Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human-Centered Methods for Improving API Usability

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the way that developers reuse functionality supplied in libraries, software development kits (SDKs), toolkits, frameworks, etc. By adapting a variety of user-centered methods from human-computer interaction (HCI), we have studied usability problems both for API users and for API designers. These studies revealed barriers both at a low level (such as using the factory pattern in an API) and at a high level (such as the lack of example code in the documentation). In lab studies, we have shown that some patterns can slow programmers down by a factor of 10, and in the field, we have seen problematic APIs block programmers for up to a week while they waited for an answer from the API designer. The implications of our results can guide the design of the API, and, when APIs cannot be changed, inspire novel documentation and tools to help use the APIs. Our collaboration with SAP resulted in significant improvements to their APIs, documentation and tools. This talk will summarize results presented in our recent paper on Improving API Usability, along with our newly proposed work on studying the needs of API designers. I will also cover a wide variety of HCI methods we have found to be effective for better understanding and meeting the needs of API users of all levels: novice, professional, and end-user programmers (EUPs). We have applied these methods across all activities of API development: requirements and problem analysis, design, development, testing, and deployment. Since programming is a human process, we have found that many of these HCI methods can be used without change to answer many useful questions, but for other questions, we have needed to create new human-centered methods.
Acoustic noise control: An overview of several methods based on applications in hearing aids

In order to reduce interfering signal components for hearing aids, a complete noise reduction system is described which consists of monaural and binaural beam-formers and a single channel noise reduction for further enhancement. Firstly, the monaural part combines the two or three microphones of each side of the head to adaptively suppress non desired sources outside the line of sight. Secondly, binaural approaches combine the output signals of both beamformers to further reduce the interfering components. Finally, the single channel noise reduction systems suppress longer-term stationary and transient signals, independent of their spatial characteristics.
Multi-cloud Distribution of Virtual Functions and Dynamic Service Deployment: Open ADN Perspective

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Service Chaining (SC) are novel service deployment approaches in the contemporary cloud environments for increased flexibility and cost efficiency to the Application Service Providers and Network Providers. However, NFV and SC are still new and evolving topics. Optimized placement of these virtual functions is necessary for acceptable latency to the end-users. In this work we consider the problem of optimal Virtual Function (VF) placement in a multi-cloud environment to satisfy the client demands so that the total response time is minimized. In addition we consider the problem of dynamic service deployment for OpenADN, a novel multi-cloud application delivery platform.
Cyclo-period estimation for discrete-time cyclo-stationary signals

This paper presents a new method, named as the variability method, to estimate the cyclo-period of a discrete-time cyclo-stationary signal. The method is essentially based on the time-varying correlation and/or the time-varying mean, whose estimators are associated with some statistics of blocked signals; a plot of variability of these statistics as a function of the blocking operator index visually reveals a periodic pattern, from which the cyclo-period is obtained. Properties of the variability method are analyzed and compared with three existing cyclo-period estimation methods via simulation and real-life examples.
Research Status of Copper Foil Surface Treatment and Development of Novel Process

Surface treated copper foil and its preparation is very important and widely used. The science research and enterprise competition always focus on the surface treated methods in the copper foil field. This paper summarized the typical surface treated processes of copper foil, and emphasized on research progress and problems of copper foil surface treated processes. The brush plating-dealloying treated process of copper foil was proposed based on the problems. The principle and research status of new process was introduced. At last, the future development of surface treated process and application prospect were forecast.
There is more to say about fatigue and healing of Polymer Modified Asphalt

The list of extensive studies on asphalt fatigue and associated healing aspects is long and impressive. In general there seems to be consensus on a few topics: in nearly all tests carried out a moderate to significant fatigue resistance improvement is observed when mechanisms that allow healing are incorporated in the test procedure, while at a similar level of confidence it has been shown that SBS-modified asphalt shows better fatigue resistance than their unmodified equivalents. However, where the consensus ends and the confusion starts is when it comes to healing aspects with Polymer Modified Asphalt. Negative effects on the healing factors for straight asphalt mixtures and/or binders have been observed with harder bitumen, lower temperatures and ageing. Hence a correlation with viscosity and thus ease of flow, wetting and diffusion is plausible and often postulated. So it is counter-intuitive that numerous researchers have found positive effects on healing with Polymer Modified Asphalt. Compared to their unmodified base binders they do not have a lower viscosity at the prevailing temperatures and diffusion is rather hampered than improved by the high molecular weight species. For some such an outcome is so counterintuitive that they deny these results and that may lead to an unnecessary thick pavement design in cases where a lower pavement thickness could be implemented. For example the Dutch road authorities use a factor of 4 for unmodified asphalt and use a factor of 1 for PMA, unless proven otherwise. This paper will provide information on the potential mechanism behind improved healing performance up and above the improved fatigue characteristics for SBS-modified asphalt.
Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a community sample

Child psychiatric disorders are common and treatable, but often go undetected and therefore remain untreated. To assess the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a potential means for improving the detection of child psychiatric disorders in the community, SDQ predictions and independent psychiatric diagnoses were compared in a community sample of 7984 5-15 year olds from the 1999 British Child Mental Health Survey. Multi-informant (parents, teachers, older children) SDQs identified individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis with a specificity of 94.6% (95% Cl, 94.1-95.1%) and a sensitivity of 63.3% (59.7-66.9%). The questionnaires identified over 70% of individuals with conduct, hyperactivity, depressive, and some anxiety disorders, but fewer than 50% of individuals with specific phobias, separation anxiety and eating disorders. Sensitivity was substantially poorer with single-informant rather than multi-informant SDQs. Community screening programmes based on multi-informant SDQs could potentially increase the detection of child psychiatric disorders, thereby improving access to effective treatments.
Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in women with repeated abortions in Kashmir.

Toxoplasmosis caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a very common infection among young adults in diVerent parts of the world. 1 Most of the toxoplasma infections are asymptomatic, the diagnosis relies mainly on the results of serological tests. The clinical implications of toxoplasma infection in pregnant patients are manifold. Such patients may have spontaneous abortions, still births or premature delivery in addition to various fetal anomalies. 2 Ideally every woman should know her toxoplasma status before conception.Toxoplasma antibodies may persist in the serum of an asymptomatic people for years at higher titres. 3 In this study we screened women with repeated abortions for prevalence of toxoplasma antibodies (IgM) to determine any possible aetiological relation between abortions and toxoplasma infection. Methods Two hundred and eighty five consecutive women who attended our endocrine clinic at Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, for repeated abortions (two or more) were studied for serological evidence of toxoplasmosis in the form of IgM antibodies.Abortion was defined as the termination of pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation or below a fetal weight of 500 grams. 4 One hundred and sixty nine, age matched, multiparous controls were also studied simultaneously. To ensure a uniform socioeconomic group, all the controls were selected randomly from subjects attending the associated Maternity Hospital of the Institute for routine antenatal and postnatal visits. In 62 controls, blood samples for IgM toxoplasma were taken in immediate postpartum period while in the 107 controls samples were taken during pregnancy. These 107 subjects subsequently had normal deliveries. The serum samples were separated and stored in aliquots at ˛10°C till assayed. Samples were tested for toxoplasma IgM by ELISA kits, commercially available from Diagnostic Automation Inc, Calabasas, California, USA. Samples were tested strictly according to the manufacturer’s instruction.The results are read by a microwell reader compared in a parallel manner with calibrator and controls. INTERPRETATION Toxo M index of less than 0.80 is taken as negative, between 0.80 to 1.00 is equivocal, and 1.00 or greater is positive for IgM antibody toToxoplasma gondiiand indicates the probability of current or recent toxoplasmosis.
Electrospun scaffold tailored for tissue‐specific extracellular matrix

The natural extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex structure that is built to meet the specific requirements of the tissue and organ. Primarily consisting of nanometer diameter fibrils, ECM may contain other vital substances such as proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycan and various minerals. Current research in tissue engineering involves trying to replicate the ECM such that it provides the environment for tissue regeneration. Electrospinning is a versatile process that results in nanofibers by applying a high voltage to electrically charge a liquid. A variety of polymers and other substances have been incorporated into the artificial nanofibrous scaffold. Surface modification and cross‐linking of the nanofibers are some ways to improve the biocompatibility and stability of the scaffold. Electrospun scaffolds with oriented nanofibers and other assemblies can be constructed by modifying the electrospinning setup. Using electrospinning, researchers are able to specifically tailor the electrospun scaffold to meet the requirements of the tissue that they seek to regenerate. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that electrospun scaffolds hold great potential for tissue engineering applications.
Systolic Blood Pressure Control and Mortality After Stroke in Hypertensive Patients

Background and Purpose— Hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy are at increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death. Lowering blood pressure (BP) after stroke reduces the risk of recurrent stroke, but recent data suggest that lower systolic BP (SBP) measured 5 years after stroke is associated with increased mortality. Whether lower SBP is associated with increased short-term mortality after stroke in hypertensive patients is unclear. Methods— All-cause and cardiovascular mortality were examined in relation to average on-treatment SBP after stroke in 541 hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy randomly assigned to losartan- or atenolol-based treatment who had new strokes during follow-up. Patients with on-treatment SBP<144 mm Hg (lowest tertile) and SBP>157 (highest tertile) were compared with patients with average SBP between 144 and 157. Results— During 2.02±1.65 years mean follow-up after incident stroke, 170 patients (31.4%) died, 135 (25.0%) from cardiovascular causes. In multivariate Cox analyses, adjusting for significant univariate predictors of mortality, compared with average SBP between 144 and 157, an average SBP<144 was a significant predictor of all-cause (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–2.73) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.54), whereas patients who had an average SBP>157 had no significant increased risk of death. Conclusions— Lower achieved SBP (<144 mm Hg) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after initial stroke in hypertensive patients during short-term follow-up. Further study is required to determine ideal SBP goals after stroke. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT00338260.
Architectures for evolving fuzzy rule-based classifiers

In this paper the recently introduced evolving fuzzy classifier method called eClass is studied in respect to its architecture and evolution of the fuzzy rule-base. The proposed classifier has an open/evolving structure and can start 'from scratch', learning and adapting to the new data samples. Alternatively, if an initial fuzzy rule-based classifier, generated beforehand in off-line mode or provided by the operator, exists then eClass can evolve this initial classifier in on-line mode. In other words, the fuzzy rule base will evolve incorporating new rules, modifying and/or, possibly, removing some of the previously existing ones. Additionally, the parameters of both, the antecedent and the consequent parts are adapted. Note that eClass can start with an empty rule-base, which is a unique feature of this approach. The proposed approach is free from user-specified parameters and the mechanism of forming new rules is very robust. In this paper, four different modelling architectures are described and compared. The architectures are based on (i) unsupervised cluster partitions, eClassC; (ii) Sugeno fuzzy models with singleton consequents, eClassA; (iii) Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy models with linear consequent functions, eClassB; and (iv) a multi-model classification architecture, where separate TS regression models are combined to form an overall classification output of the system, eClassM. A thorough comparison of the results when applying each of these architectures and the results using previously existing classifiers has been made using an online interactive self-adaptive image classification framework.
Laser assisted zona hatching does not lead to immediate impairment in human embryo quality and metabolism

ABSTRACT Laser assisted zona hatching (LAH) is a routinely used therapeutic intervention in assisted reproductive technology for patients with poor prognosis. However, results are not conclusive in demonstrating the benefits of zona hatching in improving the pregnancy rate. Recent observations on LAH induced genetic instability in animal embryos prompted us to look into the effects of laser assisted zona hatching on the human preimplantation embryo quality and metabolic uptake using high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. This experimental prospective study included fifty embryos from twenty-five patients undergoing intra cytoplasmic sperm injection. Embryo quality assessment followed by profiling of spent media for the non-invasive evaluation of metabolites was performed using NMR spectroscopy 24 hours after laser treatment and compared with that of non-treated sibling embryos. Both cell number and embryo quality on day 3 of development did not vary significantly between the two groups at 24 hours post laser treatment interval. Time lapse monitoring of the embryos for 24 hours did not reveal blastomere fragmentation adjacent to the point of laser treatment. Similarly, principal component analysis of metabolites did not demonstrate any variation across the groups. These results suggest that laser assisted zona hatching does not affect human preimplantation embryo morphology and metabolism at least until 24 hours post laser assisted zona hatching. However, studies are required to elucidate laser induced metabolic and developmental changes at extended time periods. Abbreviations: AH: assisted hatching; ART: assisted reproductive technology; DNA: deoxy-ribo nucleic acid; LAH: laser assisted hatching; MHz: megahertz; NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance; PCA: principal component analysis; PGD: preimplantation genetic diagnosis; TLM: time lapse monitoring
The Traffic Adaptive Data Dissemination (TrAD) Protocol for both Urban and Highway Scenarios

The worldwide economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be US$518 billion per year and the annual congestion cost in France is estimated to be €5.9 billion. Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are one solution to improve transport features such as traffic safety, traffic jam and infotainment on wheels, where a great number of event-driven messages need to be disseminated in a timely way in a region of interest. In comparison with traditional wireless networks, VANETs have to consider the highly dynamic network topology and lossy links due to node mobility. Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) protocols are the keystone of VANETs. According to our survey, most of the proposed IVC protocols focus on either highway or urban scenarios, but not on both. Furthermore, too few protocols, considering both scenarios, can achieve high performance. In this paper, an infrastructure-less Traffic Adaptive data Dissemination (TrAD) protocol which takes into account road traffic and network traffic status for both highway and urban scenarios will be presented. TrAD has double broadcast suppression techniques and is designed to adapt efficiently to the irregular road topology. The performance of the TrAD protocol was evaluated quantitatively by means of realistic simulations taking into account different real road maps, traffic routes and vehicular densities. The obtained simulation results show that TrAD is more efficient in terms of packet delivery ratio, number of transmissions and delay in comparison with the performance of three well-known reference protocols. Moreover, TrAD can also tolerate a reasonable degree of GPS drift and still achieve efficient data dissemination.
An Approach towards Disassembly of Malicious Binary Executables

Analysis of a binary executable starts with disassembly. Current methods start disassembling a program from an entry point, and continue disassembling either by a simple linear scan or by following the execution paths using static analysis. A hostile programmer can easily fool such methods for disassembly and cause confusion between code and data. A method for disassembling that does not leave any code behind is proposed. The method does not depend on an entry point; instead, it treats every byte as a potential entry point. It partitions the code into segments where a segment is a largest sequence of instructions terminated by an instruction, such as JUMP, that explicitly modifies the program counter. A segment is invalid if its execution will always lead into data. The method filters out invalid segments. It finally connects all the code segments to give a “precise disassembly. ” Results from using the method on ten programs are presented. We have implemented Binary Disassembler for Malicious Executables (BDME). BDME is a disassembler that is written specifically to target malicious code and obfuscated binaries. For our test data, we are able to reduce up to 87% of false positives while getting no false negatives. BDME is able to find all the potential instructions in the code, thus making it very hard to hide malicious code from analysis through disassembly. The average reduction of 46% of false positives further helps the disassembler in keeping the disassembly precise.
Algorithms For Shaping a Particle Swarm With a Shared Control Input Using Boundary Interaction

Consider a swarm of particles controlled by global inputs. This paper presents algorithms for shaping such swarms in 2D using boundary walls. The range of configurations created by conforming a swarm to a boundary wall is limited. We describe the set of stable configurations of a swarm in two canonical workspaces, a circle and a square. To increase the diversity of configurations, we add boundary interaction to our model. We provide algorithms using friction with walls to place two robots at arbitrary locations in a rectangular workspace. Next, we extend this algorithm to place $n$ agents at desired locations. We conclude with efficient techniques to control the covariance of a swarm not possible without wall-friction. Simulations and hardware implementations with 100 robots validate these results. These methods may have particular relevance for current micro- and nano-robots controlled by global inputs.
10W gaN inverse class F PA with input/output harmonic termination for high efficiency WiMAX transmitter

This paper presents the design of a multi-harmonic terminated inverse class F (class F−1) power amplifier (PA) using empirical load-pull technique for a 10W GaN device operating at 2.5 GHz. The paper discusses important design parameters impacting the final PA performance. Detailed design procedures based on load-pull, impedance locations, and waveform analysis are presented. The impact of source harmonic tuning on overall power added efficiency as well as matching network design considerations are discussed. The fabricated class F−1 PA achieved Power Added Efficiency (PAE) of 73.5% with an output power of 41.04 dBm at 27dBm input power.
The heart in sickle cell disease

Cardiovascular abnormalities are often apparent in sickle cell disease, as in other chronic anaemias. Tissue oxygen extraction and cardiac output are increased, while the activated endothelium along with the sickling process and the vaso-occlusion of the small blood vessels strain further the cardiovascular system. Evidence for a specific myocardial lesion attributable to the sickle cell disease is ambiguous through different studies. This article attempts to review the literature about cardiac disease in sickle cell anaemia.
Influence of Reactors on Input Harmonics of Variable Frequency Drives

AC line reactors and dc link reactors are widely used in variable frequency drives (VFDs) to improve the drive performance such as reducing input harmonics, improving the input power factor, and protecting the drives from surges, etc. The effectiveness of both types of reactors in reducing input harmonics is affected by many factors, including the loading of the drives and the system source impedance. In this paper, a simulation is conducted to investigate the influence of such factors. Two power distribution systems with VFDs as the dominant loads in the oil field are used as the case studies. The rules to evaluate the needs and effectiveness using ac line or dc link reactors are proposed for practical applications.