bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Precise Learn-to-Rank Fault Localization Using Dynamic and Static Features of Target Programs
Authors: Kim Yunho , Mun Seokhyeon , Yoo Shin , Kim Moonzoo
Published: October 2019

Finding the root cause of a bug requires a significant effort from developers. Automated fault localization techniques seek to reduce this cost by computing the suspiciousness scores (i.e., the likelihood of program entities being faulty). Existing techniques have been developed by utilizing input features of specific types for the computation of suspiciousness scores, such as program spectrum or mutation analysis results. This article presents a novel learn-to-rank fault localization technique called
PRecise machINe-learning-based fault loCalization tEchnique (PRINCE).
PRINCE uses genetic programming (GP) to combine multiple sets of localization input features that have been studied separately until now. For dynamic features, PRINCE encompasses both Spectrum Based Fault Localization (SBFL) and Mutation Based Fault Localization (MBFL) techniques. It also uses static features, such as dependency information and structural complexity of program entities. All such information is used by GP to train a ranking model for fault localization. The empirical evaluation on 65 real-world faults from CoREBench, 84 artificial faults from SIR, and 310 real-world faults from Defects4J shows that PRINCE outperforms the state-of-the-art SBFL, MBFL, and learn-to-rank techniques significantly. PRINCE localizes a fault after reviewing 2.4% of the executed statements on average (4.2 and 3.0 times more precise than the best of the compared SBFL and MBFL techniques, respectively). Also, PRINCE ranks 52.9% of the target faults within the top ten suspicious statements.
Differential Testing of Certificate Validation in SSL/TLS Implementations
Authors: Tian Cong , Chen Chu , Duan Zhenhua , Zhao Liang
Published: October 2019

Certificate validation in Secure Sockets Layer or Transport Layer Security protocol (SSL/TLS) is critical to Internet security. Thus, it is significant to check whether certificate validation in SSL/TLS implementations is correctly implemented. With this motivation, we propose a novel differential testing approach that is based on the standard Request for Comments (RFC). First, rules of certificates are extracted automatically from RFCs. Second, low-level test cases are generated through dynamic symbolic execution. Third, high-level test cases, i.e., certificates, are assembled automatically. Finally, with the assembled certificates being test cases, certificate validations in SSL/TLS implementations are tested to reveal latent vulnerabilities or bugs. Our approach named RFCcert has the following advantages: (1) certificates of RFCcert are discrepancy-targeted, since they are assembled according to standards instead of genetics; (2) with the obtained certificates, RFCcert not only reveals the invalidity of traditional differential testing but also is able to conduct testing that traditional differential testing cannot do; and (3) the supporting tool of RFCcert has been implemented and extensive experiments show that the approach is effective in finding bugs of SSL/TLS implementations. In addition, by providing seed certificates for mutation approaches with RFCcert, the ability of mutation approaches in finding distinct discrepancies is significantly enhanced.
Power-mode-aware Memory Subsystem Optimization for Low-power System-on-Chip Design
Authors: Strobel Manuel , Radetzki Martin
Published: October 2019

The memory subsystem is increasingly subject to an intensive energy minimization effort in embedded and System-on-Chip development. While the main focus is typically put on energy consumption reduction, there are other optimization aspects that become more and more relevant as well, e.g., peak power constraints or time budgets. In this regard, the present article makes the following contributions. Taking industrial-grade information into account, different Static Random-Access Memory (SRAM) power modes and their characteristics are presented at first. Using this information, a comprehensive optimization model with the main intention of energy minimization is defined. It is based on memory access statistics that represent the embedded software of interest, which allows for application-tailored improvements. Further, it considers different power states of the memory subsystem and enables the definition of peak power and time corridor constraints. The presented two-stage implementation of this optimization model allows the handling of large design spaces. Clearly defined interfaces facilitate the exchange of individual workflow parts in a plug-and-play fashion and further enable a neat integration of our optimization method with existing hardware/software (HW/SW) codesign synthesis flows. A general evaluation for different technology nodes yields that the optimization potential of memory low-power modes increases with advancing miniaturization but also depends on the data footprint of the embedded software. Experimental results for a set of benchmark applications confirm these findings and provide energy savings of up to 90% and over 60% on average compared to a monolithic memory layout without low-power modes.
CompAct
Authors: Zhang Jeff (Jun) , Raj Parul , Zarar Shuayb , Ambardekar Amol , Garg Siddharth
Published: October 2019

This paper addresses the design of systolic array (SA) based convolutional neural network (CNN) accelerators for mobile and embedded domains. On- and off-chip memory accesses to the large activation inputs (sometimes called feature maps) of CNN layers contribute significantly to total energy consumption for such accelerators; while prior has proposed off-chip compression, activations are still stored on-chip in uncompressed form, requiring either large on-chip activation buffers or slow and energy-hungry off-chip accesses. In this paper, we propose CompAct, a new architecture that enables
on-chip
compression of activations for SA based CNN accelerators. CompAct is built around several key ideas. First, CompAct identifies an SA schedule that has nearly regular access patterns, enabling the use of a modified run-length coding scheme (RLC). Second, CompAct improves compression ratio of the RLC scheme using Sparse-RLC in later CNN layers and Lossy-RLC in earlier layers. Finally, CompAct proposes look-ahead snoozing that operates synergistically with RLC to reduce the leakage energy of activation buffers. Based on detailed synthesis results, we show that CompAct enables up to 62% reduction in activation buffer energy, and 34% reduction in total chip energy.
ECAx
Authors: Castro-Godínez Jorge , Shafique Muhammad , Henkel Jörg
Published: October 2019

Approximate computing has emerged as a design paradigm amenable to error-tolerant applications. It enables trading the quality of results for efficiency improvement in terms of delay, power, and energy consumption under user-provided tolerable quality degradation. Approximate accelerators have been proposed to expedite frequently executing code sections of error-resilient applications while meeting a defined quality level. However, these accelerators may produce unacceptable errors at run time if the input data changes or dynamic adjustments are made for a defined output quality constraint. State-of-the-art approaches in approximate computing address this issue by correctly re-computing those accelerator invocations that produce unacceptable errors; this is achieved by using the host processor or an alternate exact accelerator, which is activated on-demand. Nevertheless, such approaches can nullify the benefits of approximate computing, especially when input data variations are high at run time and errors due to approximations are above a tolerable threshold. As a robust and general solution to this problem, we propose ECAx, a novel methodology to explore low-overhead error correction in approximate accelerators by selectively correcting most significant errors, in terms of their magnitude, without losing the gains of approximations. We particularly consider the case of approximate accelerators built with approximate functional units such as approximate adders. Our novel methodology reduces the required exact re-computations on the host processor, achieving up to 20% performance gain compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
TF-Net
Authors: Yu Jiecao , Lukefahr Andrew , Das Reetuparna , Mahlke Scott
Published: October 2019

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have become an essential component of various applications. While today’s DNNs are mainly restricted to cloud services, network connectivity, energy, and data privacy problems make it important to support efficient DNN computation on low-cost, low-power processors like microcontrollers. However, due to the constrained computation resources, it is challenging to execute large DNN models on microcontrollers. Using sub-byte low-precision input activations and weights is a typical method to reduce DNN computation. But on byte-addressable microcontrollers, the sub-byte computation is not well supported. The sub-byte inputs and weights need to be unpacked from bitstreams before computation, which incurs significant computation and energy overhead.

In this paper, we propose the TF-Net pipeline to efficiently deploy sub-byte DNNs on microcontrollers. While TF-Net allows for a range of weight and input precision, we find Ternary weights and Four-bit inputs provide the optimal balance between model accuracy, computation performance, and energy efficiency. TF-Net first includes a training framework for sub-byte low-precision DNN models. Two algorithms are then introduced to accelerate the trained models. The first, direct buffer convolution, amortizes unpacking overhead by caching unpacked inputs. The second, packed sub-byte multiply-accumulate, utilizes a single multiplication instruction to perform multiple sub-byte multiply-accumulate computations. To further accelerate DNN computation, we propose two instructions, Multiply-Shift-Accumulate and Unpack, to extend the existing microcontroller instruction set. On the tested networks, TF-Net can help improve the computation performance and energy efficiency by 1.83× and 2.28× on average, respectively.
Achieving Super-Linear Speedup across Multi-FPGA for Real-Time DNN Inference
Authors: Jiang Weiwen , Sha Edwin H.-M. , Zhang Xinyi , Yang Lei , Zhuge Qingfeng , Shi Yiyu , Hu Jingtong
Published: October 2019

Real-time Deep Neural Network (DNN) inference with low-latency requirement has become increasingly important for numerous applications in both cloud computing (e.g., Apple’s Siri) and edge computing (e.g., Google/Waymo’s driverless car). FPGA-based DNN accelerators have demonstrated both superior flexibility and performance; in addition, for real-time inference with low batch size, FPGA is expected to achieve further performance improvement. However, the performance gain from the single-FPGA design is obstructed by the limited on-chip resource. In this paper, we employ multiple FPGAs to cooperatively run DNNs with the objective of achieving super-linear speed-up against single-FPGA design. In implementing such systems, we found two barriers that hinder us from achieving the design goal: (1) the lack of a clear partition scheme for each DNN layer to fully exploit parallelism, and (2) the insufficient bandwidth between the off-chip memory and the accelerator due to the growing size of DNNs. To tackle these issues, we propose a general framework, “Super-LIP”, which can support different kinds of DNNs. In this paper, we take Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as a vehicle to illustrate Super-LIP. We first formulate an accurate system-level model to support the exploration of best partition schemes. Then, we develop a novel design methodology to effectively alleviate the heavy loads on memory bandwidth by moving traffic from memory bus to inter-FPGA links. We implement Super-LIP based on ZCU102 FPGA boards. Results demonstrate that Super-LIP with 2 FPGAs can achieve 3.48× speedup, compared to the state-of-the-art single-FPGA design. What is more, as the number of FPGAs scales up, the system latency can be further reduced while maintaining high energy efficiency.
Alleria
Authors: Brais Hadi , Panda Preeti Ranjan
Published: October 2019

Application analysis and simulation tools are used extensively by embedded system designers to improve existing optimization techniques or develop new ones. We propose the Alleria framework to make it easier for designers to comprehensively collect critical information such as virtual and physical memory addresses, accessed values, and thread schedules about one or more target applications. Such profilers often incur substantial performance overheads that are orders of magnitude larger than native execution time. We discuss how that overhead can be significantly reduced using a novel profiling mechanism called adaptive profiling. We develop a heuristic-based adaptive profiling mechanism and evaluate its performance using single-threaded and multi-threaded applications. The proposed technique can improve profiling throughput by up to 145% and by 37% on an average, enabling Alleria to be used to comprehensively profile applications with a throughput of over 3 million instructions per second.
IGOR, Get Me the Optimum! Prioritizing Important Design Decisions During the DSE of Embedded Systems
Authors: Smirnov Fedor , Pourmohseni Behnaz , Glaß Michael , Teich Jürgen
Published: October 2019

Design Space Exploration (DSE) techniques for complex embedded systems must cope with a huge variety of applications and target architectures as well as a wide spectrum of objectives and constraints. In particular, existing design automation approaches are either problem-independent, in that they do not exploit any knowledge about the optimization problem at hand, or are tailored to specific a priori assumptions about the problem and/or a specific set of design objectives. While the latter are only applicable within a very limited scope of design problems, the former may struggle to deliver high-quality solutions for problems with large design spaces and/or complex design objectives. As a remedy, we propose
Importance-Guided Order Rearrangement (IGOR)
as a novel approach for DSE of embedded systems. Instead of relying on an a priori problem knowledge, IGOR uses a machine-learning-inspired technique to dynamically analyze the importance of design decisions, i.e., the impact that these decisions—within the specific problem that is being optimized—have on the quality of explored problem solutions w.r.t. the given design objectives. Throughout the DSE, IGOR uses this information to guide the optimization towards the most promising regions of the design space. Experimental results for a variety of applications from different domains of embedded computing and for different optimization scenarios give evidence that the proposed approach is both scalable and adaptable, as it can be used for the optimization of systems described by several thousands constraints, where it outperforms both problem-specific and problem-independent optimization approaches and achieves ε-dominance improvements of up to 95%.
Aggregation Strategies in Reachable Set Computation of Hybrid Systems
Authors: Duggirala Parasara Sridhar , Bak Stanley
Published: October 2019

Computing the set of reachable states is a widely used technique for proving that a hybrid system satisfies its safety specification. Flow-pipe construction methods interleave phases of computing continuous successors and phases of computing discrete successors. Directly doing this leads to a combinatorial explosion problem, though, as with each discrete successor there may be an interval of time where the transition can occur, so that the number of paths becomes exponential in the number of discrete transitions. For this reason, most reachable set computation tools implement some form of set aggregation for discrete transitions, such as, performing a template-based overapproximation or convex hull aggregation. These aggregation methods, however, in theory can lead to unbounded error, and in practice are often the root cause of why a safety specification cannot be proven.

This paper proposes techniques for improving the accuracy of the aggregation operations performed for reachable set computation. First, we present two aggregation strategies over generalized stars, namely convex hull aggregation and template based aggregation. Second, we perform adaptive deaggregation using a data structure called Aggregated Directed Acyclic Graph (AGGDAG). Our deaggregation strategy is driven by counterexamples and hence has soundness and relative completeness guarantees. We demonstrate the computational benefits of our approach through two case studies involving satellite rendezvous and gearbox meshing.
Code-Inherent Traffic Shaping for Hard Real-Time Systems
Authors: Oehlert Dominic , Saidi Selma , Falk Heiko
Published: October 2019

Modern hard real-time systems evolved from isolated single-core architectures to complex multi-core architectures which are often connected in a distributed manner. With the increasing influence of interconnections in hard real-time systems, the access behavior to shared resources of single tasks or cores becomes a crucial factor for the system’s overall worst-case timing properties. Traffic shaping is a powerful technique to decrease contention in a network and deliver guarantees on network streams. In this paper we present a novel approach to automatically integrate a traffic shaping behavior into the code of a program for different traffic shaping profiles while being as least invasive as possible. As this approach is solely depending on modifying programs on a code-level, it does not rely on any additional hardware or operating system-based functions.

We show how different traffic shaping profiles can be implemented into programs using a greedy heuristic and an evolutionary algorithm, as well as their influences on the modified programs. It is demonstrated that the presented approaches can be used to decrease worst-case execution times in multi-core systems and lower buffer requirements in distributed systems.
ReachNN
Authors: Huang Chao , Fan Jiameng , Li Wenchao , Chen Xin , Zhu Qi
Published: October 2019

Applying neural networks as controllers in dynamical systems has shown great promises. However, it is critical yet challenging to verify the safety of such control systems with neural-network controllers in the loop. Previous methods for verifying neural network controlled systems are limited to a few specific activation functions. In this work, we propose a new reachability analysis approach based on Bernstein polynomials that can verify neural-network controlled systems with a more general form of activation functions, i.e., as long as they ensure that the neural networks are Lipschitz continuous. Specifically, we consider abstracting feedforward neural networks with Bernstein polynomials for a small subset of inputs. To quantify the error introduced by abstraction, we provide both theoretical error bound estimation based on the theory of Bernstein polynomials and more practical sampling based error bound estimation, following a tight Lipschitz constant estimation approach based on forward reachability analysis. Compared with previous methods, our approach addresses a much broader set of neural networks, including heterogeneous neural networks that contain multiple types of activation functions. Experiment results on a variety of benchmarks show the effectiveness of our approach.
Robust Reachable Set
Authors: Ghosh Bineet , Duggirala Parasara Sridhar
Published: October 2019

Reachable set computation is one of the primary techniques for safety verification of linear dynamical systems. In reality the underlying dynamics have uncertainties like parameter variations or modeling uncertainties. Therefore, the reachable set computation must consider the uncertainties in the dynamics to be useful
i.e
. the computed reachable set should be over or under approximation if not exact. This paper presents a technique to compute reachable set of linear dynamical systems with uncertainties. First, we introduce a construct called support of a matrix. Using this construct, we present a set of sufficient conditions for which reachable set for uncertain linear system can be computed efficiently; and safety verification can be performed using bi-linear programming. Finally, given a linear dynamical system, we compute robust reachable set, which accounts for all possible uncertainties that can be handled by the sufficient conditions presented. Experimental evaluation on benchmarks reveal that our algorithm is computationally very efficient.
Will My Program Break on This Faulty Processor?
Authors: Bajczi Levente , Vörös András , Molnár Vince
Published: October 2019

Formal verification is approaching a point where it will be reliably applicable to embedded software. Even though formal verification can efficiently analyze multi-threaded applications, multi-core processors are often considered too dangerous to use in critical systems, despite the many benefits they can offer. One reason is the advanced memory consistency model of such CPUs. Nowadays, most software verifiers assume strict sequential consistency, which is also the naïve view of programmers. Modern multi-core processors, however, rarely guarantee this assumption by default. In addition, complex processor architectures may easily contain design faults. Thanks to the recent advances in hardware verification, these faults are increasingly visible and can be detected even in existing processors, giving an opportunity to compensate for the problem in software. In this paper, we propose a generic approach to consider inconsistent behavior of the hardware in the analysis of software. Our approach is based on formal methods and can be used to detect the activation of existing hardware faults on the application level and facilitate their mitigation in software. The approach relies heavily on recent results of model checking and hardware verification and offers new, integrative research directions. We propose a partial solution based on existing model checking tools to demonstrate feasibility and evaluate their performance in this context.
Right-to-Work Laws: Ideology and Impact
Authors: Garcia Ruben J.
Published: October 2019

The debates about right-to-work (RTW) laws have raged for decades. Conservatives have long argued that a freedom principle prohibits employees from being required to pay dues even when a union represents them. Unions and their allies counter that RTW laws are actually intended to minimize the bargaining and political power of labor unions. This article outlines the ideology and impact of RTW laws in the United States. As constitutional challenges to fair share fees continue and state legislatures gradually pass RTW laws, there are many studies on the impact of RTW laws on wages and unionization, but the impact on politics is more mixed. This article analyzes the data nationally but also points to some conditions in which RTW laws may not have the impact that either their proponents or detractors predict. Literature on the topic has considered the following questions: ( a) whether wages and working conditions in RTW states are lower than in non-RTW states, ( b) whether such laws have the intent and effect of weakening worker-friendly candidates politically, and ( c) whether legal interpretations of agency fees or fair share fees are correct. Drawing on the literature in each of these areas, I explore areas of future research and offer conclusions about the state of the literature, as well as the public perceptions of RTW.
Electrode_configuration_DNA_Sensitivity_Biomicrofluidics
Authors: Basuray Sagnik
Published: October 2019

Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensors through rapid and cost-effectiveoften suffer from poor sensitivity. EIS sensors modified with carbon-basedtransducers show a higher conductance, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the sensor towards biomolecules like DNA. However, the EIS spectra are compromised by the parasitic capacitance of the electric double layer (EDL). Here, a new shear-enhanced, flow-through nonporous, non-planar interdigitated microelectrode sensor has been fabricated that shifts the EDL capacitor to high frequencies. Enhanced convective transport in this sensor disrupts the diffusion dynamics of the EDL, shifting its EIS spectra to high frequency. Concomitantly, the DNA detection signal shifts to high frequency, making the sensor very sensitive, rapid with a high signal to noise ratio. The device consists of a microfluidic channel sandwiched between two sets of top and bottom interdigitated microelectrodes. One of the sets of microelectrodes is packed with carbon-based transducer material like carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). Multiple parametric studies of three different electrode configurations of the sensor along with different carbon-based transducer materials are undertaken to understand the fundamental physics and electrochemistry. Sensors packed with SWCNT show femtomolar detection sensitivity from all the different electrode configurations, for a short target-DNA. A 20-fold jump in the signal is noticed from the unique working electrode configuration in contrast to the other electrode configurations. This demonstrates the potential of the sensor for a significant increase in the sensitivity of the detection of DNA and other biomolecules.
AMBRA1, Autophagy, and the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism
Authors: Crespi Bernard , Read Silven , Ly Amy , Hurd Peter
Published: October 2019

The extreme male brain theory of autism posits that its male bias is mediated by exaggeration of male-biased sex differences in the expression of autism-associated traits found in typical populations. The theory is supported by extensive phenotypic evidence, but no genes have yet been described with properties that fit its predictions. The autophagy-associated gene AMBRA1 represents one of the top genome-wide “hits” in recent GWAS studies of schizophrenia, shows sex-differential expression, and has been linked with autism risk and traits in humans and mice, especially or exclusively among females. We genotyped the AMBRA1 autism-risk SNP in a population of typical humans who were scored for the dimensional expression of autistic and schizotypal traits. Females, but not males, homozygous for the GG genotype showed a significant increase in score for the single trait, the Autism Quotient-Imagination subscale, that exhibits a strong, significant male bias in typical populations. As such, females with this genotype resembled males for this highly sexually dimorphic, autism-associated phenotype. These findings support the extreme male brain hypothesis and indicate that sex-specific genetic effects can mediate aspects of risk for autism.
Genetic Polymorphisms ofIFNGandIFNGR1with Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Authors: Wu Shouquan , Liu Xiangmin , Wang Yu , Zhang Miaomiao , Wang Minggui , He Jian-Qing
Published: October 2019

Previous studies indicated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interferon gamma (IFNG) and IFNG receptor 1 (IFNGR1) may be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in different populations. In order to further explore the results in a Chinese Han population, this study was designed to investigate potential associations between the polymorphisms inIFNGandIFNGR1and susceptibility to latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and/or PTB in a Chinese Han population. A total of 209 PTB, 173 LTBI, and 183 healthy control subjects (HCS) were enrolled in our study. Genotyping was conducted using an improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR). We performed a logistic regression including sex and age as covariates to test the effect of alleles/genotypes on LTBI and/or TB. All six markers studied inIFNGandIFNGR1conformed to the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). TheIFNGrs1861494 was significantly associated with LTBI in recessive model, and the CC+CT genotype decreased risk of LTBI by 50% (P=0.046,OR=0.50, 95%CI: 0.25-0.99). TheIFNGR1rs2234711 was significantly associated with LTBI, and allele A increased the risk of LTBI by 55% (P=0.047,OR=1.55, 95%CI: 1.00-2.40). In the present study, we found thatIFNGandIFNGR1polymorphisms were associated with LTBI.
A Phase II Trial of Hu14.18K322A in Combination with Induction Chemotherapy in Children with Newly Diagnosed High-Risk Neuroblastoma
Authors: Furman Wayne L. , Federico Sara M. , McCarville Mary Beth , Shulkin Barry L. , Davidoff Andrew M. , Krasin Matthew J. , Sahr Natasha , Sykes April , Wu Jianrong , Brennan Rachel C. , Bishop Michael William , Helmig Sara , Stewart Elizabeth , Navid Fariba , Triplett Brandon , Santana Victor M. , Bahrami Armita , Anthony Gwendolyn , Yu Alice L. , Hank Jacquelyn , Gillies Stephen D. , Sondel Paul M. , Leung Wing H. , Pappo Alberto S.
Published: October 2019

Purpose:

We sought to evaluate whether combining a humanized antidisialoganglioside mAb (hu14.18K322A) with induction chemotherapy improves early responses and outcomes in children with newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma.

Patients and Methods:

We conducted a prospective nonrandomized, single-arm, two-stage, phase II clinical trial. Six courses of induction chemotherapy were coadministered with hu14.18K322A and followed with granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and low-dose IL2. Consolidation was performed with a busulfan/melphalan preparative regimen. An additional course of hu14.18K322A was administered with parent-derived natural killer cells, when available, during consolidation. Hu14.18K322A, GM-CSF, IL2, and isotretinoin were then administered. Secondary outcomes included reduced tumor volume and semiquantitative 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scoring [i.e., Curie scores (CS)] at the end of induction.

Results:

Forty-two patients received hu14.18K322A and induction chemotherapy. This regimen was well tolerated, with continuous-infusion narcotics adjusted to patient tolerance. Partial responses (PR) or better after the first two chemoimmunotherapy courses occurred in 32 patients [76.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 60.6–88.0]. This was accompanied by primary tumor volume reductions (median, –76%; range, –100% to 5%). Of 35 patients with stage IV disease who completed induction, 31 had end-of-induction CSs of 2 or less. No patients experienced progression during induction. Two-year event-free survival (EFS) was 85.7% (95% CI, 70.9–93.3).

Conclusions:

Adding hu14.18K322A to induction chemotherapy produced early PR or better in most patients, reduced tumor volumes, improved CSs at the end of induction, and yielded an encouraging 2-year EFS. These results, if validated in a larger study, may change the standard of care for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.
Punctate Palmoplantar Keratoderma: A Case Report of Type 1 (Buschke-Fischer-Brauer Disease)
Authors: Bukhari Rahaf , Alhawsawi Waseem , Radin Aisha Ahmad , Jan Hawazin D. , Al Hawsawi Khalid , Al Ahmadi Marwan
Published: October 2019

Punctate palmoplantar keratoderma is a rare hereditary palmoplantar keratoderma. Herein we report a 59-year-old male, otherwise healthy, who presented with a 25-year history of asymptomatic persistent slowly progressing skin lesions on both hands. The parents are non-consanguineous and none of his family members had similar lesions. Skin examination revealed multiple tiny keratotic pits on both palms. Punch skin biopsy from the palmar lesion revealed epidermal depression with an overlying column of compact orthokeratosis. Based on the above clinicopathological findings, a diagnosis of punctate palmoplantar keratoderma type 1 was made. The patient was started on 40% urea and 20% salicylic acid ointment for months but with little improvement.
Banditisme in de Franse tijd in het Leiedepartement, 1796-1813
Authors: Monballyu J.
Published: October 2019

Banditism in the French period in the department of the Lys, 1796-1813
Protection and Use of Transboundary Groundwater Resources under Public International Law—An Analysis of the UN International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers
Authors: Weber Carolin Mai
Published: October 2019

Groundwater is one of the world’s most important water resources. Although it is highly susceptible for pollution and overexploitation, its extraction rate is predicted to increase over the next decades. Against this background, this article discusses the contribution of the UN International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers to the protection of this precious resource. It first provides some information on the characteristics of groundwater and aquifers, then describes briefly the existing international legal regimes addressing transboundary groundwater and the evolution of the Draft Articles, and finally analyses the main criticisms and positive aspects of the Draft Articles.
The Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle (1818) and Russia’s Proposal for a Treaty of Guarantee
Authors: Wirtschafter Elise Kimerling
Published: October 2019

Despite the impressive scholarship devoted to the peacemaking that followed the defeat of Napoleon, significant aspects of European politics remain understudied. These include the intellectual apparatus articulated in diplomatic communications and the relationship of diplomacy to national or local political cultures. This article focuses on Russian diplomacy, itself a relatively understudied topic, by exploring the ideas and concepts that defined Alexander i’s foreign policy and the Russian understanding of European order. The article addresses these matters by focusing on Russia’s proposal for a treaty of guarantee which was presented to the allies at the 1818 Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Welfare Reform, Protest and Stability in the Light of Reforms of Old-Age Pensions, Housing and Primary Education
Authors: Holm-Hansen Jørn , Berg-Nordlie Mikkel , Aasland Aadne , Cook Linda
Published: October 2019

Meeting popular expectations for social welfare delivery is one of the pillars upon which the current Russian regime bases its legitimacy. At the same time, the authorities try to transfer responsibility and costs to citizens and transfer service delivery to commercial actors. This article addresses the relationship between welfare reform and political stability in Russia. The discussion is based upon case studies of three large-scale reforms of pension, education and housing policies in 2014–2019. The reforms are analyzed in the light of mechanisms often referred to as “neo-liberal”: public budgets are relieved by making citizens pay more out of their own pockets, and tasks that used to be public are transferred to non-state actors or people’s self-organizing. The article identifies how the population reacts to the introduction of such mechanisms. It discusses the extent to which core reform mechanisms are challenged and original reforms modified in response to resistance.
The Politics of Retirement Age Increase in Russia: Proposals, Protests and Concessions
Authors: Maltseva Elena
Published: October 2019

The article discusses the changes to the Russian pension system since 2013, focusing specifically on the most recent policy moves. It argues that, despite the apparent instability of the Russian pension system caused by numerous policy shifts that have occurred since 2015, one element has remained constant: since the early 1990s the transformation of the Russian pension system has been driven primarily by neoliberal economic advisers to the Russian government. Passage of the long-delayed decision to raise the retirement age, which provoked large-scale protests, can be understood in light of the current geopolitical and economic risks that complicate the future of Russian economy.
Nabalus muliensis (Asteraceae, Cichorieae), a new species from China

Authors: CHEN YOU-SHENG , XU LIAN-SHENG , KE RUI
Published: October 2019

Nabalus muliensis (Asteraceae, Cichorieae), a new species from southwestern Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. It is the third species of Nabalus occurring in China. The new species is similar to Nabalus tatarinowii in its paniculiform inflorescence, nodding capitula, 3–5 florets, cylindric involucre, achene with unequal ribs and pale brown pappus, but differs by its yellow florets (vs. purple, white or pink), leaf blade lyrate-pinnatilobate (vs. divided with 1–3 pairs of lobes), and achenes with a 2–3 mm long beak (vs. apex truncate). The new species is considered Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
A new species of Bunium (Apiaceae: Apioideae) from Central Anatolia in Turkey: Bunium sivasicum

Authors: ÇELİK MUSTAFA , BAĞCI YAVUZ
Published: October 2019

A new species of Bunium from Central Anatolia (Turkey), Bunium sivasicum (Apiaceae), is described and illustrated. The taxonomic affinities of the new species are determined by detailed morphological investigation and molecular phylogenetic study. Nuclear rDNA-ITS region sequences are used to reveal the phylogenetic relationship of the new species. It belongs to the sect. Elegantia and is related to Bunium simplex, B elegans and B. verruculosum. The differences between the new species and its allies are discussed. Pollen characteristics and fruit surface features of the new species are investigated. The anatomical structure of the fruit is given in detail. In addition, the geographical distributions of the Bunium sivasicum and related taxa in Anatolia are also mapped.
Can morphology and chromosome number contribute to species delimitation? A case in the Hibiscus trionum complex (Tribe Hibisceae, Malvaceae)

Authors: BADRY MOHAMED OWIS , TATE JENNIFER A. , JOSHI PRASHANT , ABBAS AHMED MAHMOUD , HAMED SOHAIR THABET , SHEDED MOHAMED GABR
Published: October 2019

A taxonomic revision of Hibiscus trionum from Egypt was undertaken using morphological and cytological studies of field collections and herbarium specimens. The data indicate that all specimens so far collected in Egypt belong to H. tridactylites, rather than H. trionum. This paper includes a comprehensive description of H. tridactylites, its occurrence, a comparison with other species in the H. trionum complex, and comments on habitat, along with images for easy identification. In addition, chromosome counts for this species from Egypt have been determined for the first time, which add to existing information on chromosome counts for the species from different regions of the world.
Sabbea gen. nov., a new diatom genus (Bacillariophyta) from continental Antarctica

Authors: BISHOP JORDAN , KOPALOVÁ KATEŘINA , DARLING JOSHUA P. , SCHULTE NICHOLAS O. , KOHLER TYLER J. , MCMINN ANDREW , SPAULDING SARAH A. , MCKNIGHT DIANE M. , VAN DE VIJVER BART
Published: October 2019

The non-marine diatom flora of the Antarctic Continent includes several endemic taxa recorded over the past 100 years. One of these taxa, Navicula adminensis D.Roberts & McMinn, was described from the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopy observations have shown that based on its morphological features, the species does not belong to the genus Navicula sensu stricto. To determine the most closely related genera to N. adminensis, the morphological features of Adlafia, Kobayasiella, Envekadea, Stenoneis, Berkeleya, Climaconeis, and Parlibellus were compared with those of N. adminensis. Although each of these genera shows one or more similar features, none of them accommodates the salient morphological characteristics of N. adminensis. Therefore, a new genus, Sabbea gen. nov., is herein described, and Navicula adminensis is formally transferred to the new genus as Sabbea adminensis comb. nov. The genus Sabbea is characterized by uniseriate striae composed of small, rounded areolae occluded externally by individual hymenes, a rather simple raphe structure with straight, short proximal ends and short terminal raphe fissures, open girdle bands with double perforation and a very shallow mantle.
Dynamical Mechanisms Supporting Extreme Rainfall Accumulations in the Houston “Tax Day” 2016 Flood
Authors: Nielsen Erik R. , Schumacher Russ S.
Published: October 2019

This research examines the environmental and storm-scale characteristics of the extreme rainfall and flooding in the Houston, Texas, area on 18 April 2016, known as the “Tax Day” flood. Radar and local mesonet rain gauge observations were used to identify the locations and structures of extreme rain-rate-producing cells, with special attention given to rotating updrafts. To supplement this observation-based analysis, a WRF-ARW simulation of the Tax Day storm in 2016 was examined for the influence of any attendant rotation on both the dynamics and microphysics of the cells producing the most intense short-term (i.e., subhourly to hourly) rainfall accumulations. Results show that the most intense rainfall accumulations in the model analysis, as in the observational analysis, are associated with rotating convective elements. A lowering of the updraft base, enhancement of the low-level vertical velocities, and increased low-level rainwater production is seen in rotating updrafts, compared to those without rotation. These differences are also maintained despite increased hydrometeor loading. The results agree with the findings of previous idealized model simulations that show dynamical accelerations associated with meso-γ-scale rotation can enhance convective rainfall rates.
The Harmful Side of Thanks: Thankful Responses to High-Power Group Help Undermine Low-Power Groups’ Protest
Authors: Ksenofontov Inna , Becker Julia C.
Published: October 2019

Giving thanks has multiple psychological benefits. However, within intergroup contexts, thankful responses from low-power to high-power group members could solidify the power hierarchy. The other-oriented nature of grateful expressions could mask power differences and discourage low-power group members from advocating for their ingroup interests. In five studies ( N = 825), we examine the novel idea of a potentially harmful side of “thanks,” using correlational and experimental designs and a follow-up. Across different contexts, expressing thanks to a high-power group member who transgressed and then helped undermined low-power group members’ protest intentions and actual protest. Thus, the expression of thanks can pacify members of low-power groups. We offer insights into the underlying process by showing that forgiveness of the high-power benefactor and system justification mediate this effect. Our findings provide evidence for a problematic side of gratitude within intergroup relations. We discuss social implications.
Territory incognita
Authors: Usher Mark
Published: October 2019

Tracing the lineage of territorial theorization, from legal container through dialectical, strategic and rhizomatic interpretations, this paper contends that more-than-human aspects of territory have been routinely circumvented by scholars seeking to avoid its realist, imperialist intellectual past. However, with the crisis of representation in political theory precipitated by the planetary ecological crisis, territory as a material entity has sprung alive again. This paper proposes that a reinvigorated materialist approach, informed by Deleuze and Guattari’s writings on territorial assemblages as machinic, nomadic and affective, can offer a way out of the territorial trap, reclaiming nomos from its conservative, masculine heritage.
Effect of Exercise Recommendation on Adolescents With Concussion
Authors: Stumph Justin , Young Julie , Singichetti Bhavna , Yi Honggang , Valasek Amy , Bowman Eric , MacDonald James , Yang Jingzhen , Fischer Anastasia
Published: October 2019

We examined the effect of a noncontact, subsymptom exacerbation early exercise recommendation on recovery from sports-related concussion. Retrospective analysis of adolescents, 10-17 years old, with symptomatic concussion, within 30 days of injury was performed. Time to recovery was measured between the early exercise group and a comparison group. A total of 187 patients studied—112 in the exercise group and 75 in the comparison group; 55% were male (n = 103). The exercise group had a significantly longer duration of concussion symptoms (18.5 days vs 14, P = .002), although both groups recovered within the expected time to recovery for concussion. When analyzed separately, males experienced longer time to recovery from injury (19 days vs 14, P = .003), than females, respectively (18 days vs 14.5, P = .18). Recommendation of early exercise resulted in significantly longer recovery from concussion in male adolescents but had no significant effect in female adolescents; both groups recovered within the expected time frame.
The cultural web, higher education and work-based learning
Authors: Doherty Oran , Stephens Simon
Published: October 2019

This article explores the key challenges experienced by employers, employees and academics during work-based learning (WBL) programmes. Higher education institutes (HEIs) and external employer organizations are increasingly recognizing the benefits of engaging in WBL partnerships. These collaborations offer significant benefits to employers, employees and HEIs. The challenges associated with WBL place demands on the design of curriculum, pedagogy and accreditation. One of the major challenges facing the HEI and employer organization relates to organizational culture. The purpose of this article is to present an organizational culture web that recognizes the requirements of all stakeholders participating in a WBL partnership. An ethnographic methodology combining a number of different data-gathering methods was adopted. Johnson’s cultural web is used as a framework to present a series of recommendations for HEIs to review when considering WBL partnerships. The understanding of best practice in the design of WBL programmes is enriched.
The fashionable scientific fraud: Collingwood’s critique of psychometrics
Authors: Michell Joel
Published: October 2019

In his review of Charles Spearman’s The Nature of ‘Intelligence’ (1923), R. G. Collingwood launched an attack upon psychometrics that was expanded in his Essay on Metaphysics (1940). Although underrated by friend and foe alike, Collingwood’s critique identified a number of defects in the thinking of psychometricians that subsequently became entrenched. However, his main complaint was that psychology generally (and, by implication, psychometrics) was a ‘fashionable scientific fraud’. This charge was inspired by his more general views on logic and metaphysics, which, however, as I argue, are logically unsustainable. Ironically, other elements of his philosophy – his ‘fallacy of calculation’ and concept of ‘scale of forms’ – are relevant to psychometrics and tip the scales in favour of his otherwise unwarranted charge.
Coordinated control of stability and economy based on torque distribution of distributed drive electric vehicle
Authors: Zhao Youqun , Deng Huifan , Li Yong , Xu Han
Published: October 2019

The torque distribution strategy of distributed drive electric vehicle is only aimed at safety or economy. A multi-target coordinated control method considering stability and economy is proposed to solve the problem of single torque distribution target, which consists of a coordination decision controller, a high-level motion controller, and a low-level allocation controller. The coordination decision controller based on the phase plane method determines whether to adopt a stability or economic control strategy. The high-level motion controller consists of a bicycle model with 2 degree of freedom, a speed tracking controller, a stability controller, and an economic controller to calculate the desired direct yaw moment of the four in-wheel motors. The stability controller based on the fuzzy algorithm tracks the desired vehicle side slip angle and yaw rate calculated by the bicycle model with 2 degree of freedom to control vehicle stability. The economical controller based on a multi-motor loss model optimizes the efficiency of the vehicle’s drive system. The low-level allocation controller is presented to provide optimally distributed torques for each wheel. Finally, the simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing show that the coordinated control strategy can effectively improve the stability and economy of the distributed drive electric vehicle.