Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finding the Balance : Three Uses of Information Retrieval Techniques in Software Engineering

Several software engineering tasks may greatly benefit from information retrieval approaches. However, different tasks may requires different compromises between precision and recall. We present three software engineering activities that requires different precision/recall trade-offs. These activities are aspect mining, design pattern identification, and feature identification. Based on our observations, we discuss the need for balances between precision and recall and devise an initial taxonomy of software engineering tasks where different precision/recall balances are required.
Optimizing World-Wide Web for weakly connected mobile workstations: An indirect approach

Modern portable computers and wireless connections over cellular telephone networks have created a new platform for distributed information processing. We have designed a communication architecture that makes it possible to exploit the existing TCP/IP communication protocols but that also takes into account specific features of cellular links. Our communication architecture is based on the concept of indirect interaction. The mediating interceptor is the bridge between the worlds of wireless and wireline communication. It also provides enhanced functionality that improves fault-tolerance and performance. In this paper we demonstrate how the architecture is used to improve the performance of the WWW information browsing. Similar solution methods can be applied to other existing applications and protocols. <<ETX>>
Functional studies on the ATM intronic splicing processing element

In disease-associated genes, the understanding of the functional significance of deep intronic nucleotide variants may represent a difficult challenge. We have previously reported a new disease-causing mechanism that involves an intronic splicing processing element (ISPE) in ATM, composed of adjacent consensus 5′ and 3′ splice sites. A GTAA deletion within ISPE maintains potential adjacent splice sites, disrupts a non-canonical U1 snRNP interaction and activates an aberrant exon. In this paper, we demonstrate that binding of U1 snRNA through complementarity within a ∼40 nt window downstream of the ISPE prevents aberrant splicing. By selective mutagenesis at the adjacent consensus ISPE splice sites, we show that this effect is not due to a resplicing process occurring at the ISPE. Functional comparison of the ATM mouse counterpart and evaluation of the pre-mRNA splicing intermediates derived from affected cell lines and hybrid minigene assays indicate that U1 snRNP binding at the ISPE interferes with the cryptic acceptor site. Activation of this site results in a stringent 5′–3′ order of intron sequence removal around the cryptic exon. Artificial U1 snRNA loading by complementarity to heterologous exonic sequences represents a potential therapeutic method to prevent the usage of an aberrant CFTR cryptic exon. Our results suggest that ISPE-like intronic elements binding U1 snRNPs may regulate correct intron processing.
Comments on the Bagger-Lambert theory and multiple M2-branes

We study the SO(8) superconformal theory proposed recently by Bagger and Lambert as a possible worldvolume theory for multiple M2-branes. For their explicit example with gauge group SO(4), we rewrite the theory (originally formulated in terms of a three-algebra) as an ordinary SU(2) × SU(2) gauge theory with bifundamental matter. In this description, the parity invariance of the theory, required for a proper description of M2-branes, is clarified. We describe the subspace of scalar field configurations on which the potential vanishes, correcting an earlier claim. Finally, we point out, for general three-algebras, a difficulty in constructing the required set of superconformal primary operators which should be present in the correct theory describing multiple M2-branes.
Optimized Galois-Counter-Mode Implementation on Intel ® Architecture Processors

Executive Summary Galois-Counter-Mode (GCM) is a block cipher mode of operation that uses universal hashing over a binary Galois field to provide authenticated encryption. Galois Hash is used for authentication, and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) block cipher is used for encryption in counter mode of operation. This paper describes an optimized implementation of GCM benefiting from the PCLMULQDQ instruction and AES-NI set of instructions on Intel ® processors based on the 32-nm microarchitecture. This paper describes an optimized implementation of GCM that combines function stitching with novel polynomial multiplication methods. We are able to achieve performance of ~ 2.8 Cycles/byte on large buffers, on a single core of an Intel ® Core™ i5 650 processor, with Intel ® Hyper-Threading Technology. This represents a new record for GCM performance on Intel ® processors.
Left Ventricular Mass: Allometric Scaling, Normative Values, Effect of Obesity, and Prognostic Performance

The need for left ventricular mass (LVM) normalization to body size is well recognized. Currently used allometric exponents to normalize LVM may not account for the confounding effect of sex. Because sex is a strong determinant of body size and LVM, we hypothesized that these are subject to potential bias. We analyzed data from 7528 subjects enrolled in the Asklepios Study (n=2524) and the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (limited access data set; n=5,004) to assess metric relationships between LVM and body size, generate normative data for indexed LVM, and compare the ability of normalization methods to predict cardiovascular events. The allometric exponent that adequately described the LVM-body height relationship was 1.7 in both studies and significantly different from both the unity and 2.7, whereas the LVM-body surface area relationship was approximately linear. LVM/height2.7 consistently demonstrated important residual relationships with body height and systematically misclassified subjects regarding the presence of LVH. LVH defined by LVM/height1.7 was more sensitive than LVM/body surface area to identify obesity-related LVH and was most consistently associated with cardiovascular events and all-cause death. In contrast to current assumptions, LVM/height2.7 is not an adequate method to normalize LVM for body size. We provide more appropriate normalization methods, normative data by 2D echocardiography and gradient-echo cardiac MRI, and cutoffs for defining LVH, along with prognostic validation data.
Benefits of Group Learning As a Collaborative Strategy in a Diverse Higher Education Context

ABSTRACT This paper explored students’ perceptions of group work in advancing their communication, participation, understanding and overall learning following a compulsory collaborative exercise. An exploratory, descriptive quantitative study was conducted with second year students on an Epidemiology course. They used a self-administered questionnaire to rate their agreement regarding group work in the multi-racial, tertiary setting. Respondents reported greater control of learning (78%) and increased personal benefit (69%). They found the intervention useful (73%); perceived improved participation and communication (63%) amongst peers and reportedly read wider (56%) for this exercise. Some students (35%) reported ineffective work and some English first language users described the strategy as “a waste of time” (rho = 0.307; p = 0.027). Even the limited use of group work strategies can develop a positive learning climate, aid classroom cohesion and improve self-directedness of students during cross-cultural engagement on health science courses.
Activation of Group I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Produces a Direct Excitation and Disinhibition of GABAergic Projection Neurons in the Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata

A pathological increase in excitatory glutamatergic input to substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) from the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is believed to play a key role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. We present an analysis of the physiological roles that group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play in regulating SNr functions. Immunocytochemical analysis at the light and electron microscopic levels reveal that both mGuR1a and mGluR5 are localized postsynaptically in the SNr. Consistent with this, activation of group I mGluRs depolarizes SNr GABAergic neurons. Interestingly, although both group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) are expressed in these neurons, the effect is mediated solely by mGluR1. Light presynaptic staining for mGluR1a and mGluR5 was also observed in some terminals forming symmetric synapses and in small unmyelinated axons. Consistent with this, activation of presynaptic mGluR1a and mGluR5 decreases inhibitory transmission in the SNr. The combination of direct excitatory effects and disinhibition induced by activation of group I mGluRs could lead to a large excitation of SNr projection neurons. This suggests that group I mGluRs are likely to play an important role in the powerful excitatory control that the STN exerts on basal ganglia output neurons.
Optimization-based strategies towards a self-healing smart grid

Self-healing is a critical and desirable feature for electric power systems. Following an outage, it is critical to restore system back to a normal operation condition as efficiently as possible. The advanced decision support tools are needed to assist system operators to restore a grid from major outages efficiently and safely and enhance the resilience of a smart grid. In this paper, optimization modules are developed for generation, transmission and distribution system restoration. These developed modules provide an automated and “best adaptive strategy” procedure for power system restoration. The IEEE 39-bus test system is used to validate the proposed strategy. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed optimization-based power system restoration strategy is highly efficient. Future developments are discussed for extensive testing, implementation planning, and actual implementation in a real-time operational environment.
Queueing Property for Different Type of Self-Similar Traffics

Queueing behavior with long-range dependence input is important to determine the queue resource on the intermediate bottleneck nodes. The end-to-end performance especially depends on the provisioning of queue resources and link bandwidth. The purpose of this research is to explore queueing properties for self-similar traffic using the network simulator. In various ways to generate the self-similar traffic such as the transferring traffic of files with self-similar distribution, we adopt the on/off traffic over TCP on the ns-2 network simulator. The simulation traffic obeys the Pareto distribution and observes queue size and other performance parameters. We generated the two different types of traffics; the small amount of traffic and that of large amount, and extracted the following results. Firstly, for the small amount of traffics, queue size consumption of the maximum queue size suddenly appears in terms of small increase of traffic flows and does not show the differences for the variations of shape parameter (alpha) under restricted maximum queue size. On the other hand, the case of the middle alpha=1.65 consumes the queue resource under the unrestricted queue sizes. Secondly, for the large amount of traffics, the queue size consumptions do not depend on the variation of alphas and fluctuate with cyclic manner.
Theoretical Understandings and Empirical Approaches to the Measurement of Children's Early Composing

Whereas interest in young children’s writing has increased in recent years, the focus has centered more around transcription skills (i.e., letter formation and spelling) and less upon children’s early composing. Of the limited research that does exist on early composing, there is little shared understanding around the conceptualization of the construct or how it should be measured. Research to date has utilized varied and sometimes conflicting scoring and assessment techniques to assess early composing skills in young children. In order to more fully conceptualize this construct, the first study synthesizes extant literature focused upon early writing and composing to understand the nature and measurement of emergent composing. The second study aims to examine composing by exploring 160 prekindergarten children’s performance on a testing battery including a number of pre-existing and alternative writing assessments in order to explore the nature, measurement, and variability of early composing skills. In addition, this study will examine language, literacy, and executive function skills as they relate to children’s performance on early composition tasks. Partial correlations, controlling for children’s age, will be used to determine the degree of relation among children’s composing scores. Partial correlations will also be used to examine the associations of composing scores and children’s language, literacy, and cognitive skills. Multiple linear regressions will be utilized to determine the nature and degree of relation among children’s language, literacy, and executive function skills and early composing. Research of this nature has implications for a more comprehensive understanding of early composing and will lead to a deeper understanding of how to more effectively measure this construct. INDEX WORDS: Writing (composition), Emergent literacy, Emergent writing, Preschool, Assessment, Scoring rubrics, Early childhood education, Oral language THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDINGS AND EMPIRICAL APPROACHES TO THE MEASUREMENT OF CHILDREN’S EARLY COMPOSING
Robustly Segmenting Cylindrical and Box-like Objects in Cluttered Scenes using Depth Cameras

In this paper, we describe our approach to dealing with cluttered scenes of simple objects in the context of common pickand- place tasks for assistive robots. We consider the case when the robot enters an unknown environment, meaning that it does not know about the shape and size of the objects it should expect. Having no complete model of the objects makes detection through matching impossible, thus we propose an alternative approach to deal with unknown objects. Since many objects are cylindrical or box-like, or at least have such parts, we present a method to locate the best parameters for all such shapes in a cluttered scene. Our generic approach does not get more complex as the number of possible objects increases, and is still able to provide robust results and models that are relevant for grasp planning. We compared our approach to earlier methods and evaluated it on several cluttered tabletop scenes captured by the Microsoft Kinect sensor. Keywords: 3D perception for robots, clutter segmentation, RANSAC, Hough voting, single-view models for grasping
Optimal employee retention when inferring unknown learning curves

This paper formulates an employer's hiring and retention decisions as an infinite-armed bandit problem and characterizes the structure of optimal hiring and retention policies. We develop approximations that allow us to explicitly calculate these policies and to evaluate their benefit. The solution involves a balance of two types of learning: the learning that reflects the improvement in performance of employees as they gain experience, and the Bayesian learning of employers as they infer properties of employees' abilities to inform the decision of whether to retain or replace employees. Numerical experiments with Monte Carlo simulation suggest that the gains to active screening and monitoring of employees can be substantial.
Survivable routing of logical topologies in WDM networks

Network restoration is often done at the electronic layer by rerouting traffic along a redundant path. With wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) as the underlying physical layer, it is possible that both the primary and backup paths traverse the same physical links and would fail simultaneously in the event of a link failure. It is therefore critical that lightpaths are routed in such a way that a single link failure would not disconnect the network. We call such a routing survivable and develop algorithms for survivable routing of a logical topology. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions for a routing to be survivable and use this condition to formulate the problem as an integer linear program. We use our new formulation to route various logical topologies over a number of different physical topologies and show that this new approach offers a much greater degree of protection than alternative routing schemes such as shortest path routing and a greedy routing algorithm.
Atherosclerotic Lesion Size and Vulnerability Are Determined by Patterns of Fluid Shear Stress

Background— Atherosclerotic lesions are predominantly observed in curved arteries and near side branches, where low or oscillatory shear stress patterns occur, suggesting a causal connection. However, the effect of shear stress on plaque vulnerability is unknown because the lack of an appropriate in vivo model precludes cause-effect studies. Methods and Results— We developed a perivascular shear stress modifier that induces regions of lowered, increased, and lowered/oscillatory (ie, with vortices) shear stresses in mouse carotid arteries and studied plaque formation and composition. Atherosclerotic lesions developed invariably in the regions with lowered shear stress or vortices, whereas the regions of increased shear stress were protected. Lowered shear stress lesions were larger (intima/media, 1.38±0.68 versus 0.22±0.04); contained fewer smooth muscle cells (1.9±1.6% versus 26.3±9.7%), less collagen (15.3±1.0% versus 22.2±1.0%), and more lipids (15.8±0.9% versus 10.2±0.5%); and showed more outward vascular remodeling (214±19% versus 117±9%) than did oscillatory shear stress lesions. Expression of proatherogenic inflammatory mediators and matrix metalloproteinase activity was higher in the lowered shear stress regions. Spontaneous and angiotensin II–induced intraplaque hemorrhages occurred in the lowered shear stress regions only. Conclusions— Lowered shear stress and oscillatory shear stress are both essential conditions in plaque formation. Lowered shear stress induces larger lesions with a vulnerable plaque phenotype, whereas vortices with oscillatory shear stress induce stable lesions.
Multi-source Object Idetificatio with Costraiits

The problem of identifying the manifold generated copies of an object is known as Object Identification (OI). Numerous solutions have been proposed to solve this task, based on the similarity between two objects. Most of these solutions are oriented to discover pairs of duplicates (pairs-oriented OI) rather than sets of similar objects (group-oriented OI), for which some clustering techniques are used. In this paper, we proposed a new technique, based on the concept of constraints, to resolve the group-oriented OI problem. It is composed of two phases: extraction phase and grouping. During the extraction phase constraints are extracted by analyzing data at hand. After that we have collected the constraints, we reason about those to find the groups of similar objects. The group-based OI technique we propose allows us to deal with multiple sources.
Agile and Software Product Line Methods : Are They So Different ?

The need to rapidly deliver high quality software that meets the changing needs of stakeholders has driven the definition of methods, including Agile and Software Product Line approaches. Although many of the goals of such approaches are similar, they appear to differ significantly in principles and practices. The purpose of this work is to compare Agile and Software Product line approaches from engineering, software quality assurance, and project management perspectives. The results of the study can be used to determine the feasibility of tailoring a software product line approach with Agile practices, resulting in a lighter-weight approach that provides mass customization, reduced time-to-market, improved customer satisfaction, etc.
A cost transformation based routing mechanism and its applications on constraint-routing problems

In this paper, we discuss a cost transformation based routing mechanism. The idea is to transform any traffic engineering (TE) routing problem to a known (e.g. shortest path routing) problem, such that a solution to the known problem is a sub-optimal solution to the original. Instead of relying on human to "guess" the best transformation function for each practical problem; we developed a numerical search mechanism to automatically discover the function. So far, we have tested this mechanism on four routing problems-among them are some classic constraint-routing problems and an emerging dual-path routing problem-and the results are comparable or better than those from some well-known heuristics. More importantly, these example applications showcase how routing solutions are achieved with minimum human intervention.
Abstract— Existing Transmission Control Protocol (tcp) and Tcp-friendly Flows Suffer from Unpredictable Losses and Delay

over wireless links because such factors may cause sending rate throttling and lower the reactivity of transmission control. This paper presents a cross-layer approach to adapt TCP-Friendly rate control (TFRC) to these two factors of 3-rd generation (3G) wireless links. For effective adaptation, we classify the causes of packet losses and delay observed in transport layer as: Capacity-related and Erroneous-channel-related, and recognize them by using layer 2 automatic repeat-request (ARQ) information. The proposed approach takes into account hybrid ARQ (HARQ), adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), and layer 2 ARQ and is simulated over the high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) links. Simulation results show that our approach outperform the standard TFRC and one other improved TFRC scheme. Besides, it is shown that erroneous-channel-related delay adaptation makes it possible to increase the throughput of TFRC effectively even in cases where no erroneous-channel-related loss occurs.
Nutrition and mental performance

There is no doubt that nutritional status can have significant and sometimes profound effects on human mental performance (Table 1). This is evidenced by, for example, the consequences of chronic and severe food restriction (Smart, 1993), thiamin deficiency (Kanarek & Marks-Kaufman, 1991), and Fe deficiency (Pollitt, 1987). Acute effects of food and fluid ingestion have also been described, and it is this area that is the main concern of the present review.
Database tools for a prosodic analysis of the Swedish dialects

A searchable database of speech samples from more than 100 Swedish dialects is being established for use in research and education. Each dialect is represented by at least 12 speakers. The recorded material comprises spontaneous speech as well as words and phrases elicited with a number of specific research goals in mind. This paper summarizes one of these goals, a prosodic typology for the Swedish dialects, and describes a database prototype designed as a tool in this research. Its use in accessing, representing and analyzing the relevant data is illustrated. A full project description is available in Reports from the Department of Phonetics Umea University (PHONUM) 4, pp. 97-100; see also http://www.swedia. nu
Are Teens Being Unfairly Punished? Applying the Dual Systems Model of Adolescent Risk-Taking to Sexting Among Adolescents

The current review frames an understanding of ‘sexting’ among adolescents within the dual systems model of adolescent risk-taking. Adolescent sexting has been growing in popularity in recent years. When adolescents share sexual images, they face the possibility of serious consequences in the United States, such as being added to the sex offender registry. The dual systems model of adolescent risk-taking suggests teenagers engage in risky behavior due to the under development of impulse control and a peak in reward sensitivity. It is argued that the possible legal consequences of teenage sexting do not fit the developmental level of teenagers.