Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New applications of the simple bound: random codes, serial turbo codes and punctured codes

This paper deals with the application of the "simple" bound technique to a new family of serially concatenated turbo codes and to random codes with the goal of a fair comparison of the maximum likelihood (ML) performance in AWGN channels. Reported results confirm that outer code improvement causes great advantages both for the waterfall and the floor. In particular, it is shown that, for a given rate and block size, better outer encoders make concatenated codes very close to random codes down to the floor. Moreover, the BER floor is shown to be related to the weight distribution. As this becomes more and more binomial (random-code-like), the BER and FER curves improve. Finally, punctured communications are taken into account and a new upper bound of the ML performance is introduced; in particular, a new strategy, called "uniform puncturing", is considered with remarkable results for random codes and, also, for the considered turbo-like codes.
Extending boosting for call classification using word confusion networks

We are interested in the problem of robust understanding from noisy spontaneous speech input. In goal driven human-machine dialog, utterance classification is a key component of the understanding process to determine the intent of the speaker. We propose a novel algorithm for exploiting ASR word confidence scores for better classification of spoken utterances. Word confidence scores for automatic speech recognition (ASR) provide estimates for word error rates. While previous work has focused on straightforward combination of word confidence scores into Bayesian classifiers, we extend the mathematical formulation for boosting classifiers. This extension of the algorithm allows confidence scores to be exploited from a 1-best ASR output or from word confusion networks (WCNs). We present methods for on-line and off-line score combinations. The results we show are for a large database of utterances collected using the AT&T VoiceTone/sup SM/ spoken dialog system. Our experiments show between 5% and 10% reduction in error (1-precision) for a given recall using WCNs compared to ASR output.
Max Weber: Rationality and Modernity

This book brings together leading figures in history, sociology, political science, feminism and critical theory to interpret, evaluate, criticize and update Weber's legacy. In a collection of specially commissioned pieces and translated articles the Weberian scholarship recognizes Max Weber as the figure central to contemporary debates on the need for societal rationality, the limits of reason and the place of culture and conduct in the supposedly post-religious age. In Part 1, Wolfgang Mommsen, Wilhelm Hennis, Guenther Roth and Wolfgang Schluchter provide a full and varied account of the theme of rationalization in the world civilizations. In Part 2 Pierre Bourdieu and Barry Hindess critically examine Weber's social action model, and Johannes Weiss and Martin Albrow address the putative 'crisis' of Western rationality. In Part 3 Jeffrey Alexander, Ralph Schroeder, Bryan Turner, Roslyn Bologh and Sam Whimster scrutinize Weber's understanding of modernity with its characteristic plurality of 'gods and demons'; they focus on its implications for individuality and personality, the body and sexuality, feminism and aesthetic modernism. Part 4 turns to politics, law and the state in the contemporary world: Colin Gordon on liberalism, Luciano Cavalli on charismatic politics, Stephen Turner and Regis Factor on decisionism and power and Scott Lash on modernism, substantice rationality and law. First published in 1987
The Effects of Mood on Early and Late Idea Production

ABSTRACT: The hypothesis that the effects of positive and negative mood on creative problem solving may differ as a consequence of the degree of constraint on the solution space of the task was tested. Sixty-eight participants were divided into positive mood, negative mood, and control conditions. Mood was experimentally induced by showing selected film clips, and performance on four different idea production tasks was recorded across a time interval of 4 min for each task. Results showed a significant mood-production time interaction. Positive mood led to the highest number of scores in early idea production and the lowest number in late production, whereas both control and negative mood led to relatively superior task performance in late production. Alternative interpretations of the results are discussed, and suggestions for further studies are offered.
Cimetidine Use in Nursing Homes: Prolonged Therapy and Excessive Doses

Patterns of cimetidine use were identified in a survey of 3032 patients in 31 nursing homes. Of these, 60 (2%) were receiving cimetidine. For these patients, ages ranged from 63 to 102 years (mean, 81 years). The patients received a range of 1 to 11 regularly scheduled medications (mean, 5.6 medications). Duration of cimetidine treatment averaged 19.6 months for 48 patients (81%) receiving the drug for longer than an eight‐week course of therapy. Prescribing indications appeared unjustified in 54 of 60 patients (90%). Doses were rarely appropriately reduced for patient age, despite established reasons to do so and the well‐known potential for adverse effects of cimetidine in the elderly. The risks associated with prolonged drug‐induced suppression of gastric acid are not known. This study suggests that use of cimetidine without justifiable indication and for extended periods of time is common in nursing home patients. Studies are needed concerning the safety of long‐term cimetidine use in elderly patients.
A Cloud Repository and Discovery Framework Based on a Unified Business and Cloud Service Ontology

Cloud computing introduces a fundamental shift in service delivery. A market registry, flexibility, exchangeability and integration of services are important issues for its success. In this work we introduce a unified Cloud and business service ontology with querying capabilities. Our framework addresses two aspects: on the one hand it gives answer to leading question how we can structure the term Cloud computing (as a question of basic research) and how we can enable a matching between offered Cloud services and demand. It closes the gap how we can summarize and describe Cloud services in a standardized way. On the other hand, it particularly addresses the demand for flexibility and exchangeability by the Cloud Computing paradigm and can serves as a repository of services.
Multi-objective optimization of test sequence generation using multi-objective firefly algorithm (MOFA)

Software testing is one of the essential parts of the software development life cycle. In software industry, the testing cost can be approximately 50% of the total cost of a software project so efficient ways of testing software are crucially important in reducing costs, time and effort. There are two major methods of software testing; black-box testing (focuses only what the software can do) and white-box testing (tests the internal structure of the software under consideration thoroughly and the ultimate goal is to write test cases that force the program coverage.) For program coverage, identification of suitable paths is one of the major software testing problems. These test paths are known as test sequences. Generation of automated and effective test sequences is also a very difficult task in software testing process. In the proposed work, the problem “Test Sequence Generation” is considered as a multi-objective optimization problem by having two objectives to be optimized simultaneously, Oracle Cost, and Path Priority. In real time environment, there are many constraints which have to be fulfilled when dealing with an effective testing. So, such test sequences that meet multiple objectives simultaneously are generated in order to reduce the testing efforts. To solve this problem a recently developed algorithm “Multi-Objective Firefly Algorithm (MOFA)” is used. The problem “Test Sequence Generation” is first implemented by Firefly Algorithm and later by using MOFA-considering the problem as Multi-Objective Optimization Problem. The proposed technique implementing test sequences with multiple (two) objectives and its results are presented.
Temperature dependence of device mismatch and harmonic distortion in nanoscale uniaxial-strained pMOSFETs

This paper examines the temperature dependence of mismatching and harmonic distortion properties in nanoscale uniaxial strained pMOSFETs. Our results reveal that the temperature dependence of drain current mismatch as well as harmonics distortion can be modulated by uniaxial strain. In the high gate-voltage overdrive (|Vgst|) linear region, the compressively-strained device shows smaller increment in drain current mismatch than the unstrained counterpart as temperature decreases. In the high |Vgst| saturation region, opposite to the unstrained case, the drain current mismatch of the compressively-strained device decreases with temperature. The underlying mechanism is the larger temperature sensitivity of carrier mobility for the strained device. The larger temperature sensitivity of carrier mobility may also results in larger temperature sensitivity of the harmonic distortion amplitudes. Our study may provide insights for analog circuit design using advanced strained devices.
ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TO STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN MAINSTREAMED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA: THE NEED FOR A CHANGE

The study investigated the attitude of regular and special teachers to students with special needs in mainstreamed public secondary schools in Southwestern Nigeria; it examined the qualifications of teachers teaching in mainstreamed public schools; and compared the academic performance of students with special needs in relation to regular students. It adopted descriptive survey design. Two research questions and three research hypotheses were answered in the study. The population for this study comprised 2,701 teachers in the 35 public secondary schools where mainstreaming of students with special needs is being implemented in Southwestern Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 10 out of the 35 mainstreamed public secondary schools. From the selected schools, 200 teachers were involved in the study. The teachers were selected through stratified sampling technique using sex and class as strata. Two research instruments were used for data collection. The data were analyzed using simple percentages and t-test analysis. The results showed that 78.8% teachers had positive attitude to students with special needs. 16.8% teachers had negative attitude to students with special needs, while 6.4% teachers had neutral attitude to students with special needs. Also, there was no significant difference between the attitude of male and female teachers to students with special needs (t=.45, p>0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the attitude of special teachers and regular teachers to students with special needs (t=.91, p<0.05). There was also a significant difference between the academic performance of regular students and students with special needs (t=6.38 p<0.05). The study concluded that positive attitude of teachers to students with special needs would increase self-perception and academic performance of students with special needs. Thus, teachers’ attitudes undoubtedly had a great influence on the school achievement and social behaviours’ of the special needs children
An experimental analysis of rate-based and window-based transmission mechanisms over simulated space-Internet links

There is an urgent need for finding an optimal transmission mechanism in the space-based Internet. This paper presents an experimental analysis of the throughput performance and transmission behavior for the rate-based and window-based congestion control mechanisms in a simulated small-satellite environment using a PC-based test-bed. The experimental analysis revealed that the traffic shaping mechanism of a rate-based transmission is more effective than the bursting flow of a window-based mechanism in error-prone space environment with a long link delay. The window-based transmission mechanisms show performance degradation due to traffic bursts and frequent packet retransmissions caused by their ACK-clocked congestion control. Pure rate-control is preferable to other mechanisms in space when bandwidth reservation is available.
A Logic for SDSI's Linked Local Name Spaces

Abadi has introduced a logic to explicate the meaning of local names in SDSI, the Simple Distributed Security Infrastructure proposed by Rivest and Lampson. Abadi's logic does not correspond precisely to SDSI, however; it draws conclusions about local names that do not follow from SDSI's name resolution algorithm. Moreover, its semantics is somewhat unintuitive. This paper presents the Logic of Local Name Containment, which does not suffer from these deficiencies. It has a clear semantics and provides a tight characterization of SDSI name resolution. The semantics is shown to be closely related to that of logic programs, leading to an approach to the efficient implementation of queries concerning local names. A complete axiomatization of the logic is also provided.
Robust Rank Reduction Algorithm with Iterative Parameter Optimization and Vector Perturbation

In dynamic propagation environments, beamforming algorithms may suffer from strong interference, steering vector mismatches, a low convergence speed and a high computational complexity. Reduced-rank signal processing techniques provide a way to address the problems mentioned above. This paper presents a low-complexity robust data-dependent dimensionality reduction based on an iterative optimization with steering vector perturbation (IOVP) algorithm for reduced-rank beamforming and steering vector estimation. The proposed robust optimization procedure jointly adjusts the parameters of a rank reduction matrix and an adaptive beamformer. The optimized rank reduction matrix projects the received signal vector onto a subspace with lower dimension. The beamformer/steering vector optimization is then performed in a reduced dimension subspace. We devise efficient stochastic gradient and recursive least-squares algorithms for implementing the proposed robust IOVP design. The proposed robust IOVP beamforming algorithms result in a faster convergence speed and an improved performance. Simulation results show that the proposed IOVP algorithms outperform some existing full-rank and reduced-rank algorithms with a comparable complexity.
Dyadic analyses of chronic conditions and distress within marriage : a gendered perspective

Chronic conditions negatively impact well-being, and the negative impact of a chronic condition can extend beyond the diagnosed person to his or her spouse. This association may be further influenced by gender, as gender can shape how individuals experience their own chronic conditions-including what conditions they develop-and how they react to the conditions and distress of their spouses. In my dissertation, I examine how one spouse’s chronic conditions are related to the other spouse's psychological distress over time. I address this using quantitative analysis of the Health and Retirement Study and qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews. In my quantitative analysis, I find that the association between one spouse’s chronic conditions and the other spouse’s distress differs by gender, number of conditions, whether one or both spouses have chronic conditions, and type of condition. Regarding number of conditions, a husband’s number of chronic conditions increases his wife’s distress more so than a wife’s number of chronic conditions increases her husband’s. These associations are mitigated by the chronically ill spouse’s own distress and functional limitations. Additionally, this gender difference is more pronounced if both spouses have chronic conditions compared to if only one has chronic conditions. Regarding type of condition, lung disease and stroke are the most negatively impactful for spouses’ distress, whereas high blood pressure, cancer, and arthritis are not related to spouses’ distress. All conditions, except for stroke, relate to husbands’ and wives’ vii distress similarly, but a husband's stroke increases a wife's distress initially whereas the wife's stroke increases the husband's distress over time. In my qualitative analysis, I find that when women are chronically ill, they continue to emotionally care for their husbands, which likely protects their husbands from psychological distress but exacerbates women’s own distress. My results point to the importance of promoting the psychological well-being of both spouses during periods of chronic conditions. This is especially critical for spouses of people with more than one condition, chronically ill women whose husbands are also chronically ill, and spouses of people experiencing stroke and lung disease.
Localization of Human ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter 1 (ABC1) in Normal and Atherosclerotic Tissues

Abstract —The present study examines the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABC1) mRNA in normal and atherosclerotic tissues by using in situ hybridization in an effort to better understand the function of this cholesterol transport protein. Samples of normal baboon tissues as well as human normal and atherosclerotic aortas were hybridized with 35S-labeled ABC1 sense and antisense riboprobes. Widespread expression of ABC1 was observed generally in tissues containing inflammatory cells and lymphocytes. Other noninflammatory cells that were also sites of ABC1 synthesis included the ductal cells of the kidney medulla, Leydig cells in the testis, and glial cells in the baboon cerebellum. Although normal veins and arteries did not express ABC1 mRNA, it was found to be upregulated in the setting of atherosclerosis, where widespread expression was found in macrophages within atherosclerotic lesions. These results are consistent with the proposed role of ABC1 in cholesterol transport in inflammatory cells. The specific upregulation of ABC1 mRNA in the setting of atherosclerosis probably reflects the response of leukocytes to cholesterol loading. However, the presence of ABC1 in ductal cells of the kidney medulla and in the small intestine suggest a more general role for this protein in cholesterol transport in other cell types.
Study Abroad and Second Language Use: Constructing the Self

Study Abroad and Second Language Use: Constructing the Self by Valerie Pellegrino Aveni. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005, xii+188 pp. Reviewed by Jing Xia Arizona State University, Arizona For many foreign language learners, the experience of studying abroad is generally regarded as extremely precious and appealing. Many believe that their foreign language proficiency will dramatically improve after such experiences. However, Valerie Pallegrino Aveni describes in her and her peers’ overseas experi- ences what she has observed in her students: “an excitement and drive to mix with native speakers that vacillated regularly with a complete avoidance of speaking, at times for no apparent reason” (p. 1). In fact, such an experience is not unfamiliar to many overseas language learners. Aveni’s book, targeted at this very learner group, analyzes extensive journal entry data and provides an elaborate account of barriers L2 learners encounter and strategies they employ in Russia. The book presents an empirical study of students’ L2 use in a one-year study abroad program in Russia program. Seventy-six students participated in the program, of which seventeen students’ data were analyzed. The aim of the book is twofold. First, it attempts to record all the variables that affect learners’ L2 use in a foreign environment. Second, it aims to analyze the role of self-presentation and self-preservation from a functional perspective in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Chapter 1 introduces the relationship between “self” (self-construction) and language use. In this chapter, Aveni sets the background of her work. Second lan- guage is perceived as a means to realize learners’ desire to present themselves in the target language environment. This is a quite broad and uncommon perspective in SLA studies, for it seems that most of the research in SLA investigates cur- riculum or pedagogy’s effect on language proficiency rather than the connection between learner’s language use and self-construction. Under such a perspective, participants’ communication with native speakers is discussed in relation to social, cultural, psychological and cognitive factors. The conflict between learners’ desire to use L2 and barriers they encountered is presented. The following two chapters provide an extensive and in-depth analysis of all the possible factors that might play a role in the conflict introduced in the previ- ous chapter. Chapter 2 addresses social factors affecting L2 use from the learners’ perspective. Aveni argues that learners need to feel secure, respected, and com- fortable before being willing to participate in an L2 interaction. Chapter 3 offers a more elaborate and in-depth account for the factors in L2 use from two angles: social-environmental and learner-internal. With regard to the social-environmental Issues in Applied Linguistics © 2009, Regents of the University of California ISSN 1050-4273 Vol. 17 No. 1, 173-175
Genetic Control of B‐Cell Responses

The responsiveness of spleen cells from C3H/HeJ and C3H/Tif mice to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was compared. Around 1,000‐fold higher concentration of LPS were required to minimally activate HeJ cells, as compared with Tif high‐responder cells, to both proliferation and polyclonal antibody secretion. However, HeJ cells did respond to higher LPS concentrations (100 and 1000 μg/ml). This selective pattern of responsiveness to LPS was also observed in the polyclonal responses of both strains to LPS in vivo. Furthermore, the unresponsiveness of HeJ spleen cells was found to depend on a pure B‐cell defect in the capacity to interact and/or generate triggering signals on interaction with LPS. Thus, adherent cells, thymus‐derived lymphocytes, serum factors, and other nonspecific conditions inherent in spleen cell suspensions of low‐responder mite were not responsible for suppressing a putative B‐cell response to LPS. The present findings are compatible with the possibility that the defect in C3H/HeJ B cells reflects the absence of a structure on the cell surface membrane that is functionally responsible for mediating LPS triggering.
Comparative Analysis of RNTCP Indicators in a Rural and an Urban Tuberculosis Unit of Burdwan District in West Bengal

Background: Data pertaining to managerial indicators of RNTCP are rare. The present study was done to analyze the RNTCP indicators in one rural and one urban tuberculosis unit in Burdwan, West Bengal, and find out any influencing factor. Materials and Methods: A comparative record analysis for the year 2007 was undertaken Results: The study revealed significantly more urban adolescents (P<0.001) were treated. In both areas, the proportion of NSN cases and smear positive retreatment cases among total smear positives were less than expected, while more NSP cases were registered. Significantly lesser retreatment cases (13.33%) were registered in the rural area. Smear negative and EP cases of all the patients in Cat I were significantly less in the rural area. Outcomes like cured, treatment completed, default, and death were similar approaching the RNTCP norm. But sputum conversion (78.02%) and failure rate (4.93%) were worse than the RNTCP norm in the urban area and varied significantly between two areas. The outcomes like cured, treatment completed, and default differed significantly with age in the areas. The outcome of TAD cases was different, but the outcomes of NSN, EP, and other retreatment cases were similar in two areas. Age at treatment onset was found to be the only factor associated with default. Conclusion: Managerial indicators may reveal something different despite common indicators showing acceptable results.