Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Falsification of safety properties for closed loop control systems

We present a search technique to falsify safety properties of hybrid systems that model a software system controlling a physical plant. Our approach takes as input (a) the controller code and (b) a plant model given as a black-box system that can be simulated for given inputs over finite time horizons. Our approach combines the symbolic execution of the controller software with an abstraction of the plant, which is discovered on-the-fly using simulations. This process is used to find abstract counterexamples to the safety properties of interest. The plant abstraction is then refined iteratively using the abstract counterexamples until a concrete violation is discovered. Empirical evaluation of our approach shows its promise in treating controller software, whose semantics are well-understood using formal techniques while using numerical simulations to produce abstractions of the underlying plant model, which is often an approximation of the actual plant.
Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Prevalence of children's exposure to intimate partner violence has been estimated at 10% to 20% each year. Many children exposed to domestic violence appear to manifest negative effects. Limited research suggests the possibility of long-term effects such as lowered self-esteem and depression. Factors that moderate children's responses to domestic violence include the nature of the discord, the child's age and gender, exposure to other forms of maltreatment, and the presence of factors that buffer the child, such as social support. Mediating factors that may help explain why exposure to domestic violence is harmful to children include disrupted parenting, inadequate coping responses, and development of posttraumatic stress reactions. Group and individual intervention with children who witness partner abuse should be focused around enhancing safety. Additional goals include better understanding of domestic violence and perpetrator responsibility for abuse, improved coping and problem solving, and facilitation of expression of feelings.
Exploring the Set of Sparse , Optimal Classifiers

Feature selection is an important part of classifier design. However, determining an appropriate structure for the empirical classifier is a difficult process that often requires extensive exploration and evaluation. This paper describes a novel approach that represents the feature selection process as a regularization/optimization problem, which has a single global minimum. In addition, a new algorithm is described that allows the designer to efficiently construct the complete family of sparse kernel-based classifiers, and therefore their structures can be explored interactively. This allows the designer to investigate the parameters’ trajectories as the regularization parameter is altered and look for effects such as Simpson’s paradox that occurs in many multivariate data analysis problems. The approach is demonstrated on the well-known Australian Credit data set.
SECULAR ORBITAL EVOLUTION OF COMPACT PLANET SYSTEMS

Recent observations have shown that at least some close-in exoplanets maintain eccentric orbits despite tidal circularization timescales that are typically much shorter than stellar ages. We explore gravitational interactions with a more distant planetary companion as a possible cause of these unexpected non-zero eccentricities. For simplicity, we focus on the evolution of a planar two-planet system subject to slow eccentricity damping and provide an intuitive interpretation of the resulting long-term orbital evolution. We show that dissipation shifts the two normal eigenmode frequencies and eccentricity ratios of the standard secular theory slightly, and we confirm that each mode decays at its own rate. Tidal damping of the eccentricities drives orbits to transition relatively quickly between periods of pericenter circulation and libration, and the planetary system settles into a locked state in which the pericenters are nearly aligned or nearly anti-aligned. Once in the locked state, the eccentricities of the two orbits decrease very slowly because of tides rather than at the much more rapid single-planet rate, and thus eccentric orbits, even for close-in planets, can often survive much longer than the age of the system. Assuming that an observed close-in planet on an elliptical orbit is apsidally locked to a more distant, and perhaps unseen companion, we provide a constraint on the mass, semi-major axis, and eccentricity of the companion. We find that the observed two-planet system HAT-P-13 might be in just such an apsidally locked state, with parameters that obey our constraint reasonably well. We also survey close-in single planets, some with and some without an indication of an outer companion. None of the dozen systems that we investigate provides compelling evidence for unseen companions. Instead, we suspect that (1) orbits are in fact circular, (2) tidal damping rates are much slower than we have assumed, or (3) a recent event has excited these eccentricities. Our method should prove useful for interpreting the results of both current and future planet searches.
Valar: a benchmark suite to study the dynamic behavior of heterogeneous systems

Heterogeneous systems have grown in popularity within the commercial platform and application developer communities. We have seen a growing number of systems incorporating CPUs, Graphics Processors (GPUs) and Accelerated Processing Units (APUs combine a CPU and GPU on the same chip). These emerging class of platforms are now being targeted to accelerate applications where the host processor (typically a CPU) and compute device (typically a GPU) co-operate on a computation. In this scenario, the performance of the application is not only dependent on the processing power of the respective heterogeneous processors, but also on the efficient interaction and communication between them. To help architects and application developers to quantify many of the key aspects of heterogeneous execution, this paper presents a new set of benchmarks called the Valar. The Valar benchmarks are applications specifically chosen to study the dynamic behavior of OpenCL applications that will benefit from host-device interaction. We describe the general characteristics of our benchmarks, focusing on specific characteristics that can help characterize heterogeneous applications. For the purposes of this paper we focus on OpenCL as our programming environment, though we envision versions of Valar in additional heterogeneous programming languages. We profile the Valar benchmarks based on their mapping and execution on different heterogeneous systems. Our evaluation examines optimizations for host-device communication and the effects of closely-coupled execution of the benchmarks on the multiple OpenCL devices present in heterogeneous systems.
Teacher stress and guidance work in Hong Kong secondary school teachers

Abstract Major sources of stress in Hong Kong teachers were investigated, with specific reference to guidance work as a potential source of stress. A survey of 415 secondary school teachers revealed that guidance-related aspects of work constituted a major dimension of stress, with guidance teachers, female teachers, younger teachers and junior teachers perceiving more stress than their counterparts in this dimension. Workload and time pressure were perceived as the most stressful aspects of work for all teachers. Results also showed an association between stress and job satisfaction, and biographical variables. Implications of the findings for teachers doing guidance work in Hong Kong and internationally are discussed.
A social relational model of disability: a theoretical framework for special needs education?

This paper discusses various approaches to the phenomenon of disability in relation to special needs. Ever since disability researchers launched the social model of disability and criticised the field of special education for preserving an understanding of disability in accord with a medical model, the special education field has been in a state of crisis. The implication of this has been the embarrassment of talking about categories and levels of functional difficulty; as well as diagnoses, all of which enable individual assessments necessary for building the IEPs (Individual Educational Plans) and child‐centred teaching within special needs education. The challenge for special needs theorists is to consider the critique of the orthodoxy of special needs education and its understanding of disability, yet at the same time to develop an understanding of disability that can serve as a departure point for working in the field of special needs education. This implies an understanding of the phenomenon of disability, identifying pupils’ needs without contributing to the negative effects that often have come about in the wake of classification, categorisation and labelling in education. The present paper argues for a social relational model of disability as a platform for the enterprise of special needs education. The rationale for the social relational model of disability is that it better conforms to the morality of inclusion because the main issue of the social model, oppression, is not obliterated.
Jobs, unemployment and education for work

This paper addresses the problems faced by adult educators in responding to unemployment and an ever‐changing employment market. The key issues are explored with reference to the prevailing educational, training and employment contexts of Australia and theUK. In order to frame the main discussion, the paper first traces developing trends in employment and unemployment across the advanced capitalist world, concluding that full employment, as we have known it in the past, is unlikely to exist again. It then attempts to re‐assess and re‐evaluate the role played by education and training in relation to employment and unemployment, highlighting a clear tendency for current policies to re‐inforce rather than reduce inequalities in the labour market, and identifying the dilemmas this poses for adult educators with a concern for social equity. In addressing unemployment and its social and economic impact, the challenge for adult educators is, in a new and changing educational context, to revisit and try to resolv.
Evaluating the effect of mutations and ligand binding on transthyretin homotetramer dynamics

Native transthyretin (TTR) homotetramer dissociation is the first step of the fibrils formation process in amyloid disease. A large number of specific point mutations that destabilize TTR quaternary structure have shown pro-amyloidogenic effects. Besides, several compounds have been proposed as drugs in the therapy of TTR amyloidosis due to their TTR tetramer binding affinities, and therefore, contribution to its integrity. In the present paper we have explored key positions sustaining TTR tetramer dynamical stability. We have identified positions whose mutations alter the most the TTR tetramer equilibrium dynamics based on normal mode analysis and their response to local perturbations. We have found that these positions are mostly localized at β-strands E and F and EF-loop. The monomer-monomer interface is pointed out as one of the most vulnerable regions to mutations that lead to significant changes in the TTR-tetramer equilibrium dynamics and, therefore, induces TTR amyloidosis. Besides, we have found that mutations on residues localized at the dimer-dimer interface and/or at the T4 hormone binding site destabilize the tetramer more than the average. Finally, we were able to compare several compounds according to their effect on vibrations associated to the ligand binding. Our ligand comparison is discussed and analyzed in terms of parameters and measurements associated to TTR-ligand binding affinities and the stabilization of its native state.
Apoptosis of sinusoidal endothelial cells is a critical mechanism of preservation injury in rat liver transplantation

In livers excised for transplantation, sinusoidal endothelium appears especially vulnerable to injury during organ preservation in the cold and subsequent reperfusion. The degree of endothelial cell injury correlates with functional impairment of the graft following transplantation. The mechanism of injury remains obscure, but endothelial cell damage has been described as coagulative necrosis secondary to irreversible physico‐chemical damage. We investigated whether endothelial cell death is caused by apoptosis rather than by necrosis. Tissue from rat livers stored for varying periods in cold (1°C) Euro‐Collins solution and then reperfused for 1 hour at 37°C were studied for evidence of apoptosis by detection of DNA fragmentation using the in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase d‐uridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, DNA gel electrophoresis, and by transmission electron microscopy (EM). DNA fragmentation of the type characteristic of apoptosis was identified in 49.7% ± 2.2% of sinusoidal lining cells after 8 hours of ischemia + reperfusion (viable graft) vs. 70.7% ± 4.3% after 16 hours + reperfusion (nonviable graft) (P < .001). No such fragmentation was observed after cold preservation without reperfusion or in unpreserved, reperfused livers. EM demonstrated changes characteristic of apoptosis exclusively in endothelial cells. The study suggests that the apoptosis of sinusoidal endothelial cells is a pivotal mechanism of preservation injury in liver transplantation.
Comparative study of 2D image reconstruction in X-Rays Tomography by analytical and iterative methods

Tomography is a technique for 2D and 3D image reconstruction of objects. It is based on taking projections according to several rotation angles of the object. These can be used to acquire information on the 3D volume of the object. In a great number of image reconstruction problems, an integral equation of the first kind (equation of convolution) has to be solved, which is an ill posed inverse problem. There are several mathematical methods for solving the image reconstruction problem: analytical and iterative methods. The analytical approach is presented in this work by the Filtered back Projection method (FBP). This approach is largely used and has the advantage of being fast. The second approach is based on a numerical method, which aims to obtain a solution close to the ideal one. In this work, we chose an iterative method using Least Squares algorithm with positivity constraint. A comparative study is made in order to examine the results of the two algorithms on synthetic 2D images and real 2D images taken by an X-rays radioscope
Lethal and Sublethal Toxicity of Fipronil and Imidacloprid on Psyttalia concolor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

ABSTRACT Psyttalia concolor (Szèpligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a koinobiont endoparasitoid of several species of tephritid (Diptera) larvae, such as Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Here, we report on the effects of imidacloprid and fipronil on P. concolor females, when different routes of exposure were evaluated: residual contact (cover and bait sprays) and via treatment of host species. Moreover, the persistence of the bait formulated compound also was studied. For each experiment, lethal (mortality) and sublethal effects (parasitization rate or longevity) were studied. Fipronil produced 100% mortality irrespective of exposure route, and it was very persistent, because 34-d-old residues still produced this high mortality rate, being as toxic or even more toxic than the reference product dimethoate. Toxicity of imidacloprid depends on the mode of exposure, although always remained less toxic than dimethoate. Imidacloprid caused high mortality or sublethal effect to the progeny in cover sprays and when applied via treated host, being harmless in bait sprays application. In conclusion, our results suggest that fipronil should not be used in the field when the parasitoid is present. On the contrary, although imidacloprid is physiologically active against females of P. concolor, ecological selectivity may result through the use of bait treatment.
The Possible Role That Buffalo Played in the Recent Outbreaks of Foot‐and‐Mouth Disease in South Africa

Abstract: African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) act as maintenance hosts for foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa. A single buffalo can become infected with all three of the endemic serotypes of FMD virus (SAT‐1, SAT‐2, and SAT‐3) and pose a threat of infection to other susceptible cloven‐hoofed animals. The floods of 2000 in southern Africa damaged the Kruger National Park (KNP) game fence extensively, and there were several accounts of buffalo that had escaped from the park. The VP1 gene, which codes for the major antigenic determinant of the FMD virus, was used to determine phylogenetic relationships between virus isolates obtained from the outbreaks and those previously obtained from buffalo in the KNP. These results demonstrate that buffalo were most probably the source of the outbreaks, indicating that disease control using fencing as well as vaccination is extremely important to ensure that FMD does not become established in domestic livestock.
Environmental and Behavioral Evidence Pertaining to the Evolution of Early Homo

East African paleoenvironmental data increasingly inform an understanding of environmental dynamics. This understanding focuses less on habitat reconstructions at specific sites than on the regional trends, tempo, and amplitudes of climate and habitat change. Sole reliance on any one indicator, such as windblown dust or lake sediments, gives a bias toward strong aridity or high moisture as the driving force behind early human evolution. A synthesis of geological data instead offers a new paleoenvironmental framework in which alternating intervals of high and low climate variability provided the dynamic context in which East African Homo evolved. The Oldowan behavioral record presents further clues about how early Homo and Homo erectus responded to East African environmental change. Shifting conditions of natural selection, which were triggered by climatic variability, helped shape the adaptability of Oldowan hominins. Together, the behavioral and environmental evidence indicates the initial adaptive foundation for the dispersal of H. erectus and the persistence of Homo. In particular, overall dietary expansion made possible by the making and transport of stone tools compensated for increased locomotor and foraging costs and provided effective behavioral-ecological responses to resource instability during the early evolution of Homo.
The language of multiple identities among Dominican Americans

As a group whose members are Hispanic, American, and largely of African descent, Dominican Americans must negotiate distinctive issues of identity in the United States. Language is central to these negotiations, both as a symbol of identity and as a medium through which to construct and display local social meanings. Dominican Americans use linguistic forms from multiple varieties of two codes, Spanish and English, to situationally activate various facets of their multiple identities. This multivariety linguistic and interactional construction of identities undermines implicit assumptions of uniformity and essentialism in U.S. linguistic and ethnic/racial categories, particularly in the construction of the category "African American. "
Studies in Death Attitudes: Part Two

The present note reports the results of three studies on death attitudes. (1) Lester (1967) reported that Ss with more inconsistent attitudes toward death had a higher fear of death than Ss with less inconsistent attitudes toward death. Seventeen tests of this conclusion were made with the data from 10 samples of Ss. Of the 17 correlation coefficients, 2 were significant in the predicted direction; the remaining 15 were not significant; 11 of the coefficients were positive and 6 were negative (binomial p = 0.17). It may be concluded that the association reported by Lester (1967) is a valid result but that the association is quite weak. (2) It has been reported that males have less fear of death than females on general measures of the fear of death. The present study examined sex differences in death anxiety using measures of specific fears. Forty-six Ss in a psychology course were given the Collett-Lester fear of death scale (Collett & Lester, 1967) and rated the concept of death on the semantic differential scales. The age range of Ss was 17 to 50 yr. , with a median of 2295 yr. Age was not correlated with fears of death. Females had a significantly greater feat of death of self, death of others, and dying of self than did males but did not differ in fear of dying of others, general fear of deach, inconsistency in death attitudes, and semantic differential ratings of the concept of death. These data suggest that the greater fear of death of females may not be general but rather found only in specific areas of concern. (3) An examination was made of the utility of semantic differential ratings of the concept of death as a measure of death attitudes. It was found that the evaluative ratings of the concept of death were significantly related to measures of the fear of death. Activity and potency ratings were not so related. The semantic distance between the ratings of the concepts of life and of death was not related to measures of death anxiety from standard scales. These data suggest that the evaluative measures from semantic differential ratings of the concept of death may tap the fear of death of Ss. Other measures (activity and potency ratiags and the semantic distance measure) are not associated with the measures of the fear of death. Thus, they may be tapping a very different dimension of death amtudes. What this dimension may be cannot be answered until validity studies are performed.
The Human Interferon-Induced MxA Protein Inhibits Early Stages of Influenza A Virus Infection by Retaining the Incoming Viral Genome in the Cytoplasm

ABSTRACT The induction of an interferon-induced antiviral state is a powerful cellular response against viral infection that limits viral spread. Here, we show that a preexisting antiviral state inhibits the replication of influenza A viruses in human A549 cells by preventing transport of the viral genome to the nucleus and that the interferon-induced MxA protein is necessary but not sufficient for this process. This represents a previously unreported antiviral function of MxA against influenza A virus infection.
Abstract Number: 015-0710 Operations strategy and performance measurement roles

Number: 015-0710 Operations strategy and performance measurement roles Edson Pinheiro de Lima, Sérgio Eduardo Gouvêa da Costa, Pedro Gustavo Siqueira Ferreira and Jannis Angelis Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduate Program – PPGEPS Pontifical Catholic University of Parana – PUCPR Federal University of Technology Parana – UTFPR Curitiba – Brazil Operations Management Group OMG Warwick Business School WBS Coventry – UK e.pinheiro@pucpr.br, s.gouvea@pucpr.br, pedrogustavosf@hotmail.com, jannis@angelis.se POMS 21st Annual Conference Vancouver, Canada May 7 to May 10, 2010