Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new 7-transistor SRAM cell design with high read stability

The conventional SRAMs, namely four-transistor SRAM (4T) and six-transistor SRAM (6T), suffered from the external noise, because they have direct paths through bit-line(BL) to their storage nodes. This paper proposes seven-transistor (7T) SRAM which has no direct path through BL to the data storage nodes and has higher endurance against external noise. The proposed cell is composed of two separate data access mechanisms; one is for the read operation and another is for the write one. Based upon our SRAM design, data destruction never occurs in the read operation. Simulation result shows that the read Static-Noise-Margin (SNM) of the proposed cell is enhanced by 1.6X and 0.31X with the conventional 4T and 6T SRAM cell respectively. We also manufactured a chip and confirmed its performance.
The effects of restricted field-of-view on spatial learning while navigating: Implications for strategy use and cognitive load

Research suggests that spatial memory while navigating with severely degraded acuity demands the use of limited cognitive resources. Peripheral vision is also a vital aspect of successful navigation, both for sensory cues and for obstacle avoidance. In a series of studies, we examined how restricted peripheral field during navigation influences spatial memory (Experiments 1-3). Participants walked on novel real-world paths wearing goggles that restricted the field-of-view (FOV) to severe (4 ̊, 10 ̊, or 15 ̊) or mild angles (60 ̊) and then pointed to remembered target locations using a verbal reporting measure. Only the most severe restriction (4 ̊) showed impairment in pointing error compared to the mild restriction (within-subjects). The 4 ̊ condition also showed an impairment in reaction time to a secondary attention task, suggesting that navigating with 4 ̊ FOV demands the use of limited cognitive resources. This comparison of different levels of field restriction suggests that peripheral field loss does not negatively affect spatial memory for navigation until the restriction is very severe (4 ̊). Additionally, we examined the effectiveness of slower walking speed as a strategy to offload the cognitive costs of navigating with severely restricted FOV (Experiment 4). Results suggest that walking speed may negatively affect cognitive resources in general, but not spatial memory for object locations.
Perspectiva General del Customer Relationship Management

La siguiente investigacion es de tipo academica, en la cual se trata desde una perspectiva global el Customer Relationship Management (CRM), y se recopilan aspectos basicos de tal metodo, como su concepto, clasificacion, empresas que ofrecen softwares de CRM, etc. Tambien se presenta el estudio elaborado por Alshawi, Farouk, & Irani (2010) orientado a las PyMEs; y el caso de estudio de la empresa VIPS que fue desarrollado por Heredero, Gallego, & Gomez (2014).
Subject-Oriented Work for Domain Information Management: Project Experience and System Abstraction

Large-scale community-based content management requires “good” domain abstractions and, therefore, a serious investment into application ontology. In an interdisciplinary project with our Art History colleagues who are working in the subject domain of “Political Iconography” we are gaining substantial insight into their subject-oriented working (SOWing) modes and into initial requirements for a generic SOWing environment. We outline the conceptual and terminological aspects of our approach and sketch the systems architecture and services suitable for a wide variety of personalized SOWing applications.
Effect of Empowerment on Employees Performance Gaudreau

The main purpose of this paper is to determining the effect of Empowerment implementation by considering the three factors of delegation, implementation of participating management, encouragement and giving reward and also determination of classification of priority and importance of effect of each factor with employee‟s performance improvement in Telecommunication Company. The research method has been descriptive and causal comparative and statistical sample under study was 226 people in order to collected data, two questionnaires and existing documents about rate of employee performance were used in two periods of time before and after Empowerment implementation. The tools validity with Content method and their Reliability by Cornbach method coefficients 0.98, 0.95 has been confirmed. In order to analyze the data, Spearman correlation method, Wilcoxon tests method, and multiple regressions, were used. Findings showed that there is significant difference between rate of employee‟s performance before and after Empowerment implementing, by the way Empowerment implementing emphasizing the factors, delegation, participating management and encouragement and giving reward cause employee‟s performance to improve.
Gesture Recognition Using Temporal Templates with Disparity Information

A method comprises feeding two or more, if necessary, alloying materials and simultaneously changing the ratio thereof. The ratio of the alloying materials is changed at the moment of transition from one section to the other one having different composition, the ratio being changed to such extent that the length of the transition portion is as small as possible. The time of transition is determined depending on the weld pool volume, rate of surfacing, cross section of the layer being built up, amount of the alloying elements both the required and the real one. Determining the time of transition for carrying out the method of the invention is disclosed in term of a preferred embodiment. An apparatus for carrying out the method of the invention is characterized in that it includes an adder-differentiator link, a voltage limiter, a switching device and an aperiodical link. The aperiodical link is a simulator of the weld pool. It has an input connected to a control unit which controls the operation of an alloying material feeding device, and is connected through the switching device to the voltage limiter to receive an output signal proportional to the surfacing parameters. The aperiodical link is also connected with two outputs of a surfacing parameters regulating unit for providing an output signal of the voltage limiter in accordance with the surfacing parameters.
Hypervelocity Binary Stars: Smoking Gun of Massive Binary Black Holes

The hypervelocity stars recently found in the Galactic halo are expelled from the Galactic center through interactions between binary stars and the central massive black hole or between single stars and a hypothetical massive binary black hole. In this Letter, we demonstrate that binary stars can be ejected out of the Galactic center with velocities up to 103 km s-1, while preserving their integrity, through interactions with a massive binary black hole. Binary stars are unlikely to attain such high velocities via scattering by a single massive black hole or through any other mechanisms. On the basis of the above theoretical prediction, we propose a search for binary systems among the hypervelocity stars. Discovery of hypervelocity binary stars, even one, is definitive evidence of the existence of a massive binary black hole in the Galactic center.
Evaluation of Reference Genes for Reverse Transcription Quantitative PCR Studies of Physiological Responses in the Ghost Moth, Thitarodes armoricanus (Lepidoptera, Hepialidae)

Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the sensitive method to quantify the expression levels of target genes on the basis of endogenous control. An appropriate reference gene set for normalization is essential for reliable results. The ghost moth, Thitarodes armoricanus, a host species of a medicinal fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, is an economically important member of the Lepidoptera. Recent studies have focused on the mechanism of adaptation of this species to its high-altitude environment and host immune response to O. sinensis infection and RT-qPCR is commonly used in these studies to decipher the genetic basis of physiological functions. However, a thorough assessment of candidate reference genes in the genus Thitarodes is lacking. Here, the expression levels of eight candidate reference genes (ACT, EF, EIF4A, GAPDH, G6PDH, RPL13A, TUB and 18S) in T. armoricanus at different developmental stages and in different body parts of the seventh instar larvae were analyzed, along with larvae kept under low temperatures, larvae exposed to two fungal infections and larvae fed different diets. Three established software programs–Bestkeeper, geNorm and NormFinder–were employed to calculate variation among the treatments. The results revealed that the best-suited reference genes differed across the treatments, with EF, EIF4A and GAPDH found to be the best suited for the different developmental stages and larvae body parts; EF, EIF4A and RPL13A found to be the best suited for low-temperature challenge; and EF, EIF4A and TUB found to be the best suited for the fungal infections and dietary treatments. This study thus further contributes to the establishment of an accurate method for normalizing RT-qPCR results for T. armoricanus and serves as a reference for gene expression studies of related insect species.
Comparison of risk variables associated with the metabolic syndrome in pre- and postmenopausal Bengalee women

Summary Background Clustering of risk variables associated with the metabolic syndrome (MS) begins before the onset of menopause. However, studies of the factors underlying this clustering have focused on only postmenopausal women. Aim The present community-based, cross-sectional investigation was aimed at identifying the principal components of risk variables associated with the metabolic syndrome in pre- and postmenopausal Bengalee women. Methods A total of 200 (100 premenopausal women; mean age 5 40.2 ± 6.5 years and 100 postmenopausal women; mean age 5 55.4 ± 5.2 years) healthy adult (30 years and older) Bengalee women took part in the study. Obesity measures, metabolic profiles and blood pressures were taken. Principal components factor analysis (PCFA) was used to identify the principal components of the MS. Results There were significant differences between the two groups for obesity measures, metabolic profiles and blood pressure, even after adjusting for age. PCFA revealed three uncorrelated factors with a 67.1% explanation in the premenopausal women. Four factors, with overlapping between the first three factors, and a 73% explanation were evident for the postmenopausal women. Results Since more than one factor was identified, more than one physiological mechanism could have accounted for clustering of the risk variables associated with the MS and this would warrant early intervention, well before the menopause.
Depth-based detection using haar-like features

The automatic detection of objects has gained considerable attention over the last few years. Most objectdetection approaches rely on visual features that are sensitive to identity-irrelevant variations, such as changes in illumination. Being less sensitive to such variations, depth features may improve detection accuracy. Depth features can be extracted from depth images generated by commercially available depth sensors, such as Microsoft’s Kinect device. This paper describes a method for robust and accurate face detection by employing Haar-like region features on the integral image representation of depth images. Our aim is to determine to what extent region-comparison features contribute to effective face detection in depth images, compared to pixel-comparison features. To this end, we present a revision of the recently proposed detector of Shotton et al. [10]. Whereas the detector of Shotton et al. relies on pair-wise pixel comparisons in depth images, our revision compares square regions in a pair-wise fashion. In a comparative evaluation of the original and revised method, we train and evaluate both detectors on our depth images of faces (DIOF) database that is compiled at our lab. The results reveal that the use of region features instead of pixel pairs indeed improves face detection accuracy in depth images. We conclude that employing region features contributes significantly to effective face detection. Future work will address to what extent our results generalize to the detection of body parts and objects in general.
CD40 Ligand Deficient C57BL/6 Mouse Is a Potential Surrogate Model of Human X-Linked Hyper IgM (X-HIGM) Syndrome for Characterizing Immune Responses against Pathogens

Individuals with X-HIGM syndrome fail to express functional CD40 ligand; consequently they cannot mount effective protective antibody responses against pathogenic bacteria. We evaluated, compared, and characterized the humoral immune response of wild type (WT) and C57-CD40L deficient (C57-CD40L−/−) mice infected with Citrobacter rodentium. Basal serum isotype levels were similar for IgM and IgG3 among mice, while total IgG and IgG2b concentrations were significantly lower in C57-CD40L−/− mice compared with WT. Essentially IgG1 and IgG2c levels were detectable only in WT mice. C57-CD40L−/− animals, orally inoculated with 2 × 109 CFU, presented several clinical manifestations since the second week of infection and eventually died. In contrast at this time point no clinical manifestations were observed among C57-CD40L−/− mice infected with 1 × 107 CFU. Infection was subclinical in WT mice inoculated with either bacterial dose. The serum samples from infected mice (1 × 107 CFU), collected at day 14 after infection, had similar C. rodentium-specific IgM titres. Although C57-CD40L−/− animals had lower IgG and IgG2b titres than WT mice, C57-CD40L−/− mice sera displayed complement-mediated bactericidal activity against C. rodentium. C. rodentium-infected C57-CD40L−/− mice are capable of producing antibodies that are protective. C57-CD40L−/− mouse is a useful surrogate model of X-HIGM syndrome for studying immune responses elicited against pathogens.
Effects of divided attention in the word-fragment completion task with unique and multiple solutions

The Identification-Production Hypothesis predicts that the effect of divided attention (DA) at encoding should be larger when priming tasks involve divergent search processes through many different competitors, because they are supposed to place heavier attentional demands on frontal lobe functions (Gabrieli, Vaidya, Stone et al., 1999). This hypothesis was tested in two experiments using the Word Fragment Completion (WFC) task with unique solutions (which relies on convergent lexical search towards single appropriate representations: the identification version of the WFC) or multiple solutions (which implies a competition between equally plausible responses: the production version of the WFC). In Experiment 1 the two versions of the completion task were found to be equally unaffected by the imposition of a short-term memory load at encoding. In Experiment 2 the reduction of target words’ study time (from 2.5 to 1 s), and the use of a blocked (rather than mixed) design, significantly diminished the level of priming in the DA condition: However, contrary to the predictions, the degree of impairment was not greater for multiple-solution fragments. Results are in line with recent failures to support the identification–production hypothesis in normal adults (Geraci, 2006; Prull, 2004).
Religious support and psychological well-being: gender differences among religious Jewish Israelis

ABSTRACT The moderating effect of gender on the relation between religious support and well-being was examined using 334 religious Jewish men and women in Israel. Specifically, social support, religious support (Religious Leader Support (RLS), Religious Community Support (RCS), and G-d Support (GS)), anxiety, and life satisfaction were assessed. All support measures were significantly associated with less anxiety and more life satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that all three types of religious support were uniquely related to life satisfaction. For GS and RCS, this unique effect was also found regarding anxiety. As hypothesised, gender moderated the relations between religious support and well-being regarding both RLS and RCS. The relation with life satisfaction was stronger for women in comparison to men, and the reverse was true regarding anxiety. Surprisingly, no moderation by gender was found regarding GS. Findings are discussed regarding the importance of assessing gender in future religious support research.
Spatio-temporal Transmission and Environmental Determinants of Schistosomiasis Japonica in Anhui Province, China

Background Schistosomiasis japonica still remains of public health and economic significance in China, especially in the lake and marshland areas along the Yangtze River Basin, where the control of transmission has proven difficult. In the study, we investigated spatio-temporal variations of S. japonicum infection risk in Anhui Province and assessed the associations of the disease with key environmental factors with the aim of understanding the mechanism of the disease and seeking clues to effective and sustainable schistosomiasis control. Methodology/Principal Findings Infection data of schistosomiasis from annual conventional surveys were obtained at the village level in Anhui Province, China, from 2000 to 2010 and used in combination with environmental data. The spatio-temporal kriging model was used to assess how these environmental factors affected the spatio-temporal pattern of schistosomiasis risk. Our results suggested that seasonal variation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), seasonal variation of land surface temperature at daytime (LSTD), and distance to the Yangtze River were negatively significantly associated with risk of schistosomiasis. Predictive maps showed that schistosomiasis prevalence remained at a low level and schistosomiasis risk mainly evolved along the Yangtze River. Schistosomiasis risk also followed a focal spatial pattern, fluctuating temporally with a peak (the largest spatial extent) in 2005 and then contracting gradually but with a scattered distribution until 2010. Conclusion The fitted spatio-temporal kriging model can capture variations of schistosomiasis risk over space and time. Combined with techniques of geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS), this approach facilitates and enriches risk modeling of schistosomiasis, which in turn helps to identify prior areas for effective and sustainable control of schistosomiasis in Anhui Province and perhaps elsewhere in China.
Robustness of neural ensembles against targeted and random Adversarial Learning

Machine learning has become a prominent tool in various domains owing to its adaptability. However, this adaptability can be taken advantage of by an adversary to cause dysfunction of machine learning; a process known as Adversarial Learning. This paper investigates Adversarial Learning in the context of artificial neural networks. The aim is to test the hypothesis that an ensemble of neural networks trained on the same data manipulated by an adversary would be more robust than a single network. We investigate two attack types: targeted and random. We use Mahalanobis distance and covariance matrices to selected targeted attacks. The experiments use both artificial and UCI datasets. The results demonstrate that an ensemble of neural networks trained on attacked data are more robust against the attack than a single network. While many papers have demonstrated that an ensemble of neural networks is more robust against noise than a single network, the significance of the current work lies in the fact that targeted attacks are not white noise.
A passivity-based approach for trajectory tracking and link-side damping of compliantly actuated robots

This paper presents a control method to implement trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection characteristics for the link-side dynamics of compliantly actuated robots with nonlinear spring characteristics. This is achieved by introducing new motor coordinates reflecting the damping and feedforward terms and shaping the dynamics of the motor such that it structurally equals the dynamics in the original coordinates. Thus, the approach achieves the control goal while changing the original plant dynamics only to a minimum extent. Passivity, stability, and convergence properties of the closed loop dynamics are proven. The performance of the control approach has been experimentally evaluated on the variable stiffness robot arm DLR Hand Arm System, where the stiffness in each of the joints is highly nonlinear. To our best knowledge, this is the first experimentally validated tracking controller for compliantly actuated robots with nonlinear elastic elements.
Q-stack aging model for face verification

Permanence of biometric features for face verification remains a largely open research problem. Actual and up-to-date at the time of their creation, extracted features and models relevant to a person's face may eventually become outdated, leading to a failure in the face verification task. If physical characteristics of the individual change over time, their classification model has to be updated. In this paper, we develop a Q-stack classifier that performs face verification across age progression. Originally, Q-stack classifier has been proposed to use class-independent signal quality measures and baseline classifier scores in order to improve classification. In this paper we demonstrate the application of Q-stack classifier on the task of biometric identity verification using face images and associated metadata quality measure - age. We show that the use of the proposed technique allows for reducing the error rates below those of baseline classifier created at the time of enrolment.
Modeling Skill Acquisition Over Time with Sequence and Topic Modeling

Online education provides data from stu- dents solving problems at different levels of proficiency over time. Unfortunately, meth- ods that use these data for inferring student knowledge rely on costly domain expertise. We propose three novel data-driven meth- ods that bridge sequence modeling with topic models to infer students’ time varying knowl- edge. These methods differ in complexity, interpretability, accuracy and human super- vision. For example, our most interpretable method has similar classification accuracy to the models created by domain experts, but requires much less effort. On the other hand, the most accurate method is completely data- driven and improves predictions by up to 15% in AUC, an evaluation metric for classifiers.
Nonmonotonic Reasoning in Florid

The advantages of Florid as a deductive object{oriented database system are the rich object{oriented modeling facilities of its language F-logic. The focus of this paper is on Florid's multiple inheritance mechanism which turns out to be a useful means to adapt various examples of nonmonotonic reasoning in the object{oriented setting.