Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Presence of Weakly Correlated Noise over Fading Channels on Signal Detection

: Cognitive radio is a technology which allows the secondary usage of spectrum allocated to primary users. The cognitive radio networks are networks that have cognitive and reconfigurable properties and the capability to detect the unoccupied spectrum holes and change frequency for end to end communication. In CRNs in order to avoid interference to the primary users efficient and reliable spectrum sensing is necessary. In the case where noise samples are correlated impairments due to independent noise samples must be considered. To address this issue, Locally Optimum (LO) detection technique is utilized. The performance of LO detector depends mainly on false alarm probability and detection probability. The probabilities of false alarm and detection at different SNRs are analyzed. The simulation results demonstrate the superiority of LO detector over known energy detection method. Furthermore, the scenario where estimated correlation is different from real correlation is considered for detailed study in this paper.
Agile Program Management: Lessons Learned from the VeriSign Managed Security Services Team

This report examines how the VeriSign Managed Security Services (MSS) has successfully extended agile software development practices to deal with a complex, multi-product development organization. It showcases how VeriSign overcame several key challenges in the adoption of agile, such as the need to restructure the teams, and shows how the program management office provided organizational "glue" to hold things together to ensure a successful transition. It introduces several novel approaches to product-centric agile development, including the replacement of traditional market requirements documents (MRDs) with a "fast track" business concept, and shows how cross-functional prioritization processes enable agility. It demonstrates how VeriSign collaborated with external consultants to ensure that best-practices were adopted and suggests ways that other companies can effectively manage the client-consultant dynamic. We conclude with an exploration of areas for further development, focusing on project level metrics for corporate planning.
UMAP 2013 Late-Breaking Results and Project Papers

Late-breaking results contain unpublished accounts of innovative research ideas, preliminary results, system prototypes or industry showcases. Project papers introduce newly started research projects. These proceedings contain 9 late-breaking results and 4 project descriptions that were accepted for publication at UMAP 2013. The papers span a wide range of topics related to user modeling and personalization, and have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.
Post breakdown reliability enhancement of ULSI circuits with novel gate dielectric stacks

Reliability is a key performance indicator of any semiconductor device or circuit fabricated, apart from its other performance parameters such as improved current drive, clocking speed, carrier mobility, fan-in, fan-out, lower power dissipation etc. It is necessary to be able to quantitatively estimate the lifetime of a given circuit based on the accelerated life test data that is usually collected at the transistor (device) level. At the front-end, breakdown of the ultra-thin gate dielectric consists of two stages - (1) Time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) and (2) Post breakdown (Post-BD). While most reliability studies at the circuit level are confined to the TDDB stage, it is worth noting that the initial durations of the post-BD stage when the gate current shows random telegraph noise (RTN) fluctuations (known as digital breakdown) provide significant reliability lifetime enhancement of the circuit without compromising much on the other circuit performance characteristics. In this study, the electrical characterization and reliability features of the digital breakdown (Di-BD) stage at the “device level” are first discussed. This is followed by the development of simple statistical tools and Monte Carlo simulation techniques to predict the ULSI post-BD “circuit-level” reliability enhancement given the device level failure data. The results of this study are of direct relevance to the industry and the technique presented here has the potential to be implemented as a new reliability quantification methodology at the circuit level.
A Type and Effect System for Deterministic Parallelism in Object-Oriented Languages

We describe a type and effect system for ensuring deterministic semantics in a concurrent object-oriented language. Our system provides several new capabilities over previous work, including support for linear arrays (important in parallel update traver sals), flexible effect specifications and subtyping (important for, e. g., treebased algorithms), dynamic partitioning into subarrays (i mportant for divide-and-conquer algorithms), and a novel invocation effect for handling higher-level commutative operations such as set insert. We informally describe the key type system features, formally define a core subset of our system, and explain the steps leadi ng to the key soundness result, i.e., that the type and effect anno tations allow us to reason soundly about parallel noninterference between sections of code. Finally, we describe our experience with using the system to express realistic parallel algorithms, which val idates the importance of the new type system features.
A nonlinear complementarity approach to multiuser power control for digital subscriber lines

In this article, we formulate the problem of multiuser power control for digital subscriber lines (DSL) as a nonlinear complementarity problem (NCP). We study conditions under which the resulting NCP belongs to the class P 0 and its solution is B-regular. The NCP formulation makes it possible to use the Newton-type smoothing methods (SMs) to efficiently compute a Nash equilibrium solution. In our computer simulations, the SM appears much more robust to the presence of strong interference than the existing synchronous water-filling method. We also present an extension of the NCP formulation, which can lead to substantial increase in the rate sum performance of the DSL system. Part of this research was performed while the author was with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada. This research was performed while this author was visiting McMaster University, Canada.
Association Between Remission of Macroalbuminuria and Preservation of Renal Function in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With Overt Proteinuria

OBJECTIVE Studies on the rate of remission of macroalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the effects of reduction in albuminuria on renal prognosis in a primary care setting are absolutely lacking. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 211 T2DM patients with albuminuria ≥300 mg/g were enrolled in a prospective observational study (mean of 4.5 years). The incidence of patients with remission of macroalbuminuria at every 1-year study time point after starting intensified diabetes treatment and the factors associated with remission were evaluated. The association of reduction in albuminuria with renal events (doubling of serum creatinine and end-stage renal disease) was also investigated. RESULTS During the 5-year study period, remission to microalbuminuria occurred in 116 patients and the 5-year cumulative incidence was 58.3%. Notably, most cases (82.8%) obtained remission at the 1-year study time point. The remission rate increased with achieving therapeutic targets for blood pressure and blood glucose. Remission and reduction in albuminuria of ≥50% were associated with preservation of renal function. In particular, patients who obtained both remission and 50% reduction at the 1-year study time point exhibited a significantly reduced risk for renal events as compared with those with no remission and no reduction (adjusted hazard ratio 0.30 [95% CI 0.12–0.76]). CONCLUSIONS Remission of macroalbuminuria occurs frequently and is associated with the preservation of renal function in T2DM patients. The initial adequate diabetes treatment aimed at reducing albuminuria may lead to improved renal prognosis in the primary care setting.
Plant species traits and capacity for resource reduction predict yield and abundance under competition in nitrogen‐limited grassland

Summary 1 The objective of this study is to test whether plant traits that are predicted by resource-competition theory to lead to competitive dominance are correlated with competitive response and abundance in a nitrogen-limited grassland. We collected species trait and soil nutrient data on non-leguminous perennial prairie plant species in replicated monoculture plots established for this purpose. 2 The soil nitrate concentration of 13 species grown in long-term (5-year) monocultures (a measure of R*) was correlated with their relative yield (a measure of competitive response) and with their abundance in competition. The trait best correlated with a species’ relative yield was root length density (RLD), and the trait best correlated with abundance in competition was biomass : N ratio. 3 The traits that best predicted nitrate R* were the biomass : N ratio and allocation to fine roots, where species with higher biomass : N and allocation to fine roots had lower R*. Easily measured species traits may therefore be useful proxy measures for R*. 4 The dominance of species with lower nitrate R* levels and higher RLD and biomass : N in monoculture is qualitatively consistent with the prediction of resource-competition theory that the species most efficient at acquiring, retaining and using the major limiting resource will be the best competitors. Additional mechanisms are needed to explain how these species coexist.
Comparison between Fluconazole with Oral Protexin Combination and Fluconazole in the Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Background. According to the limited studies reporting new treatments for vulvovaginal candidiasis, this study was designed to compare the combination of fluconazole and oral protexin with fluconazole in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Methods. A double-blind clinical trial was conducted, involving 90 women who were referred to the gynecology clinic. Vulvovaginal candidiasis was diagnosed with itching, cheesy vaginal discharge, and any one of the following: dysuria, pH < 4.5, dyspareunia, vulvar erythema, or vulvar edema and if branched hyphae and Candida buds were visible after addition of KOH 10% in the culture and the result of cultivation in Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium was positive. Patients were randomly classified into two groups Absence of discharge, itching, and negative culture results 5–7 days after completion of treatment indicated treatment success. Data in this study were analyzed using the SPSS version 17.0 software. Results. The combinations, fluconazole-oral protexin and fluconazole-placebo, were equally effective in reduction of complaints and symptoms, but fluconazole-oral protexin combination elicited a better therapeutic response (χ 2 = 0.01, P = 6.7). In addition, fluconazole-oral protexin combination treatment demonstrated better recovery time (t = −2.04, P = 0.04). Conclusion. This study demonstrated that complementary treatment with probiotic Lactobacillus increased the efficacy of fluconazole in treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Further research is recommended.
An Exploratory Dose-Escalating Study Investigating the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Intravenous Atacicept in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Atacicept, a recombinant fusion protein containing the extracellular, ligand-binding portion of the transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin-ligand interactor receptor, and the Fc portion of human immunoglobulin (Ig) G, is designed to block the activity of B-lymphocyte stimulator and a proliferation-inducing ligand, and may have utility as a treatment for B-cellmediated diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This Phase Ib study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of intravenous (i.v.) atacicept in patients with mild-to-moderate SLE. Patients (n = 24) were randomised (5:1) to receive atacicept (single dose: 3, 9 or 18 mg/kg; or multiple dose: 2 × 9 mg/kg) or matching placebo. Patients were followed for 6 weeks after dosing (9 weeks in the 2 × 9 mg/kg cohort). Local tolerability of atacicept was comparable with that of placebo, with only mild injection-site reactions reported with atacicept. Atacicept i.v. was generally well tolerated, both systemically and locally, in patients with mild-to-moderate SLE. Atacicept displayed non-linear PK, which was predictable across doses and between single and repeat doses. The biological activity of atacicept was demonstrated by its marked effect in reducing B-cells and Ig levels in patients with SLE. This supports the utility of this therapeutic approach in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as SLE.
Book review: Virtue Reborn

culmination. A basic assumption and claim of the book is that suffering is not so much a problem that is to be solved or made sense of through propositions, as it is a mystery that finds its ultimate meaning in a relationship with God. Although written and aimed at a popular level, the book also makes use of and points to scholarly resources that the more serious enquirer can follow up on and engage with personally. The task of Christian apologetics is multilayered: to defend the Christian faith and its truth claims in the face of attacks; to critique and refute the truth claims and arguments of opposing positions; and to present and commend the Christian faith to questions and questioners. And this book is a good example.
On modularity in integrated architectures

As computer scientists, most of us tend naturally to write modular systems. It is ingrained in our upbringing. The PRODIGY system (Minton et al. 1989, Carbonell et al. 1990) is an example of a highly modular system. PRODIGY has separate modules for planning, explanation-based learning, abstraction creation, experimentation and analogy, to name just a few. The system is rather traditional, in that it reflects the organization of the field of AI itself. Of course, an intelligent system need not be based on such a highly modular design. A system might be highly uniform throughout, with no obvious breakdown according to function, like some neural net models might suggest. Or a system might be very modular, but the functional breakdown might not look anything like that in the PRODIGY system, where each module corresponds to a different method for analysis or learning. In this brief paper, I speculate about the role of modularity in general intelligent systems and review the reasons why modularity might be an appropriate organizing principle.
Dopamine Targeting Drugs for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Past,  Present and Future

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of the world’s population. This disease is associated with considerable morbidity placing a major financial burden on society. Antipsychotics have been the mainstay of the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia for decades. The traditional typical and atypical antipsychotics demonstrate clinical efficacy in treating positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, while are largely ineffective and may worsen negative symptoms, such as blunted affect and social withdrawal, as well as cognitive function. The inability to treat these latter symptoms may contribute to social function impairment associated with schizophrenia. The dysfunction of multiple neurotransmitter systems in schizophrenia suggests that drugs selectively targeting one neurotransmission pathway are unlikely to meet all the therapeutic needs of this heterogeneous disorder. Often, however, the unintentional engagement of multiple pharmacological targets or even the excessive engagement of intended pharmacological targets can lead to undesired consequences and poor tolerability. In this article, we will review marketed typical and atypical antipsychotics and new therapeutic agents targeting dopamine receptors and other neurotransmitters for the treatment of schizophrenia. Representative typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs and new investigational drug candidates will be systematically reviewed and compared by reviewing structure-activity relationships, pharmacokinetic properties, drug metabolism and safety, pharmacological properties, preclinical data in animal models, clinical outcomes and associated side effects.
Design principles of noise-induced oscillation in biochemical reaction networks: II. coupled positive and negative feedback loops

According to the chemical reaction network theory, the topology of a certain class of chemical reaction networks, regardless of the kinetic details, sets a limit on the dynamical properties that a particular network can potentially admit; the structure of a network predetermines the dynamic capacity of the network. We note that stochastic fluctuations can possibly confer a new dynamical capability to a network. Thus, it is of tremendous value to understand and be able to control the landscape of stochastic dynamical behaviors of a biochemical reaction network as a function of network architecture. Here we investigate such a case where stochastic fluctuations can give rise to the new capability of noise-induced oscillation in a subset of biochemical reaction networks, the networks with only three biochemical species whose reactions are governed by mass action kinetics and with the coupling of positive and negative feedback loops. We model the networks with the master equations and approximate them, using the linear noise approximation. For each network, we read the signal-to-noise ratio value, an indicator of amplified and coherent noise-induced oscillation, off from the analytically derived power spectra. We classify the networks into three performance groups based on the average values of the signal-to-noise ratio and the robustness. We identify the common network architecture among the networks belonging to the same performance group, from which we learn that the coupling of negative and positive feedback loops generally enhance the noise-induced oscillation performance better than the negative feedback loops alone. The performance of networks also depends on the relative size of the positive and negative feedback loops; the networks with the bigger positive and smaller negative feedbacks are much worse oscillators than the networks with only negative feedback loops.
Factors that Influence IPO Volume Fluctuation - Based on Chinese A-share Market

This paper aims at finding out the factors that influence IPO volume fluctuation", "based on the three hypothesis that are capital demand hypothesis, information asymmetry hypothesis and investor sentiment hypothesis. The empirical results show that capital demand hypothesis is verified, and the rationality of information asymmetry hypothesis and investor sentiment hypothesis are also proved to a certain extent. The study helps to understand the market discipline of Chinese IPO market, and benefits the supervision of Chinese IPO market as well as the IPO timing of public company. Also, it helps promote the rational participation of investors. Thus, we can see that the research has important theoretical and practical significance.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Screening MR Imaging Using Unenhanced Axial CISS and Coronal T2WI for Detection of Small Internal Auditory Canal Lesions

T2-weighted and CISS images were compared with thin-section postcontrast T1 sequences for the detection of small (<10 mm) internal auditory canal schwannomas in 23 patients. The authors concluded that screening noncontrast MR imaging using a combination of axial CISS and coronal T2WI sequences can detect small internal auditory canal lesions with 100% sensitivity and excellent interobserver agreement. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: While enhanced T1WI is considered the “gold standard” for detection of internal auditory canal pathology, unenhanced fluid-sensitive sequences have shown high sensitivity for lesion identification. Our purpose was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of an unenhanced MR imaging protocol using axial CISS and coronal T2WI for detection of small (10 mm or less) internal auditory canal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients with small internal auditory canal lesions and 13 patients without lesions who had undergone MR imaging using the screening protocol and confirmatory gadolinium-enhanced thin section T1WI were identified. Two blinded neuroradiologists retrospectively evaluated all examinations using 1) only axial CISS, 2) only coronal T2WI, and 3) axial and coronal sequences together. Accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and interobserver agreement were assessed. RESULTS: Median maximum lesion dimension was 4 mm (range, 2–10 mm). Accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity for axial CISS alone were 0.94, 0.96, and 0.91 for observer 1 and 0.94, 0.92, and 1.00 for observer 2. The data for the coronal T2WI sequence only were 0.94, 0.96, and 0.91 for observer 1, and 0.99, 1.00, and 0.96 for observer 2. Using axial and coronal sequences, the data were 0.97, 0.96, and 1.00 for observer 1, and 0.99, 0.98, and 1.00 for observer 2. κ coefficients were 0.84 for the axial sequence only, 0.90 for coronal only, and 0.91 for axial and coronal both. CONCLUSIONS: Screening noncontrast MR imaging using a combination of axial CISS and coronal T2WI sequences can detect small internal auditory canal lesions with 100% sensitivity and excellent interobserver agreement.
Practical Data Center Power Proportionality

Energy accounts for a significant fraction of the operational costs of a data center and data center owners are increasingly interested in moving towards power proportional designs. However, we show that current power proportional solutions are inherently limited in the energy savings they can offer; the reason is that they focus on managing the data center IT equipment (disks, servers) and neglect the large power overheads resulting from non-IT infrastructure such as cooling, and power distribution equipment. We propose a solution, where the power management unit is as large as a rack, or even an entire containerized data center. We show that it is practical today to design data centers to power down idle racks or containers – and in fact, current online service trends strongly enable this model. Finally, we show that energy savings increase by an order of magnitude with larger power management units, while performance remains unaffected.
A Faster Pseudopolynomial Time Algorithm for Subset Sum

Given a multiset $S$ of $n$ positive integers and a target integer $t$, the subset sum problem is to decide if there is a subset of $S$ that sums up to $t$. We present a new divide-and-conquer algorithm that computes all the realizable subset sums up to an integer $u$ in $\widetilde{O}\! \left(\min\{\sqrt{n}u,u^{4/3},\sigma\}\right)$, where $\sigma$ is the sum of all elements in $S$ and $\widetilde{O}$ hides polylogarithmic factors. This result improves upon the standard dynamic programming algorithm that runs in $O(nu)$ time. To the best of our knowledge, the new algorithm is the fastest general algorithm for this problem. We also present a modified algorithm for cyclic groups, which computes all the realizable subset sums within the group in $\widetilde{O}\! \left(\min\{\sqrt{n}m,m^{5/4}\}\right)$ time, where $m$ is the order of the group.