Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Algebraic Immunity of Tr ( x − 1 ) over F 2 n ?

The trace inverse function Tr(x−1) over the finite field F2n is a class of very important Boolean functions in stream ciphers, which possesses many good properties, including high algebraic degree, high nonlinearity, ideal autocorrelation, etc. In this work we discuss properties of Tr(x−1) in resistance to (fast) algebraic attacks. As a result, we prove that the algebraic immunity of Tr(x−1) arrives the upper bound given by Y. Nawaz et al when n ≥ 4, that is, AI(Tr(x−1)) = d2 √ ne − 2, which shows that D.K. Dalai’ conjecture on the algebraic immunity of Tr(x−1) is correct for almost all positive integers n. What is more, we further demonstrate some weak properties of Tr(x−1) in resistance to fast algebraic attacks.
Design and Implementation of a Soft IP Generator for High-Speed Viterbi Decoders

In this paper, we present an automatic soft IP (Intellectual Property) generation method for high-speed Viterbi decoders. In our scheme, the synthesizable HDL (Hardware Description Language) code for the Viterbi decoder is automatically produced depending on not only the system parameters such as a coding rate but also the hardware architecture for parallel processing. The proposed method is implemented by using C++ language, and the HDL codes automatical-ly generated by the computer program are verified by using an HDL simulator and synthesized into gate-level circuits with 0.13um CMOS library. From the results, we can find that the proposed method can be a good solution to reduce the time required for hardware design of Viterbi decoder considerably because our scheme can prevent from potential human errors effectively in the HDL code design process.
Uncertainty, Instability, and Irreversible Investment: Theory, Evidence, and Lessons for Africa

A recent, but rapidly growing, literature has focused on the impact of uncertainty and instability on the adoption of fixed investment projects, showing that if the latter are costly or impossible to reverse, uncertainty can become a powerful investment deterrent. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to review the recent analytical and empirical literature on irreversible investment, drawing its implications for macroeconomic policy. Second, to gauge the practical importance of the uncertainty-investment link, particularly for Sub-Saharan Africa. To this end, the paper presents empirical evidence on the negative association between investment performance and instability measures using a large cross-country time-series data set. The comparative evidence suggests that uncertainty and instability are important factors behind Africa's poor investment record over the last two decades. Copyright 1997 by Oxford University Press.
Neural Tube Defect-causing Teratogens Affect Tissue Mechanical Properties and Cytoskeletal Morphology in Axolotl Embryos

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. Abstract The teratogenic drugs cytochalasin B and valproic acid have been shown to alter F-actin polymerization, an effect that is crucial in forming microfilaments. Microfilaments form important cytoskeletal structures that maintain the structural integrity of the cell, cause cell motility and cell migration. Microfilament alterations are known to cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly (Walmod et al., 1999). We here aim to show that disruption of microfilaments by cytochalasin B and valproic acid affects the tensile properties of the tissue. Biomechanics is an interdisciplinary field that allows mechanical concepts to help us understand embryo development. This project used a novel tissue stretching device that measures the tensile properties of neural and epidermal tissue. The instrument used a pair of cantilevered wires to which the specimen was glued. This device stretched the mid-neural and-lateral tissue anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) unidirectionally. The tensile properties of the tissue were determined by Resultant Young's Modulus that depends on the true stress and true strain in the tissue sample. The experiment was conducted at a strain rate of 50%. Axolotl embryos were treated with 5ug/mL and 2.5ug/mL cytochalasin B and 5mM valproic acid at stage 13 (early neurula) for an hour, washed, and allowed to develop to stage 15 before it was used in the uniaxial tissue stretcher. Changes in the F-actin filaments were analysed by phalloidin staining and viewed under a confocal microscope. The tests show that disruption of microfilaments by cytochalasin B increases the stiffness of the dorsal-tissue by as much as 101% for CB-treated tissues stretched in the AP direction and 298% when stretched in the ML direction. VA-treated neural plate tissue showed a stiffness increase of 278% when stretched in the AP direction and 319%, when stretched in the ML direction. Changes in the F-actin filaments are quantified by phalloidin staining viewed with confocal microscopy. These findings indicate that direction-dependent mechanical forces in the tissue are contributing factors in closure of the neural tube in axolotl embryos. iv Acknowledgements
AGE DEPENDENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION FEBRUARY 1994

This paper addresses the issue of portfolio risk exposure as a function of age, and it focuses the debate by presenting detailed cross-sectional evidence about individual portfolios. It provides new empirical results that characterized the relationship between age and the risk exposure ofindividual portfolios. The evidence from cross-sectional data suggests that individuals do not follow behavior proscribed by economic theory or by Wall Street advisors, rather the results of this paper suggest that current body of theoretical literature does not adequately describe the behavior of individuals. It implies that a satisfactory model ofindividual behavior needs to focus on factors not linearly correlated with age.
Performance of Cloud Centers with High Degree of Virtualization under Batch Task Arrivals

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of cloud centers with high degree of virtualization and Poisson batch task arrivals. To this end, we develop an analytical model and validate it with an independent simulation model. Task service times are modeled with a general probability distribution, but the model also accounts for the deterioration of performance due to the workload at each node. The model allows for calculation of important performance indicators such as mean response time, waiting time in the queue, queue length, blocking probability, probability of immediate service, and probability distribution of the number of tasks in the system. Furthermore, we show that the performance of a cloud center may be improved if incoming requests are partitioned on the basis of the coefficient of variation of service time and batch size.
The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder

s for these and other studies, with links to the original research, can be found on the Children & Nature Network Web site and a deeper synthesis is available in a report from C&NN. In the current costconscious political and economic climate, it’s time to give nature – not only environmental education, but the nature-based classroom as a learning environment – a closer look. An outdoor classroom in a nearby park, vacant lot, or the woods behind the school, is a lot less expensive than building one more brick-and-mortar classroom, and possibly more effective. That’s something to keep in mind as the new school year begins, as well as a useful consideration next spring. We often hear from legislators and some educators, as an article of faith, that children lose knowledge during the summer months. What about a different approach? During summer and other out-of-school time, rather than immersing children in the same experiences, we should offer them an entirely different learning environment – one that we know stimulates all of the senses, including a sense of wonder, and a sense of humility. Additional Resources Part one: “Want Your Kids to Get Into Harvard? Tell ‘em to Go Outside! ” Grading the Digital School: In Classroom of the Future, Stagnant Scores, The New York Times, Sept. 3, 2011 C&NN Report: Children’s Contact with the Outdoors and Nature: A Focus On Educators and Educational Settings, adapted from C&NN Annotated Bibliographies of Research and Studies by Cheryl Charles, Ph.D., President, Children & Nature Network, and Alicia Senauer, Yale University. About the Author Richard Louv is Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Children and Nature Network. He is the author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder"and "The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder. " By Richard Louv on August 25th, 2011 WANT YOUR KIDS TO GET INTO HARVARD? TELL ‘EM TO GO
Trajectories in Glycemic Control over Time Are Associated with Cognitive Performance in Elderly Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective To study the relationships of long-term trajectories of glycemic control with cognitive performance in cognitively normal elderly with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods Subjects (n = 835) pertain to a diabetes registry (DR) established in 1998 with an average of 18 HbA1c measurements per subject, permitting identification of distinctive trajectory groups of HbA1c and examining their association with cognitive function in five domains: episodic memory, semantic categorization, attention/working memory, executive function, and overall cognition. Analyses of covariance compared cognitive function among the trajectory groups adjusting for sociodemographic, cardiovascular, diabetes-related covariates and depression. Results Subjects averaged 72.8 years of age. Six trajectories of HbA1c were identified, characterized by HbA1c level at entry into the DR (Higher/Lower), and trend over time (Stable/Decreasing/Increasing). Both groups with a trajectory of decreasing HbA1c levels had high HbA1c levels at entry into the DR (9.2%, 10.7%), and high, though decreasing, HbA1c levels over time. They had the worst cognitive performance, particularly in overall cognition (p<0.02) and semantic categorization (p<0.01), followed by that of subjects whose HbA1c at entry into the DR was relatively high (7.2%, 7.8%) and increased over time. Subjects with stable HbA1c over time had the lowest HbA1c levels at entry (6.0%, 6.8%) and performed best in cognitive tests. Conclusion Glycemic control trajectories, which better reflect chronicity of T2D than a single HbA1c measurement, predict cognitive performance. A trajectory of stable HbA1c levels over time is associated with better cognitive function.
Networks of Gratitude: Structures of Thanks and User Expectations in Workplace Appreciation Systems

Appreciation systems — platforms for users to exchange thanks and praise — are becoming common in the workplace, where employees share appreciation, managers are notified, and aggregate scores are sometimes made visible. Who do people thank on these systems, and what do they expect from each other and their managers? After introducing the design affordances of 13 appreciation systems, we discuss a system we call Gratia, in use at a large multinational company for over four years. Using logs of 422,000 appreciation messages and user surveys, we explore the social dynamics of use and ask if use of the system addresses the recognition problem. We find that while thanks is mostly exchanged among employees at the same level and different parts of the company, addressing the recognition problem, managers do not always act on that recognition in ways that employees expect.
The Dynamics of a Quantitative Trait in an Age‐Structured Population Living in a Variable Environment

Time series of rapid phenotypic change have been documented in age‐structured populations living in the wild. Researchers are often interested in identifying the processes responsible for such change. We derive an equation to exactly decompose change in the mean value of a phenotypic trait into contributions from fluctuations in the demographic structure and age‐specific viability selection, fertility selection, phenotypic plasticity, and differences between offspring and parental trait values. We treat fitness as a sum of its components rather than as a scalar and explicitly consider age structure by focusing on short time steps, which are appropriate for describing phenotypic change in species with overlapping generations. We apply the method to examine stasis in birth weight in a well‐characterized population of red deer. Stasis is achieved because positive viability selection for an increase in birth weight is countered by parents producing offspring that are, on average, smaller than they were at birth. This is one of many ways in which equilibria in the mean value of a phenotypic trait can be maintained. The age‐structured Price equation we derive has the potential to provide considerable insight into the processes generating now frequently reported cases of rapid phenotypic change.
The Magnetic Field of the Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsar M82 X-2

Pulsations were recently detected from the ultraluminous X-ray source X-2 in M82. The newly discovered pulsar has been described as a common neutron star with a 1 TG magnetic field that accretes above the Eddington rate and as a magnetar-like pulsar with a 100 TG magnetic field that is above the quantum limit. We show here that this X-ray source is not exotic in any sense. The standard equations of accretion along field lines predict that, for the measured spin period $P_S$ and spinup rate $\dot{P_S}$, the isotropic X-ray luminosity $L_X$ must be near the Eddington limit (i.e., $L_{X}\approx 3.5\times 10^{38}$~erg~s$^{-1}$); and that the surface magnetic field $B$, that does not depend on $P_S$, must be modest (i.e., $B_*\approx 1-10$ TG). The observed higher luminosity can be explained by a moderate amount of geometric beaming that occurs in our direction. Other ultraluminous X-ray sources may also turn out to be common pulsars with similar physical characteristics, but since the emission must occur at a favorable angle to the observer, we expect that very few such pulsars will be discovered in the future.
The New IS-LM Model: Language, Logic, and Limits

Recent years have witnessed the development of a New IS-LM model that is increasingly being used to discuss the determination of macroeconomic activity and the design of monetary policy rules. It is sometimes called an “optimizing IS-LM model” because it can be built up from microfoundations. It is alternatively called an “expectational IS-LM model” because the traditional model’s behavioral equations are modified to include expectational terms suggested by these microfoundations and because the new framework is analyzed using rational expectations. The purpose of this article is to provide a simple exposition of the New IS-LM model and to discuss how it leads to strong conclusions about monetary policy in four important areas. • Desirability of price level or inflation targeting: The new model suggests that a monetary policy that targets inflation at a low level will keep economic activity near capacity. If there are no exogenous “inflation shocks,” then full stabilization of the price level will also maintain output at its capacity level. More generally, the new model indicates that time-varying inflation targets should not respond to many economic disturbances, including shocks to productivity, aggregate demand, and the demand for money. • Interest rate behavior under inflation targeting: The new model incorporates the twin principles of interest rate determination, originally developed by Irving Fisher, which are an essential component of modern macroeconomics. The real interest rate is a key intertemporal relative
CP-summary: a concise representation for browsing frequent itemsets

This paper tackles the problem of summarizing frequent itemsets. We observe that previous notions of summaries cannot be directly used for analyzing frequent itemsets. In order to be used for analysis, one requirement is that the analysts should be able to browse all frequent itemsets by only having the summary. For this purpose, we propose to build the summary based upon a novel formulation, conditional profile (or c-profile). Several features of our proposed summary are: (1) each profile in the summary can be analyzed independently, (2) it provides error guarantee (ε-adequate), and (3) it produces no false positives or false negatives. Having the formulation, the next challenge is to produce the most concise summary which satisfies the requirement. In this paper, we also designed an algorithm which is both effective and efficient for this task. The quality of our approach is justified by extensive experiments. The implementations for the algorithms are available from www.cais. ntu.edu. sg/~vivek/pubs/cprofile09.
Strategies of Investing in the Construction Sector Based on Market Anomalies Occurring at Warsaw Stock Exchange

During the last twenty years, the importance of construction sector in the economy of the country was subject to fluctuations a number of times. This is noticeable as the change in the dynamics of construction-assembly production against the background of the GDP. For this study, two objectives were assumed. The main goal was to determine the strategy of investing in the construction sector at the Warsaw Stock Exchange based on market anomalies Identification of those anomalies was the auxiliary objective of the paper. Determination of deviations from the market efficiency will give the average investor the possibility of generating abnormal rates of return atmosphere at the capital markets. In the paper, the method of literature studies, the method of comparisons and the method of studies on historical material were applied. Indicator analysis was necessary for evaluation of selected fundamental indicators. Profitability of investments was computed by applying the logarithmic rate of return. Based on the results of studies it can be concluded that higher than average rates of return may be obtained independent of the atmosphere at the capital markets and in the entire economy. Based on the analysed time anomalies, the shares of construction companies should be purchased on Wednesdays and sold on Fridays. Purchasing shares of construction companies at the beginning of the year one should sell them at the end of the first year quarter. STRATEGIE INWESTOWANIA W SEKTORZE BUDOWLANYM NA PODSTAWIE ANOMALII RYNKOWYCH WYSTĘPUJĄCYCH NA GIEŁDZIE PAPIERÓW WARTOŚCIOWYCH W WARSZAWIE
Effect of Bilateral FTA on Cost-Reducing R&D Activity in a Developing Country

This paper examines how a bilateral FTA between developed countries affects a costreducing R&D activity in a developing countr y in a three-countr y model. Our main conclusions are as follows: （i） the formation of FTA between developed countries may encourage or discourage the cost-reducing R&D investment in the developing country, （i i） it always benefits both member countries of the FTA, and （iii） it may harm the developing country even when it encourages the R&D investment although it tends to increase welfare of the developing country.
Towards the integration of formal specification in the Áncora methodology

There are some non-formal methodologies such as RUP, OpenUP, agile methodologies such as SCRUP, XP and techniques like those proposed by UML, which allow the development of software. The software industry has struggled to generate quality software, as importance has not been given to the engineering requirements, resulting in a poor specification of requirements and software of poor quality. In order to generate a contribution to the specification of requirements, this article describes a methodological proposal, implementing formal methods to the results of the process of requirements analysis of the methodology \'Ancora.
Filipino Sign Language Recognition using Manifold Learning

Sign Language is at the core of a progressive view of deafness as a culture and of deaf people as a cultural and linguistic minority. An in-depth study of Filipino Sign Language (FSL) is crucial in understanding the Deaf communities and the social issues surrounding them. Computer-aided recognition of sign language can help bridge the gap between signers and non-signers. In this paper, we propose Isomap manifold learning for the automatic recognition of FSL signs. Video of isolated signs are converted into manifolds and compiled into a library of known FSL signs. Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) is then used to match the nearest library manifold with the query manifold for an unknown FSL sign.
Time-Bounded Best-First Search for Reversible and Non-reversible Search Graphs

Time-Bounded A* is a real-time, single-agent, deterministic search algorithm that expands states of a graph in the same order as A* does, but that unlike A* interleaves search and action execution. Known to outperform state-of-the-art real-time search algorithms based on Korf's Learning Real-Time A* (LRTA*) in some benchmarks, it has not been studied in detail and is sometimes not considered as a "true" real-time search algorithm since it fails in non-reversible problems even it the goal is still reachable from the current state. In this paper we propose and study Time-Bounded Best-First Search (TB(BFS)) a straightforward generalization of the time-bounded approach to any best-first search algorithm. Furthermore, we propose Restarting Time-Bounded Weighted A* (TBR (WA*)), an algorithm that deals more adequately with non-reversible search graphs, eliminating "backtracking moves" and incorporating search restarts and heuristic learning. In nonreversible problems we prove that TB(BFS) terminates and we deduce cost bounds for the solutions returned by Time-Bounded Weighted A* (TB(WA*)), an instance of TB(BFS). Furthermore, we prove TBR (WA*), under reasonable conditions, terminates. We evaluate TB(WA) in both grid pathfinding and the 15-puzzle. In addition, we evaluate TBR (WA*) on the racetrack problem. We compare our algorithms to LSS-LRTWA*, a variant of LRTA* that can exploit lookahead search and a weighted heuristic. A general observation is that the performance of both TB(WA*) and TBR (WA*) improves as the weight parameter is increased. In addition, our time-bounded algorithms almost always outperform LSS-LRTWA* by a significant margin.
Perception Evolution Network Adapting to the Emergence of New Sensory Receptor

The proposed Perception Evolution Network (PEN) is a biologically inspired neural network model for unsupervised learning and online incremental learning. It is able to automatically learn suitable prototypes from learning data in an online incremental way, and it does not require the predefined prototype number and similarity threshold. Meanwhile, being more advanced than the existing unsupervised neural network model, PEN permits the emergence of a new dimension of perception in the perception field of the network. When a new dimension of perception is introduced, PEN is able to integrate the new dimensional sensory inputs with the learned prototypes, i.e., the prototypes are mapped to a high-dimensional space, which consists of both the original dimension and the new dimension of the sensory inputs. We call it a Cognition Deepening Process. Artificial data and real-world data are used to test the proposed PEN, and the results show that PEN can work effectively.