Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study : Defect-Oriented Testing of a Combinational Circuit

The paper discuses an approach for defect-oriented testing of a combinational circuit from ISCAS’85 benchmarks. To the contrary of widely used stuck-at fault models defect-oriented testing fault models are more close to real life physical defects that may occur during a digital circuit manufacturing. The case study presented in this paper considers wired-AND and wired-OR bridging fault models of shorts, however the approach can be easily extended to more general methodology. The experimental results show high efficiency of the proposed method and provide statistical data for further analysis.
Viscoless microincision cataract surgery

A cataract surgery technique is described in which incisions, continuous circular capsulorhexis and hydrodissection are made without the use of any viscoelastics. Two small incisions are created through which the different parts of the procedure can take place, maintaining a stable anterior chamber under continuous irrigation. Subsequent bimanual phacoemulsification can be done through these microincisions. At the end of the procedure, an intraocular lens can be inserted through the self-sealing incision under continuous irrigation. 50 consecutive cataract patients were operated on without the use of viscoelastics and then compared with a group of 50 patients who had been helped with viscoelastics. No difference in outcome, endothelial cell count or pachymetry was noted between the two groups. No intraoperative complication was encountered. Viscoless cataract surgery was a safe procedure with potential advantages.
Inviting Excess Volatility? Opening Up a Small Stock Market to International Investors

What is the effect on asset prices of opening up a small stock market to international investors? In this paper, some evidence is found that net purchases of stocks by foreign investors lead to temporary price effects in a small stock market. On average, foreign investors' net purchases of stocks look like noise trading and seem to create some amount of excess volatility in the market. Copyright 1996 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
A Low Noise VCO with Quadrature Prescaler for UHF RFID Reader

A low phase noise CMOS LC VCO working at 1.8GHz with quadrature prescaler for single-chip UHF 860-960MHz RFID Reader is proposed in this paper. The symmetrical filtration technology is adopted to suppress noise for complementary cross coupled LC VCO. FOM method is applied in low-noise VCO design. Injection locked prescaler with ring oscillator core can provide wide locking range. The proposed LC VCO and prescaler are implemented in IBM 0. 18μm RF CMOS technology. The measurement results show that the VCO achieves a phase noise of -132dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset from 1.8GHz while drawing 10.5mA from a 3.3V power supply. The tuning range of the proposed LC VCO covers from 1.71GHz to 2.19GHz. The locking range of the proposed prescaler is 66.35% with in-phase and quadrature outputs.
EARMP: A unified application specific MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks

Adjusting the duty cycles of the nodes in the wireless sensor networks (WSN) is one of the conflict assignment, due to the energy, delay tradeoff. In this paper we studied the different types of energy aware solutions for WSN's and proposed the Energy Aware Routing MAC Protocol (EARMP), which alters the duty cycles of the nodes in the network dynamically based on the parameters from the MAC and Routing layers. The simulation results of the proposed MAC provide better energy utilization and delay compared to the existing MAC presentations.
Induction of Apoptosis in U937 Cells by Using a Combination of Bortezomib and Low-Intensity Ultrasound

Background We scrutinized the feasibility of apoptosis induction in blood cancer cells by means of low-intensity ultrasound and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (Velcade). Material/Methods Human leukemic monocyte lymphoma U937 cells were subjected to ultrasound in the presence of bortezomib and the echo contrast agent Sonazoid. Two types of acoustic intensity (0.18 W/cm2 and 0.05 W/cm2) were used for the experiments. Treated U937 cells were analyzed for viability and levels of early and late apoptosis. In addition, scanning electron microscopy analysis of treated cells was performed. Results The percentage of cells that underwent early apoptosis in the group treated with ultrasound and Sonazoid was 8.0±1.31% (intensity 0.18 W/cm2) and 7.0±1.69% (0.05 W/cm2). However, coupling of bortezomib and Sonazoid resulted in an increase in the percentage of cells in the early apoptosis phase, up to 32.50±3.59% (intensity 0.18 W/cm2) and 33.0±4.90% (0.05 W/cm2). The percentage of U937 cells in the late apoptosis stage was not significantly different from that in the group treated with bortezomib only. Conclusions Our findings indicate the feasibility of apoptosis induction in blood cancer cells by using a combination of bortezomib, ultrasound contrast agents, and low-intensity ultrasound.
Effect of laxatives and pharmacological therapies in chronic idiopathic constipation: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background There has been no definitive systematic review and meta-analysis to date examining the effect of laxatives and pharmacological therapies in chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). Objective To assess efficacy of these therapies systematically in CIC. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials were searched (up to September 2010). Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Placebo-controlled trials of laxatives or pharmacological therapies in adult CIC patients were eligible. Minimum duration of therapy was 1 week. Trials had to report either a dichotomous assessment of overall response to therapy at last point of follow-up in the trial, or mean number of stools per week during therapy. Study appraisal and synthesis methods Symptom data were pooled using a random effects model. Effect of laxatives or pharmacological therapies compared to placebo was reported as RR of failure to respond to therapy, or a weighted mean difference (WMD) in mean number of stools per week, with 95% CIs. Results Twenty-one eligible RCTs were identified. Laxatives (seven RCTs, 1411 patients, RR=0.52; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.60), prucalopride (seven trials, 2639 patients, RR=0.82; 95% CI 0.76 to 0.88), lubiprostone (three RCTs, 610 patients, RR=0.67; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.80), and linaclotide (three trials, 1582 patients, RR=0.84; 95% CI 0.80 to 0.87) were all superior to placebo in terms of a reduction in risk of failure with therapy. Treatment effect remained similar when only RCTs at low risk of bias were included in the analysis. Diarrhoea was significantly more common with all therapies. Limitations Only two RCTs were conducted in primary care, and total adverse events data for laxatives and linaclotide were sparse. Conclusions Laxatives, prucalopride, lubiprostone and linaclotide are all more effective than placebo for the treatment of CIC.
Leadership That Matters: The Critical Factors for Making a Difference in People's Lives and Organizations' Success

Leadership That Matters examines transformational leadership-leadership that not only improves productivity and performance but also makes a positive difference in the lives of organization members. Traditional leaders achieve superior results because of their ability to transform people from dutiful followers into self-directed leaders who go beyond simply doing what is expected of them. Drawing on research that investigates leadership, culture, and performance in dozens of organizations, the Sashkins describe the specific behaviors and personal characteristics of transformational leaders. They show how you can construct an empowering organizational culture that nurtures self-reliance and long-term thinking. They offer practical advice on how you can become a transformational leader—and make leadership matter.
Improved Performance of Bayesian Solutions for Inverse Electrocardiography Using Multiple Information Sources

The usual goal in inverse electrocardiography (ECG) is to reconstruct cardiac electrical sources from body surface potentials and a mathematical model that relates the sources to the measurements. Due to attenuation and smoothing that occurs in the thorax, the inverse ECG problem is ill-posed and imposition of a priori constraints is needed to combat this ill-posedness. When the problem is posed in terms of reconstructing heart surface potentials, solutions have not yet achieved clinical utility; limitations include the limited availability of good a priori information about the solution and the lack of a "good" error metric. We describe an approach that combines body surface measurements and standard forward models with two additional information sources: statistical prior information about epicardial potential distributions and sparse simultaneous measurements of epicardial potentials made with multielectrode coronary venous catheters. We employ a Bayesian methodology which offers a general way to incorporate these information sources and additionally provides statistical performance analysis tools. In a simulation study, we first compare solutions using one or more of these information sources. Then, we study the effects of varying the number of sparse epicardial potential measurements on reconstruction accuracy. To evaluate accuracy, we used the Bayesian error covariance as well as traditional error metrics such as relative error. Our results show that including even sparsely sampled information from coronary venous catheters can substantially improve the reconstruction of epicardial potential distributions and that a Bayesian framework provides a feasible approach to using this information. Moreover, computing the Bayesian error standard deviations offers a means to indicate confidence in the results even in the absence of validation data
Performance Evaluation of IEEE 802.11a MAC Protocol for Vehicle Intersection Collision Avoidance System

Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications network is a subclass of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET). With the new dedicated short range communications (DSRC) at 5.9 GHz, vehicles equipped with DSRC devices will communicate and collaborate to broadcast their safety-critical information to each other. DSRC is to be used in a wide range of advanced vehicle safety applications such as intersection collision avoidance system. The DSRC specification is based on the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the IEEE 802.11a. The MAC mechanism for the IEEE 802.11a is the distributed coordination function (DCF), which is based on carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). Mobile nodes contend for the channel using a DCF random backoff timer. A random backoff algorithm chooses a Contention Window (CW) value between aCWmin and aCWmax. The random number, CW, is the number of time slots the mobile node has to sense the channel idle before it may transmit. In this paper, we developed an intersection traffic simulator to evaluate the settings of IEEE 802.11a DCF aCWmax on the available bandwidth per vehicle and on the required communication range. Our simulation results show that it is sufficient to set the aCWmax to 200 and the communication range to 200m for the intersection collision avoidance system enabled by DSRC.
Primary Synchronization Signal in LTE/LTE-Advanced Systems

The study is aimed at improvement of Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) detection in synchronization procedure. The proposed algorithm modifies PSS structure in Long Term Evolution / Long Term Evolution - Advanced (LTE/LTE-A) systems and exploits cross correlation properties of Zadoff-Chu sequences in the other way. We focused on FDD duplexing mode in downlink of LTE radio frame with normal cyclic prefixes and also we applied multipath fading channel in the estimations. Simulation results show that when channel experiences noisy environment or low SNR, the algorithm can work better.
The Effects of the Location of Au Additives on Combustion-generated SnO2 Nanopowders for CO Gas Sensing

The current work presents the results of an experimental study of the effects of the location of gold additives on the performance of combustion-generated tin dioxide (SnO2) nanopowders in solid state gas sensors. The time response and sensor response to 500 ppm carbon monoxide is reported for a range of gold additive/SnO2 film architectures including the use of colloidal, sputtered, and combustion-generated Au additives. The opportunities afforded by combustion synthesis to affect the SnO2/additive morphology are demonstrated. The best sensor performance in terms of sensor response (S) and time response (τ) was observed when the Au additives were restricted to the outermost layer of the gas-sensing film. Further improvement was observed in the sensor response and time response when the Au additives were dispersed throughout the outermost layer of the film, where S = 11.3 and τ = 51 s, as opposed to Au localized at the surface, where S = 6.1 and τ = 60 s.
Technological change and productivity in the UK food, drink and tobacco industries

Analyses the production function of the UK manufacturing industries by estimating a translog cost function for the period 1955‐1981. Aims to estimate technical change parametrically. Among the conclusions arising from this estimate are: that indications are that technological change is input biased in the food, drink and tobacco industries; and that these industries seem to have experienced deterioration in scale economies during the 1970s. Also finds that energy and capital inputs are complementary. This supports the argument that reductions in energy price will be accompanied by higher levels of investment.
A Meta-analysis of Diabetes Mellitus and the Risk of Prostate Cancer

Background: Studies investigating the association between diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer have reported inconsistent findings. We examined this association by conducting a detailed meta-analysis of the studies published on the subject. Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and bibliographies of retrieved articles were searched. Studies investigating the relationship between diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer were included in the meta-analysis. Potential sources of heterogeneity between studies were explored and publication bias was evaluated. Pooled relative risk (RR) was calculated using the random-effects model. Numerous relevant subgroup analyses were also done. Results: We included 19 studies, published between 1971 and 2005, in the meta-analysis and found an inverse association between diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer [RR, 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.76-0.93, P for heterogeneity ≤ 0.01]. For cohort studies alone, the RR was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.71-0.92, P for heterogeneity ≤ 0.01) and for case-control studies alone, the RR was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.72-1.11, P for heterogeneity = 0.02). The significant heterogeneity was mitigated in some of the subgroup analyses. For studies conducted before prostate-specific antigen screening was introduced as a common procedure, the RR was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.85-1.03, P for heterogeneity = 0.15), and for studies conducted after this time, the RR was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.64-0.83, P for heterogeneity = 0.10). For studies that adjusted for three or more potential confounders, the RR was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.65-0.85, P for heterogeneity = 0.06) and for studies that adjusted for less than three potential confounders, the RR was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.86-1.02, P for heterogeneity = 0.18). Conclusion: This study suggests an inverse relationship between diabetes and prostate cancer. Potential biological mechanisms underlying this association, as well as possible biases, are discussed. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(11):2056–62)
Protection Against Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Gallinarum, and Salmonella Enteritidis Infection in Layer Chickens Conferred by a Live Attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium Strain

In the present study, we investigated the protection conferred by a live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) strain against Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Gallinarum (SG), and Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infection in layer chickens. Birds were orally primed with the attenuated ST strain at 7 days of age and then boosted at 4 weeks post prime immunization (PPI). Sequential monitoring of plasma IgG and mucosal secretory IgA (sIgA) levels revealed that inoculation with ST induced a significant antibody response to antigens against ST, SE, and SG. Moreover, significant lymphoproliferative responses to the 3 Salmonella serovars were observed in the immunized group. We also investigated protection against virulent ST, SE, and SG strain challenge. Upon virulent SG challenge, the immunized group showed significantly reduced mortality compared to the non-immunized group. The reduced persistence of the virulent ST and SE challenge strains in the liver, spleen, and cecal tissues of the immunized group suggests that immunization with the attenuated ST strain may not only protect against ST infection but can also confer cross protection against SE and SG infection.
The Impacts of Wayfinding Affordance on User Experience in Virtual Worlds

With rapidly changing advances in technology, VEs have gained much attention from both scholarly and practitioner communities. In spite of intense and widespread efforts, most VE-related research has focused on the technical aspects of applications. By contrast, the necessary theoretical framework needed to assess the quality of interfaces and designs has not yet been fully developed. This research, as a response to such challenges, investigates usability issues of VE interface and design. For this purpose, four different experimental conditions were set up and tested. The study results show that the design of wayfinding affordance has significant effects on users’ perceptual experience as well as their task performance. Task performance was significantly better where affordance cues were provided independently from the VE interfaces. In addition, the study indicates that the fixed and, therefore, stable interfaces provides a better sense of presence whereas manipulative and customizable interfaces offers a greater level of playfulness. The research findings also point out that the design of 3D interfaces has a greater impact on non-expert users than on expert users.
Facial expressive image analysis by using nonlinear factorization model

Facial images captured by camera are usually influenced by several different kinds of factor, such as human identity, facial expression, and etc. Therefore facial expressive image analysis plays an important role in many different applications, such as expression recognition, face recognition with expressive images, facial expressive image synthesis and etc. In this paper, "human identity" and "facial expression" are regarded as two influence factors of face appearance, and a novel kernel-based bilinear factorization method is proposed to decouple the interaction from each other. The trained non-linear factorization model has been used for facial expressive image translation, and to person and/or expression recognition, and got promising results. In this paper, the principle of our method is described and some preliminary experimental results are included.
High-Resolution Light Field Capture With Coded Aperture

Acquiring light field with larger angular resolution and higher spatial resolution in low cost is the goal of light field capture. Combining or modifying traditional optical cameras is a usual method for designing light field capture equipment, among which most models should deliberate trade-off between angular and spatial resolution, but augmenting coded aperture avoids this consideration by multiplexing information from different views. On the basis of coded aperture, this paper suggests an improved light field camera model that has double measurements and one mask. The two compressive measurements are respectively realized by a coded aperture and a random convolution CMOS imager, the latter is used as imaging sensor of the camera. The single mask design permits high light efficiency, which enables the sampling images to have high clarity. The double measurement design keeps more correlation information, which is conductive to enhancing the reconstructed light field. The higher clarity and more correlation of samplings mean higher quality of rebuilt light field, which also means higher resolution under condition of a lower PSNR requirement for rebuilt light field. Experimental results have verified advantage of the proposed design: compared with the representative mask-based light field camera models, the proposed model has the highest reconstruction quality and a higher light efficiency.
Lecture 3 Introduction to Sequence Similarity January 11 , 2000 Notes :

The next few lectures will deal with the topic of “sequence similarity”, where the sequences under consideration might be DNA, RNA, or amino acid sequences. This is likely the most frequently performed task in computational biology. Its usefulness is predicated on the assumption that a high degree of similarity between two sequences often implies similar function and/or three-dimensional structure. Most of the content of these lectures on sequence similarity is from Gusfield [1].