Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redundant Data Composition of Peers in P2P Streaming Systems Using Cauchy Reed-Solomon Codes

Erasure codes are used in many distributed applications. This paper applies Cauchy Reed-Solomon codes to P2P streaming systems which is different from classical Reed-Solomon codes. Due to churn in these systems, streaming data composition is vital for system management. We mainly concern about how to apply the coding into these systems and present the interaction among the peers and effective buffer management. This distributed sources increase the selection on disseminated encoded data and therefore statistically enhances the overall performance.
Meta-Analysis of Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Cognitive Test Performance

A meta-analysis of cross-cultural comparisons of cognitive test scores published between 1973 and 1994 is presented. Larger performance differences were found in cross-national than in intranational (cross-ethnic) comparisons. There was a strong age bias, with an overrepresentation of primary-school-age children. Five models to explain cross-cultural differences in cognitive performance were examined. First, these differences showed a positive relationship with differences in affluence of the cultural groups. Second, performance differences increased with chronological and educational age. Third, only in intranational studies were performance differences positively related to the complexity of stimuli. Fourth, performance differences were larger on common Western tasks than on locally developed non-Western tasks. Finally, performance differences were not larger for abstract thinking than for other cognitive domains. Cross-cultural performance differences were better predicted by task characteristics in intranational comparisons and by population characteristics in cross-national comparisons.
Detecting fragile comments

Refactoring is a common software development practice and many simple refactorings can be performed automatically by tools. Identifier renaming is a widely performed refactoring activity. With tool support, rename refactorings can rely on the program structure to ensure correctness of the code transformation. Unfortunately, the textual references to the renamed identifier present in the unstructured comment text cannot be formally detected through the syntax of the language, and are thus fragile with respect to identifier renaming. We designed a new rule-based approach to detect fragile comments. Our approach, called Fraco, takes into account the type of identifier, its morphology, the scope of the identifier and the location of comments. We evaluated the approach by comparing its precision and recall against hand-annotated benchmarks created for six target Java systems, and compared the results against the performance of Eclipse's automated in-comment identifier replacement feature. Fraco performed with near-optimal precision and recall on most components of our evaluation data set, and generally outperformed the baseline Eclipse feature. As part of our evaluation, we also noted that more than half of the total number of identifiers in our data set had fragile comments after renaming, which further motivates the need for research on automatic comment refactoring.
Time Synchronization of Turbo-Coded Square-QAM-Modulated Transmissions: Code-Aided ML Estimator and Closed-Form Cramér–Rao Lower Bounds

This paper introduces a new maximum likelihood (ML) solution for the code-aided (CA) timing recovery problem in square-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmissions and derives, for the very first time, its CA Cramér–Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) in closed-form expressions. The channel is assumed to be slowly time varying so that it can be considered as constant over the observation interval. By exploiting the full symmetry of square-QAM constellations and further scrutinizing the Gray-coding mechanism, we express the likelihood function of the system explicitly in terms of the code bits’ a priori log-likelihood ratios (LLRs). The timing recovery task is then embedded in the turbo iteration loop, wherein increasingly accurate estimates for such LLRs are computed from the output of the soft-input soft-output decoders and exploited at a per-turbo-iteration basis in order to refine the ML time delay estimate. The latter is then used to better resynchronize the system, through feedback to the matched filter, so as to obtain more reliable symbol-rate samples for the next turbo iteration. In order to properly benchmark the new CA ML estimator, we also derive for the very first time the closed-form expressions for the exact CRLBs of the underlying turbo synchronization problem. Computer simulations will show that the new closed-form CRLBs coincide exactly with their empirical counterparts evaluated previously using exhaustive Monte Carlo simulations. They will also show unambiguously the remarkable performance improvements of CA estimation against the traditional nondata-aided scheme, thereby highlighting the potential performance gains in time synchronization that can be achieved owing to the decoder assistance. Over a wide range of practical signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), CA estimation becomes even equivalent to the completely data-aided scheme in which all the transmitted symbols are perfectly known to the receiver. Moreover, the new CA ML estimator almost reaches the underlying CA CRLBs, even for small SNRs, thereby confirming its statistical efficiency in practice. It also enjoys significant improvements in computational complexity as compared to the most powerful existing ML solution, namely the combined sum-product and expectation-maximization algorithm.
Some mercurial resistance plasmids from different incompatibility groups specify merR regulatory functions that both repress and induce the mer operon of plasmid R100

Transcription of the mer genes of plasmid R100 is regulated by the product of the merR gene. The merR gene negatively regulates its own expression and also controls the transcription of the merTCA operon both negatively (in the absence of inducer) and positively (in the presence of inducer). We used transcriptional mer-lac fusions of R100-1 in complementation tests to measure the ability of the merR products of different mercury-resistant transposons and plasmids to functionally interact with R100-1. Plasmids from incompatibility groups C, B, S, L, and P, as well as the Pseudomonas transposons Tn501 and Tn3401, regulated the expression of the R100 mer genes in a similar fashion to the R100-1 merR product itself, suggesting that these elements are closely related. Only plasmid R391 (IncJ) did not complement.
Phishing in international waters: exploring cross-national differences in phishing conceptualizations between Chinese, Indian and American samples

One hundred-sixty four participants from the United States, India and China completed a survey designed to assess past phishing experiences and whether they engaged in certain online safety practices (e.g., reading a privacy policy). The study investigated participants' reported agreement regarding the characteristics of phishing attacks, types of media where phishing occurs and the consequences of phishing. A multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that there were significant differences in agreement regarding phishing characteristics, phishing consequences and types of media where phishing occurs for these three nationalities. Chronological age and education did not influence the agreement ratings; therefore, the samples were demographically equivalent with regards to these variables. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the categorical variables and nationality data. Results based on self-report data indicated that (1) Indians were more likely to be phished than Americans, (2) Americans took protective actions more frequently than Indians by destroying old documents, and (3) Americans were more likely to notice the "padlock" security icon than either Indian or Chinese respondents. The potential implications of these results are discussed in terms of designing culturally sensitive anti-phishing solutions.
Knowledge Creation in Groups: The Value of Cognitive Diversity, Transactive Memory, and Openmindedness Norms

This paper contributes to our understanding of knowledge creation by developing a comprehensive model of the knowledge creating process in organisational work teams. It subsequently synthesises contemporary theory across research streams to develop hypotheses relating to three factors capable of facilitating the knowledge development process cognitive diversity, transactional memory and open-mindedness norms. In combination, the conceptual rationale and empirical support act to substantiate three key relationships in the knowledge creation process.
Results of Total Elbow Arthroplasty after Excision of the Radial Head and Synovectomy in Patients Who Had Rheumatoid Arthritis*

We compared the results of twenty-three consecutive capitellocondylar total elbow arthroplasties in twenty-three patients in whom an excision of the radial head and synovectomy for rheumatoid arthritis had failed with those of twenty-three non-consecutive primary capitellocondylar total elbow arthroplasties in twenty-three patients who had rheumatoid arthritis. The two groups were matched for age, gender, duration of follow-up, side of the operation, type of prosthesis, and operative approach. The average duration of follow-up was four years (range, two to fourteen years). At the most recent follow-up examination, use of a 100-point rating system demonstrated an improvement from an average preoperative score of 21 points (range, 12 to 42 points) to an average postoperative score of 87 points (range, 17 to 97 points) for the group in whom an excision of the radial head and synovectomy had failed. The group that had primary arthroplasty demonstrated an improvement from an average preoperative score of 22 points (range, 7 to 42 points) to an average postoperative score of 94 points (range, 85 to 100 points). The group that had primary arthroplasty had a significantly greater improvement in terms of relief of pain (p < 0.05), functional status (p < 0.01), and the elbow-rating score (p < 0.03) than the other group. Four patients who had had failure of an excision of the radial head and synovectomy and none of those who had primary arthroplasty needed an additional operative procedure. Six of the patients who had had a failed excision and synovectomy and none of the patients who had primary arthroplasty had instability of the elbow components. We concluded that, although excision of the radial head and synovectomy is a conservative and effective method of treating a painful rheumatoid elbow, conversion to a capitellocondylar total elbow arthroplasty is more difficult after such an operation and the results at a minimum of two years are inferior to those for primary capitellocondylar total elbow arthroplasty.
Phylogeography of the vairone (Leuciscus souffia, Risso 1826) in Central Europe

The vairone Leuciscus souffia is a cyprinid fish that inhabits river systems in and around the Alps. The complete mitochondrial DNA control region (945 bp) was sequenced in 295 vairone from 22 populations in Central Europe. A total of 51 haplotypes were identified with a maximum pairwise distance between haplotypes of 5.6%. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two major clades in L. souffia, an ‘Italian’ clade, and an ‘Alpine’ clade. Two hybrid zones exist, in the Mediterranean Alps and in the Soca basin. The position of the sister species of L. souffia, L. turskyi, to the ‘Alpine’ and the ‘Italian’ clade could not be resolved unambiguously. However, a linearized tree analysis indicated that L. turskyi represents a third lineage, that originated at the same time as the ‘Alpine’ and the ‘Italian’ clades of L. souffia. In the ‘Alpine’ clade two groups were resolved, a subclade with haplotypes from the Rhône and Var basins and a cluster with haplotypes from the Danube and Rhine systems. Our data suggest a long history of the vairone in Central Europe, predating Pleistocene glacial cycles. Two main refugia during glaciations must have existed, one in Italy and another one most probably in the Danube system. However, age estimates based on molecular clock calibrations suggest the survival of ‘Alpine’ haplotypes in several drainages during the last glaciation cycles. The Rhine system was only recently colonized.
Emended description of porcine [Pasteurella] aerogenes, [Pasteurella] mairii and [Actinobacillus] rossii.

The aim of this study was to improve the definition and identification of a group of veterinarily important bacteria referred to as the [Pasteurella] aerogenes-[Pasteurella] mairii-[Actinobacillus] rossii complex. These organisms have mainly been isolated from the reproductive and intestinal tracts of pigs and in most cases have been considered as opportunistic pathogens. A collection of 87 strains were characterized by phenotypic analysis from which 41 strains were selected for 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, out of which 23 have been sequenced in the present study. One group of 21 strains phenotyped as biovars 1, 3-5, 9-11, 19 and 25-27, including the type strain of [P.] aerogenes, showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 99.6 % or higher; another group of 18 strains including biovars 2, 6-8, 12-15, 21, 23, 24 and 26A and the type strain of [A. ] rossii showed 97.8 % or higher 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Between the two groups, 93.8-95.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity was observed. Strains of [P.] mairii showed 99.5 % similarity, with 95.5-97.2 and 93.8-95.5 % similarity to strains of [P.] aerogenes and [A. ] rossii, respectively. Four strains could not be classified with any of these groups and belonged to other members of Pasteurellaceae. Comparisons were also made to DNA-DNA hybridization data. Biovars 1, 9, 10, 11 and 19, including the type strain of [P.] aerogenes, linked at 70 % DNA reassociation, whereas strains identified as biovars 2, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15 and 21 of [P.] aerogenes linked at 81 %. The latter group most likely represents [A. ] rossii based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons. DNA reassociation between the [P.] aerogenes and [A. ] rossii groups was at most 37 %, whereas 47 % was the highest DNA reassociation found between [P.] aerogenes and [P.] mairii. The study showed that [P.] aerogenes, [P.] mairii and [A. ] rossii can not be easily separated and may consequently be misidentified based on current knowledge of their phenotypic characteristics. In addition, these taxa are difficult to separate from other taxa of the Pasteurellaceae. A revised scheme for separation based upon phenotypic characters is suggested for the three species [P.] aerogenes emend. , [P.] mairii emend. and [A. ] rossii emend. , with the respective type strains ATCC 27883T, NCTC 10699T and ATCC 27072T.
Native language attrition and developmental instability at the syntax-discourse interface: Data, interpretations and methods

Montrul's study is an important contribution to a recently emerged research approach to the study of bilingualism and languages in contact, characterized by its sound theoretical basis and its reliance on data from different – and traditionally non-integrated – domains of language development: bilingual first language acquisition (Müller and Hulk, 2001; Paradis and Navarro, 2003; Serratrice, 2004; Serratrice, Sorace and Paoli, in press), adult second language acquisition (Filiaci, 2003; Sorace, 2003), and native language attrition (Gurel, 2002; Tsimpli, Sorace, Heycock and Filiaci, in press). The generalization that is emerging from this approach is that interfaces between syntax and other cognitive systems (i.e. discourse pragmatics, lexical-semantics) exhibit more developmental instability than narrow syntax. For L1 attrition, which is the specific focus of the paper, this means that aspects of grammar at the syntax–discourse interface are more vulnerable to attrition than purely syntactic aspects. The identification of restrictions on the domain of occurrence of attrition is consistent with much previous descriptive research on this topic (e.g. Seliger and Vago, 1991). More recently, the same conclusion has been reached by a study on individual language attrition by Tsimpli et al. (in press), who investigated knowledge of the referential pronominal system in Greek and Italian in very advanced speakers of English. In this paper, Montrul tests the generalization on second-generation speakers of Spanish – or “heritage speakers” – a bilingual group that presents different characteristics from the adult L2 speakers investigated in Tsimpli et al.'s study. In addition to referential subjects, she also focuses on a different interface area of grammar – direct objects – that had not been investigated before. In these respects, Montrul's study is a welcome development. In other respects, however, the data are less than convincing and do not allow a straightforward interpretation. My commentary focuses on three fundamental questions raised not only by this study, but also by this type of research in general. The main focus will be the expression of referential subjects since this aspect of grammar has been investigated in other studies and therefore offers the possibility of direct comparison among results.
Cognitive restructuring of distorted beliefs associated with childhood sexual abuse.

Women who were sexually abused in childhood often hold distorted beliefs arising from this experience that appear to contribute to mood distrubances such as guilt, low self-esteem, and sadness. A cognitive restructuring intervention was implemented with the aims of correcting these beliefs and alleviating the accompanying mood states. Clinically and statistically significant improvements in both beliefs and mood are reported for a series of 11 clients.
How and When Does Emotional Expression Help?

The paradox of distress expression is that expression of negative feelings is both a sign of distress and a possible means of coping with that distress. This article describes research illustrating the paradox of distress expression. It reviews evidence concerning 3 possible mechanisms by which expression might alleviate distress, focusing on the role of expression in (a) reducing distress about distress, (b) facilitating insight, and (c) affecting interpersonal relationships in a desired way. The authors conclude by highlighting the circumstances under which expression is most likely to be adaptive. Overall, the authors argue that expression of negative feelings is adaptive to the extent that it leads to some kind of resolution involving the source or significance of distress.
Impacto de um Programa de Competências em Alunos do 2º Ciclo de Escolaridade

In this study we evaluate an intervention program in the following dimensions: Decision Making, Knowledge on Sexuality, Social Skills, Assertiveness and Self-Concept with students in 5 th and 6 th grade. Methodology: 145 students participated in the study divided by control and experimental group. The instruments used were: Decision-Making TCU, Knowledge on Sexuality Questionnaire; Assertion Self-Statement Test-Revised;Social Skills Questionnaire, and Piers-Harris Children’s Self- Concept Scale. The results indicate differences at post-test between the groups on knowledge regarding sexuality. There were also differences from pre-test to post-test in the experimental group on knowledge on sexuality, assertiveness and social skills. Positive associations among decision making, social skills and assertiveness were found as well as among knowledge on sexuality, social skills and self-concept, in the experimental group, in the pos-test. Finally, the predictors of assertiveness regarding health behaviors, in the pos-test were: decision making, knowledge regarding sexuality and social skills. The results emphasize the importance of intervention for adolescents in terms of health promotion particularly in decision making, sexuality and social skills.
EXE: Automatically Generating Inputs of Death

This article presents EXE, an effective bug-finding tool that automatically generates inputs that crash real code. Instead of running code on manually or randomly constructed input, EXE runs it on symbolic input initially allowed to be anything. As checked code runs, EXE tracks the constraints on each symbolic (i.e., input-derived) memory location. If a statement uses a symbolic value, EXE does not run it, but instead adds it as an input-constraint; all other statements run as usual. If code conditionally checks a symbolic expression, EXE forks execution, constraining the expression to be true on the true branch and false on the other. Because EXE reasons about all possible values on a path, it has much more power than a traditional runtime tool: (1) it can force execution down any feasible program path and (2) at dangerous operations (e.g., a pointer dereference), it detects if the current path constraints allow any value that causes a bug. When a path terminates or hits a bug, EXE automatically generates a test case by solving the current path constraints to find concrete values using its own co-designed constraint solver, STP. Because EXE’s constraints have no approximations, feeding this concrete input to an uninstrumented version of the checked code will cause it to follow the same path and hit the same bug (assuming deterministic code). EXE works well on real code, finding bugs along with inputs that trigger them in: the BSD and Linux packet filter implementations, the dhcpd DHCP server, the pcre regular expression library, and three Linux file systems.
Differential preamble detection in packet-based wireless networks

A novel hypothesis-based preamble detection method for uncoordinated, high-density packet-based communication over an additive white Gaussian noise channel is proposed and analyzed. Received samples are observed over a window of length equal to that of the preamble and a metric is computed for each sample shift of the window. A metric exceeding a noise dependent pre-computed threshold flags the presence of a preamble. The preamble sequence consists of concatenated sections of spreading sequences whose length is at most the coherence time of the channel. These sections are then differentially combined. A differential correlation-based detection is employed to locate the boundaries of the preamble. A theoretical framework is developed to provide exact analytical solutions for missing and falsely detecting a preamble using matrix analysis of quadratic Gaussian statistics. Furthermore, the robustness of the proposed methodology in a two path channel is studied. The effects of frequency and timing offsets on the system performance is evaluated. Simulation results are presented to validate the analytical expressions. Additionally, a performance comparison of the proposed differential detection scheme with that of a noncoherent square-law detector is presented.
Making a Habit of It

Rising inequalities and high levels of consumption in many capitalist economies make understanding the relationship between stratification and consumption especially important at the turn of the 21st century. I propose that one way to advance this research is to build on work in the tradition of Thorstein Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption. This scholarship is often disparaged as positing an overly rational and manipulative consumer actor. I argue instead that the positional consumption literature in the Veblenian tradition offers a more complex view of the consumer actor than typically recognized and in particular allows an important role for habit, routine, and convention in consumer behavior. I identify three major arguments about the influence of habit on positional consumption from work in the Veblenian lineage. I conclude that incorporating this more complex view of emulative consumption produces more satisfying theoretical propositions about the dynamic relationship between consumption levels, the standard of living, and structures of inequality than typically addressed in research on stratification and consumption.