under supply or load time-varying conditions, making easy and reliable the diagnostic decision even for nonskilled staff. Moreover, the resulting patterns can be condensed in a very small dataset, reducing greatly the storage or transmission requirements regarding to conventional spectrograms. The proposed method is an extension to nonstationary conditions of the harmonic order tracking approach. It is introduced theoretically and validated experimentally by using the commercial induction motors feed through electronic converters.
A Low-cost Vehicle Tracking Platform using Secure SMS

This paper investigates the possibility of elevating SMS (Short Message Service) to support a cloud-based vehicle-tracking platform. A secure application protocol over SMS is introduced to circumvent the security issues that may succumb the SMS. We propose a cost-effective Internet of Things (IoT) solution to countries dominated with GSM mobile infrastructure taking into consideration technology usage and the mobile network infrastructure available. A commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IoT device such as the Raspberry Pi single board computer is depicted relying on GPS-GSM technologies envisioned as the in-vehicle device. Furthermore, a cloud web-platform is built involving the de-facto modern web-applications standards and carefully tailored concerning the security aspects. The cost-effectiveness of our solution results from the use of COTS components, open source software, and cheap SMS subscription packages.
Flip-flop insertion with shifted-phase clocks for FPGA power reduction

Although the LUT (look-up table) size of FPGAs has been optimized for general applications, complicated designs may contain a large number of cascaded LUTs between flip-flops. This results in unwanted glitch propagation along the LUTs, and wastes power. This paper proposes a flip-flop insertion, we propose insertion of new flip-flops between adjacent existing flip-flops to minimize glitch propagation and power loss. Each new flip-flop is timed by a phase-shifted clock with the phase calculated from the delays of LUTs and routing paths. This is different from traditional retiming methods that use the original clock or an 180-degree clock for the new flip-flops, and thus alters the original pipeline structure and synchronization. We start from a post-layout design, retiming its clock frequency and timing behavior. Multiple flip-flop insertion is an NP-complete problem because each new flip-flop affects the delays in the design. We have devised a glitch generation and propagation model for LUT-based FPGAs that take account of path delays while supporting reasonable complexity. We propose effective heuristics for flip-flop insertion and clock phase selection. Full-chip measurements, including all the overheads associated with the inserted flip-flops, show that our approach shows up to 38% of the total dynamic power. We have analyzed our scheme, showing the mechanics of clock assignment and glitch minimization, and the sources of power reduction.
Improving Course Success Prediction using ABET Course Outcomes and Grades

Modeling and prediction of student success is a critical task in education. In this paper, we employ machine learning methods to predict course grade performance of Computer Engineering students. As features, in addition to the conventional course grades we use fine grained student performance measurements corresponding to different goals (ABET outcomes) of a course. We observe that, compared to using only previous course grades, addition of outcome grades can significantly improve the prediction results. Using the trained model enables interpretation of how different courses affect performance on a specific course in the future. We think that even more detailed and systematically produced course outcome measurements can be beneficial in modeling students university performance.
Techniques of Neutralization: a Reconceptualization and Empirical Examination

In their 1957 article, Sykes and Matza overstated the similarities between the value systems of delinquents and nondelinquents, and subsequent theorists have treated neutralization as a theoretical counterpoint to subcultural perspectives on delinquency. To overcome this artificial and unproductive dichotomization, a revision of neutralization theory is proposed that makes it compatible with subcultural interpretations of delinquency. Prior neutralization research is flawed because it fails to (1) establish the correct causal order between excuse acceptance and delinquency and (2) con trol for youths' moral evaluations of delinquent behavior. This paper presents the results of a two-wave panel study designed to overcome these shortcomings. For several forms of minor deviance, excuse acceptance is found to be related to subsequent behavior in the manner predicted by the theory. Controlling for moral evaluations and prior behavior, these relationships hold primarily for youths who disapprove of the behavior in question (as expected) but who have previously engaged in that behavior (contrary to expectation). Theoretical im plications of these findings are explored.
DOCKING STUDIES ON QUININE ANALOGS FOR PLASMEPSIN-II OF MALARIA PARASITE USING BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS

Objective:Malaria has been a perennial problem for people in developing countries and some other areas of India. Plasmepsins are aspartic acid proteases which are the probable target for quinine analogs as anti-malarial drugs. The objective of this study was to find out an inhibitor of such a protein. This will minimize the side effects and will increase therapeutic efficacy, which can also be enhanced by designing a suitable pharmaceutical dosage form for targeted delivery. Method: The quinine based analogs were docked to the receptor plasmepsin II (1lee) using the docking software HEX. In docking calculations, all molecules were modelled using 3D expansions of real orthogonal spherical polar basis functions to encode both surface shape and electrostatic charge and potential distributions. Result: Altogether 14 compounds were docked and the energy values obtained were ranged from -178.25 to -206.28 Kcal.mol-1. The coded compounds, Comp-8, Comp-11 and Comp-13 exhibited better affinity and the energy values were -204.84, -205.73 and 206.28 Kcal.mol -1 respectively. Conclusion: From the Docking study of 14 compounds, three compounds exhibited better affinity towards the receptor and may therefore, be considered for further studies.
A Study of Differentiated Instruction Based on the SIOP Model in Georgia Classrooms.

This mixed methods study investigated the teachers’ concerns of the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) model (Echevarria, Short and Vogt, 2008) as a means to differentiate instruction for LEP students in public school classrooms. This study took place in one central Georgia school district with a sample of 16 teachers who volunteered to participate in this study and completed surveys concerning the implementation and perceptions of the SIOP model. The sample of elementary teachers who participate had varied ranges of experiences and backgrounds which included bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees as well as varied types of certifications such as ESOL, special education, ESOL, reading, science and others. The concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) was utilized, which includes the levels of use survey (LoU), (Dirksen, George and Hall, 2008) and the stages of concern questionnaire (SoCQ), (George, Hall and Steigelbauer, 2008). The LoU and SoCQ were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously. The sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) checklist was utilized as a second instrument for quantitative data collection. The theoretical context related to research that focused on positive teacher concerns that facilitated positive delivery of differentiated instruction in the classroom setting for English language learners (ELLs). Based on the data collected using the LoU, the findings and conclusions are that not all teachers use the SIOP model as a means to differentiate instruction. The findings of the data collected from the SoCQ indicated that the sample of teachers in this study had high concerns relating to Stages 0-3 and low concerns relating to Stages 4-6. The SIOP observation tool findings indicated that not all teachers did use the SIOP model as differentiate instruction; however, the teachers did differentiate instruction by methods and strategies that were aligned to the SIOP model.