Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Formal Model of Program Dependences and Its Implications for Software Testing, Debugging, and Maintenance

A formal, general model of program dependences is presented and used to evaluate several dependence-based software testing, debugging, and maintenance techniques. Two generalizations of control and data flow dependence, called weak and strong syntactic dependence, are introduced and related to a concept called semantic dependence. Semantic dependence models the ability of a program statement to affect the execution behavior of other statements. It is shown that weak syntactic dependence is a necessary but not sufficient condition for semantic dependence and that strong syntactic dependence is necessary but not sufficient condition for a restricted form of semantic dependence that is finitely demonstrated. These results are used to support some proposed uses of program dependences, to controvert others, and to suggest new uses. >
A Model of Bankruptcy Prediction a Mo Del of Bankruptcy Prediction

In this thesis, a model of bankruptcy prediction conditional on financial statements is presented. Apart from giving a discussion on the suggested variables the issue of functional form is raised. The specification most commonly applied for the bankruptcy prediction model implies that the rate at which two variables can substitute another holding predicted risk unchanged will be constant. If the aspect captured by single financial ratios is considered less a substitute for any other aspect as this ratio grows, this restriction may not be appropriate. Specifically, the structure of constant compensation will make predictions sensitive to non-credible outliers. A specification of the logit model which allows for flexible rates of compensation is motivated. The model is estimated and the regression results are reported. Second; by questioning the direct connections between financial ratios and the particular outcome of bankruptcy, a model structure which determines an upper bound on probability estimates is explored. By reference to a simple model of misclassification, the specification distinguishes between the probability of bankruptcy and the probability of insolvency. Whereas the predicted probabilities of bankruptcy can be evaluated empirically, the event of insolvency is not observable. Nevertheless; conditional on the model structure, probabilities can be derived for this event as well. An evaluation is given on the ability of the model to measure the over-all development in credit risk for the Norwegian limited liability sector. Individual probabilities of bankruptcy are multiplied with the firms debt to generate a prediction of expected loss in absence of recovered values. This measure is then aggregated and fitted with total loan losses for the Norwegian banking sector over the years 1989-2000. Finally, the possibility of assessing the e ect of macro variables in a short panel of firms is explored. With reference to an aggregation property of the probit model, a suggestion is given on how to estimate time-specific e ects on aggregate data as a means to identify macro coe cients that can be included in the micro-level model.
Race recognition using local descriptors

This paper proposes a method for race recognition from face images using local descriptors. The proposed method uses two types of local descriptors: local binary pattern (LBP) and Weber local descriptors (WLD). First, LBP and WLD histograms are obtained separately from blocks of normalized face image. Kruskal-Wallis feature selection technique is applied to the histograms to select the significant bins for race recognition. Then the selected bins from the two histograms are concatenated block by block to produce the final feature set of the face image. Minimum city block distance is used as a classifier. The experiments are conducted using gray scale FERET images with five race groups. Experimental results show that the proposed method has superior race recognition accuracies for all the five race groups compared to LBP and WLD alone.
Ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol is an indicator of LDL particle size in patients with type 2 diabetes and normal HDL cholesterol levels.

OBJECTIVE In patients with type 2 diabetes, a normal HDL cholesterol level does not rule out that LDL particles may be small. Although techniques for analyzing LDL subfractions are not likely to be used in clinical practice, a prediction of LDL size based on a regular lipid profile may be useful for assessment of cardiovascular risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Sixty patients with type 2 diabetes with acceptable glycemic control and an HDL cholesterol level > or = 1 mmol/l were recruited after cessation of lipid-altering treatments. LDL size was determined by 2-20% PAGE; patients having small LDL (n = 30) were compared with those having intermediate or large LDL (n = 30). RESULTS Clinical characteristics, pharmacological therapies, lifestyle, and prevalence of diabetes-related complications were similar in both patient groups. LDL size correlated negatively with plasma triglycerides (TGs) (R2 = 0.52) and positively with HDL cholesterol (R2 = 0.14). However, an inverse correlation between the TG-to-HDL cholesterol molar ratio and LDL size was even stronger (R2 = 0.59). The ratio was > 1.33 in 90% of the patients with small LDL particles (95% CI 79.3-100) and 16.5% of those with larger LDL particles. A cutoff point of 1.33 for the TG-to-HDL cholesterol ratio distinguishes between patients having small LDL values better than TG cutoff of 1.70 and 1.45 mmol/l. CONCLUSIONS The TG-to-HDL cholesterol ratio may be related to the processes involved in LDL size pathophysiology and relevant with regard to the risk of clinical vascular disease. It may be suitable for the selection of patients needing an earlier and aggressive treatment of lipid abnormalities.
Change Patterns : Co-evolving Requirements and Architecture

Emerging classes of systems are more and more subject to changes in their requirements and environment assumptions. Such changes have a far-reaching impact across several artifacts. This paper argues that patterns of co-evolution (or change patterns) can be observed between “privileged” pairs of artifacts, like the requirements specification and the architectural design. The paper introduces change patterns as a precise framework to systematically capture and handle change. The approach is based on model-driven engineering concepts and is accompanied by a tool-supported process. Changing trust assumptions are presented as an example of security-related evolution, and are used to illustrate the approach.
Vision based lane detection in autonomous vehicle

A novel method for finding and tracking road lanes for vision-guided autonomous vehicle navigation is present in this paper. First an inverse perspective mapping is applied in order to remove the perspective from the camera observed image. Then the edges of the road lanes are detected from the inverse perspective mapping images. A particle filtering algorithm is used which allows us to compute the likelihood between all the particles with the edge images, then the three parameters of the real state of lanes can be estimated. The new lane detection method described in this paper has been tested in real road images and the result is robust and reliable.
Use of standardized client simulations in an interprofessional teaching concept for social work and medical students: first results of a pilot study

ABSTRACT Teaching concepts with standardized clients/patients (SC) had been successfully implemented in the education of health professionals. Benefits were also demonstrated for social work education. Based on former experiences with simulated clients in medical education, we developed an innovative teaching concept for social work and medical students. We focused on the training of consultations with clients suffering from a serious illness like cancer—with different learning goals for medical students (e.g. breaking bad news) and social work students (e.g. psychosocial exploration and counseling). Both groups should gain knowledge about the other professions tasks and learn to handle clients’ emotional reactions. In addition to role-plays with simulated clients in small groups, the concept includes an interprofessional lecture by physicians, psychologists, social workers, and lawyers as well as a visit on the palliative care ward (for social work students only) and a research colloquium. A formative evaluation shows high satisfaction with the teaching concept. The students underline the realistic setting, interprofessional contact, authentic talks and direct feedback. The SC method and its interprofessional application proved to be a practicable and motivating way to enhance conversational skills.
DNA Methylation and the HOXC6 Paradox in Prostate Cancer

Overexpression of the classical homeobox transcription factor HOXC6 is frequent in prostate cancers and correlates with adverse clinical parameters. Since surprisingly many HOXC6 target genes are downregulated in prostate cancer, it has been posited that oncogenic effects of HOXC6 in prostate cancer may be unmasked by concurrent epigenetic downregulation of target genes exerting tumor suppressive effects. To test this hypothesis, we have studied the expression of three HOXC6 target genes, CNTN1 (encoding a cell adhesion protein), DKK3 and WIF1 (encoding WNT growth factor antagonists) as well as DNA methylation of DKK3 and WIF1. HOXC6 upregulation and association with poor prognosis were confirmed in our tissue series. The three target genes were each significantly downregulated in cancer tissues and expression of each one correlated inversely with that of HOXC6. Cases with lower WIF1 expression showed significantly earlier recurrence (p = 0.021), whereas no statistical significance was reached for CNTN1 and DKK3. Hypermethylation of DKK3 or WIF1 gene promoters was observed in a subset of cancers with downregulated expression, but was often weak. Our data support the hypothesis that HOXC6 target genes exerting tumor-suppressive effects are epigenetically downregulated in prostate cancer, but DNA methylation appears to follow or bolster rather than to cause their transcriptional inactivation.
Temporal analysis and perceptual weighting for objective video quality measurement

Video quality measurement is an important factor to establish the quality of video communication and processing systems, such as broadcasting and mobile television, since they need to monitor broadcasting quality to compute optimal parameters that ensure a satisfactory quality level. The objective video quality assessment is a quick and low cost alternative when compared with the subjective evaluations. This paper presents a novel objective video quality algorithm that combines temporal analysis and the perceptual weighting technique. The proposed algorithm was validated using the correlation between objective measurements and the subjective scores provided by the LIVE Video Quality Database, considering the following conditions: H.264 and MPEG-2 encoding and transmission of H.264 bit-streams over IP and wireless networks. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is a competitive alternative when compared with classical objective algorithms, such as MOVIE.
Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To investigate the independent effects of intake of fruit and vegetables on incidence of type 2 diabetes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL, British Nursing Index (BNI), and the Cochrane library were searched for medical subject headings and keywords on diabetes, prediabetes, fruit, and vegetables. Expert opinions were sought and reference lists of relevant articles checked. Study selection Prospective cohort studies with an independent measure of intake of fruit, vegetables, or fruit and vegetables and data on incidence of type 2 diabetes. Results Six studies met the inclusion criteria; four of these studies also provided separate information on the consumption of green leafy vegetables. Summary estimates showed that greater intake of green leafy vegetables was associated with a 14% (hazard ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 0.97) reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes (P=0.01). The summary estimates showed no significant benefits of increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruit, or fruit and vegetables combined. Conclusion Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and should be investigated further.
Unit Testing Performance in Java Projects: Are We There Yet?

Although methods and tools for unit testing of performance exist for over a decade, anecdotal evidence suggests unit testing of performance is not nearly as common as unit testing of functionality. We examine this situation in a study of GitHub projects written in Java, looking for occurrences of performance evaluation code in common performance testing frameworks. We quantify the use of such frameworks, identifying the most relevant performance testing approaches, and describe how we adjust the design of our SPL performance testing framework to follow these conclusions.
Middle-Solving F4 to Compute Grobner bases for Cryptanalysis over GF(2)

Algebraic cryptanalysis usually requires to recover the secret key by solving polynomial equations. Faugere's F4 is a well-known Grobner bases algorithm to solve this problem. However, a serious drawback exists in the Grobner bases based algebraic attacks, namely, any information won't be got if we couldn't work out the Grobner bases of the polynomial equations system. In this paper, we in-depth research the F4 algorithm over GF(2). By using S-polynomials to replace critical pairs and computing the normal form of the productions with respect to the field equations in certain steps, many "redundant" reductors are avoided during the computation process of the F4 algorithm. By slightly modifying the logic of F4 algorithm, we solve the univariate polynomials appeared in the algorithm and then back-substitute the values of the solved variables at each iteration of the algorithm. We call our improvements Middle-Solving F4. The heuristic strategy of Middle-Solving overcomes the drawback of algebraic attacks and well suits algebraic attacks. It has never been applied to the Grobner bases algorithm before. Experiments to some Hidden Field Equation instances and some classical benchmarks (Cyclic 6, Gonnet83) show that Middle-Solving F4 is faster and uses less memory than Faugere's F4.
Aldosterone and aldosterone receptor antagonists in patients with chronic heart failure

Aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid hormone synthesized by the adrenal glands that has several regulatory functions to help the body maintain normal volume status and electrolyte balance. Studies have shown significantly higher levels of aldosterone secretion in patients with congestive heart failure compared with normal patients. Elevated levels of aldosterone have been shown to elevate blood pressure, cause left ventricular hypertrophy, and promote cardiac fibrosis. An appreciation of the true role of aldosterone in patients with chronic heart failure did not become apparent until the publication of the Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study. Until recently, the use of aldosterone receptor antagonists has been limited to patients with severe heart failure and patients with heart failure following myocardial infarction. The Eplerenone in Mild Patients Hospitalization and Survival Study in Heart Failure (EMPHASIS-HF) study added additional evidence to support the expanded use of aldosterone receptor antagonists in heart failure patients. The results of the EMPHASIS-HF trial showed that patients with mild-to-moderate (New York Heart Association Class II) heart failure had reductions in mortality and hospitalizations from the addition of eplerenone to optimal medical therapy. Evidence remains elusive about the exact mechanism by which aldosterone receptor antagonists improve heart failure morbidity and mortality. The benefits of aldosterone receptor antagonist use in heart failure must be weighed against the potential risk of complications, ie, hyperkalemia and, in the case of spironolactone, possible endocrine abnormalities, in particular gynecomastia. With appropriate monitoring, these risks can be minimized. We now have evidence that patients with mild-to-severe symptoms associated with systolic heart failure will benefit from the addition of an aldosterone receptor antagonist to the standard therapies of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers. This review will address the pharmacologic basis of aldosterone receptor antagonists in patients with heart failure and the clinical impact of this therapy.
Modelling interaural level and phase cues with Student's t-distribution for robust clustering in MESSL

The state of the art model-based expectation maximization source separation and localization (MESSL) algorithm successfully separates multiple sound sources from only two-channel reverberant mixtures. Since MESSL achieves under-determined convolutive blind source separation by essentially clustering spectrogram points based on their interaural spatial cues, the performance of MESSL degrades substantially when the speech sources are in close proximity. In this paper, we therefore enhance its performance by the integration of robust clustering based on the Student's t-distribution. This heavy-tailed distribution, as compared to the Gaussian distribution originally used in MESSL for parametric modelling, can potentially better capture outlier values and thereby lead to more accurate probabilistic masks for source separation. The student's t-distribution is exploited in modelling both the interaural phase difference (IPD) and the interaural level difference (ILD) in order to better represent the uncertainties introduced by noise, reverberations as well as the statistical non-stationarity of speech signals. Simulation studies based on speech mixtures formed from the TIMIT database confirm the advantage of the proposed approach in terms of signal to distortion ratio (SDR) and the perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ).
The Adoption of E-commerce in SMEs in Vietnam: A Study of Users and Prospectors

The adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in Vietnam will enable these companies to do business in a much more efficient way. E-commerce will make these enterprises, as well as their products and services, better known, while at the same time making it possible for them to conduct transactions not only in that country, but throughout the world. The sample for this study consisted of 300 small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam. The results indicate that the size of the enterprise, its resources and its strategic orientation, the employees’ knowledge of e-commerce, the attitudes of managers towards innovation and their knowledge of the new technologies and of e-commerce, the intensity of the competition, the degree of support of the government, the national infrastructure, the perceived relative advantages, and the complexity and compatibility of e-commerce all have an influence on the adoption of e-commerce in SMEs in Vietnam, but that this influence differs depending on whether it involves users or prospectors.
The 3 P Model : A General Theory of Subjective Well-Being

Empirical research focusing on the field of subjective well-being has resulted in a range of theories, components, and measures, yet only a modicum of work leans towards the establishment of a general theory of subjective well-being. I propose that a temporal model of subjective well-being, called the 3P Model, is a parsimonious, unifying theory, which accounts for, as well as unites, disparate theories and measurements. The 3P Model categorizes the components of subjective well-being under the temporal states of the Present, the Past, and the Prospect (Future). The model indicates how each state is important to a global evaluation of subjective well-being and how each state is distinct yet connected to the other states. Additionally, the model explains how measures of subjective well-being are affected by cognitive biases (e.g., peak-end rule, impact bias, retrospective bias), which factor into evaluations of the temporal states, and meta-biases (e.g., temporal perspectives), which factor into global evaluations of life satisfaction. Finally, future research is recommended to further support the model as well as create interventions that can be chosen based on an individual’s temporal preference or that can be designed to counteract certain biases.
TEACHING STATISTICS BASICS TO BIOLOGY AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS THROUGH BAYESIAN IDEAS

Bayesian statistics is usually viewed as an 'advanced' course; Bayesian methods are either seen as an optional extension or its founding ideas are seen as difficult to grasp. There are, however, two good reasons for changing this. First, the recent strong increase in interest in Bayesian methods, in several areas. Second, the fact that Bayesian methods are particularly relevant for the kinds of decisions health related professionals have to make. Here we will argue that the Bayesian approach makes a quite convenient platform for introducing key ideas of probability and statistics to biology and health professionals; we will also outline how such a course can be organized around everyday, easy to grasp, examples, exploring how those simple situations involve a complexity that requires a deeper discussion of the concepts and ideas underlying the modeling process that can lead to acceptable and adequate answers to them.
Gait Transition of Quadruped Robot without Interlimb Neural Connections

Quadrupeds exhibit versatile gait patterns (walk, trot, pace, bound, etc.) in response to locomotion speed [1, 2]. These locomotor patterns are generated via the coordination between limb movements, i.e., interlimb coordination. However, the interlimb coordination mechanism for the generation of such locomotor patterns requires further investigation because it has not been clarified thus far.
Sampling of Procedural Shaders Using Aane Arithmetic

Procedural shaders have become popular tools for describing surface reeectance functions and other material properties. In comparison to xed resolution textures they have the advantage of being resolution independent and storage eecient. While procedural shaders provide an interface for evaluating the shader at a single point in parameter space, it is not easily possible to obtain an average value of the shader together with accurate error bounds over a nite area. Yet the ability to compute such error bounds is crucial for several interesting applications, most notably hierarchical area sampling for global illumination computations using the-nite element approach and for the generation of textures used in interactive computer graphics. Using aane arithmetic for evaluating the shader over a nite area yields a tight, conservative error interval for the shader function. Compilers can automatically generate code for utilizing aane arithmetic from within shaders implemented in a dedicated language, such as the RenderMan shading language.