Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Fidelity Property of the Elmore Delay Model in actual comparison of routing algorithms

Despite the existence of several other alternatives for estimating delay of interconnects, the Elmore Delay Model still has been used for comparison of routing algorithms. The criterion used to establish Elmore's model as a confident metric for this purpose is the so-called Fidelity Property. In this work we investigate the Fidelity Property using nowadays interconnect parameters, in four routing scopes. For the first time the Fidelity is evaluated in actual algorithms comparison, one of the main utilities it was established for. What is found is that the original methodology used to evaluate this property hides a significant standard deviation. This standard deviation strongly impacts the capacity of Elmore's model to provide good certainty of choosing the best routing solutions among several ones. Additionally, the experiments of algorithms comparison show that different routing alternatives are appropriated for different routing scopes, with respect to metal layers, driver strengths and routing areas.
BCLS method for the estimation of continuous-time models in closed loop enviornment

This paper proposes a bias-compensated least squares (BCLS) method for a continuous-time model estimation in closed loop environment. The feedback controller is assumed to be linear time invariant discrete-time system and the feedback system is assumed to be asymptotically stable. It is also assumed that the control input is a zeroth order hold signal. The aim of the proposed method is to reduce the computational cost which will be required for the conventional method.
Inferring transport characteristics in a fractured rock aquifer by combining single‐hole ground‐penetrating radar reflection monitoring and tracer test data

Investigations of solute transport in fractured rock aquifers often rely on tracer test data acquired at a limited number of observation points. Such data do not, by themselves, allow detailed assessments of the spreading of the injected tracer plume. To better understand the transport behavior in a granitic aquifer, we combine tracer test data with single‐hole ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) reflection monitoring data. Five successful tracer tests were performed under various experimental conditions between two boreholes 6 m apart. For each experiment, saline tracer was injected into a previously identified packed‐off transmissive fracture while repeatedly acquiring single‐hole GPR reflection profiles together with electrical conductivity logs in the pumping borehole. By analyzing depth‐migrated GPR difference images together with tracer breakthrough curves and associated simplified flow and transport modeling, we estimate (1) the number, the connectivity, and the geometry of fractures that contribute to tracer transport, (2) the velocity and the mass of tracer that was carried along each flow path, and (3) the effective transport parameters of the identified flow paths. We find a qualitative agreement when comparing the time evolution of GPR reflectivity strengths at strategic locations in the formation with those arising from simulated transport. The discrepancies are on the same order as those between observed and simulated breakthrough curves at the outflow locations. The rather subtle and repeatable GPR signals provide useful and complementary information to tracer test data acquired at the outflow locations and may help us to characterize transport phenomena in fractured rock aquifers.
Women’s Leadership Competencies in Mixed Gender and Single-Gender Environments

This study looks at eight female student leaders enrolled at a large, coeducational, public research institution in the Midwest, who are also executive board members in on-campus organizations. The authors utilized interviews and self-assessments to identify perceived leadership competencies in these female positional leaders, who serve in single- and mixed-gender campus organizations, and further correlate the results with the Social Change Model of Leadership. The authors identified similarities and differences in competency, including stronger internal motivation among mixed-gender organization women and more efforts towards collaboration among women in single-gender organizations.
Improving Information Ranking by Respecting the Multidimensionality and Uncertainty of User Preferences

Rankings and ratings are popular methods for structuring large information sets in search engines, e-Commerce, e-Learning, etc. But do they produce the right rankings for their users? In this paper, we give an overview of major evaluation approaches for rankings as well as major challenges facing the use and usability of rankings. We point out the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective for a truly user-centric evaluation of rankings. We then focus on two central problems: the multidimensionality of the criteria that influence both users’ and systems’ rankings, and the randomness inherent in users’ preferences. We propose multi-criteria decision analysis and the integration of randomness into rankings as solution approaches to these problems. We close with an outlook on new challenges arising for ranking when systems address not only individuals, but also groups.
Coherency Identification of Generators Using a PAM Algorithm for Dynamic Reduction of Power Systems

This paper presents a new coherency identification method for dynamic reduction of a power system. To achieve dynamic reduction, coherency-based equivalence techniques divide generators into groups according to coherency, and then aggregate them. In order to minimize the changes in the dynamic response of the reduced equivalent system, coherency identification of the generators should be clearly defined. The objective of the proposed coherency identification method is to determine the optimal coherent groups of generators with respect to the dynamic response, using the Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm. For this purpose, the coherency between generators is first evaluated from the dynamic simulation time response, and in the proposed method this result is then used to define a dissimilarity index. Based on the PAM algorithm, the coherent generator groups are then determined so that the sum of the index in each group is minimized. This approach ensures that the dynamic characteristics of the original system are preserved, by providing the optimized coherency identification. To validate the effectiveness of the technique, simulated cases with an IEEE 39-bus test system are evaluated using PSS/E. The proposed method is compared with an existing coherency identification method, which uses the K-means algorithm, and is found to provide a better estimate of the original system.
Beyond Foundational Reasoning

Implementations of logical reasoning systems are invariably based on the foundational theory of justification. The AGM logic is based on the coherence theory and the principle of minimal change, but this presents difficulties in its implementation. We show that both the foundational and coherence styles of reasoning are necessary for practical reasoning and that both can be achieved in the AGM logic by choosing particular epistemic entrenchment orderings. We also describe the limitations which must be imposed on the logic in order to implement the system.
Network Traffic Analysis of ZeroAccess Bot

Botnets have become a general-purpose platform to perform malicious cyber-activity and extortion. Botnets use specially designed communication channels to receive commands from their operators and respond accordingly. In early design of botnets, botmasters used the centralized control. However, in order to overcome the failures due to centralized control, botnet community has started using distributed P2P architecture and also designing their own protocol to efficiently handle their bots. ZeroAccess botnet is one such an emerging P2P botnet. Its architecture has made it one of the most robust and durable botnets. Recent reports indicate that 1.9 million computers were infected with ZeroAccess by mid-2013. In view of the seriousness and impact of the threats imposed by ZeroAccess bot, this paper aims at network traffic analysis of ZeroAccess bot focusing on its protocol and network behaviour for easy and faster detection. The results achieved are analysed and presented. The paper concludes with discussion on directions for detection of this bot.
Open to interpretation?: productive frameworks for understanding audience engagement with OER

At the core of evolutionary trajectories in the digital networked media and OER landscape, the notions of 'educational and learners' communities' and open 'participatory pedagogy' become more complex. Combining notions of 'mediation' from activity theory and communications studies to analyze a large body of literature and qualitative data offering insights on stakeholders motivations, perceptions, practices or uses, the paper considers the meaning of Open Educational Resources (OERs) as participatory learning media in a global context. It then draws on perceptions and uses of OER and open media by faculty, and structures dimensions of cultural and socio-technical mediation by this particular segment and focusing on two types of users: the teacher as active interpreter and salient user and the teacher as digital publisher. We argue that the socio-technical and pedagogical affordances and OERs, hinder many tensions pertaining: a) the definition of openness; b) quality; and c) moral authority regarding both context and adaptability
An efficient improved join algorithm using map reduce in hadoop

Information explosion is a well known phenomenon now and there is a vast amount of research going on into how best to handle and process huge amounts of data. One such idea for processing enormous quantities of data is Google's Map/Reduce. Map/Reduce was first introduced by Google engineers - Jeffrey Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat [9]. It was designed for and is still used at Google for processing large amounts of raw data (like crawled documents and web-request logs) to produce various kinds of derived data (like inverted indices, web-page summaries, etc.). It is a simple yet powerful framework for implementing distributed applications without having extensive prior knowledge of the intricacies involved in a distributed system. It is highly scalable and works on a cluster of commodity machines with integrated mechanisms for fault tolerance. The programmer is only required to write specialized map and reduce functions as part of the Map/Reduce job and the Map/Reduce framework takes care of the rest. It distributes the data across the cluster, instantiates multiple copies of the map and reduce functions in parallel, and takes care of any system failures that might occur during the execution. Since its inception at Google, Map/Reduce has found many adopters. Among them, the prominent one is the Apache Software Foundation, which has developed an Open-Source version of the Map/Reduce framework called Hadoop [2]. Hadoop boasts of a number of large web-based corporate like Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon, etc., that use it for various kinds of data-warehousing purposes. Facebook for instance, uses it to store copies of internal logs and uses it as a source for reporting and machine learning. Owing to its ease of use, installation and implementation, Hadoop has found many uses among programmers. One of them is query evaluation over large datasets. And one of the most important queries are Joins. This project explores the existing solutions, extends them and proposes a few new ideas for joining datasets using Hadoop. Algorithms have been broken into two categories - Two-Way joins and Multi-Way joins. Join algorithms are then discussed and evaluated under both categories. Options to pre-process data in order to improve performance have also been explored. The results are expected to give an insight into how good a fit Hadoop or Map/Reduce is for evaluating Joins.
Correcting for Visuo-Haptic Biases in 3D Haptic Guidance

Visuo-haptic biases are observed when bringing your unseen hand to a visual target. The biases are different between, but consistent within participants. We investigated the usefulness of adjusting haptic guidance to these user-specific biases in aligning haptic and visual perception. By adjusting haptic guidance according to the biases, we aimed to reduce the conflict between the modalities. We first measured the biases using an adaptive procedure. Next, we measured performance in a pointing task using three conditions: 1) visual images that were adjusted to user-specific biases, without haptic guidance, 2) veridical visual images combined with haptic guidance, and 3) shifted visual images combined with haptic guidance. Adding haptic guidance increased precision. Combining haptic guidance with user-specific visual information yielded the highest accuracy and the lowest level of conflict with the guidance at the end point. These results show the potential of correcting for user-specific perceptual biases when designing haptic guidance.
Axonal Localization of Ca2+-Dependent Activator Protein for Secretion 2 Is Critical for Subcellular Locality of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Neurotrophin-3 Release Affecting Proper Development of Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum

Ca2+-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 (CAPS2) is a protein that is essential for enhanced release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) from cerebellar granule cells. We previously identified dex3, a rare alternative splice variant of CAPS2, which is overrepresented in patients with autism and is missing an exon 3 critical for axonal localization. We recently reported that a mouse model CAPS2Δex3/Δex3 expressing dex3 showed autistic-like behavioral phenotypes including impaired social interaction and cognition and increased anxiety in an unfamiliar environment. Here, we verified impairment in axonal, but not somato-dendritic, localization of dex3 protein in cerebellar granule cells and demonstrated cellular and physiological phenotypes in postnatal cerebellum of CAPS2Δex3/Δex3 mice. Interestingly, both BDNF and NT-3 were markedly reduced in axons of cerebellar granule cells, resulting in a significant decrease in their release. As a result, dex3 mice showed developmental deficits in dendritic arborization of Purkinje cells, vermian lobulation and fissurization, and granule cell precursor proliferation. Paired-pulse facilitation at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses was also impaired. Together, our results indicate that CAPS2 plays an important role in subcellular locality (axonal vs. somato-dendritic) of enhanced BDNF and NT-3 release, which is indispensable for proper development of postnatal cerebellum.
Investigating Cement-Bagasse Fiber Composite Properties

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of bagasse fiber usage in Fiber-Cement Composite (FCC) manufacturing. Due to this purpose, the effect of two bagasse fiber loads (%4, 10), three levels of calcium chloride as facilitator (5, 7.5 and 10 percent per dry weight of cement) and two different types of Portland cement (type II and V) on physical and mechanical properties of experimental specimens were investigated. The given results were analyzed with three variables by a fully randomized process as factorial experiments as well as Dankan Test (DMRT) and Variance Analysis Technique. The results demonstrated that the best conditions reported for flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, Internal Bond and minimum thickness swelling were %4 fibers, %7.5 calcium chloride and type II cement.
Fura-2 measurements of cultured rat Purkinje neurons show dendritic localization of Ca2+ influx

The specific objectives of this study were the following: (1) to characterize the types of calcium currents in cultured PCs using whole- cell voltage-clamp techniques; (2) using fura-2 imaging techniques, to monitor intracellular Ca2+ levels during application of high potassium, glutamate, or glutamate analogs; and (3) to evaluate the types of calcium channels contributing to the calcium fluxes using pharmacological blocking agents. Voltage-clamp analysis of calcium currents proved to be difficult due to space-clamping problems. The latter was presumably due to the unfavorable geometry of cultured PCs. Nevertheless, we found no evidence for inward currents in cells bathed in TTX-TEA-BaCl2 saline. On the other hand, fura-2 measurements demonstrated that free Ca2+ levels were elevated in PCs following local application of either high-potassium saline or glutamate. When individual cells were injected with fura-2 and analyzed in TTX- containing saline, the Ca2+ elevation was usually greater in the dendrites. Since Ca2+ levels were not elevated in all dendrites of the same cell, the smaller responses in the soma wre not simply due to volumetric differences. Together with the voltage-clamp results, the fura-2 data indicate that calcium channels were localized to certain dendrites. Using selective calcium channel blockers, we found evidence for 2 types of calcium conductances in the dendrites of cultured PCs. The Ca conductance induced by high potassium was reduced in a dose- dependent manner by nifedipine (ED50 = 5 X 10(-7) M), indicating that a high-threshold voltage-dependent calcium channel was present. The Ca response to glutamate (or NMDA) was reduced by 2-amino-5- phosphonovaleric acid (ED50 = 10(-4) M), as well as by nifedipine or 10(-4) M LaCl3, indicating that both voltage-dependent and glutamate- coupled channels were opened by glutamate application.
Inequalities in Under-5 Mortality in Nigeria: Do Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Position Matter?

Background Each ethnic group has its own cultural values and practices that widen inequalities in child health and survival among ethnic groups. This study seeks to examine the mediatory effects of ethnicity and socioeconomic position on under-5 mortality in Nigeria. Methods Using multilevel logistic regression analysis of a nationally representative sample drawn from 7620 females age 15 to 49 years in the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the risk of death in children younger than 5 years (under-5 deaths) was estimated using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for 6029 children nested within 2735 mothers who were in turn nested within 365 communities. Results The prevalence of under-5 death was highest among children of Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri mothers and lowest among children of Yoruba mothers. The risk of under-5 death was significantly lower among children of mothers from the Igbo and other ethnic groups, as compared with children of Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri mothers, after adjustment for individual- and community-level factors. Much of the disparity in under-5 mortality with respect to maternal ethnicity was explained by differences in physician-provided community prenatal care. Conclusions Ethnic differences in the risk of under-5 death were attributed to differences among ethnic groups in socioeconomic characteristics (maternal education and to differences in the maternal childbearing age and short birth-spacing practices. These findings emphasize the need for community-based initiatives aimed at increasing maternal education and maternal health care services within communities.
Targeted Expression of Truncated Glued Disrupts Giant Fiber Synapse Formation in Drosophila

Glued1(Gl1) mutants produce a truncated protein that acts as a poison subunit and disables the cytoplasmic retrograde motor dynein. Heterozygous mutants have axonal defects in the adult eye and the nervous system. Here we show that selective expression of the poison subunit in neurons of the giant fiber (GF) system disrupts synaptogenesis between the GF and one of its targets, the tergotrochanteral motorneuron (TTMn). Growth and pathfinding by the GF axon and the TTMn dendrite are normal, but the terminal of the GF axon fails to develop normally and becomes swollen with large vesicles. This is a presynaptic defect because expression of truncatedGlued restricted to the GF results in the same defect. When tested electrophysiologically, the flies with abnormal axons show a weakened or absent GF–TTMn connection. InGlued1 heterozygotes, GF–TTMn synapse formation appears morphologically normal, but adult flies show abnormal responses to repetitive stimuli. This physiological effect is also observed when tetanus toxin is expressed in the GFs. Because the GF–TTMn is thought to be a mixed electrochemical synapse, the results show that Glued has a role in assembling both the chemical and electrical components. We speculate that disrupting transport of a retrograde signal disrupts synapse formation and maturation.
Efficient statistical machine translation with constrained reordering

This paper describes how word alignment information makes machine translation more efﬁ-cient. Following a statistical approach based on ﬁnite-state transducers, we perform reordering of source sentences in training using automatic word alignments and estimate a phrase-based translation model. Using this model, we translate monotonically taking a permutation graph as input. The permutation graph is constrained using an efﬁcient and ﬂexible reordering framework. We then propose to automatically identify source word sequences which should always be translated monotonically and keep the word order of these sequences in search. This allows us to obtain fast good-quality translations. We present competitive experimental results on the Verbmobil German-to-English and BTEC Chinese-to-English translation tasks.
OntoLT: A Protg Plug-In for Ontology Extraction from Text

Ontologies are views of the world that tend to evolve rapidly over time and between different applications. Currently, ontologies are often developed in a specific context with a specific goal in mind. However, it is ineffective and costly to build ontologies for each new purpose each time from scratch, which may cause a major barrier for their large-scale use in knowledge markup for the Semantic Web. Creating ambitious Semantic Web applications based on ontological knowledge implies the development of new, highly adaptive and distributed ways of handling and using knowledge that enable existing ontologies to be adaptable to new environments. As human language is a primary mode of knowledge transfer, a growing integration of language technology tools into ontology development environments is to be expected. Language technology tools will be essential in scaling up the Semantic Web by providing automatic support for ontology monitoring and adaptation. Language technology in combination with approaches in ontology engineering and machine learning provides linguistic analysis and text mining facilities for ontology mapping (between cultures and applications) and ontology learning (for adaptation over time and between applications).
Dynamic Stability of Soft-In-plane Tiltrotors by Parallel Multibody Analysis

The paper presents the parallel implementation of a multibody formulation for the analysis of the dynamic stability of a soft-in-plane tiltrotor configuration, with regard to the groundand airresonance phenomena. A multibody model of a tiltrotor semispan wind tunnel model has been used to investigate the phenomenon. An original multibody, multidisciplinary formulation has been used; its implementation in a coarse scale parallel environment, both on SMP and PC cluster, is proposed as a means to speed up massive parametric analyses. The dynamic stability of the rotorcraft is investigated to determine the parametric influence of various structural components, such as the damping properties of the blade root.