Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-Silicon Validation of Multiprocessor Memory Consistency

Shared-memory chip-multiprocessor (CMP) architectures define memory consistency models that establish the ordering rules for memory operations from multiple threads. Validating the correctness of a CMP's implementation of its memory consistency model requires extensive monitoring and analysis of memory accesses while multiple threads are executing on the CMP. In this paper, we present a low overhead solution for observing, recording and analyzing shared-memory interactions for use in an emulation and/or post-silicon validation environment. Our approach leverages portions of the CMP's own data caches, augmented only by a small amount of hardware logic, to log information relevant to memory accesses. After transferring this information to a central memory location, we deploy our own analysis algorithm to detect any possible memory consistency violations. We build on the property that a violation corresponds to a cycle in an appropriately defined graph representing memory interactions. The solution we propose allows a designer to choose where to run the analysis algorithm: 1) on the CMP itself; 2) on a separate processor residing on the validation platform; or 3) off-line on a separate host machine. Our experimental results show an 83% bug detection rate, in our testbed CMP, over three distinct memory consistency models, namely: relaxed-memory order, total-store order, and sequential consistency. Finally, note that our solution can be disabled in the final product, leading to zero performance overhead and a per-core area overhead that is smaller than the size of a physical integer register file in a modern processor.
Joint source-channel coding for error resilient transmission of static 3 D models

In this paper, performance analysis of joint source-channel coding techniques for error-resilient transmission of three dimensional (3D) models are presented. In particular, packet based transmission scenarios are analyzed. The packet loss resilient methods are classified into two groups according to progressive compression schemes employed: Compressed Progressive Meshes (CPM) based methods and wavelet based methods. In the first group, layers of CPM algorithm are protected unequally by Forward Error Correction (FEC) using Reed Solomon (RS) codes. In the second group, embedded bitstream obtained from wavelet based coding is protected unequally with FEC as well. Both groups of methods are scalable with respect to both channel bandwidth and packet loss rate, i.e. they try to optimize FEC assignments with respect to channel bandwidth and packet loss rates (PLR). In-depth analysis of these techniques are carried out in terms of complexity, robustness to losses and compression efficiency. Experimental results show that wavelet based methods achieve considerably better quality compared to CPM based methods.
Multiple Kernel Learning with Data Augmentation

© 2016 K. Nguyen, T. Le, V. Nguyen, T.D. Nguyen & D. Phung. The motivations of multiple kernel learning (MKL) approach are to increase kernel expressiveness capacity and to avoid the expensive grid search over a wide spectrum of kernels. A large amount of work has been proposed to improve the MKL in terms of the computational cost and the sparsity of the solution. However, these studies still either require an expensive grid search on the model parameters or scale unsatisfactorily with the numbers of kernels and training samples. In this paper, we address these issues by conjoining MKL, Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) framework, and data augmentation technique. The pathway of our proposed method is developed as follows. We first develop a maximum-aposteriori (MAP) view for MKL under a probabilistic setting and described in a graphical model. This view allows us to develop data augmentation technique to make the inference for finding the optimal parameters feasible, as opposed to traditional approach of training MKL via convex optimization techniques. As a result, we can use the standard SGD framework to learn weight matrix and extend the model to support online learning. We validate our method on several benchmark datasets in both batch and online settings. The experimental results show that our proposed method can learn the parameters in a principled way to eliminate the expensive grid search while gaining a significant computational speedup comparing with the state-of-the-art baselines.
Boosting dense SIFT descriptors and shape contexts of face images for gender recognition

In this paper, we propose a novel face representation in which a face is represented in terms of dense Scale Invariant Feature Transform (d-SIFT) and shape contexts of the face image. The application of the representation in gender recognition has been investigated. There are four problems when applying the SIFT to facial gender recognition. (1) There may be only a few keypoints that can be found in a face image due to the missing texture and poorly illuminated faces; (2) The SIFT descriptors at the keypoints (we called it sparse SIFT) are distinctive whereas alternative descriptors at non-keypoints (e.g. grid) could cause negative impact on the accuracy; (3) Relatively larger image size is required to obtain sufficient keypoints support the matching and (4) The matching assumes that the faces are properly registered. This paper addresses these difficulties using a combination of SIFT descriptors and shape contexts of face images. Instead of extracting descriptors around interest points only, local feature descriptors are extracted at regular image grid points that allow for a dense description of the face images. In addition, the global shape contexts of the face images are fused with the dense SIFT to improve the accuracy. AdaBoost is adopted to select features and form a strong classifier. The proposed approach is then applied to solve the problem of gender recognition. The experimental results on a large set of faces showed that the proposed method can achieve high accuracies even for faces that are not aligned.
A Murgnahan-Nakayama rule for Schubert polynomials

We expose a rule for multiplying a general Schubert polynomial with a power sum polynomial in $k$ variables. A signed sum over cyclic permutations replaces the signed sum over rim hooks in the classical Murgnahan-Nakayama rule. In the intersection theory of flag manifolds this computes all intersections of Schubert cycles with tautological classes coming from the Chern character. We also discuss extensions of this rule to small quantum cohomology.
Preplanetary Nebulae: A Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Survey and a New Morphological Classification System

Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have carried out a survey of candidate preplanetary nebulae (PPNs). We report here our discoveries of objects having well-resolved geometric structures, and we use the large sample of PPNs now imaged with HST (including previously studied objects in this class) to devise a comprehensive morphological classification system for this category of objects. The wide variety of aspherical morphologies which we have found for PPNs are qualitatively similar to those found for young planetary nebulae (PNs) in previous surveys. We also find prominent halos surrounding the central aspherical shapes in many of our objects; these are direct signatures of the undisturbed circumstellar envelopes of the progenitor AGB stars. Although the majority of these have surface brightness distributions consistent with a constant mass-loss rate with a constant expansion velocity, there are also examples of objects with varying mass-loss rates. As in our surveys of young PNs, we find no round PPNs. The similarities in morphologies between our survey objects and young PNs supports the view that the former are the progenitors of aspherical PNs. This suggests that the primary shaping of a PN does not occur during the PN phase via the fast radiative wind of the hot central star, but significantly earlier in its evolution.
Circular patch antenna based planar crossover

In this paper, a planar crossover derived from circular patch with two orthogonal sets of feed is presented. The electrical length of the microstrip circular patch antenna is increased by incorporating slots at the center achieving area reduction and better isolation in comparison with parent crossover. The proposed crossovers are analyzed using ANSYS HFSS, and an isolation better than -22 dB and transmission ~0 dB is observed at the frequency range of operation. The proposed crossover is the potential candidate for Butler Matrix in Beamforming applications.
The Impact of Structural Breaks on the Long Memory Behaviour of External Vulnerability Indicator : Evidence from Turkey

This paper investigates the long memory behaviour of the ratio of international reserves to short term external debt as an external vulnerability indicator by using classical R/S analysis, modified R/S analysis, GPH test and Robinson test over the period from 1990:01 through 2010:02. In the first part of the analysis, we ignore potential structural breaks in the data. In the second part, the structural breaks identified by Bai and Perron multiple structural break test are taken into account. In both cases, the results of the classical R/S analysis, modified R/S analysis and Robinson test show significant evidence of long memory while the results of GPH test indicate no evidence of long memory. Another finding of the paper is that taking into account structural breaks reduces the integration order.
Management of Stage IV Macular Holes: When Standard Surgery Fails

Purpose: To report the surgical outcomes of reoperation of unclosed macular holes after initial vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling. Procedures: Seven eyes of 7 patients were submitted to a second procedure in which five radial retinal incisions were made, as deep as the retinal pigment epithelium, beginning one hole diameter away from its borders and extending centripetally until the hole’s margins, avoiding the papilomacular bundle. Gas tamponade was performed and face-down positioning was recommended. Results: Anatomical closure was achieved in all cases with the second procedure. Functional success was achieved in every patient; there was no loss of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) lines. Mean line score gain was 5.6 lines (range 1–9 lines), with a mean final BCVA of 0.42 (range 0.05–0.5). Conclusions: Perifoveal relaxing incisions in stage IV macular holes that remained unclosed after internal limiting membrane peeling vitrectomy seem to have a positive effect on MH closure rates. Larger case series and an extended follow-up period are necessary in order to assess the efficacy and safety profile of this so far promising technique.
The hidden flow of information

An information identity is proven, equating the secrecy capacity of the multiterminal secret key agreement problem and the throughput of certain undirected network. As a consequence, network coding can be used for secret key agreement while secrecy capacity characterizes the network throughput. A meaningful notion of mutual dependence is established with the combinatorial interpretation of partition connectivity.
Labor Supply Elasticities in Europe and the US

Despite numerous studies on labor supply, the size of elasticities is rarely comparable across countries. In this paper, we suggest the first large-scale international comparison of elasticities, while netting out possible differences due to methods, data selection and the period of investigation. We rely on comparable data for 17 European countries and the US, a common empirical approach and a complete simulation of tax-benefit policies affecting household budgets. We find that wage-elasticities are small and vary less across countries than previously thought, e.g., between . 2 and . 6 for married women. Results are robust to several modeling assumptions. We show that differences in tax-benefit systems or demographic compositions explain little of the cross-country variation, leaving room for other interpretations, notably in terms of heterogeneous work preferences. We derive important implications for research on optimal taxation.
Immunobiological studies of tumors induced by murine sarcoma virus (Kirsten).

Summary Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (K-MSV) inoculated into C3H mice aged 3 days to 5 weeks induced tumors that grew progressively and metastasized or regressed. The incidence of tumors decreased with age, while the incidence of regression of palpable tumors increased. Similarly, preirradiation of the host increased the incidence of tumors and decreased the incidence of regressions. Some of the mice with local tumors that regressed died with internal sarcomas, but most died with erythroblastosis. Sera from mice with tumors that had regressed neutralized the oncogenic and focus-forming activities of a K-MSV preparation but did not neutralize its ability to induce fatal erythroblastosis. The data suggest that the immunological competence of the host can render it relatively resistant to de novo oncogenesis by K-MSV as well as to established autochthonous tumors. Two transplantable K-MSV-induced tumors (KS) grew progressively and killed adult syngeneic mice. The KS cells grew better and killed more pre-irradiated (43/49) than unirradiated (18/50) hosts. Mice immunized with lethally X-irradiated KS cells resisted challenge with viable KS cells. Fifty-two of 62 normal controls and 29 of 71 preimmunized mice developed fatal tumors. The results suggest that both transplantable tumors possess tumor-associated transplantation antigens. However, since the transplantable KS cells were also demonstrated to release oncogenic K-MSV, it could not be determined whether the transplantation antigens were cellular or virion.
Allocation of Inventive Effort in Complex Product Systems

This paper examines the allocation of inventive effort in complex product systems. I argue that complex product systems, e.g., personal computers (PCs), are distinguished by functional interaction among several components, each guided by a relatively autonomous bundle of technical and economic characteristics. I try to explore whether the dynamics of such interactions between components of complex product systems can help us understand changes in the relative allocation of inventive effort. I advance and empirically test three hypotheses: (1) emergence of component constraints (bottlenecks) in product systems will trigger research and development (RD (2) slack component firms have a strong incentive to invest in resolving component constraints; and (3) the incentive of slack component firms to invest in resolving component constraints is increasing in their prior sunk R&D investments in slack components. In sum, I argue that interactions between components in a product system conditions the R&D incentives of firms and also that the incentives are increasing in their prior investments or capabilities. Using product reviews from technical journals, I trace the constraint components in the PC from 1981 to 1998 and attempt to predict shifts in the allocation of inventive effort in the subsequent period. The empirical results strongly support all three hypotheses. This study highlights the paradoxical effect of modularity in complex product systems. Modular design architectures, while contributing to accelerating the pace of technical change, also tend to limit the economic benefits of firms' component R&D efforts, especially when different components technologies are progressing at different rates. This often creates an impetus to enlarge the scope of firm R&D activities beyond the component product markets that firms operate in. Other implications for R&D decision making are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Skeletons in the Closet: Skeletons in the Closet

This book tackles three puzzles of pacted transitions to democracy. First, why do autocrats ever step down from power peacefully if they know that they may be held accountable for their involvement in the ancien re gime? Second, when does the opposition indeed refrain from meting out punishment to the former autocrats once the transition is complete? Third, why, in some countries, does transitional justice get adopted when successors of former communists hold parliamentary majorities? Monika Nalepa argues that infiltration of the opposition with collaborators of the authoritarian regime can serve as insurance against transitional justice, making their commitments to amnesty credible. This explanation also accounts for the timing of transitional justice across East Central Europe. Nalepa supports her theory using a combination of elite interviews, archival evidence, and statistical analysis of survey experiments in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
Indicators of Corporate Financial Success: Similar Studies in South Africa and the USA, Different Results

The aim of this study was to test whether findings by Johnson and Soenen (2003) regarding indicators of successful companies in the USA also apply to South African JSE-listed companies. To date, no South African study has tried to determine the indicators of the financial success of local companies specifically along the lines of Johnson and Soenen’s (2003) study. Determining whether the indicators found to be most highly significant in the US study also apply in South Africa would constitute valuable information in the South African context. The study tested the significance of the linear relationships between possible indicators of financial success and three measures of financial success for South African companies and compared them to the results of the US study. The findings revealed that the relationships are far less significant for South African companies. The study highlighted the fact that indicators of financial success for US companies are not necessarily contributors to the success of South African listed companies and that models developed in different environments should therefore be used with caution when applied in South Africa. Further studies need to be undertaken in order to identify the most significant South African indicators of corporate financial success.
Impact of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccines on carriage and herd immunity.

BACKGROUND In 1999, meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MCC) vaccines were introduced in the United Kingdom for those under 19 years of age. The impact of this intervention on asymptomatic carriage of meningococci was investigated to establish whether serogroup replacement or protection by herd immunity occurred. METHODS Multicenter surveys of carriage were conducted during vaccine introduction and on 2 successive years, resulting in a total of 48,309 samples, from which 8599 meningococci were isolated and characterized by genotyping and phenotyping. RESULTS A reduction in serogroup C carriage (rate ratio, 0.19) was observed that lasted at least 2 years with no evidence of serogroup replacement. Vaccine efficacy against carriage was 75%, and vaccination had a disproportionate impact on the carriage of sequence type (ST)-11 complex serogroup C meningococci that (rate ratio, 0.06); these meningococci also exhibited high rates of capsule expression. CONCLUSIONS The impact of vaccination with MCC vaccine on the prevalence of carriage of group C meningococci was consistent with herd immunity. The high impact on the carriage of ST-11 complex serogroup C could be attributed to high levels of capsule expression. High vaccine efficacy against disease in young children, who were not protected long-term by the schedule initially used, is attributed to the high vaccine efficacy against carriage in older age groups.
Participant referral rate in the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS)

Purpose To present the rates of referral of participants in the National Eye Health Survey (NEHS) for further eye care. Materials & methods A national sample of 3098 non-Indigenous Australians aged 50–98 and 1738 Indigenous Australians aged 40–92 years living in 30 randomly selected sites was recruited using a door-to-door approach. Participants completed a general questionnaire and a series of eye tests, including vision and anterior segment assessment, intra-ocular pressure measurement, visual field testing and fundus photography. A predefined protocol was used to guide the referral of participants for follow up eye care. An ophthalmologist was on-call to assist with the triaging of participants. Results Of the total sample, 32.1% (994/3098) of non-Indigenous participants and 43.6% (757/1738) of Indigenous participants were referred for further eye care (p<0.001). A significant difference in referral rates for Indigenous Australians was observed between regions of differing geographic remoteness [range = 32.2% (Inner Regional)—60.4% (Very Remote), p <0.001]. After adjusting for covariates, males (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06–1.46), older age (OR = 1.02 per year, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.02) and longer time since previous eye examination (OR = 1.15 per year, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.19) were associated with higher rates of eye care referral in the non-Indigenous population. In the Indigenous population, older age (OR = 1.02 per year, 95% CI: 1.01–1.03), self-reported diabetes (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.37–2.12), greater geographical remoteness (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.09–1.29) and longer time since previous eye examination (OR = 1.10 per year, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.13) were associated with a higher rate of referral after multivariate adjustments. A total of 25 participants (1.4%) were referred for urgent follow-up of potentially sight threatening conditions. Conclusions Our data has identified several high risk groups that required ophthalmic referral including older Australians, non-Indigenous men, Indigenous Australians with self-reported diabetes and those residing in very remote populations who may benefit from improvements in the provision and/or uptake of eye health services. Future longitudinal research is warranted to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of implementing a referral protocol within a population-based research setting.
Comparing Aerodynamic Efficiency in Birds and Bats Suggests Better Flight Performance in Birds

Flight is one of the energetically most costly activities in the animal kingdom, suggesting that natural selection should work to optimize flight performance. The similar size and flight speed of birds and bats may therefore suggest convergent aerodynamic performance; alternatively, flight performance could be restricted by phylogenetic constraints. We test which of these scenarios fit to two measures of aerodynamic flight efficiency in two passerine bird species and two New World leaf-nosed bat species. Using time-resolved particle image velocimetry measurements of the wake of the animals flying in a wind tunnel, we derived the span efficiency, a metric for the efficiency of generating lift, and the lift-to-drag ratio, a metric for mechanical energetic flight efficiency. We show that the birds significantly outperform the bats in both metrics, which we ascribe to variation in aerodynamic function of body and wing upstroke: Bird bodies generated relatively more lift than bat bodies, resulting in a more uniform spanwise lift distribution and higher span efficiency. A likely explanation would be that the bat ears and nose leaf, associated with echolocation, disturb the flow over the body. During the upstroke, the birds retract their wings to make them aerodynamically inactive, while the membranous bat wings generate thrust and negative lift. Despite the differences in performance, the wake morphology of both birds and bats resemble the optimal wake for their respective lift-to-drag ratio regimes. This suggests that evolution has optimized performance relative to the respective conditions of birds and bats, but that maximum performance is possibly limited by phylogenetic constraints. Although ecological differences between birds and bats are subjected to many conspiring variables, the different aerodynamic flight efficiency for the bird and bat species studied here may help explain why birds typically fly faster, migrate more frequently and migrate longer distances than bats.