Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Problems and Opportunities in Training Deep Learning Software Systems: An Analysis of Variance

Deep learning (DL) training algorithms utilize nondeterminism to improve models' accuracy and training efficiency. Hence, multiple identical training runs (e.g., identical training data, algorithm, and network) produce different models with different accuracies and training times. In addition to these algorithmic factors, DL libraries (e.g., TensorFlow and cuDNN) introduce additional variance (referred to as implementation-level variance) due to parallelism, optimization, and floating-point computation. This work is the first to study the variance of DL systems and the awareness of this variance among researchers and practitioners. Our experiments on three datasets with six popular networks show large overall accuracy differences among identical training runs. Even after excluding weak models, the accuracy difference is 10.8%. In addition, implementation-level factors alone cause the accuracy difference across identical training runs to be up to 2.9%, the per-class accuracy difference to be up to 52.4%, and the training time difference to be up to 145.3%. All core libraries (TensorFlow, CNTK, and Theano) and low-level libraries (e.g., cuDNN) exhibit implementation-level variance across all evaluated versions. Our researcher and practitioner survey shows that 83.8% of the 901 participants are unaware of or unsure about any implementation-level variance. In addition, our literature survey shows that only 19.5±3% of papers in recent top software engineering (SE), artificial intelligence (AI), and systems conferences use multiple identical training runs to quantify the variance of their DL approaches. This paper raises awareness of DL variance and directs SE researchers to challenging tasks such as creating deterministic DL implementations to facilitate debugging and improving the reproducibility of DL software and results.
Immunomodulatory Effect of Withania Somnifera in Broilers Treated with High Doses of Enrofloxacin

The effect of supplementation of Withania somnifera extract on immunomodulatory response in broilers treated with high doses of enrofloxacin in poultry was investigated. Ninety day old broiler chicks of either sex were randomly divided into nine groups of 10 each. Enrofloxacin was administered at 30 and 40 mg/kg orally for seven days during the third week and W. somnifera crude extract was added in the feed at 1 and 2 % from second week onwards and the effect of their combinations was evaluated. The results of the study revealed that enrofloxacin treatment produced highly significant reduction in serum total protein, albumin and globulin and numerical decrease in HI titre against Newcastle vaccine. The groups treated with W. somnifera alone did not differ significantly from the control in all above parameters. Dose dependent increase in all the parameters were noticed in the combination groups which clearly supports the immunoprotective effect of W. somnifera .
Characterization of Interfamilial Somatic Hybrids between 5-methyltryptophan-Resistant (5MT-resistant) Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and 5MT-Sensitive Carrot (Daucus carota L. ); Expression of Resistance to 5MT by the Somatic Hybrids

The production of the asymmetric hybrid plants between 5-methyltryptophan-resistant (5MT-resistant) O. sativa and 5MT-sensitive D. carota was reported previously. Al-though morphology of the somatic hybrid plants closely resembled that of the parental carrot plants, all of the somatic hybrids were resistant to 5MT. In the present study, we investigated the expression of resistance to 5MT in cells of these somatic hybrids. The calli induced from hybrid plants and their parents grew in medium that contained a high concentration of 5MT when those calli were supplied with anthranilic acid or tryptophan. However, chorismic acid was not effective in reducing the inhibition of celn growth by 5MT. The activities of anthranilate synthase and tryp-tophan synthetase of cells of the somatic hybrids and 5MT-resistant O. sativa were about 5 times and 2 times as high as those of cells of 5MT-sensitive D. carota, respectively. These results indicated that anthranilate synthase was involved in the mechanism of resistance to 5MT. However, anthranilate synthase activities of the somatic hybrids and 5MT-resistant O. sativa were quite sensitive to feedback inhibition by tryptophan, as was that of 5MT-sensitive D. carota. Northern hybridization using a gene for anthrani-late synthase as probe revealed that levels of expression of the gene in the somatic hybrids and 5MT-resistant O. sati-va were higher than that of 5MT-sensitive D. carota.
Primary culture of the freshly isolated liver cells of the eel.

The primary culture of the freshly isolated liver cells of the eel was carried out. The isolated cells could attach, spread and form monolayer only on the dish which was coated with fibronectin. The cell number decreased during the culture and decreased by about 40 to 50% of the initial cell number after 7 days culture. The rate of protein synthesis increased during 8 days culture and the synthesis of the intracellular proteins was always higher than that of the extracellular proteins during the same period. From the investigation of synthesis of the extracellular proteins by fluorography a few proteins were synthesized and excreted by cultured hepatocytes, but the synthesis of the proteins corresponding to the bovine serum albumin was not observed.From the comparison of glucose, glycogen, and protein synthesis in the freshly isolated and cultured cells, it was found that the cultured cells had higher activity of glycogen and protein synthesis than the isolated cells. The rate of protein synthesis in the cultured cells was 10 to 100 times higher than that in the isolated cells. However, the rate of glucose synthesis in the freshly isolated liver cells was higher than that of the cultured cells.
Efficient Coded-Block Delivery and Caching in Information-Centric Networking

Information-centric networking (ICN) provides request aggregation and caching strategies that can improve network performance by reducing content server loads and network traffic. Incorporating network coding into ICN can offer several benefits, but a consumer may receive the same coded block from multiple content routers since the coded block may be cached by any of the content routers on its forwarding path. In this paper, we introduce a request-specific coded-block scheme to avoid linear dependency of blocks that are utilizing in-network caching. Additionally, a non-cooperative coded caching and replacement strategy is designed to guarantee that the cached blocks can be reused. Our experimental results show that the proposed scheme has superior performance to conventional CCN and two network coding-based ICN schemes.
Seasonal Variation in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Root Colonization of Cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum ), an Invasive Winter Annual

Cheatgrass is a highly invasive winter annual grass that is most aggressive in the semi-arid steppe region of western North America. In this region, cheatgrass invasion becomes so severe that virtual monocultures can result. Due to its strategy for growth from autumn to spring, cheatgrass remains active during winter months when most native vegetation is dormant. This shift in host activity could be important for beneficial soil microbes, particularly the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as they are adapted for coincidental growth with host plants. Many native plant species that are utilized for restoring areas invaded by cheatgrass associate with AMF, so any reduction in these symbiotic fungi could reduce the successful establishment of desirable plant species. Although cheatgrass is recognized as a facultative associate of AMF, its associations with AMF across seasons and throughout its lifespan are not known. We measured AMF colonization of cheatgrass roots from soon after germination through senescence. We found that cheatgrass remains colonized throughout its life. Colonization drops dramatically once soil temperatures approach freezing, but was highest late in the growth cycle of cheatgrass during flowering and seed set. Colonization by AMF never attained levels comparable to highly mycorrhizal plant species. This indicates that cheatgrass is a poor host for AMF throughout its life, and long-term dominance by cheatgrass could alter AMF in soils. Restoring highly invaded sites quickly following invasion might reduce the negative effects of cheatgrass on this important soil microbial community.
Effect of balance training on recovery of stability in children with cerebral palsy

This study examined the effect of massed practice in balance recovery of stability in six children (four males, two females; mean age 9 years 2 months, SD 2 years, range 7 years 5 months to 12 years 11 months) with cerebral palsy (CP). Four children were diagnosed with spastic diplegia (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] level II) and two with spastic hemiplegia (GMFCS level I). A single‐subject, multiple‐baseline experimental design involving three pairs of children matched for diagnosis was used. A moveable forceplate system was used to test and train reactive balance control. Area per second (i.e. area covered by the center of pressure over a one second period) and time to stabilization from center of pressure measures were calculated following perturbations. The intervention phase consisted of massed practice on the moving platform (100 perturbations/day for 5 days). Analysis included hierarchical linear modeling and a repeated measures ANOVA. All children demonstrated a significant improvement in their ability to recover stability as demonstrated by reduced center of pressure area and time to stabilization following training. These improvements were still present 30 days following completion of training. Results suggest that postural control mechanisms in school‐age children (7 to 13 years) with CP are modifiable.
Error Rate-Based Log-Likelihood Ratio Processing for Low-Density Parity-Check Codes in DNA Storage

Due to the advantages of high storage densities and longevity, DNA storage has become one of the attractive technologies for future data storage systems. However, the writing/reading cost is still high and more efficient techniques for DNA storage are required. In this paper, we propose improved log-likelihood ratio (LLR) processing schemes based on observed statistics for low-density parity-check (LDPC) code decoding to reduce reading cost while encoding schemes are kept unchanged. Due to the mismatch between the real channel and the observed statistics and also the limit of maximum decoder input value, scaling the magnitude of LLR can lead to a better error correcting performance. Therefore, we propose two strategies: 1) directly scaling LLRs and 2) scaling pairwise substitution error rates, which changes the magnitude of LLRs. We also suggest the relation between substitution error rate and scaling values in the strategies by using curve fitting methods. Simulation results show that the error correcting performance from the proposed LLR calculation is better than that from the conventional scheme. Finally, we verify that the proposed LLR methods can be generally applied in DNA storage systems, and present practical methods to calculate error rates.
A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF STEPS IN TEMPERATURE SERIES: AN OVERVIEW

Over the past years, considerable efforts were devoted in the development of techniques for the identification of discontinuities in climatological time series. The main objective was to identify steps caused by non-climatic factors such as changes in measurement practices, station relocation, and changes in the surrounding of a station. Many procedures have considered the use of a reference series, often created from surrounding stations, for explaining the natural variations in the climatological time series . The difference between the series of the candidate station and the reference series would be closely examined to identify abrupt jumps which could be caused by a nonclimatic factor. Many techniques have been tested for their ability of detecting a single step. However, very few methods have been evaluated for the detection of multiple steps or to determine whether the series is homogeneous (the series is in agreement with the surrounding stations and no step is identified). In this study, we attempt to explore this issue by comparing the ability of seven methods for the identification of homogenous series, series with one step and series with a random number of steps using simulated annual temperature datasets. A detailed description of the methods and of the analysis is provided in DucréRobitaille et al., 2003.
Population Dynamics of Suez Pufferfish (Lagocephalus suezensis) in Iskenderun Bay

Suez pufferfish (Lagocephalus suezensis) is a Lessepsian species introduced to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. This study was carried out for the identification of some population dynamics parameters of Suez pufferfish (Lagocephalus suezensis) distributed along the western coast of Iskenderun Bay. Samples were seasonally collected from two transects at 10 and 20 m depth contours from 2006 to 2017 using a commercial bottom trawl net with 44 mm mesh size. A total of 1279 individuals were investigated. Among them 427 were males, 586 were females, 266 were juveniles. Total length ranged from 5.2 to 24.0 cm and mean length was 13.44 ± 2.02 (± standard error) cm; total weight ranged from 1.77 to 232.97 g and mean weight was 32.05 ± 14.28 g for all individuals. Length-weight relationships were W=0.02*TL2.83 for males, W= 0.02*TL2.82 for females, and W=0.02*TL2.89 for aggregated data. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were as follows; L∞ = 24.97 cm, K = 0.60 year-1, t0= 0.28, Rn = 0.145 for all specimens. Growth performance index was calculated as 5.92. Rates of total (Z) and natural (M) mortality was found to be 1.07 and 0.981 year-1.
Are All Imports Created Equal? The Link between Imported Intermediate Sources and Export Success for Chinese Firms

This paper investigates the role of intermediate input sources in explaining export patterns. I present a multi-country trade model of endogenous quality whereby consumers in each country differ in their taste for quality, and firms are heterogeneous in their productivities and in their endogenous quality choices. The model features a cost complementarity between exporting and importing from a given market. Therefore, the total cost faced by a firm which does both activities in the same destination is lower than the sum of the individual costs. Exploiting China’s full membership to the WTO in late 2001, I test the veracity of the model using data on Chinese manufacturing firms from 2002-2005. I provide evidence that firms which import a greater portion of inputs from a particular country earn a greater portion of export revenue shares from said country. This effect is stronger for smaller firms than for larger ones, for private firms than for state-owned enterprises, and for products with greater scope for differentiation.
Untersuchung junger Blattspitzenwirbel an einem Rotorteststand mittels stereoskopischer PIV Investigation of young blade-tip vortices at a rotor test facility using stereo- scopic PIV

To investigate the blade-tip vortices on a new rotor test stand at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Göttingen stereoscopic PIV measurements were carried out. The test cases were performed with a cyclic variation of the blade pitching angle which leads to a dynamic flow separation (“dynamic stall”) over approximately 40% of the period. The vortex roll-up and development were recorded over one period at five radial planes between 7° and 40° behind the cc/4-line of a rotor blade. After an automated detection of the vortex center positions, characterizing parameters such as the tangential velocity, the circulation and the vortex core size were calculated. The dataset allows for a detailed description of the vortex strengths and their size. Furthermore, radial distributions of relevant vortex parameters were derived, which allows for a more detailed characterization of the vortex topology. During dynamic stall a strong influence of the blades wake on the vortex development was found.
Effect of Substrate Coupling on the Performance and Variability of Monolayer MoS<sub>2</sub> Transistors

We study the effect of substrate coupling on the variability and the device characteristics of monolayer MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs). Our electrical measurement results reveal significant improvements of key FET device metrics and marked reduction of device variability with reducing the interfacial energy. We attribute the observed improvements of the device characteristics to the reduction of the interface trap density and the suppression of the charged impurity scattering. This study establishes the critical role of substrate coupling on the performance and variability of monolayer MoS2 FETs.
The genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae) in Manzanillo and Santiago Bays, Colima, Mexico

Abstract In this study, morphological characters were used to describe the diversity and seasonal variability of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia in a coastal region of the Mexican tropical Pacific Ocean. Eleven species were characterized from cultures and field material: Pseudo-nitzschia americana, Pseudo-nitzschia australis, Pseudo-nitzschia brasiliana, Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima, Pseudo-nitzschia cf. delicatissima, Pseudo-nitzschia dolorosa, Pseudo-nitzschia cf. fryxelliana, Pseudo-nitzschia micropora, Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens var. aveirensis, and Pseudo-nitzschia subfraudulenta. The maximum diversity and abundance occurred in spring, in parallel with a local upwelling, whereas fewer species were detected in autumn. Among those analyzed, the only species to be detected throughout the year at several stations was P. cf. fryxelliana, whereas the rarest species in the study area was P. americana, which was detected only in the spring.
The distribution of Biscoclaurine alkaloid, Cepharanthine in rat after iv administration

The distribution of Biscoclaurine Alkaloid, Cepharanthine (Ceph) in rat after iv administration was examined using autoradiography and immunohistochemical techniques. Ceph distribution was high in the spleen while in the endocrine organs, liver, kidney, lung and gastrointestinal tract, the distribution was of moderate degree. Furthermore, if it was in a lower concentration, Ceph was located in heart, skeletal muscle, bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. The amount of Ceph in the liver was increased gradually and it was present not only in the cytoplasm but also in the nucleus of liver cells. During the early phase, Ceph was mainly observed in splenic red pulp, however in the late phase it was found both in red and white splenic pulps as well. It confirmed that Ceph was excreted mainly from gastrointestinal tract and partly with the bile, urine and expired air. Further, Ceph was frequently distributed in matured T cells in thymus. It concluded that Ceph was able to distribute widely in whole body and was able to penetrate into the nucleus and cytoplasm of many cell types. Further, it seemed that Ceph played an important role in huge area of rat body.
SMU Data Science Review SMU Data

The ﬁeld of speaker and language recognition is constantly being researched and developed, but much of this research is done on private or expensive datasets, making the ﬁeld more inaccessible than many other areas of machine learning. In addition, many papers make performance claims without comparing their models to other recent research. With the recent development of public multilingual speech corpora such as Mozilla’s Common Voice as well as several single-language corpora, we now have the resources to attempt to address both of these problems. We construct an eight-language dataset from Common Voice and a Google Bengali corpus as well as a ﬁve-language holdout test set from Audio Lingua. We then compare one ﬁlterbank-based model and two waveform-based models found in recent literature, all based on convolutional neural networks. We ﬁnd that our ﬁlterbank-based model achieves the strongest results, with a 90.5% test accuracy on our eight-language test set and a 74.8% test accuracy on our ﬁve-language Audio Lingua test set. We conclude that some models originally trained on private datasets are also applicable to our public datasets and make suggestions on how this performance can be improved further.
Personality Traits of GitHub Maintainers and Their Effects on Project Success

Online collaborative environments have become important virtual workplaces for developers to work on a common problem. GitHub is an example of such environment that hosts a wealth of open source software projects. Questions such as “Who contributes to successful projects? ” and “What are the characteristics of lead developers? ” require further investigations. We qualitatively identify 211 maintainers in 25 maintained repositories and 23 unmaintained repositories in GitHub. We measure their Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) as the weighted sum of their Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dimensions. Our results indicate that maintainers and non-maintainers are significantly different in virtually all personality traits except in Neuroticism. Maintainers in maintained repositories tend to be more open, but less extraverted and less agreeable than maintainers in unmaintained repositories. In addition to Agreeableness being a significant predictor, our analysis suggest that the success of a repository may be explained by the absolute differences in personality traits between maintainers and non-maintainers. In sum, our work aims to understand the role of a maintainer and the effects of personality traits on project success. Our findings have direct implications such that developers can be more cognizant of their behaviours, as well as their colleagues, which can result in better collaboration. By highlighting personality differences, we show that studying social and psychological constructs can be invaluable in understanding group dynamics during collaborative process.
1 ARE INSTRUMENTS GENERATED FROM GEOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS VALID ?

In their highly influential paper, ‘Does Trade Cause Growth? ,’ Frankel and Romer (FR) estimate a trade equation to predict bilateral trade shares, which are in turn aggregated to construct an instrument for trade openness in income regressions. The FR approach has gained widespread popularity as a method to generate instruments for trade, foreign aid, FDI, immigration, knowledge diffusion, immigration diversity etc. from bilateral relationships. This research shows analytically and empirically that the FR instrument is endogenous when fitted shares for zero and missing bilateral trade are omitted from the instrument set. Furthermore, we show that the power of the FR instrument can be enhanced by using weights exogenous to income in the aggregation of fitted bilateral trade shares over all possible observations. JEL: F14, F43; O40
Forecasting Inflation in Mongolia: A Dynamic Model Averaging Approach

Abstract This paper investigates the use of the dynamic model averaging (DMA) approach for identifying good inflation predictors and forecasting inflation in Mongolia, one of the most commodity-dependent economies. The DMA approach allows for both a set of predictors for inflation and marginal effects of predictors to change over time. Our empirical work resulted in several novel findings. First, external variables (i.e., China’s growth, China’s inflation, and change in oil price) play an important role in forecasting inflation and change considerably over time and over forecast horizons. Second, among domestic variables, wage inflation and M2 growth are currently the best predictors for short and longer forecast horizons. Third, the use of DMA leads to substantial improvements in forecast performance, and DMA (2,15) with the chosen forgetting factors is the best performer in predicting inflation for Mongolia.