Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequent value encoding for low power data buses

Since the I/O pins of a CPU are a significant source of energy consumption, work has been done on developing encoding schemes for reducing switching activity on external buses. Modest reductions in switching can be achieved for data and address buses using a number of general purpose encoding schemes. However, by exploiting the characteristic of memory reference locality, switching activity on the address bus can be reduced by as much as 66%. Till now no characteristic has been identified that can be used to achieve similar reductions in switching activity on the data bus. We have discovered a characteristic of values transmitted over the data bus according to which a small number of distinct values, called frequent values, account for 32% of transmissions over the external data bus. Exploiting this characteristic we have developed an encoding scheme that we call the FV encoding scheme. To implement this scheme we have also developed a technique for dynamically identifying the frequent values which compares quite favorably with an optimal offline algorithm. Our experiments show that FV encoding of 32 frequent values yields an average reduction of 30% (with on-chip data cache) and 49% (without on-chip data cache) in data bus switching activity for SPEC95 and mediabench programs. Moreover the reduction in switching achieved by FV encoding is 2 to 4 times the reduction achieved by the bus-invert coding scheme and 1.5 to 3 times the reduction achieved by the adaptive method. The overall energy savings on data bus we attained considering the coder overhead is 29%.
Predicting Student Grade Point Average: Comparison of Machine Learning Regression Algorithms

Education data mining has emerged as a powerful technique for uncovering hidden patterns in educational data, forecasting academic achievement, and increasing retention rates. In this work, the performance of nine regression algorithms has been evaluated in predicting students’ academic success. Information from 650 students enrolled in three different computing majors has been assembled into a dataset. The following input attributes were chosen: attendance rate, course grade, gender, course category, delivery mode, school type, and high school score; the grade point average was the target variable. Findings indicate that Random Forest Regressor, Light Gradient Boosting Machine, Gradient Boosting Regressor, and Extra Tree are the four most effective regression algorithms in the order given. Except for the Light Gradient Boosting Machine approach, the other three algorithms showed that course grade is the most important predictor of a student's GPA, followed by high school score. All four algorithms showed that gender is the least reliable indicator of GPA. Future work will conduct sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of individual attributes on predictions to gain more insight into the factors affecting students’ performance. The effect of social, economic, and demographic features will also be investigated
On Workload Characterization of Relational Database Environments

A relational database workload analyzer (REDWAR) is developed to characterize the workload in a DB2 environment. This is applied to study a production DB2 system where a structured query language (SQL) trace for a two-hour interval and an image copy of the database catalog were obtained. The results of the workload study are summarized. The structure and complexity of SQL statements, the makeup and run-time behavior of transactions/queries, and the composition of relations and views are discussed. The results obtained provide the important information needed to build a benchmark workload to evaluate the alternative design tradeoffs of database systems. >
The Benefits of Aerial Hunting for Feral Hog Management in Southeast Texas Pasture and Rangelands

Author(s): Steen, Douglas | Abstract: The feral hog is an Old World species introduced to Texas by early Spanish explorers. Populations in Texas are descended from European wild hogs introduced for sporting purposes, and from escaped domestic swine that have established feral populations. Today, Texas has a feral hog population estimated at about 2 million animals, the most of any state. Feral hogs are considered a pest throughout much of their range. They are responsible for damaging crops, pasture, rangeland, livestock, and wildlife resources. Because of their reproductive capacity and their omnivorous eating habits, the feral hog population has rapidly increased across the state over the past 25 years. This increasing population, and resulting economic losses, have led resource managers to investigate alternative methods of managing feral hog populations. The uniqueness of the Texas Coastal Plains habitat lends itself to aerial hunting more often than a habitat type with a more densely formed overstory. We review the impacts of aerial hunting operations in Matagorda County in the Southeast Texas Coastal Plains.
A new approach to design robust backstepping controller for MIMO nonlinear systems with input unmodeled dynamics

In this paper, a new scheme inspired by the idea of decentralized control methodology is proposed to design output feedback controllers for a class of MIMO nonlinear systems with input unmodeled dynamics. With dynamic normalization and backstepping approach, the destabilizing effects of unmodeled dynamics depending on inputs are compensated and global uniform boundedness of all the signals in the closed loop system is established for sufficiently weak input unmodeled dynamics.
CONSORT-EHEALTH Checklist V1.6.2 Report

Yes, our program is destined for "informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease" and to evaluate the efficacity of the web-based program, we created two groups; the target group who could access to the program and the control group who could not. ABSTRACT 1b-i) Key features/functionalities/components of the intervention and comparator in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT "Based on a face-to-face intervention program we adapted and designed a web-based fully automated psycho-educational program (called Diapason) inspired by a cognitive approach. " Experimental group has access to the Diapason program and "received the web-based intervention and the usual care during 3 months or only the usual care" for the control group. "Caregivers’ perceived stress (PSS-14, primary outcome), self-efficacy, burden, perceived health status, and depression (secondary outcomes) were measured during three face-to-face onsite visits: at baseline, at the end of the program (M3), and after follow-up (M6). Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with EG caregivers at M6, and treated with thematic analysis. " "The Diapason program (www.etreaudiapason.com, was delivered in a free, password-protected, fully-automated website, to be used in an individual fashion, at home by the caregivers. The contents were focused on: a) caregivers’ beliefs, about the illness and the caregiving role, b) caregivers’ skills, to manage daily life difficulties, and c) caregivers’ social support and help-seeking behavior to obtain respite or financial support, and to meet and discuss with peers through a forum. The program’s content was grounded on cognitive theories of stress. Twelve thematic sessions were sequentially and weekly unblocked once the previous one was entirely visualized" 1b-ii) Level of human involvement in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT Yes, "The Diapason program was delivered in a free, password-protected, fully-automated website" 1b-iii) Open vs. closed, web-based (self-assessment) vs. face-to-face assessments in the METHODS section of the ABSTRACT
Out-of-band power suppression for TDS-OFDM systems

In this paper, the out-of-band power suppression technique for the time domain synchronous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (TDS-OFDM) system is proposed. The technique combines the time-domain windowing and training sequence (TS) redesigning, and could satisfy the spectral mask requirement for the digital television terrestrial broadcasting (DTTB) system without squared root raised cosine (SRRC) filter. An improved frame structure with overlapping between adjacent frames for the dual pseudo noise padded (DPNP) TDS-OFDM system is put forward to make the spectral efficiency undiminished. The simulation results show that the proposed method could lower the out-of-band power leakage by 6-10dB in the power spectrum density (PSD) compared to the conventional TDS-OFDM system without SRRC filter while achieving a similar spectrum shaping performance of conventional CP-OFDM. This technique will enhance the application of the TDS-OFDM in the broadband multimedia transmission areas.
USER MODELING ON THE WEB An Exploratory Review of Recommendation Systems

Information overload occurs when an application presents more information than a user is able to consume. This problem is especially visible on the World Wide Web, where the sheer wealth and scope of information quickly strains the user experience. The problem becomes even more prominent in applications designed to aggregate content from different sources. Whether the content is written by multiple authors, pertain to varying topics, or is of fluctuating quality, presenting this content in a coherent and interesting way to each individual user is
CASA Based Speech Separation for

This paper introduces a speech separation system as a front-end processing step for automatic speech recognition (ASR). It employs computational auditory scene analysis (CASA) to separate the target speech from the interference speech. Specifically, the mixed speech is preprocessed based on auditory peripheral model. Then a pitch tracking is conducted and the dominant pitch is used as a main cue to find the target speech. Next, the time frequency (TF) units are merged into many segments. These segments are then combined into streams via CASA initial grouping. A regrouping strategy is employed to refine these streams via amplitude modulate (AM) cues, which are finally organized by the speaker recognition techniques into corresponding speakers. Finally, the output streams are reconstructed to compensate the missing data in the abovementioned processing steps by a cluster based feature reconstruction. Experimental results of ASR show that at low TMR (<-6dB) the proposed method offers significantly higher recognition accuracy. Index term: speech separation, CASA, speaker recognition, pitch tracking, units grouping, reconstruction
Application of The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Method to Analyze Factors Influencing The Use of Digital Wallets in Indonesia

This study aims to determine how the intention to use digital wallets is influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and enabling factors. The author selected the type of conclusive research design for this study. Descriptive research is the methodology, and a cross-sectional design is employed to collect data. Questionnaires were distributed to collect data utilizing non-probability sampling techniques, particularly judgmental sampling. One hundred responders are needed. The author measures the existing variables using an interval scale. It was discovered that performance expectancy positively influences the intention to utilize the wallet application based on the data processing outcomes. On the other hand, effort expectancy has no discernible impact on intention to use, indicating that users' intentions are unaffected by their expectations regarding the degree of difficulty associated with utilizing the application. Furthermore, it was discovered that effort expectancy positively impacts performance expectancy. It was also found that social influence variables positively impacted use intention. Facilitating conditions did not, however, appear to affect the intention to use significantly
Obesity Interacts with Cerebral Hypoperfusion to Exacerbate Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults with Heart Failure

Background: Cerebral hypoperfusion accompanies heart failure (HF) and is associated with reduced cognitive performance. Obesity is prevalent in persons with HF and is also a likely contributor to cognitive function, as it has been independently linked to cognitive impairment in healthy individuals. The current study examined the association between obesity and cognitive performance among older adults with HF and whether obesity interacts with cerebral hypoperfusion to exacerbate cognitive impairment. Methods: Patients with HF (n = 99, 67.46 ± 11.36 years of age) completed neuropsychological testing and impedance cardiography. Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBF-V) measured by transcranial Doppler sonography quantified cerebral perfusion and body mass index (BMI) operationalized obesity. Results: A hierarchical regression analysis showed that lower CBF-V was associated with reduced performance on tests of attention/executive function and memory. Elevated BMI was independently associated with reduced attention/executive function and language test performance. Notably, a significant interaction between CBF-V and BMI indicated that a combination of hypoperfusion and high BMI has an especially adverse influence on attention/executive function in HF patients. Conclusions: The current findings suggest that cerebral hypoperfusion and obesity interact to impair cognitive performance in persons with HF. These results may have important clinical implications, as HF patients who are at high risk for cerebral hypoperfusion may benefit from weight reduction.
Can Extended High Frequency Thresholds Be Used To Detect Auditory Processing Difficulties In An Aging Population ?

Introduction Hearing impairment can profoundly affect people’s lives. It can lead to isolation and depression, lower quality of life and deteriorating relationships, particularly for older people [1]. An emerging concern relates to a subset of older adults who present with peripherally normal hearing but complain of persistent difficulties to understand speech in acoustically challenging environments [2]. This phenomenon is often referred to as “obscure auditory dysfunction” [3-5]. However, the term “obscure” is misleading, as it is estimated that this group make up an estimated 10-15% of all audiological referrals [6].
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice About Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Among Nursing Students in China: A Cross Sectional Study

Purpose The knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) concerning antibiotics by healthcare students have the potential impact on controlling antibiotic abuse and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) growth. This study aims to evaluate the levels and explore the associated factors with KAP on antibiotic use and AMR in Chinese nursing students. Methods A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographics and selected features and KAP on antibiotic use and AMR was conducted to measure KAP levels among nursing students at various universities in Hubei Province, China. The logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the potential factors associated with the KAP. Results The survey eventually included a total of 1959 nursing students. The mean scores for KAP were 57.89 ±26.32, 55.00 ±12.50, and 71.88 ±15.63, respectively. Regarding knowledge, 54.3% of participants were unaware that antibiotic was ineffective against viral infections. Regarding attitude, 36% of participants agreed that current antibiotic abuse existed; 96.2% of participants thought it necessary to set up a special course on antibiotics. Regarding practice, only 48.4% of participants usually purchased antibiotics with a prescription. Multivariable analyses indicated that lack of discussion on AMR in school courses was an independent risk factor against KAP, respectively. The main knowledge sources of antibiotic being outside the classroom was an independent risk factor related to knowledge and practice. The average score >80 points was an independent protective factor related to knowledge and practice. Conclusion The KAP level on antibiotic use and AMR among Hubei nursing students was general and required further strengthening. Nursing students with risk factors should be prioritized in educational interventions. The findings of our study pointed out some directions for tailored interventions to improve the training on antibiotics.
Advertising and Competition

What is the impact of advertising on competition, and hence on price? In this chapter we provide a critical review of the recent literature on advertising effectiveness, market efficiency and advertising and price. We conclude that focus needs to shift to absolute, not relative, prices, and that the role of vertical competition needs to be recognized explicitly. Does advertising increase or decrease competition? Our purpose in this chapter is to advance the understanding of this question, and particularly the impact of advertising on price, by critically reviewing recent research, adding some new insight, and identifying areas for future research. The main conclusions that we draw are that research should focus more on absolute price levels than on relative price differences (price dispersion) and that the significant impact of distribution policy on price needs to be examined more closely. Accordingly, the chapter is divided into four sections. In the first section, we lay out the question, provide some in-going assumptions and definitions, and set the scope for the discussion. In the second section, we summarize the opposing views that typically define debate around the question. In the third section, we provide a critical review of recent work on this question, as well as some additional research that we think brings additional, important perspective. In the final section, we present our own conclusions about the question, and identify areas for future research.
Interleukin‐4 enzyme‐linked immunospot assay may be useful for diagnosing sensitization to house dust mite

The skin prick test (SPT) is considered a standard test for identification of allergens, but it has some limitations in clinical practice. The multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST), which measures allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E in patients’ serum, is a widely used alternative test, but is limited by its relatively low sensitivity and specificity. As a novel diagnostic test to identify allergens, we investigated the sensitivity and specificity of an interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay for Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p).
Eccentric Correction for Off-Axis Vision in Central Visual Field Loss

Background. Subjects with absolute central visual field loss use eccentric fixation and magnifying devices to utilize their residual vision. This preliminary study investigated the importance of an accurate eccentric correction of off-axis refractive errors to optimize the residual visual function for these subjects. Methods. Photorefraction using the PowerRefractor instrument was used to evaluate the ametropia in eccentric fixation angles. Methods were adapted for measuring visual acuity outside the macula using filtered optotypes from high-pass resolution perimetry. Optical corrections were implemented, and the visual function of subjects with central visual field loss was measured with and without eccentric correction. Results. Of the seven cases reported, five experienced an improvement in visual function in their preferred retinal locus with eccentric refraction. Conclusions. The main result was that optical correction for better image quality on the peripheral retina is important for the vision of subjects with central visual field loss, objectively as well as subjectively.
Association of co-stimulatory human B-lymphocyte antigen B7-2 (CD86) gene polymorphism with colorectal cancer risk

Aim This study investigated the role of CD86 +237 G/C polymorphism in intensifying the risk of CRC development. Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multi-factorial diseases. Genetic background could affect the susceptibility of individuals to CRC development. CD86 is a co-stimulatory factor on antigen-presenting cells that plays key roles in several cancer related mechanisms such as autoimmunity, transplantation and tumor immunity. Patients and methods A total of 300 individuals, 150 known CRC patients and 150 healthy control individuals, were subjected for the study. CD86 rs17281995 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was genotyped using Allelic Discrimination method. Results A statistically significant difference was found among CD86 gene polymorphism (rs17281995) and risk of CRC development. The frequency of GG, GC and CC in control subjects was determined as 38%, 57.3% and 4.7% respectively and in CRC subjects were determined as 42%, 85% and 23% respectively. The data shows a significant association between CC genotype (P = 0.007) and C allele (P = 0.017) of the studied polymorphism and risk of CRC. CC genotype and C allele are also more frequent in female patients when the data is stratified according to gender status. Conclusion Our results suggest that CD86 gene alteration could affect the individual's risk for developing CRC among Iranian population and could be used as an important prognostic factor associated with risk of CRC.
Deep Learning for Violence Detection in Surveillance: The Role of Transfer Learning and Pre-Trained Models

In recent years, the use of CCTV footage for proactive crime prevention has surged, particularly in public places like airports, train stations, and malls. However, the efficacy of these surveillance systems becomes questionable for their substantial reliance on human resources which may lead to erroneous or delayed responses. This research takes a comprehensive approach for violence detection which was previously limited to binary classification, by categorizing violence into four distinct classes: abuse, arson, assault, and fight. It employs transfer learning combined with computer vision techniques for violence detection and classification in video footages. The study compares the performance of four pre-trained neural networks, namely DenseNet121, VGG16, MobileNet, and Xception. The dataset created for this research is compiled from three datasets available on Kaggle. The results reveal that the Xception model performed comparatively better achieving the highest AUC score of 98.39%, while the VGG16 model attained the lowest AUC score of 96%. In addition to the AUC score, precision, recall, and fl-score are employed as performance metrics. Transfer learning with convolutional neural networks (CNN) significantly reduced computational requirements and time. Automating the detection and categorization of violent behavior through the employed approach has the potential to reduce the risk of fatalities and injuries in public areas. It also improves the speed and accuracy of threat detection, enabling swift preventive actions by authorities.