Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Stochastic Optimization Framework for Joint RAN Intelligent Controller Placement and RAN Nodes Assignment in O-RAN Networks

—O-RAN Architecture is consolidating the concept of software-deﬁned cellular networks (SDCNs) for beyond 5G networks, mainly through the introduction of the Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT RIC) and the xApps. In this context, the deployment of the Near-RT RIC faces the traditional controller placement problem in an SDCN, which considers the number of controllers, their placement, and the assignment of RAN nodes to the controllers. In this paper, we study the controller placement problem in SDCNs, considering the uncertainty in user locations. Speciﬁcally, our contributions are as follows. First, we develop C 3 P 2 , a robust static joint controller placement and RAN node-controller assignment scheme. The objective of C 3 P 2 is to minimize the number of controllers needed to control all RAN nodes while ensuring that the response time to each RAN node will not exceed δ seconds with a probability greater than β . Second, we develop CPPA, a robust joint controller placement and adaptive RAN node-controller assignment scheme. In contrast to C 3 P 2 , CPPA enjoys a recourse capability, where the RAN node-controller assignment adapts to the variations in the user locations. We use chance-constrained stochastic optimization combined with several linearization techniques to develop a mixed-integer linear (MILP) formulation for C 3 P 2 . Two-stage stochastic optimization with recourse, combined with several linearization techniques, is used to develop an MILP formulation for CPPA. The optimal performance of C 3 P 2 and CPPA has been examined under various system parameter values. Furthermore, sample average approximation has been employed to design efﬁcient approximate algorithms for solving C 3 P 2 and CPPA. Our results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed stochastic resource allocation schemes for SDCNs compared to existing deterministic allocation schemes. They also show the merits of adapting the allocation of resources to the network uncertainties compared to statically allocating them
Improving Integration Process Efﬁciency through Pull Request Prioritization

: Pull-based Development (PbD) is widely used in software teams to integrate incoming changes into a project codebase. In this model, contributions are advertised through Pull Request (PR) submissions. Project administrators are responsible for reviewing and integrating PRs. Prioritizing PRs is one of the main concerns of project administrators in their daily work. Indeed, conﬂicts occur when PRs are concurrently opened on a given target branch and propose different modiﬁcations for a same code part. We propose to consider the integration process efﬁciency (IPE) as the fact that for a given integration cost ( i.e., number of conﬂicts to be solved) the highest gain is reached ( i.e., the largest number of PRs are integrated). The goal of this work is to optimize the IPE through PR prioritization. We propose a process that provides a sequence of unconﬂicting PR groups. This sequence minimizes the number of conﬂict resolutions and deﬁnes an optimized integration order according to the efﬁciency of the integration process. We apply our proposal to seven representative historical integration sequences from an open source project. In all seven cases, the IPE obtained by our proposal is higher than the historical IPE from 28.73% to 156.52%.
Contrasting responses of stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity to 1 warming and elevated CO 2 in the tropical tree species Alchornea glandulosa under 2 heatwave conditions 3 4

15 16 Factorial experiments of combined warming and elevated CO2 are rarely performed 17 but essential for our understanding of plant physiological responses to climate change. 18 Studies of tropical species are particularly lacking, hence we grew juvenile trees of 19 Alchornea glandulosa under conditions of elevated temperature (+1.5C, eT) and 20 elevated CO2 (+400ppm, eC) in a factorial open top chamber experiment. We 21 addressed three questions: i) To what extent does stomatal conductance (gs) reduce 22 with eT and eC treatments? ; ii) Is there an interactive effect of eT and eC on gs? ; iii) 23 Does reduced gs as a result of eT and/or eC cause an increase in leaf temperature? ; iv) 24 Do the photosynthetic temperature optima (Topt) and temperature response of 25 photosynthetic capacities (Vcmax, Jmax) shift with higher growth temperatures? The 26 experiment was performed during an anomalously hot period, including a heatwave 27 during the acclimation period. Our key findings are that: 1) the eT treatment reduced 28 gs more than the eC treatment, 2) reduced gs caused an increase in leaf temperatures, 29 and 3) net photosynthesis and photosynthetic capacities showed very high 30 temperature tolerances with no evidence for acclimation to the eT treatment. Our 31 results suggest that A. glandulosa may be able to cope with increases in air 32 temperatures, however reductions in gs may cause higher leaf temperatures beyond 33 those induced by an air temperature rise over the coming century. 34 35
MIT Open Access Articles Can Isotopologues Be Used as Biosignature Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres?

: Isotopologue ratios are anticipated to be one of the most promising signs of life that can be observed remotely. On Earth, carbon isotopes have been used for decades as evidence of modern and early metabolic processes. In fact, carbon isotopes may be the oldest evidence for life on Earth, though there are alternative geological processes that can lead to the same magnitude of fractionation. However, using isotopologues as biosignature gases in exoplanet atmospheres presents several challenges. Most significantly, we will only have limited knowledge of the underlying abiotic carbon reservoir of an exoplanet. Atmospheric carbon isotope ratios will thus have to be compared against the local interstellar medium or, better yet, their host star. A further substantial complication is the limited precision of remote atmospheric measurements using spectroscopy. The various metabolic processes that cause isotope fractionation cause less fractionation than anticipated measurement precision (biological fractionation is typically 2 to 7%). While this level of precision is easily reachable in the laboratory or with special in situ instruments, it is out of reach of current telescope technology to measure isotope ratios for terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. Thus, gas isotopologues are poor biosignatures for exoplanets given our current and foreseeable technological limitations.
Global change in cloud radiative effect revealed in CERES observations

This study uses data from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) to examine global changes in cloud radiative effect (CRE) for 2001–2022. Results show that the 22-year changes in shortwave (SW) CRE are generally opposite to those of longwave (LW) CRE, which shows that the change in net CRE is relatively weakened due to the offset of these two variables. However, signi�cant changes in net CRE are found in some regions. Over the Arctic, the net CRE decreased by –0.8 W m(cid:0)²/decade due to surface darkening caused by loss of snow and ice that outweighed the increase in cloud fraction (SW cooling effect of clouds intensi�ed). Over the northeastern Paci�c and northwestern Atlantic Oceans, strong increases in SW CRE occurred with decreasing cloud fraction. However, this did not lead to a signi�cant change in the entire northern hemispheric mid-latitudes because it was offset by the decreased SW and LW CREs over China. Over the Tropics, the net CRE decreased slightly, by –0.1 W m(cid:0)²/decade, due to the dominant decrease in LW CRE at 0–10° N in association with the decreasing cloud fraction and increasing water vapor (decreased LW warming effect of clouds). Over the southwestern Indian Ocean and southern Atlantic Ocean, the net CRE increased due to the decreasing cloud fraction (weakened SW cooling effect of clouds). These multi-decadal changes in CREs are not well-simulated in the current climate models, which may limit the accuracy of regional climate predictions.
A New Benchmark of Graph Learning for PM2.5 Forecasting under Distribution Shift

We present a new benchmark task for graph-based machine learning, aiming to predict future air quality (PM2.5 concentration) observed by a geographically distributed network of environmental sensors. While prior work has successfully applied Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) on a wide family of spatio-temporal prediction tasks, the new benchmark task introduced here brings a technical challenge that has been less studied in the context of graph-based spatio-temporal learning: distribution shift across a long period of time. An important goal of this paper is to understand the behaviour of spatio-temporal GNNs under distribution shift. To achieve this goal, we conduct a comprehensive comparative study of both graph-based and non-graph-based machine learning models on the proposed benchmark task. To single out the influence of distribution shift on the model performances, we design two data split settings for control experiments. The first setting splits the data naturally by the order of time, while the second setting assigns all the time stamps randomly into training, validation, and test sets, which removes the effect of distribution shift. Our empirical results suggest that GNN models tend to suffer more from distribution shift compared to non-graph-based models, which calls for special attention when deploying spatio-temporal GNNs in practice.
The Routledge Handbook of Embodied Cognition

concepts of things we can never perceive with the senses or act upon with the muscles are the hard case for any theory that foregrounds the role of bodily experience in constructing the mind. Beyond the concrete domain of action, how might bodily experience shape mental representations of more abstract ideas like goodness and badness , victory and loss , deceit and honesty ? Like many abstract concepts
This paper is included in the Proceedings of the 32nd USENIX Security Symposium.

Modern processors implement sophisticated performance optimizations, such as out-of-order execution and speculation, that expose programs to so-called transient execution attacks. So far, such attacks rely on specific on-chip covert channels (e.g., cache timing), instilling the hope that they can be thwarted by closing or weakening these channels. In this paper, we consider the inevitable physical side effects of transient execution. We focus on electromagnetic (EM) emana-tions produced by the processor and develop two lightweight and accurate EM channels to extract secret bits from the transient window. We propose S PECTR EM, a Spectre variant for embedded devices exposed to physical access by an attacker. While it assumes a physical adversary, it does not fundamentally require code execution, expanding its applicability in the embedded world. We evaluate S PECTR EM on an Arm Cortex-A72, leaking up to 366 bits per second at a bit error rate as low as 0.008 %. To our knowledge, this is the first practical demonstration of physical transient execution attacks.
RF Energy Harvesting for Low-Powered IoT Devices

This paper presents the practical challenges linked to the design & development of rectenna system to power up Internet of Things (IoT) devices. An ambient RF energy survey is presented which highlights the amount of energy available in various ambient RF frequency bands. The design practices related to various components of rectenna i.e., antenna, matching network, rectifier and power management unit are discussed. The recommendations to design an efficient rectenna systems has also been presented and discussed.
Design for a Circular Economy: A Paradigm shift

We are in a paradigm shift. A move from a linear destructive model to a circular and restorative model. This requires radical change in terms of business models, modes of operations and the design methods, tools and techniques used to design with intention. A new methodological framework is proposed and explored that crosses leading behavioural change research with emerging design through action research. It was found that the methodological framework is able to change norms, raise salience and so prime participants for ideation in a circular economy and that while this research is in early days it shows promise as a way to accelerate innovative concepts that can radically change an eco-system for a circular economy.
THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE AND GOAL SETTING STRATEGIES ON IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a combined exercise and goal-setting program in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on improving their quality of life and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The sample consisted of 30 patients with MS (15 men & 15 women), aged 23 to 65 years, randomly assigned into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group ( N = 15) participated in an 8-week exercise program combined with self-selected goal-setting strategies and the principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; e.g., Ryan & Deci, 2000) to increase their exercise participation. The control group ( N = 15) did not participate in any intervention procedure. Pre and post intervention, both groups completed instruments measuring their quality of life (SF-36), anxiety and depression (HADS). Two-way repeated measures ANOVA and the non-parametric tests of Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon were used to examine possible differences on the dependent variables between time (pre and post-intervention) and groups (experimental, control). Results showed a significant improvement on quality of life features (physical functioning, vitality, emotional role, mental health, general mental health) and a reduction of depression and anxiety levels only for the experimental group participants compared to control group individuals ( p < .05). Based on these findings, further recommendations were made concerning the effect of a combined physical activity (PA) and goal-setting program on improving quality of life of patients with MS.
Dynamics of climate variability over the all-year rainfall region of South Africa

A synoptic climatology is derived for the Cape south coast region of South Africa by application of the self-organizing map (SOM) technique. The SOM is applied to average daily low-level circulation fields, as represented by sea-level pressure (SLP) anomalies for the period 1979-2011. This coastal region receives rainfall all-year round with slight peaks during March-April and with more pronounced peaks during August and October-November. The synoptic forcing responsible for this annual multi-modal rainfall distribution is identified, and the relative contribution of different synoptic types to the annual rainfall is quantified. Ridging high pressure systems contribute to 46% of the annual rainfall, while tropicaltemperate troughs contribute 28%. Cut-off lows (COLs) co-occurring with ridging highs and tropical-temperate troughs are associated with 16% of the annual rainfall total. The contribution of ridging high pressure systems decreases from south to north, whilst the opposite is true for tropical-temperate troughs. COLs, ridging high pressure systems and tropical-temperate troughs are associated with the March-April rainfall peak, while COLs are largely associated with the August rainfall peak. Ridging high pressure systems and to a lesser extent tropical-temperate troughs, are responsible for the October peak observed along the coast, while the November peak over the adjacent interior regions is associated with COLs that occur in combination with the tropical-temperate troughs during this month.
NEW EVIDENCE ON SEX SEGREGATION AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN WAGES FROM MATCHED EMPLOYEE-EMPLOYER DATA

Research results and conclusions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily indicate concurrence by the Bureau of the Census or the Center for Economic Studies. Abstract We assemble a new matched employer-employee data set covering essentially all industries and occupations across all regions of the U.S. We use this data set to reexamine the question of the relative contributions to the overall sex gap in wages of sex segregation vs. wage differences by sex within occupation, industry, establishment, and occupation-establishment cells. This new data set is especially useful because earlier research on this topic relied on data sets that covered only a narrow range of industries, occupations, or regions. Our results indicate that a sizable fraction of the sex gap in wages is accounted for by the segregation of women into lower-paying occupations, industries, establishments, and occupations within establishments. Nonetheless, a substantial part of the sex gap in wages remains attributable to the individual's sex. This latter finding contrasts sharply with the conclusions of previous research (especially Groshen, 1991), which indicated that sex segregation accounted for essentially all of the sex wage gap. Further research into the sources of within-establishment, within-occupation sex wage differences is therefore much more important than previously thought. 1 Blau also documents the role of segregation by industry. 2 The IWS originally covered 70 industries, but Groshen reports results only for these five. These surveys have been discontinued. Her work builds on Blau's (1977), but provides a more complete decomposition of the sex gap in wages, including evidence on the importance of an individual's sex within occupation, establishment, and job cell. Blau studies BLS Area Wage Surveys conducted in 1970, which covered clerical, professional, and technical occupations; she focuses on a subset of these occupations in three large northeastern cities. 2
Water drop runoff in aircraft fuel tank vent systems

Water condensation in aircraft fuel tank vent systems can run off to the fuel systems, where it can freeze to ice or support microbial growth in the fuel tanks. A laboratory scale test has been designed to investigate the ingress and runoff of water in the aircraft fuel tank vent pipes. The experiments are to determine the dual effects of air flow shear and hydrophobicity on water condensation in the vent pipes during descent from cruising altitudes. Results show only downslope runoff occurs and for large drop volumes where the height of the water drop is comparable with the height of the air flow boundary layer. Runoff is much more sensitive to drop volume and vent pipe inclination angle than air flow since the drops are within the air flow boundary layer. Downslope air flow has little effect on the runoff speeds. Downslope runoff speeds, where there is upslope air flow, exhibit large variations, when compared to those where there is downslope air flow. Upslope air flow can slow downslope runoff speeds of large volume drops by up to 400%. Runoff speeds may be up to 100 times greater with a hydrophobic coating than on the current inner vent pipe surface of anodised aluminium.
A Case Study on Estimation of Sensor Data Generation in Smart Cities and the role of Opportunistic Networks in Sensor Data Collection

The across-the-global diﬀusion of smartphones is initiating an enormous growth of data traﬃc. Soon, the existing cellular networks will suﬀer from traﬃc overload issues, and establishing additional infrastructure might be the costlier solu-tion. An oﬄoading of the traﬃc to diﬀerent networks is considered a promising approach. Opportunistic oﬄoading refers to diverting traﬃc from a cellular network to Opportunistic Networks (OppNets) by utilizing nearby devices having idle computing resources through opportunistic contacts. As a case study, we analyzed the number of sensors needed and the amount of data generated in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar by considering the smart city scenario. The paper comprehensively reviews OppNets in data oﬄoading for various scenarios and applications of smart cities. We further point out the important future challenges, problems, and applications.
This paper is included in the Proceedings of the 32nd USENIX Security Symposium.

The increasing adoption of confidential computing is providing individual users with a more seamless interaction with numerous mobile and server devices. TrustZone is a promising security technology for the use of partitioning sensitive private data into a trusted execution environment (TEE). Unfortunately, third-party developers have limited accessibility to TrustZone. This is because TEE vendors need to validate such security applications to preserve their security rigorously. Moreover, TrustZone-based systems suffer from vulnerabilities affecting Trusted App and trusted OS, possibly causing the entire system to be compromised.
Remineralization potential of strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite dentifrice and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate cream on white spot lesions in enamel following orthodontic debonding – a randomized controlled trial

Aim and Objective: This study was intended to compare and determine the potency of strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite paste against a topical cream containing casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and a regular dentifrice for remineralization of white spot lesions of enamel following orthodontic debonding. Methods: Ninety individuals with white spot lesions on their enamel who visited the orthodontic department for de-bonding were selected for the research. Patients were randomly assigned to three distinct groups with each group consisting of 30 patients. Group 1 served as the control and received regular dentifrice, Group 2 received strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite paste, and Group 3 received casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate topical cream. Patients were instructed to locally apply a specified amount of the prescribed preparation twice daily for six weeks. The data were analysed using the statistical programme SPSS 22.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and the level of significance had been set at p < 0.05. Results: Group 1 did not show any change in the enamel following the application of toothpaste. Both Group 2 and 3 demonstrated higher post-treatment scores, indicating effective remineralization potential (p < 0.001). However, Group 2 (strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite paste) displayed significantly greater remineralization capacity when compared to group 3 (casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate topical cream). Conclusion: Compared to conventional dentifrice and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate paste, strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite preparation demonstrated greater enamel remineralization of the white spot lesions and favourable surface alterations in the enamel surface. strontium-doped nano-hydroxyapatite can be utilised safely and efficiently to treat early caries and remineralise white spot lesions on the enamel.
The Prostate

Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Department of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York