Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BUDGET: A Tool for Supporting Software Architecture Traceability Research

Automated traceability techniques based on supervised machine learning algorithms can significantly reduce the cost and effort needed to create and maintain traceability links between requirements, architecture and source code. However, the upfront cost to train these algorithms is the main bottleneck for expanding, and validating these traceability techniques as well as applying them to complex industrial systems. In this tool demo, we present our Web-based tool named BUDGET, as a solution to automate creation of training data for the problem of tracing architectural concerns. BUDGET uses Automated Web-Mining, and Big-Data Analysis techniques to generate training data for supervised architecture-traceability techniques. It uses several sampling strategies and mines ultra-large scale code repositories to generate datasets of tactical code snippets. The BUDGET falls in the research tool category and supports researchers in the area of software architecture and requirements engineering.
Extinction and quasi-stationarity in the Verhulst logistic model.

We formulate and analyse a stochastic version of the Verhulst deterministic model for density-dependent growth of a single population. Three parameter regions with qualitatively different behaviours are identified. Explicit approximations of the quasi-stationary distribution and of the expected time to extinction are presented in each of these regions. The quasi-stationary distribution is approximately normal, and the time to extinction is long, in one of these regions. Another region has a short time to extinction and a quasi-stationary distribution that is approximately truncated geometric. A third region is a transition region between these two. Here the time to extinction is moderately long and the quasi-stationary distribution has a more complicated behaviour. Numerical illustrations are given.
CT-quantified emphysema in male heavy smokers: association with lung function decline

Background Emphysema and small airway disease both contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease characterised by accelerated decline in lung function. The association between the extent of emphysema in male current and former smokers and lung function decline was investigated. Methods Current and former heavy smokers participating in a lung cancer screening trial were recruited to the study and all underwent CT. Spirometry was performed at baseline and at 3-year follow-up. The 15th percentile (Perc15) was used to assess the severity of emphysema. Results 2085 men of mean age 59.8 years participated in the study. Mean (SD) baseline Perc15 was −934.9 (19.5) HU. A lower Perc15 value correlated with a lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) at baseline (r=0.12, p<0.001). Linear mixed model analysis showed that a lower Perc15 was significantly related to a greater decline in FEV1 after follow-up (p<0.001). Participants without baseline airway obstruction who developed it after follow-up had significantly lower mean (SD) Perc15 values at baseline than those who did not develop obstruction (−934.2 (17.1) HU vs −930.2 (19.7) HU, p<0.001). Conclusion Greater baseline severity of CT-detected emphysema is related to lower baseline lung function and greater rates of lung function decline, even in those without airway obstruction. CT-detected emphysema aids in identifying non-obstructed male smokers who will develop airflow obstruction.
STATIS and DISTATIS: optimum multitable principal component analysis and three way metric multidimensional scaling

STATIS is an extension of principal component analysis (PCA) tailored to handle multiple data tables that measure sets of variables collected on the same observations, or, alternatively, as in a variant called dual‐STATIS, multiple data tables where the same variables are measured on different sets of observations. STATIS proceeds in two steps: First it analyzes the between data table similarity structure and derives from this analysis an optimal set of weights that are used to compute a linear combination of the data tables called the compromise that best represents the information common to the different data tables; Second, the PCA of this compromise gives an optimal map of the observations. Each of the data tables also provides a map of the observations that is in the same space as the optimum compromise map. In this article, we present STATIS, explain the criteria that it optimizes, review the recent inferential extensions to STATIS and illustrate it with a detailed example.
Dificuldades de implementação das decisões da OMC: um estudo de caso a partir do contencioso pneus

The implementation of the decisions of the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization has difficulties at national level. This debate could evolve legal, political and international relations aspects. The purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of some difficulties that the WTO system has to implement its decisions, from the perspective of a concrete case (Brazil - retreaded tires). Therefore, it is necessary in a first part to provide a quick evaluation of the instruments to induce compliance for, at a second part, present crucial obstacles of the Brazilian Government to implement the retreaded tires decision. We conclude that there is a dissociation between the internal and national arenas and the strong dependence of the World Trade Organization on national actors.
Directed intervention crossover approaches in genetic algorithms with application to optimal control problems

Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are a search heuristic technique modelled on the processes of evolution. They have been used to solve optimisation problems in a wide variety of fields. When applied to the optimisation of intervention schedules for optimal control problems, such as cancer chemotherapy treatment scheduling, GAs have been shown to require more fitness function evaluations than other search heuristics to find fit solutions. This thesis presents extensions to the GA crossover process, termed directed intervention crossover techniques, that greatly reduce the number of fitness function evaluations required to find fit solutions, thus increasing the effectiveness of GAs for problems of this type. The directed intervention crossover techniques use intervention scheduling information from parent solutions to direct the offspring produced in the GA crossover process towards more promising areas of a search space. By counting the number of interventions present in parents and adjusting the number of interventions for offspring schedules around it, this allows for highly fit solutions to be found in less fitness function evaluations. The validity of these novel approaches is illustrated through comparison with conventional GA crossover approaches for optimisation of intervention schedules of bio-control application in mushroom farming and cancer chemotherapy treatment. These involve optimally scheduling the application of a bio-control agent to combat pests in mushroom farming and optimising the timing and dosage strength of cancer chemotherapy treatments to maximise their effectiveness. This work demonstrates that significant advantages are gained in terms of both fitness function evaluations required and fitness scores found using the proposed approaches when compared with traditional GA crossover approaches for the production of optimal control schedules.
Random Matrices: l1 Concentration and Dictionary Learning with Few Samples

Let X be a sparse random matrix of size n × p (p ≫ n). We prove that if p ≥ Cn log4 n, then with probability 1 - o(1), ∥XT v∥1 is close to its expectation for all vectors v ∈ Rn (simultaneously). The bound on p is sharp up to the polylogarithmic factor. The study of this problem is directly motivated by an application. Let A be an n×n matrix, X be an n×p matrix and Y = AX. A challenging and important problem in data analysis, motivated by dictionary learning and other practical problems, is to recover both A and X, given Y . Under normal circumstances, it is clear that this problem is underdetermined. However, in the case when X is sparse and random, Spielman, Wang and Wright showed that one can recover both A and X efficiently from Y with high probability, given that p (the number of samples) is sufficiently large. Their method works for p ≥ Cn2 log2 n and they conjectured that p ≥ Cn log n suffices. The bound n log n is sharp for an obvious information theoretical reason. The matrix concentration result verifies the Spielman et. al. conjecture up to a log3 n factor. Our proof of the concentration result is based on two ideas. The first is an economical way to apply the union bound. The second is a refined version of Bernstein's concentration inequality for a sum of independent variables. Both have nothing to do with random matrices and are applicable in general settings.
Sex allocation predicts mating rate in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

Sexual selection theory for separate-sexed animals predicts that the sexes differ in the benefit they can obtain from multiple mating. Conventional sex roles assume that the relationship between the number of mates and the fitness of an individual is steeper in males compared with females. Under these conditions, males are expected to be more eager to mate, whereas females are expected to be choosier. Here we hypothesize that the sex allocation, i.e. the reproductive investment devoted to the male versus female function, can be an important predictor of the mating strategy in simultaneous hermaphrodites. We argue that within-species variation in sex allocation can cause differences in the proportional fitness gain derived through each sex function. Individuals should therefore adjust their mating strategy in a way that is more beneficial to the sex function that is relatively more pronounced. To test this, we experimentally manipulated the sex allocation in a simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm and investigated whether this affects the mating behaviour. The results demonstrate that individuals with a more male-biased sex allocation (i.e. relatively large testes and small ovaries) are more eager to mate compared with individuals with a more female-biased sex allocation (i.e. relatively small testes and large ovaries). We argue that this pattern is comparable to conventional gender roles in separate-sexed organisms.
Leveraging Pittsburgh's energy efficiency social network to predict next adopters

By constructing the social networks of large commercial building managers in a two-phase project, we hope to unveil the catalysts that diffuse energy efficient technologies. Completion of both phases will demonstrate 1) which actors in energy efficiency networks are influential and 2) which attributes are highly correlated with owners who pursue energy efficiency, suggesting owners who do not exhibit these attributes might benefit from additional incentives. Results of this study will outline innovative policies for leveraging existing social networks of building owners to enhance the adoption of energy efficient practices.
A unified framework for software engineering process improvement — A taxonomy comparative analysis

Concurrent adoption of software engineering process improvement frameworks have been widely practiced by the software organizations. The software development organizations leverage these frameworks to better address process improvement challenges. This paper develops an integrated framework for software engineering process improvement practices and unifies the theories in process definition and establishment. The unified framework provides a set of formal descriptions for software engineering process improvement frameworks. Requirements and architectures for software engineering process improvement frameworks are investigated. The main challenge in the integration is the interoperability of the frameworks. Inaccurate integration approach results in inefficiency of the integration process. Common interoperability issues in the integration of current process models and methodologies are addressed. In addition to this, omissions, differences and gaps can be identified and further examined for development of new unified framework. Taxonomy for software engineering process framework is used to support the understanding and comparison of diverse software quality frameworks. The taxonomy should be based on discipline-specific framework. Besides, other alternative approaches for comparing the software engineering process improvement framework are presented. The research outcome is expected to identify the structural relationships among the frameworks. Derivation from the taxonomy includes characteristics and categories of attributes tailored to the discipline-specific framework.
Rethinking Middle School Reading Instruction: A Basic Literacy Activity

Research on subject matter instruction across the 20th century (e.g., Stevens, 1912; Bellack, 1966; Hoetker & Ahlbrand; 1969; Gall, 1970; Langer, 1999; Mehan, 1979; Nystrand, 1997;) reveals a preponderance of teacher-directed lecture, recitation, and round-robin reading of text in place of instruction that focuses on reading-to-learn, thinking, and transforming information into meaning and understanding (Durkin, 1978–79; Langer, 1999; Blanton & Moorman, 1990; Wood & Muth, 1991). This kind of instruction persists despite the fact that observations of higher performing schools indicated the tendency to organize instruction around meaningful learning communities with extensive interactive discussion of material read (Langer, 1999; Myers, 1996; Wenglinsky, 2000; 2004). The purpose of this essay is twofold: (a) to argue that a great deal of reading instruction fails to meet the multiple and complex literacy needs of most middle school students, and (b) to propose a new orientation for thinking about middle school reading instruction. We begin with a discussion of research findings on classroom reading instruction, followed by an exploration of issues central to the problem. Then we propose what we have titled the basic literacy activity, a conceptual tool for thinking about and arranging middle school reading instruction. We end with an overview of selected instructional strategies that exemplify the characteristics of basic literacy activity.
Retrieval evaluation on focused tasks

Ranking of retrieval systems for focused tasks requires large number of relevance judgments. We propose an approach that minimizes the number of relevance judgments, where the performance measures are approximated using a Monte-Carlo sampling technique. Partial measures are taken using relevance judgments, whereas the remaining part of passages are annotated using a generated relevance probability distribution based on result rank. We define two conditions for stopping the assessment procedure when the ranking between systems is stable.
Mental disorders and quality of life in COPD patients and their spouses

In the current study, the prevalence of the most common psychological disorders in COPD patients and their spouses was assessed cross-sectionally. The influence of COPD patients’ and their spouses’ psychopathology on patient health-related quality of life was also examined. The following measurements were employed: Forced expiratory volume in 1 second expressed in percentage predicted (FEV1%), Shuttle-Walking-Test (SWT), International Diagnostic Checklists for ICD-10 (IDCL), questionnaires on generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life (St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EuroQol), a modified version of a Disability-Index (CDI)), and a screening questionnaire for a broad range of psychological problems and symptoms of psychopathology (Symptom-Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R)). One hundred and forty-three stable COPD outpatients with a severity grade between 2 and 4 (according to the GOLD criteria) as well as 105 spouses took part in the study. The prevalence of anxiety and depression diagnoses was increased both in COPD patients and their spouses. In contrast, substance-related disorders were explicitly more frequent in COPD patients. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that depression (SCL-90-R), walking distance (SWT), somatization (SCL-90-R), male gender, FEV1%, and heart disease were independent predictors of COPD patients’ health-related quality of life. After including anxiousness of the spouses in the regression, medical variables (FEV1% and heart disease) no longer explained disability, thus highlighting the relevance of spouses’ well-being. The results underline the importance of depression and anxiousness for health-related quality of life in COPD patients and their spouses. Of special interest is the fact that the relation between emotional distress and quality of life is interactive within a couple.
Probabilistic neural network classification for model β-Glucan suspensions

The problems encountered in brewing commonly attributed to excess β-glucan levels include low extract yield, increased lauter runoff times, formation of gelatinous precipitates during aging, and decreased filtration efficiency. Several rheological techniques were used to determine C* or critical concentration where β-glucan aggregates begin to entangle and there was a relationship between intrinsic viscosity and C*. This study reports applying Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) to get new data set of relation between reciprocal of logarithm of relative viscosity 1/log (ηrel) and β-glucan concentration in seven model buffer systems and thus could be used for C* valure determination with better statistical correlation.
Probably safe or live

This paper presents a formal characterisation of safety and liveness properties for fully probabilistic systems. As for the classical setting, it is established that any (probabilistic tree) property is equivalent to a conjunction of a safety and liveness property. A simple algorithm is provided to obtain such a property decomposition for flat probabilistic CTL (PCTL). A safe fragment of PCTL is identified that provides a sound and complete characterisation of safety properties. For liveness properties, we provide two PCTL fragments, a sound and a complete one, and show that a sound and complete logical characterisation of liveness properties hinges on the (open) satisfiability problem for PCTL. We show that safety properties only have finite counterexamples, whereas liveness properties have none. We compare our characterisation for qualitative properties with the one for branching time properties by Manolios and Trefler, and present sound and complete PCTL fragments for characterising the notions of strong safety and absolute liveness coined by Sistla.
Long-term excess mortality of patients with treated and untreated unruptured intracranial aneurysms

Background and aim Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) patients have an excess mortality proportion in long-term outcome studies because of the high rate of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular deaths. The aim of the present study was to assess the excess long-term mortality among patients with unruptured aneurysms with no previous SAH and to compare excess mortality after coiling, clipping and without treatment. Methods Between 1989 and 1999, a total of 1294 patients with intracranial aneurysms were admitted to our hospital. Of these, 1154 had previous SAH and were excluded leaving 140 patients with 178 intracranial unruptured aneurysms as the study population. The patients were followed up until death or by the end of April 2011. Causes of death were determined. Relative survival ratios (RSRs) were calculated and compared with the matched general population. Results Mean follow-up time was 13 years (range 1–19). During the follow-up period, 36% of patients died. Death was caused by cerebrovascular event in half of the cases. There were 12% excess mortality at 15 years in men and 35% excess mortality in women compared with general population. Excess mortality among women over 50 years was significantly higher than that among men (p=0.018). Conclusions Patients with untreated unruptured aneurysms have 50% excess long-term mortality compared with general population. Men with treated unruptured aneurysms have a survival proportion comparable with matched general population. Women, instead, have 28% excess mortality after surgical treatment and 23% excess mortality after endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms.
Early Developments in Children's Causal Judgments.

SOPHIAN, CATHERINE, and HUBER, ALICE. Early Developments in Children's Causal Judgments. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1984, 55, 512-526. Early developmental changes in children's understanding of causality were examined in 2 studies of 3and 5-year-olds' causal judgments. In both studies, children were asked to judge which of 2 stimuli caused an observed event across a series of problems that provided a variety of alternative cues. The first study examined children's selections from a large number of conflicting cues, using problems based on the movements of a toy train. Nearly all children showed consistent use of 1 or 2 cues, but only 5-year-olds' judgments were in accord with the principle of priority, according to which causes must precede their effects in time. The second study focused on children's responses to conflicts between temporal priority and specific trained knowledge, using 2 different domains of causal judgment problems. Here, both age groups showed some use of temporal priority, but the 5-year-olds showed a better appreciation of its necessary force. These findings were taken to support a hypothesized developmental shift in children's causal reasoning as it pertains to the identification of causes. Early causal reasoning appears to be primarily empirical and based on concrete features of the events in question, whereas later reasoning may be more logical and involve greater reliance on abstract causal principles that enable children to interpret even unfamiliar events.
Milk containing Mycobacterium bovis as a source of infection for white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus).

SETTING White-tailed deer represent the first wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis in the United States. The behavior of does with nursing fawns provides several potential mechanisms for disease transmission. Little information exists concerning transmission between doe and fawn, specifically transmammary transmission. OBJECTIVE Determine if fawns can become infected by ingestion of milk replacer containing M. bovis, thus simulating transmission from doe to fawn through contaminated milk. DESIGN Seventeen, 21-day-old white-tailed deer fawns were inoculated orally with 2 x 10(8) CFU (high dose, n=5), 2.5 x 10(5) to 2.5 x 10(6) CFU (medium dose, n=5), and 1 x 10(4) CFU (low dose, n=5) of M. bovis in milk replacer. Dosages were divided equally and fed daily over a 5-day period. Positive control fawns (n=2) received 1 x 10(5) CFU of M. bovis instilled in the tonsillar crypts. Fawns were euthanized and examined 35-115 days after inoculation and various tissues collected for bacteriologic and microscopic analysis. RESULTS All fawns in the tonsillar, high oral and medium oral dose groups developed generalized tuberculosis involving numerous organs and tissues by 35-84 days after inoculation. Three of five fawns in the low-dose oral group had tuberculous lesions in the mandibular lymph node, and one of five had lesions in the medial retropharyngeal lymph node when examined 115 days after inoculation. CONCLUSION White-tailed deer fawns can become infected through oral exposure to M. bovis. Therefore, the potential exists for fawns to acquire M. bovis while nursing tuberculous does.