Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Change Deafness” Arising from Inter-feature Masking within a Single Auditory Object

Our ability to detect prominent changes in complex acoustic scenes depends not only on the ear's sensitivity but also on the capacity of the brain to process competing incoming information. Here, employing a combination of psychophysics and magnetoencephalography (MEG), we investigate listeners' sensitivity in situations when two features belonging to the same auditory object change in close succession. The auditory object under investigation is a sequence of tone pips characterized by a regularly repeating frequency pattern. Signals consisted of an initial, regularly alternating sequence of three short (60 msec) pure tone pips (in the form ABCABC…) followed by a long pure tone with a frequency that is either expected based on the on-going regular pattern (“LONG expected”—i.e., “LONG-expected”) or constitutes a pattern violation (“LONG-unexpected”). The change in LONG-expected is manifest as a change in duration (when the long pure tone exceeds the established duration of a tone pip), whereas the change in LONG-unexpected is manifest as a change in both the frequency pattern and a change in the duration. Our results reveal a form of “change deafness,” in that although changes in both the frequency pattern and the expected duration appear to be processed effectively by the auditory system—cortical signatures of both changes are evident in the MEG data—listeners often fail to detect changes in the frequency pattern when that change is closely followed by a change in duration. By systematically manipulating the properties of the changing features and measuring behavioral and MEG responses, we demonstrate that feature changes within the same auditory object, which occur close together in time, appear to compete for perceptual resources.
Research and implementation of high speed parallel carrier synchronization algorithm

The paper presents an efficient parallel carrier synchronization algorithm suitable for high speed demodulator system and easy to implement on FPGA platform. The parallel algorithm combines the phase frequency detector (PFD) algorithm of the fast capture and the phase detector (PD) algorithm of the stable tracking. First, it can quickly capture carrier frequency offset by using PFD algorithm. Then, we use the small phase jitter PD algorithm to stable tracking carrier phase offset. Thus, the carrier frequency offset and phase offset to be corrected quickly and accurately. We also investigate parallel carrier synchronization algorithm structure suitable for FPGA platform. The simulation and implementation results show that the proposed parallel carrier synchronization algorithm has excellent performance for MPSK modulated signal. Besides, the proposed parallel structure with low complexity can efficiently work.
Special session: security on SoC

SoC is one of the important components of social and personal information systems, which directly influence with our life, property and privacy Security technology is now embedded into various hardware and software of SoC and SoC designers should be concerned with security issues. Cryptography requires heavy computation and wireless communication requests architecture and protocols for security. In design process of SoC, choice of IP's and design data control also significantly affect on the security of the systems that uses the SoC. In this panel, we will have discussions on the security on SoC from various viewpoints. System architecture, circuit complexity, test and validation, energy consumption, security policy, and design methodology are discussed for exploring research directions of secure system synthesis.
Multiple Branch Prediction for Wide-Issue Superscalar

Modern micro-architectures employ superscalar techniques to enhance system performance. Since the superscalar microprocessors must fetch at least one instruction cache line at a time to support high issue rate and large amount speculative executions. There are cases that multiple branches are often encountered in one cycle. And in practical implementation this would cause serious problem while there are variable number of instruction addresses that look up the Branch Target Buffer simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a Range Associative Branch Target Buffer (RABTB) that can recognize and predict multiple branches in the same instruction cache line for a wideissue micro-architecture. Several configurations of the RABTB are simulated and compared using the SPECint95 benchmarks. We show that with a reasonable size of prediction scope, branch prediction can be improved by supporting multiple / up to 8 branch predictions in one cache line in one cycle. Our simulation results show that the optimal RABTB should be 2048 entry, 8-column range-associate and 8-entry modified ring buffer architecture using PAs prediction algorithm. It has an average 5.2 IPC f and branch penalty per branch of 0.54 cycles. This is almost two times better than a mechanism that makes prediction only on the first encountered branch. key words: branch prediction, wide-issue superscalar, branch target buffer, branch penalty
Too Good to be Bad: The Effect of Favorable Expectations on Usability Perceptions

The most common measurements in the task-based usability evaluation paradigm include behavioral (e.g., completion times or errors) and subjective measures (e.g., ratings). Previous work has shown that success and performance in the test tasks do not dictate subjective usability perceptions, which instead are affected by appraisals of the system such as those of its aesthetic appeal. While these appraisals are an outcome of the exposure to and the interaction with the system, less is known about the effect of predispositions (expectations) formed before any exposure. To understand how expectations influence usability perceptions, we devised an experiment wherein 36 subjects read a positive or a negative product review for a novel mobile device (while a control group read nothing) before a usability test. The results demonstrate a surprisingly strong amplifying effect of the positive expectation on the post-experiment ratings, which, interestingly, held even in a condition where the users failed in all of the tasks. We briefly discuss implications of this finding.
DMap: A Shared Hosting Scheme for Dynamic Identifier to Locator Mappings in the Global Internet

This paper presents the design and evaluation of a novel distributed shared hosting approach, DMap, for managing dynamic identifier to locator mappings in the global Internet. DMap is the foundation for a fast global name resolution service necessary to enable emerging Internet services such as seamless mobility support, content delivery and cloud computing. Our approach distributes identifier to locator mappings among Autonomous Systems (ASs) by directly applying K>;1 consistent hash functions on the identifier to produce network addresses of the AS gateway routers at which the mapping will be stored. This direct mapping technique leverages the reachability information of the underlying routing mechanism that is already available at the network layer, and achieves low lookup latencies through a single overlay hop without additional maintenance overheads. The proposed DMap technique is described in detail and specific design problems such as address space fragmentation, reducing latency through replication, taking advantage of spatial locality, as well as coping with inconsistent entries are addressed. Evaluation results are presented from a large-scale discrete event simulation of the Internet with ~26,000 ASs using real-world traffic traces from the DIMES repository. The results show that the proposed method evenly balances storage load across the global network while achieving lookup latencies with a mean value of ~50 ms and 95th percentile value of ~100 ms, considered adequate for support of dynamic mobility across the global Internet.
The Business Case for Corporate Citizenship

Corporate citizenship is not just good business, it is a good business strategy. In today’s global economy companies realize that they need to design more effective strategies for managing reputation risk and business ethics. e benefits of ethical business practices, the indivisibility of business and community, and the growing complexity of the socioeconomic environments in which business operates are signaling a new era in corporate citizenship.
Adverse Effect of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) in HIV/AIDS Patients.

HIV/AIDS remains the greatest public health concern in the world. With current scenario, HIV-AIDS is considered as a chronic disease due to the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy that has significantly improved the status of infected population, making HIV a manageable illness. However, recent studies suggest that exposure to antiretroviral medications may have marked adverse effects, independent of HIV status. All antiretroviral drugs can have both short-term and long-term adverse events. The risk of specific side effects varies from drug to drug, from drug class to drug class, and from patient to patient. A better understanding of the adverse effects of antiretroviral agents is of interest not only for HIV specialists as they try to optimize therapy, but also for other physicians who care for HIV positive patients. Current article reviews a note on demerits of the therapy, major complications and metabolic abnormalities that occur as a consequence of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). Conclusion: It is critical that all health care providers and patients be trained to recognize the symptoms and signs of most of the adverse drug reactions early on. Proper protocols for management of the condition should be readily available. Adverse event surveillance at facilities offering HAART need to be formalized. Proper surveillance of side-effects will enable evidence-based decisions to be taken to avoid potentially fatal complications.
Relative bioavailability of salbutamol to the lung following inhalation using metered dose inhalation methods and spacer devices.

BACKGROUND--Inhalation aids do not require coordination between actuation of a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with inspiration and reduce oropharyngeal impaction. The delivery of salbutamol to the lung and systemic availability following inhalation with three commonly used spacers and an open mouth technique have been evaluated using a simple noninvasive technique based on urinary excretion 30 minutes and 24 hours after the dose. METHODS--Ten healthy subjects inhaled, on randomised study days, 4 x 100 micrograms from a Ventolin MDI and, subsequently, with the aid of a Volumatic, Bricanyl Spacer, and Nebuhaler spacer device. In addition, an open mouth inhaler technique was evaluated. Urine samples were collected 0-30 minutes and 0.5-24 hours after inhalation. From these samples the relative bioavailability to the lung (urinary salbutamol excretion 30 minutes after dosing) and the systemic bioavailability of the dose (24 hour urinary excretion of salbutamol and its metabolite) for each inhalation method was obtained. RESULTS--The mean (SD) urinary excretion of salbutamol 30 minutes after inhalation using the MDI alone and with the Volumatic, Bricanyl Spacer, Nebuhaler, and open mouth technique was 2.83 (0.78)%, 3.37 (0.69)%, 4.09 (0.91)%, 4.34 (1.60)%, and 3.49 (0.98)%, respectively, expressed as a percentage of the nominal dose. The nebuhaler and Bricanyl Spacer spacer devices were found to increase the relative bioavailability of salbutamol to the lung compared with the MDI alone. Compared with the MDI the inhalation aid increases were much greater than the intra-individual variability of the urinary excretion method. In 11 individuals who each repeated the same inhalation procedure on four separate occasions, the mean (SD) coefficient of variation was 8.24 (2.36)%. The mean (SD) 24 hour urinary excretion of salbutamol and its metabolites was 26.6 (6.79), 27.0 (7.95), and 55.6 (9.74)% of the salbutamol dose for the Volumatic, Nebuhaler, and MDI, respectively. Similar values following the open mouth method and Bricanyl Spacer were 48.9 (10.97)% and 43.8 (11.57)%. These values, representing the systemic availability of the inhaled dose, were lower when inhaling with the aid of the Volumatic and Nebuhaler than inhalation from the MDI alone. CONCLUSIONS--Spacer devices improve pulmonary bioavailability of salbutamol and reduce the systemically available dose.
The Inner Nuclear Membrane Protein Lamin B Receptor Forms Distinct Microdomains and Links Epigenetically Marked Chromatin to the Nuclear Envelope*

Using heterochromatin-enriched fractions, we have detected specific binding of mononucleosomes to the N-terminal domain of the inner nuclear membrane protein lamin B receptor. Mass spectrometric analysis reveals that LBR-associated particles contain complex patterns of methylated/acetylated histones and are devoid of “euchromatic” epigenetic marks. LBR binds heterochromatin as a higher oligomer and forms distinct nuclear envelope microdomains in vivo. The organization of these membrane assemblies is affected significantly in heterozygous ic (ichthyosis) mutants, resulting in a variety of structural abnormalities and nuclear defects.
Prevalence of Significant Genetic Variants in Congenital Long QT Syndrome is Largely Underestimated

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is clinically characterized by the occurrence of syncope due to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsades de pointes), associated to delayed cardiac repolarization that is reflected by a prolongation of the QT interval on the ECG (Webster and Berul, 2008). Thus far, 13 genes coding for ion channel subunits and ion channel regulatory proteins have been found mutated in patients and families with LQTS (Schwartz et al., 2009). The estimated prevalence of LQTS in the general population is reported to be in the range of 1:7000–1:2000 (0.01–0.05%), without any significant ethnical disparity (Roden and Spooner, 1999; Tester et al., 2006; Schwartz et al., 2009). Different research groups from many countries have reported similar data or cited the same sources (Roden and Spooner, 1999; Tester et al., 2006; Schwartz et al., 2009). Recently, two original studies reported a high prevalence of LQTS founder mutations in the Finnish and Norwegian population (Berge et al., 2008; Marjamaa et al., 2009). In Finland, it was concluded that 1 out of 250 individuals (0.4%) carry a LQTS founder mutation (Marjamaa et al., 2009). In Norway, the prevalence of LQTS mutation carriers was estimated to be close to 1%, which is a prevalence that is the highest documented worldwide (Berge et al., 2008). These findings are of clear interest to researchers and clinicians since they may not be only relevant for the Finnish and Norwegian populations, but may also give some important clues about the actual worldwide distribution of genetic variants predisposing to cardiac arrhythmias. In a study looking at variants in KCNQ1 in a subgroup with the longest QTc interval (403–443 ms) from French general population of 100 non-related and non-treated individuals from the DESIR cohort, two new mutations in KCNQ1 were found (Gouas et al., 2004). This study suggests that such low-penetrant variants might be found with 2% frequency within one “healthy” cohort after screening of one only one gene of interest. As it can be seen, there are clear discrepancies in estimations of LQTS mutation prevalence depending on the sources. Long QT syndrome is considered as a Mendelian arrhythmic disorder which is transmitted mainly in an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance (Priori et al., 2008). Thus, one should be able to apply the basic concepts of genetics such as Mendel’s law for families and Hardy–Weinberg equation for population in equilibrium. Hereafter, we analyze and interpret published data and our own results to estimate the prevalence of LQTS using different approaches.
Interference Helps to Equalize the Read Range and Reduce False Positives of Passive RFID Tags

In various applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, a reader should reliably get the ID of the tags that are within a bounded proximity region, termed the interrogation zone. This gives rise to two types of errors: 1) false negative detections (FNDs), when tags within the intended interrogation zone cannot be read, and 2) false positive detections (FPDs), when tags outside the zone can be read. The detuning effect experienced from the object a tag is attached to exacerbates the occurrence of FND. Solving FNDs by increasing the reader power increases the probability of FPDs for tags outside the zone. Hence, the design of an interrogation zone poses a tradeoff between readability inside versus outside the desired zone. We present a novel method to reduce the probability of FNDs and FPDs and practically equalize the achievable range for tags experiencing detuning. We propose to impose intentional interference on the communication between reader and tag. The expected effects of the proposed method are evaluated using experimental measurements. The results are positive, showing a sharp edge of the interrogation zone and a strong equalization of the range of tuned and detuned tags. Hence, it is concluded that by imposing interference enables the design of well-defined interrogation zones for passive RFID systems.
Location update suitable for geographic routing in MANETs

Geographic routing protocols needs location information about nodes. In mobile ad hoc networks the nodes are mobile because of that the location information does not remain static. So that the location updation is more important in mobile ad hoc network. Periodic updation strategy updates the neighbors list that contains location information about neighboring nodes in a periodic manner so that it has many inaccurate neighbors with less packet delivery ratio. Adaptive location update strategy helps to update the location information about the nodes more frequently in the following situation when a node moves to a new location and also on hearing data transmission from neighbor the node will update the neighbors list. The GPSR protocol helps to forward the packets in a greedy manner and when a greedy algorithm fails to find the neighbor it will forward the packets via perimeter mode. In this adaptive location update strategy reduces the inaccurate neighbors, so that the packet delivery ratio is increased by maintaining accurate topology information and route the packets to neighbors that are moving with less speed and also it consumes less energy. The ns2 simulation is used for our work.
Application Verification Architecture for Communication SoCs

This paper presents an efficient architecture for system level verification of multiprocessor SoCs. We introduce an architecture based on the re-use of existing structures, such as on-chip buses, for core verification and protocol execution monitoring. The proposed scheme is best applicable to SoCs for telecommunication applications, which are built upon a shared interconnect structure. Key-Words: System-on-chip, system level verification, network processor, telecommunication ICs
Exploiting parallelism for bioinformatics data analysis applications by data transformation graph

Bioinformatics applications which are both data-intensive and computation-intensive bring great challenges to their development and optimization. In order to study and accelerate bioinformatics data analysis models, a method named data transformation graph (DTG) is introduced first. It describes scientific data analysis models by dependencies and transformations among their data items. Then, taking BLAST as an example, DTG is used to study the data dependency in this popular bioinformatics data analysis model and parallel it by both query splitting and database partition. At last, parallel versions of BLAST proposed by DTG are implemented based on a distributed data-intensive computing middleware called Robinia. The result of performance test shows that parallel BLAST can achieve near-linear speedup with good scalability, and data transformation graph can be used to study, parallelize and optimize bioinformatics analysis applications for higher performance.
Mediation in information systems

Information systems can be defined as computing systems that provide information for their customers, often in a decision-support role. They are a large and increasing fraction of modern computing, slowly eclipsing the effort expended on massive data processing, cycle-intensive scientific computing, and critical real-time systems. They are also quite visible, since they have a large number of direct users. However, they do not stand alone. Planning and other decision-making tasks require information from diverse sources such as databases, reference systems, data obtained in real time from sensors, and analyses projecting trends over the totality. The databases are mainly part of operational systems, built to satisfy local objectives. Useful data are available from public services, both free and for-profit. Processing of sensor inputs and simulations requires the technologies of scientific computing and produces results in widely different formats. Most of these resources are autonomous with respect to decision-making tasks. Autonomy, in turn, leads to heterogeneity, including representation, scope, level of abstraction, and context. Rapid construction of information systems is being aided today by the many tools provided by vendors of client-server systems. A furious race is under way to establish standards for such middlewa re, since adoption of standards is expected to direct much future business into one camp of vendors or another. Some vendors openly push for certain standards, others stay on the fence, and those that have sufficient resources promise to be compatible with everybody. Candidate middleware interface conventions go by such names as CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), DOE (Distributed Objects Everywhere), ILU (Inter-Language Unification), KQML (Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language), OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), OpenDoc (Open Document Exchange), PDES (Product Data Exchange using STEP), and many others. Descriptions of these interfaces are found primarily in the commercial literature; some can be located by surfing the Internet starting at the references given at the end of this paper. The major element they have in common is that they all promise to replace SQL. An example of a composed decisionsupport system is one that helps a transportation planner for heavy equipment. The task of, say, shipping a desalinization plant to a country in the Near East requires access to airfreight schedules and capacities, port and warehouse information, weather predictions, personnel for assembly, and the like. The sales office needs some of that information for pricing, and the exact configuration to be shipped also depends on some of that information, as well on data about local climate conditions. Very little code will be written in developing such software,