Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling and mitigating NBTI in nanoscale circuits

As semiconductor manufacturing has entered into nanoscale era, performance degradation due to Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) became one of the major threats to circuits reliability. In this paper, we present an NBTI gate delay model and a technique to mitigate its impact on circuit delays. First, we model NBTI impact on a gate while considering both the degradation of its own transistors and that of transistors in the adjacent gates. Simulation of our model on some ISCAS-85 benchmark circuits reveal that NBTI can cause up to 19.00% additional delay to a gate due to its own transistors degradation and up to 4.80% delay due to transistors degradation in adjacent gates after 10 years operation, resulting in a total delay of 23.80%. Therefore, we propose a transistor sizing techniques that not only mitigates NBTI induced delay of the gate under consideration but also minimizes its impact on the adjacent gates. Preliminary results of the mitigation technique applied to ISACAS-85 benchmark circuits show that with an average of 12% area overhead, the circuit delay will not exceed 15% after 10 years operation (i.e.; the introduced sizing technique realizes a delay reduction of about 45% as compared to the original circuit).
Housewives or technophiles?: Understanding domestic robot owners

Despite the growing body of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research focused on domestic robots, surprisingly little is known about the demographic profile of robot owners and their influence on usage patterns. In this paper, we present the results of a survey of 379 iRobot's Roomba™ owners, that identified their demographic and usage trends. The outcome of the survey suggests that Roomba users are equally likely to be men or women, and they tend to be younger with high levels of education and technical backgrounds. Their adoption and use patterns illustrate the important role that gift exchange plays in adoption, and how the robot changes cleaning routines and creates non-cleaning activities. More generally, we argue that domestic robot adoption is growing, and suggest some of the factors that lead to a positive experience.
Dynamic programming based comparison including QuickBird and IKONOS satellite stereo images for monitoring vegetation near power poles

Vegetation encroachment under overhead high voltage power line and its monitoring is a challenging problem for electricity distribution companies. Blackout can occurs if proper monitoring of vegetation is not done. The uninterrupted electric power supply is vital for industries, businesses, and daily life. Therefore, it is mandatory for electricity companies to monitor the vegetation/trees near power lines to avoid the blackouts. Many approaches are employed to monitor vegetation/trees near the transmission line poles, but these approaches are more time consuming and expensive. In this paper, we have proposed a novel approach to monitor the vegetation near or under the power poles using satellite stereo images which were acquired using QuickBird and IKONOS satellites. 3D depth of vegetation has been measured using stereo algorithm incorporating dynamic programming. We have also compared the results of QuickBird and IKONOS satellite stereo images. Results showed that QuickBird satellite image performs well as compared to IKONOS using stereo vision global optimization dynamic programming algorithm in terms of accuracy and speed.
Activation of Neuronal NMDA Receptors Induces Superoxide-Mediated Oxidative Stress in Neighboring Neurons and Astrocytes

Excitotoxic neuronal death is mediated in part by NMDA receptor-induced activation of NOX2, an enzyme that produces superoxide and resultant oxidative stress. It is not known, however, whether the superoxide is generated in the intracellular space, producing oxidative stress in the neurons responding to NMDA receptor activation, or in the extracellular space, producing oxidative stress in neighboring cells. We evaluated these alternatives by preparing cortical neuron cultures from p47phox−/− mice, which are unable to form a functional NOX2 complex, and transfecting the cultures at low density with GFP-tagged p47phox to reconstitute NOX2 activity in widely scattered neurons. NMDA exposure did not induce oxidative stress or cell death in the nontransfected, p47-phox−/− cultures, but did produce oxidative stress and neuronal death in neurons surrounding the transfected, NOX2-competent neurons. This cell-to-cell spread of NMDA-induced oxidative injury was blocked by coincubation with either superoxide dismutase or the anion channel blocker 4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulphonate, confirming superoxide anion as the mediating oxidant. In neurons plated on a preexisting astrocyte layer, NMDA induced oxidative stress in both the neurons and the astrocytes, and this was also prevented by superoxide dismutase. These findings show that activation of NMDA receptors on one neuron can lead to oxidative stress and cell death in neighboring neurons and astrocytes by a process involving the extracellular release of superoxide by NOX2.
Relief of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction with mirtazapine treatment.

Sir: Sexual dysfunction is a known integral component of depressive illnesses, and most antidepressant drugs have been associated with sexual dysfunction, especially those agents with increased serotonergic activity. In fact, the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been associated with significant ejaculatory dysfunction and orgasm-related difficulties. However, the incidence of sexual dysfunction varies with SSRIs. The package inserts report a range from 2% (fluoxetine) up to 20% (sertraline, paroxetine), and in the clinical setting, sexual dysfunction has been reported to occur in 7.8% to 75% of depressed patients. These differences in reported incidences may be due to a number of factors including duration of study, patients’ inhibitions about reporting sexual dysfunction, lack of inquiry on the part of the clinician, or differences in the parameters used to elicit sexual function information (i.e., rating scales). In the study with the highest incidence of sexual dysfunction, patients were routinely questioned about their sexual function. Various strategies have been used to manage antidepressantinduced sexual dysfunction; these include drug holidays, lowering the dosage, switching agents, and adjunctive therapy. Spontaneous reductions in sexual side effects have been reported toward the end of a 6to 8-week treatment period. However, in the clinical setting, patients may not wait for spontaneous reductions and often discontinue their antidepressant therapy. Agents such as cyproheptadine, yohimbine, and amantadine have been reported to be helpful as adjunctive therapy. Other strategies include switching to an antidepressant that does not carry this risk: bupropion, nefazodone, or mirtazapine. Mirtazapine, a potent 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 antagonist along with α2-antagonistic properties, has been reported to have little or no incidence of sexual dysfunction. Since sexual side effects related to SSRI treatment are believed to be mediated through 5-HT2 stimulation, possible relief of symptoms may result from blocking these receptors with mirtazapine. Reports that mirtazapine reverses sexual side effects of ongoing SSRI therapy led to the following case reports. The following case series describes 4 patients who experienced sexual dysfunction while on SSRI therapy and consented to a trial of add-on, open-label mirtazapine therapy. Response to sexual functioning was either spontaneously reported (2 patients) or actively elicited (2 patients).
Composition, Production and Procurement of Glass at San Vincenzo al Volturno: An Early Medieval Monastic Complex in Southern Italy

136 glasses from the ninth-century monastery of San Vincenzo and its workshops have been analysed by electron microprobe in order to situate the assemblage within the first millennium CE glass making tradition. The majority of the glass compositions can be paralleled by Roman glass from the first to third centuries, with very few samples consistent with later compositional groups. Colours for trailed decoration on vessels, for vessel bodies and for sheet glass for windows were largely produced by melting the glass tesserae from old Roman mosaics. Some weakly-coloured transparent glass was obtained by re-melting Roman window glass, while some was produced by melting and mixing of tesserae, excluding the strongly coloured cobalt blues. Our data suggest that to feed the needs of the glass workshop, the bulk of the glass was removed as tesserae and windows from a large Roman building. This is consistent with a historical account according to which the granite columns of the monastic church were spolia from a Roman temple in the region. The purported shortage of natron from Egypt does not appear to explain the dependency of San Vincenzo on old Roman glass. Rather, the absence of contemporary primary glass may reflect the downturn in long-distance trade in the later first millennium C.E. , and the role of patronage in the “ritual economy” founded upon donations and gift-giving of the time.
Massive AGB models of low metallicity: the implications for the self-enrichment scenario in metal-poor globular clusters

Context. We present the physical and chemical properties of intermediate-mass star models of low metallicity, as they evolve along the thermal pulse phase. Aims. We extend to low metallicities, of Z = 1, 2a nd 6× 10 −4 , models previously computed for chemical compositions typical of globular clusters of an intermediate metallicity (Z = 0.001), and for the most metal-rich clusters found in our Galaxy (Z = 0.004). We aim to test in particular the self-enrichment scenario for metal-poor globular clusters. Methods. We calculated three grids of intermediate-mass models with metallicities Z = 10 −4 ,2 × 10 −4 ,a nd 6× 10 −4 , following their evolutionary sequences from the pre-main-sequence to the asymptotic giant branch phase, almost until the ejection of the entire envelope. We discuss the chemistry of the ejecta, and, in particular, the mass fractions of elements that have been studied in the numerous, deep, spectroscopic surveys of globular clusters. Results. Although oxygen and sodium data are scarce for low-metallicity globular clusters, the small amonut of data avalilable for the unevolved stars in NGC 6397 are compatible with the models. Furthermore, we find good agreement with the C–N anticorrelation of unevolved stars in the cluster M 15. In this cluster, however, no stars of low oxygen ([O/Fe] ∼− 1) abundance have been detected. The most massive, very metal-poor clusters, should contain such stars, according to the present models. At the lowest metallicity Z = 10 −4 , the ejecta of the most massive AGBs have C/O > 1, due to the dramatic decrease in the oxygen abundance. We discuss the possible implications of this prediction.
Cell-Cell Interactions Influence Vascular Reprogramming by Prox1 during Embryonic Development

Lymphangiogenesis is a highly regulated process that involves the reprogramming of venous endothelial cells into early lymphatic endothelial cells. This reprogramming not only displays a polarized expression pattern from the cardinal vein, but also demonstrates vascular specificity; early lymphatics only develop from the cardinal vein and not the related dorsal aorta. In our transgenic model of lymphangiogenesis, we demonstrate that Prox1 overexpression has the ability to reprogram venous endothelium but not early arterial endothelial cells in vivo, in spite of the fact that Prox1 expression is forced onto both vascular beds. Our observations suggest that this specificity during embryogenesis may be due to cell-cell interactions between the developing arterial endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. These conclusions have far reaching implications on how we understand the vascular specificity of lymphangiogenesis.
Fast Nearest Neighbor Search in Medical Image Databases

Specifically, we use, . :! tate-of-the-art concepts from morphology, n;,mely the ‘pattern spectrum’ of a shape, to map each shape to a point in n-dimensional space. Following [16, 301, we organize the n-d points in an R-tree. We show that the L, (= max) norm in the n-d space lower-bounds the actual distance. This guarantees no false dismissals for range queries. In addition, we present a nearest neighbor algorithm that also guarantees no false dismissals.
Combining fMRI and SNP data to investigate connections between brain function and genetics using parallel ICA

There is current interest in understanding genetic influences on both healthy and disordered brain function. We assessed brain function with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected during an auditory oddball task—detecting an infrequent sound within a series of frequent sounds. Then, task‐related imaging findings were utilized as potential intermediate phenotypes (endophenotypes) to investigate genomic factors derived from a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Our target is the linkage of these genomic factors to normal/abnormal brain functionality. We explored parallel independent component analysis (paraICA) as a new method for analyzing multimodal data. The method was aimed to identify simultaneously independent components of each modality and the relationships between them. When 43 healthy controls and 20 schizophrenia patients, all Caucasian, were studied, we found a correlation of 0.38 between one fMRI component and one SNP component. This fMRI component consisted mainly of parietal lobe activations. The relevant SNP component was contributed to significantly by 10 SNPs located in genes, including those coding for the nicotinic α‐7cholinergic receptor, aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, disrupted in schizophrenia 1, among others. Both fMRI and SNP components showed significant differences in loading parameters between the schizophrenia and control groups (P = 0.0006 for the fMRI component; P = 0.001 for the SNP component). In summary, we constructed a framework to identify interactions between brain functional and genetic information; our findings provide a proof‐of‐concept that genomic SNP factors can be investigated by using endophenotypic imaging findings in a multivariate format. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Measuring Product Type with Sequential Dynamics of Online Product Reviews : Theory and Applications

The distinction between experience products and search products (“product type”) is increasingly important in online commerce due to the way products of different types interact with Internet-based technologies such as online retailing, search engines and online reviews. One challenge in understanding the role of product type in online commerce is that it is difficult to measure objectively. We propose an approach where product type can be inferred based on the statistical analysis of online product reviews. Our theoretical analyses indicate that for pure search products, the variance of the mean rating should decrease as more consumers rate the product; for experience products the variance of the mean rating may remain constant or increase depending on the importance of the experience attributes in consumer utility. We demonstrate the use of this classification approach at category, product and attribute level using archival data from Amazon.com, Yelp.com and Ctrip.com. Implications of this analytical tool and empirical findings for research, theory and managerial practice are discussed.
Non-stationary quantum walks on the cycle

We consider quantum walks on the cycle in the non-stationary case where the ‘coin’ operation is allowed to change at each time step. We characterize, in algebraic terms, the set of possible state transfers and prove that, as opposed to the stationary case, the associate probability distribution may converge to a uniform distribution among the nodes of the associated graph.
Analysis of UDP , TCP and Voice Performance in IEEE 802 . 11 b Multihop Networks

We investigate the performance of UDP, TCP and voice in a static wireless multihop network experimentallyand by simulation. Measurements are carried out in a network consi sting of eight stations with IEEE 802.11b interfaces in a ring topology. We analyse the impact of hop count, packet size and collision avoidance mechanism on the performance metrics throughput , jitter and delay. The main observations are that the throughput decreases particularly over the first three hops and that the IEEE 802.11 collision avoidance mechanism generally decre ases performance. Nevertheless, voice communication is possib le over up to seven hops.
Power Residues of Fourier Coefficients of Modular Forms

Abstract Let $\rho :\,{{G}_{Q}}\,\to \,\text{G}{{\text{L}}_{n}}\left( {{Q}_{\ell }} \right)$ be a motivic $\ell $ -adic Galois representation. For fixed $m\,>\,1$ we initiate an investigation of the density of the set of primes $p$ such that the trace of the image of an arithmetic Frobenius at $p$ under $\rho $ is an $m$ -th power residue modulo $p$ . Based on numerical investigations with modular forms we conjecture (with Ramakrishna) that this density equals $1/m$ whenever the image of $\rho $ is open. We further conjecture that for such $\rho $ the set of these primes $p$ is independent of any set defined by Cebatorev-style Galois-theoretic conditions (in an appropriate sense). We then compute these densities for certain $m$ in the complementary case of modular forms of $\text{CM}$ -type with rational Fourier coefficients; our proofs are a combination of the Cebatorev density theorem (which does apply in the $\text{CM}$ case) and reciprocity laws applied to Hecke characters. We also discuss a potential application (suggested by Ramakrishna) to computing inertial degrees at $p$ in abelian extensions of imaginary quadratic fields unramified away from $p$ .
INTERACTING MULTIPLE MODEL ADAPTIVE UNSCENTED KALMAN FILTERS FOR NAVIGATION SENSOR FUSION National Taiwan Ocean University

The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is adopted in the interacting multiple model (IMM) framework to deal with the system nonlinearity in navigation applications. The adaptive tuning system (ATS) is employed for assisting the unscented Kalman filter in the IMM framework, resulting in an interacting multiple model adaptive unscented Kalman filter (IMM-AUKF). Two models, a standard UKF and an adaptive UKF (AUKF), are used in the IMM for dynamically adjusting the process noise to enhance the estimation accuracy and tracking capability. Accuracy comparison on navigation sensor fusion for AUKF, IMM-UKF, and IMMAUKF approaches are presented. Furthermore, a performance measure referred to as the Instability Index (ISI) is introduced to evaluate the stability influenced by time-varying dynamics characteristics. Among the three approaches, the IMM-AUKF approach has the best overall positioning performance. Unlike the IMM-UKF, both IMM-AUKF and AUKF have equivalently good ISI values, indicating that positioning accuracies by the two methods are relatively reliable under the change of dynamics characteristics.
SHORTEST PATHS FOR DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE ROBOTS UNDER VISIBILITY AND SENSOR CONSTRAINTS

This article revisits the problem of planning shortest paths in terms of distance in the plane (i.e., not in time) for the differential drive robot (DDR) in the absence of obstacles. We complete the existing works by explaining and deepening the remarks made recently in the literature [10] that exhibited more cases that what was thought until then. Motivated by that work, we show that there cannot have more than 4-word trajectories and finally exhibit a complete partition of the plane in terms of the nature of the shortest path.
Mortality among homeless adults in Boston: shifts in causes of death over a 15-year period.

BACKGROUND Homeless persons experience excess mortality, but US-based studies on this topic are outdated or lack information about causes of death. To our knowledge, no studies have examined shifts in causes of death for this population over time. METHODS We assessed all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in a cohort of 28 033 adults 18 years or older who were seen at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2008. Deaths were identified through probabilistic linkage to the Massachusetts death occurrence files. We compared mortality rates in this cohort with rates in the 2003-2008 Massachusetts population and a 1988-1993 cohort of homeless adults in Boston using standardized rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS A total of 1302 deaths occurred during 90 450 person-years of observation. Drug overdose (n = 219), cancer (n = 206), and heart disease (n = 203) were the major causes of death. Drug overdose accounted for one-third of deaths among adults younger than 45 years. Opioids were implicated in 81% of overdose deaths. Mortality rates were higher among whites than nonwhites. Compared with Massachusetts adults, mortality disparities were most pronounced among younger individuals, with rates about 9-fold higher in 25- to 44-year-olds and 4.5-fold higher in 45- to 64-year-olds. In comparison with 1988-1993 rates, reductions in deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were offset by 3- and 2-fold increases in deaths owing to drug overdose and psychoactive substance use disorders, resulting in no significant difference in overall mortality. CONCLUSIONS The all-cause mortality rate among homeless adults in Boston remains high and unchanged since 1988 to 1993 despite a major interim expansion in clinical services. Drug overdose has replaced HIV as the emerging epidemic. Interventions to reduce mortality in this population should include behavioral health integration into primary medical care, public health initiatives to prevent and reverse drug overdose, and social policy measures to end homelessness.
Synthesis of Genetic Circuits from Graphical Specifications

EDA tools have facilitated the design of ever more complex integrated circuits each year. Synthetic biology would also benefit from the development of genetic design automation (GDA) tools. Existing GDA tools require biologists to design genetic circuits at the molecular level, roughly equivalent to designing electronic circuits at the layout level. Analysis of these circuits is also performed at this very low level. This paper presents a first step at developing a GDA tool that supports higher levels of abstraction. In particular, this paper describes a graphicalion. In particular, this paper describes a graphical specification language from which molecular descriptions can be synthesized. These descriptions can then be abstracted to facilitate efficient analysis.
Analysis of Image and Video Using Color, Texture and Shape Features for Object Identification

The recent developments in cognitive sciences and Artificial Intelligence has made possible the process of automation in object detection and recognition using various low level visual features used to represent a standard image of an object. Our approach uses analysing the methods used by most intelligent living entities, humans. Humans use the sense of sight and intuition to recognise objects. This paper highlights the methodologies that can be used to identify objects using details such as colour, texture and shape of an image to infer the object.