Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consistency Types for Safe and Efficient Distributed Programming

Consistency is a long standing problem in distributed systems. Low consistency levels are considered a necessity for scalability. High consistency is required for critical tasks such as payment and identification. Modern (geo-)distributed systems rely on the data propagation mechanisms and consistency guarantees of the distributed data store they build upon, which makes the implementation of a system that mixes different levels of consistency complex and error prone. In this paper we present preliminary work on ConSysT, a programming language that supports heterogeneous consistency specifications at the type level. In ConSysT, developers assign consistency levels directly to the data and the type system ensures the correct behavior of the application even with computations that mix data at multiple consistency levels. Our vision is that the ConSysT runtime automatically determines the most efficient mechanism to achieve the desired level of consistency among those offered by the underlying data store.
Bit-vector Support in Z 3-str 2 Solver and Automated Exploit Synthesis by Sanu Edayath Subramanian

Improper string manipulations are an important cause of software defects, which make them a target for program analysis by hackers and developers alike. Symbolic execution based program analysis techniques that systematically explore paths through stringintensive programs require reasoning about string and bit-vector constraints cohesively. The current state of the art symbolic execution engines for programs written in C/C++ languages track constraints on a bit-level and use bit-vector solver to reason about the collected path constraints. However, string functions incur high-performance penalties and lead to path explosion in the symbolic execution engine. The current state of the art string solvers are written primarily for the analysis of web applications with underlying support for the theory of strings and integers, which limits their use in the analysis of low-level programs. Therefore, we designed a decision procedure for the theory of strings and bit-vectors in Z3-str2, a decision procedure for strings and integers, to efficiently solve word equations and length functions over bit-vectors. The new theory combination has a significant role in the detection of integer overflows and memory corruption vulnerabilities associated with string operations. In addition, we introduced a new search space pruning technique for string lengths based on a binary search approach, which enabled our decision procedure to solve constraints involving large strings. We evaluated our decision procedure on a set of real security vulnerabilities collected from Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database and compared the result against the Z3-str2 string-integer solver. The experiments show that our decision procedure is orders of magnitude faster than Z3-str2 string-integer. The techniques we developed have the potential to dramatically improve the efficiency of symbolic execution of string-intensive programs. In addition to designing and implementing a string bit-vector solver, we also addressed the problem of automated remote exploit construction. In this context, we introduce a practical approach for automating remote exploitation using information leakage vulnerability and show that current protection schemes against control-flow hijack attacks are not always very effective. To demonstrate the efficacy of our technique, we performed an over-the-network format string exploitation followed by a return-to-libc attack against a pre-forking concurrent server to gain remote access to a shell. Our attack managed to defeat various protections including ASLR, DEP, PIE, stack canary and RELRO.
Online Scheduling with Known Arrival Times

We consider an online scheduling environment where decisions are made without knowledge of the data of jobs that may arrive later. However, additional jobs can only arrive at known future times. This environment interpolates between the classical offline and online scheduling environments and approaches the classical online environment when there are many equally spaced potential job arrival times. The objective is to minimize the sum of weighted completion times, a widely used measure of work-in-process inventory cost and customer service. For a nonpreemptive single machine environment, we show that a lower bound on the competitive ratio of any online algorithm is the solution of a mathematical program. This lower bound is between (1 + SQRT(5))/2 and 2, with the exact value depending on the potential job arrival times. We also provide a “best possible” online scheduling algorithm and show that its competitive ratio matches this lower bound. We analyze two practically motivated special cases where the potential job arrival times have a special structure. When there are many equally spaced potential job arrival times, the competitive ratio of our online algorithm approaches the best possible competitive ratio of 2 for the classical online problem.
Time-frequency double differential space-time coding for MIMO-OFDM systems

Differential space-time modulation has been proposed recently in the literature for multiple-antenna systems over Rayleigh fading channels, where neither the transmitter nor the receiver knows the fading coefficients. Among existing schemes, double differential space-time (DDST) coding is of special interest because it is applicable to continuous fast time varying channels. However the performance of DDST degrades considerably in frequency-selective channels. A novel time-frequency double differential space-time coding scheme is proposed for multi-antenna orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, which is robust for time-varying frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels. The new coding scheme adopts the double differential coding method in both time and frequency domains. A corresponding suboptimal yet low-complexity non-coherent detection approach is also proposed. System performance is evaluated with simulations.
Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States

Preface 1. Democratic states 2. Measuring state partisanship and ideology 3. Accounting for state differences in opinion 4. Public opinion and policy in the American states 5. State parties and state policy 6. Legislative elections and state policy 7. Political culture and policy representation 8. Partisanship, ideology and state elections 9. State opinion over time 10. Conclusions: democracy in the American states References Index.
The effects of SARS on the Chinese tourism industry

This paper discusses the SARS issue in China in relation to the tourism and hotel industry. The paper has some significance, as the tourism and hotel industry was greatly affected by the SARS problem worldwide. Yet the overall SARS impact on the Chinese economy has been rather minimal; the main lessons were both social and political.
Growth Elasticity of Poverty: Alternative Estimates and a Note of Caution

Estimates of the elasticity of headcount poverty with respect to income suggested in many influential studies appear too high and imply a more important role for income-growth in poverty-reduction than is appropriate. Direct estimates based on aggregate data for several different periods are much smaller at about - 1, which (in absolute terms) is no larger than one-half of those suggested in the literature. Researchers and policymakers are urged to use the lower estimate for any real-world application in a global or cross-country context. In such contexts, when per capita income increases by X percent during any period, decline in headcount poverty during the period should be expected to be of the order of X percent, and not, as most influential studies suggest, 2X percent. Copyright 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The determinants of student mobility in Europe: the quality dimension

Abstract The Bologna Process in Europe aims to increase student mobility, with the purpose of increasing average university quality through fiercer competition for students in a larger, more unified market. However, this beneficial effect of increased student mobility will only occur if student mobility is guided by quality considerations. We examine whether the quality of a country's higher education system helps explain macro-flows of foreign tertiary students in Europe. Using various measures for the quality of a country's higher education system in an extended gravity model, we find that quality has a positive and significant effect on the size and direction of flows of students exchanged between 31 European countries. At the graduate level, however, the driving force for student mobility appears to be the lack of educational opportunities in the home country.
Mad Cows and Sick Birds: Financing International Responses to Animal Disease in Developing Countries

Because many animal diseases have strong transboundary attributes, their control can be reasonably characterised as an international public good. The potential for reservoirs of transboundary diseases to persist in developing countries that lack the capacity or incentives to control them implies a need for international financial transfers to fund control. However, the costs of control can be large compared with development assistance budgets, and the benefits small compared with the global benefits of control and the local benefits of other priority investments. This article outlines a framework for setting priorities for international development assistance for animal disease control based on the incidence of market and non-market impacts and the context in which outbreaks take place in endemic and susceptible countries. Copyright (c) The Authors 2008. Journal compilation (c) 2008 Overseas Development Institute.
Economic and Legal Issues in Reducing the Eurosystem's Excess of International Reserves

Economic studies suggest that the Eurosystem's international reserves ($370 billion) could be reduced by up to half of its existing level. The article discusses the likely size and distribution of excess reserves and proposals for their uses. Small economic gains can be expected from a reserve reduction, as well as an elimination of incompatibilities and conflicts of interest between the conduct of monetary and investment policy. A careful and co-ordinated reserve reduction would pose no threat to financial stability, making it also admissible from a legal perspective against the background of Art. 31 of the ESCB (European System of Central Banks) Statute. Finally, transferring reserves as an extraordinary gain to the government does not constitute monetary financing as prohibited by Art. 101 EC Treaty.
The Arab Spring Effect on Labor Politics in Bahrain and Oman

A travers une analyse de cas detaillee du Bahrein et d’Oman, cet article montre que l’economie politique typique des monarchies du Golfe se transforme sous l’effet des politiques de nationalisation des emplois qui ont ete accelerees dans le contexte des mesures contre-revolutionnaires prises depuis 2011. Ces politiques marquent un veritable tournant en faveur du salariat national qui modifie les relations historiquement etablies entre les dynasties regnantes et le secteur prive. Celui-ci voit son acces illimite a la main d’œuvre expatriee remis en cause et doit par ailleurs gerer l’emergence des syndicats qui, outre qu’ils imposent des negociations collectives dans les entreprises, participent a des discussions tripartites qui leur permettent d’etre associes a la fabrique des politiques de l’emploi. L’ordre economique et social est ainsi de plus en plus negocie.
Population structure and speciation in the genus Tursiops based on microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have a world‐wide distribution, and show morphotypic variation among regions. Distinctions between coastal and pelagic populations have been documented; however, regional patterns of differentiation had not been previously investigated in a wider geographic context. We analysed up to nine different populations from seven different areas of the world by mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite DNA markers, and found differentiation among all putative regional populations. Both mtDNA and microsatellite DNA data show significant differentiation, suggesting restricted gene flow for both males and females. Dolphins in coastal habitat showed less variability and were in most cases differentiated from a pelagic lineage, which could suggest local founder events in some cases. Two coastal populations recently classified as belonging to a new species, T. aduncus, were each highly differentiated from populations of the truncatus morphotype, and from each other, suggesting a possible third species represented by the South African aduncus type.
A Computerized Database of ‘Normal’ Auditory Brainstem Responses

Abstract A computerized database of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) from ‘normal-hearing’ volunteers is described. The database contains ‘raw’ responses recorded from 81 individuals; subjects varied in age from 20 to 56 years. The database is currently being used in a study to aid in the interpretation of ABRs for diagnostic purposes. Copies of the database are available over the world-wide web (http://www.engg.le.ac.uk/abrdata).
Computation of period sensitivity functions for the simulation of phase noise in oscillators

Accurate phase noise simulation of circuits for radio frequency applications is of great importance during the design and development of wireless communication systems. In this paper, we present an approach based on the Floquet theory for the analysis and numerical computation of phase noise that solves some drawbacks implicitly present in previously proposed algorithms. In particular, we present an approach that computes the perturbation projection vector directly from the Jacobian matrix of the shooting method adopted to compute the steady-state solution. Further, we address some problems that arise when dealing with circuits whose modeling equations do not satisfy the Lipschitz condition at least from the numerical point of view. Frequency-domain aspects of phase noise analysis are also considered and, finally, simulation results for some benchmark circuits are presented.
Noninvasive Methods for the Early Detection of Hereditary Hemochromatosis a

The importance of developing means for the early detection of hereditary hemochromatosis has been established by evidence that prophylactic phlebotomy can prevent the pathological consequences of this disease: liver disease with cirrhosis, hepatoma, cardiac dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, and other endocrinopathies and complications. Hereditary hemochromatosis is an iron-loading disorder with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Although long considered rare, the hemochromatosis gene is now recognized as probably the most common abnormal gene yet identified in the United States population. The frequency of the hemochromatosis allele has been estimated to be 5-7%, with corresponding frequencies of 10% or more for heterozygotes and of 0.25-0.5% for homozygotes. '. * Thus in the United States a million or more individuals may be homozygous for hereditary hemochromatosis and at risk for the development of the toxic complications of iron overload. Unfortunately, many affected individuals are never diagnosed or their underlying disorder is recognized only after widespread organ damage has already occurred. Efforts have been made to improve the early detection of hereditary hemochromatosis by refining use of established methods such as measurement of the transferrin saturation and the serum femtin concentration. In addition, several newer techniques for the assessment of body iron status are under development and will be emphasized here: diagnostic X-ray spectroscopy, nuclear resonant scattering of X rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic susceptibility measurements.
Robustness of text-based completely automated public turing test to tell computers and humans apart

Text-based completely automated public turing tests to tell computers and humans apart (CAPTCHAs) have been widely deployed across the Internet to defend against undesirable or malicious bot programmes. In this study, the authors provide a systematic analysis of text-based CAPTCHAs and innovatively improve their earlier attack on hollow CAPTCHAs to expand applicability to attack all the text CAPTCHAs. With this improved attack, they have successfully broken the CAPTCHA schemes adopted by 19 out of the top 20 web sites in Alexa including two versions of the famous ReCAPTCHA. With success rates ranging from 12 to 88.8% (note that the success rate for Yandex CAPTCHA is 0%), they demonstrate the effectiveness of their attack method. It is not only applicable to hollow CAPTCHAs, but also to non-hollow ones. As their attack casts serious doubt on the viability of current designs, they offer lessons and guidelines for designing better text-based CAPTCHAs.
A screening method for toxicity identification evaluation on an industrial effluent using Chelex®‐100 resin and chelators for specific metals

Toxicity of an industrial effluent was characterized using a toxicity identification method established at our research institute. Toxicity was evaluated using the Ceriodaphnia dubia survival test. The industrial effluent chosen in the present study had toxic effects on C. dubia before treatment. The effluent was first filtered to remove suspended solids (F‐treatment). Activated charcoal was then added to the effluent to adsorb organic substances (AC‐treatment), followed by treatment of the supernatant with Chelex®‐100 resin to remove di‐ and trivalent cations, including transition metals (C100‐treatment). The effluent exhibited atoxic effect on C. dubia even after the AC‐treatment, but it was no longer toxic after the C100‐treatment, indicating that the effluent contained cations that affect C. dubia survival. To further identify the metals responsible for the toxicity, benzoin‐α‐oxime or dimethylglyoxime was added to the effluent to chelate specific cations. The toxicity of the effluent was eliminated by addition of dimethylglyoxime but not significantly so by addition of benzoin‐α‐oxime, suggesting that the toxicants in the effluent strongly formed complexes with dimethylglyoxime. These results combined with those of metal analysis strongly suggest that nickel might be the noxious agent. The toxicity identification method described in this paper is effective for the identification of metal toxicants in industrial effluents. The method using insoluble chelating resins and chelators for specific metals would serve as a useful addition to the standard toxicity identification evaluation procedure.
Dealing With Scarce Talent: Lessons from the Leading Edge

Talent shortages are nothing new. Engineers and registered nurses are examples of professions that have had severe shortages in the past. Today, an unprecedented demand for information technology workers is creating a major challenge for the many businesses that are dependent upon these professionals' skills. This shortage, predicted to last well into the new millenium, is accelerating the need to align rewards with practical business realities. With the recognition that financial success depends on its people working together, successful companies increasingly are basing their pay systems on the individual's ability to learn, grow, and contribute to the achievement of shared goals. By designing more talent-responsive reward solutions, the authors suggest, companies can turn this challenge into an opportunity for attracting and retaining these key workers.
Elasticity approach to asset allocation in discrete time

In this paper, we apply the elasticity approach to optimal asset allocation problems in discrete-time setting. In particu- lar, firstly, for a portfolio optimization problem, which targets to maximize the expected utility of the terminal wealth of a portfo- lio of an option, the underlying stock, and the risk-free bond, the elasticity approach can decompose this problem into a reduced optimization problem, consisting of only the stock and bond, and a pure delta neutral hedging problem. This decomposition provides a discrete-time version of the optimal alternative to the delta hedge, which was initially proposed in continuous time. Moreover, the general principle given by the pure delta neutral strategy is analyzed in our setting. Secondly, the same approach is applied to an optimal investment problem with defaultable securities, and show that this problem is essentially the same as the above mentioned reduced optimization problem. This work can be regarded as an extension of the elasticity approach in Kraft (Mathematical Methods of Operations Research 58(1) (2003), 159-182) to discrete-time models, and it shows that this approach can largely deduce the asset allocation problems in complete market.
Inflation and Inflation Uncertainty in Turkey

Abstract: In this study, the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty is analyzed using Granger causality tests with annual inflation series covering the time period 1923 to 2012 for Turkish Economy. Inflation uncertainty is measured by Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic model. Econometric findings suggest that although in long run the Friedman's hypothesis that high inflation increases inflation uncertainty is strongly supported, in short run the Holland hypothesis proposing that the increase in the inflation uncertainty decreases inflation is also supported for Turkish Economy. We also make analyses for subsample periods selected due to the major policy changes in Turkish economic history. The causality between inflation and inflation uncertainty in these subsample periods is mixed and depends on time period analyzed.
Rethinking the Technology Integration Challenge

Abstract Case studies of three urban elementary schools were conducted to document the integration of technology given identical resources from a local university’s PT3 grant. Data sources for this qualitative study included participant observers’ field notes and journal entries, school personnel interviews, timeline and chronicle of technology-related priorities and events, and children’s and teachers’ technology artifacts. Cases were summarized with respect to prior technology context, agents of growth and development, and changes and future directions. The analysis identified three scaffolds that appear to have a significant influence on—and redefine the challenge of—technology integration: alignment with the curriculum/mission, teacher leadership, and public/private roles for technology recognition.
Toward a unified model of face and object recognition in the human visual system

Our understanding of the mechanisms and neural substrates underlying visual recognition has made considerable progress over the past 30 years. During this period, accumulating evidence has led many scientists to conclude that objects and faces are recognised in fundamentally distinct ways, and in fundamentally distinct cortical areas. In the psychological literature, in particular, this dissociation has led to a palpable disconnect between theories of how we process and represent the two classes of object. This paper follows a trend in part of the recognition literature to try to reconcile what we know about these two forms of recognition by considering the effects of learning. Taking a widely accepted, self-organizing model of object recognition, this paper explains how such a system is affected by repeated exposure to specific stimulus classes. In so doing, it explains how many aspects of recognition generally regarded as unusual to faces (holistic processing, configural processing, sensitivity to inversion, the other-race effect, the prototype effect, etc.) are emergent properties of category-specific learning within such a system. Overall, the paper describes how a single model of recognition learning can and does produce the seemingly very different types of representation associated with faces and objects.