Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On How to Accelerate Iterative Stencil Loops

In high-performance systems, stencil computations play a crucial role as they appear in a variety of different fields of application, ranging from partial differential equation solving, to computer simulation of particles’ interaction, to image processing and computer vision. The computationally intensive nature of those algorithms created the need for solutions to efficiently implement them in order to save both execution time and energy. This, in combination with their regular structure, has justified their widespread study and the proposal of largely different approaches to their optimization. However, most of these works are focused on aggressive compile time optimization, cache locality optimization, and parallelism extraction for the multicore/multiprocessor domain, while fewer works are focused on the exploitation of custom architectures to further exploit the regular structure of Iterative Stencil Loops (ISLs), specifically with the goal of improving power efficiency. This work introduces a methodology to systematically design power-efficient hardware accelerators for the optimal execution of ISL algorithms on Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). As part of the methodology, we introduce the notion of Streaming Stencil Time-step (SST), a streaming-based architecture capable of achieving both low resource usage and efficient data reuse thanks to an optimal data buffering strategy, and we introduce a technique called SSTs queuing that is capable of delivering a pseudolinear execution time speedup with constant bandwidth. The methodology has been validated on significant benchmarks on a Virtex-7 FPGA using the Xilinx Vivado suite. Results demonstrate how the efficient usage of the on-chip memory resources realized by an SST allows one to treat problem sizes whose implementation would otherwise not be possible via direct synthesis of the original, unmanipulated code via High-Level Synthesis (HLS). We also show how the SSTs queuing effectively ensures a pseudolinear throughput speedup while consuming constant off-chip bandwidth.
Narrow bandpass filters using dual-behavior resonators based on stepped-impedance stubs and different-length stubs

Dual-behavior resonators (DBRs) are based on the parallel association of two different bandstop structures, which implies a constructive recombination. Two kinds of stubs, stepped-impedance and different-length stubs, are examined in this paper. The first section concerns stepped-impedance stubs. We have previously reported some simplifications of the fundamental equations. Here, we propose a new simplification together with synthesis; both allow an independent control of the two attenuated bands. In a second section, a DBR composed of two uniform stubs of different lengths is studied instead of two stepped-impedance open-circuited stubs. This implies a greatly simplified synthesis and implementation. Some other structures combining short- and open-circuited stubs are also introduced. Throughout the paper, simulations are proposed to illustrate the possibilities offered by such topologies. Experimental results in microstrip technology are also presented in order to validate our idea. Finally, benefits and drawbacks of the different structures are discussed.
The Role of Extrahepatic Metabolism in the Pharmacokinetics of the Targeted Covalent Inhibitors Afatinib, Ibrutinib, and Neratinib

Despite the fact that much progress has been made recently in the development of targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs), their pharmacokinetics (PK) have not been well characterized in the light of extrahepatic clearance (CLextH) by glutathione (GSH)/glutathione S-transferase (GST)-dependent conjugation attributable to the unique electrophilic structure (e.g., acrylamide moiety) of TCI compounds. In the present study, CLextH values were examined in rat, dog, and monkey to predict the contribution of CLextH to the PK of the TCIs afatinib, ibrutinib, and neratinib in humans. Afatinib and neratinib both underwent extensive conjugation with GSH in buffer and cytosol fractions of liver and kidney, whereas ibrutinib showed much lower reactivity/susceptibility to GSH/GST-dependent conjugation. The CLextH in each species was calculated from the difference between observed total body clearance and predicted hepatic clearance (CLH) in cryopreserved hepatocytes suspended in 100% serum of the corresponding species. The power-based simple allometry relating the CLextH for the unbound compound to animal body weight was applicable across species for afatinib and neratinib (R2 ≥ 0.9) but not for ibrutinib (R2 = 0.04). The predicted AUC after oral administration of afatinib and neratinib agreed reasonably closely with reported values in phase I dose-escalation studies. Comparisons of CLextH and CLH predicted that CLextH largely determined the PK of afatinib (>90% as a proportion of total body clearance) and neratinib (∼34%) in humans. The present method can serve as one of the tools for the optimization of PK in humans at the discovery stage for the development of TCI candidates.
Spatial variations of crustal characteristics beneath the Hoggar swell, Algeria, revealed by systematic analyses of receiver functions from a single seismic station

The Hoggar swell in Algeria is one of the significant massifs of northwest Africa. The paucity of high‐resolution geophysical studies of the crust and mantle beneath the massifs is mostly responsible for the heated debates about the depth of the source region of the Cenozoic volcanism and the closely related uncertainty about the mechanism that formed and maintains the high elevation of the swells. Here we report results from a systematic study of 1386 high‐quality receiver functions (RFs) recorded by station TAM, the only permanent broadband seismic station on the Hoggar swell. The resulting crustal thickness is about 34 km and the Vp/Vs is 1.77 when all the RFs from the station are stacked. Our study reveals a sharp contrast in the amplitude of the P‐to‐S converted phases between the volcanic, highly‐fractured Tefedest terrane and the non‐volcanic, less fractured Laouni terrane. The former has a stacking amplitude that is comparable to typical cratonic areas, and the latter has an amplitude that is only about 25% as large. Spatially consistent crustal thickness and an intermediate‐mafic crust are inferred on the Tefedest terrane, while spatially variable crustal thickness and a felsic crust is inferred beneath the Laouni terrane. The observations can be best explained by a mantle‐derived underplated magmatic layer beneath the mechanically‐stronger Laouni terrane, and magmatic diking and resultant volcanism associated with the mechanically weaker Tefedest crust. The study demonstrated the significance of a long‐running station in the investigation of spatial variations of crustal characteristics.
Recognition of Prior Learning Practices in a South African Institution of Higher Learning: Implications for Academic Development

The aim of the study was investigate implications for academic developers on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The research population consisted of three faculties in one South African university. The researchers used a qualitative research approach with case study as a research design. The study followed an interpretivist paradigm because it consisted of faculties’ subjective experience on RPL. Purposive sampling consisted of a case from each one of the three faculties used. Data were collected using narrative reports of three cases from three faculties, and these were sent to the advisory centre that serves as a consultant of RPL issues. Data were presented from each of the cases and analysed thematically. The study revealed that there was a lack of knowledge from university RPL committees in three faculties understudied. It was concluded that faculties lack knowledge on RPL practices. It was, therefore, recommended that all RPL committees in the university be trained about RPL policies and issues. Address for correspondence: Dr Khashane Stephen Malatji University of Limpopo, Centre of Academic Excellence Limpopo Province, South Africa, 0727 E-mail: stephen.malatji@ul.ac. za INTRODUCTION Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process that allows candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Candidates undergo a series of assessments specifically designed to assist them to display their competence. At the end of the assessment process, each candidate is issued with credits for the learning that they have been able to display. These credits are linked to SAQA-registered qualifications. Through RPL, a candidate could earn credits for a few unit standards or a full qualification. RPL recognises any learning that the candidate has acquired, whether it was from formal training, workplace experience, or general life experience. Researchers such as Judy (2015) understand RPL to be a process whereby skills and knowledge, gained by individuals outside formal learning processes, are assessed and granted formal recognition. RPL is also seen as a catalyst for social transformation as it provides tools whereby candidates of all ages can gain access to jobs and places of higher education, previously unavailable to them because of their lack of formal education. RPL serves to develop South Africa’s existing human capital, thereby strengthening the country’s economy. Moreover, RPL gives students or applicants an opportunity to gain a formal qualification of the skills they acquired in the workplace in order to secure that much deserved promotion. Furthermore, RPL enables student/applicant to bridge the gap between informal, non-formal prior learning and formal learning. Lastly, another benefit of RPL is that it allows applicants to gain access to a higher course of study despite the entrance criteria.
Effect of Accent Familiarity on Language Processing via Alpha and Beta Brain Wave Activity

Language is one of the defining characteristics of human social interactions and, as such, has been a main focus of scientific research over the years. Human speech is widely varied with multiple different languages and further diversified by the presence of accents. The current study was designed to test the effects of familiarity of geographically diverse accents on the amplitudes of relaxed, i.e., alpha (~10 Hz), and alert, i.e., beta (~20 Hz), brain waves. It was expected that accents that were easier to understand, or more familiar, would present with more alpha wave activation, demonstrating a more relaxed state due to easier understanding, while accents that were harder to understand, or less familiar, would present with more beta wave activation, demonstrating a more alert state due to increased focus necessary for speech comprehension. Alpha and beta wave activation was measured by placing electrodes on the scalp to record the differences across several areas on the surface of the brain and presenting clips of varying accents in spoken English to the participants. Beta waves recorded showed no significant difference between any of the groups in the study. However, alpha waves showed multiple different significant results: the amplitudes showed an overall decrease as the location associated with the speaker’s accent increased in geographical distance from the testing location, and there was an interaction between location and familiarity to foreign accents. These results suggest that more foreign accents do have an effect on the amplitudes of alpha waves and that there is some connection between experience with foreign accents and these effects.
Complex genetic and environmental relationships between psychological distress, fatigue and immune functioning: a twin study

Background. Although there is considerable support for adverse relationships between states of psychological and somatic distress and immune response, there is little evidence in humans of the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors. Methods. This study utilized a twin methodology to examine the interplay between psychological distress, fatigue and immune function. We recorded a number of measures of distress, including conventional depression and anxiety as well as the somatic symptom of prolonged fatigue, and immune responsiveness (by delayed-type hypersensitivity skin response) in 124 normal adult twin pairs (79 monozygotic, 45 dizygotic). Results. While there were strong genetic influences on the psychological distress and fatigue factors (only some of which are common to both), familial aggregation of immune responsiveness arose mainly from environmental factors shared by both members of a twin pair. Phenotypic correlations between psychological and immune measures were negligible, but multivariate genetic modelling revealed that these masked larger genetic and environmental correlations of opposite sign. Negative environmental effects of psychological distress and fatigue on immune responsiveness were countered by a positive genetic relationship between psychological distress and immune function. Conclusions. Our study suggests that current psychoneuroimmunological hypotheses in humans need to be modified to place increasing importance on the individual's genotype. In this cohort immune responsiveness varied in response to a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Additionally, although psychological distress and fatigue had some shared genetic determinants, independent genetic and environmental risk factors for fatigue were also identified.
A historical perspective on crime control and private security: a Belgian case study

ABSTRACT Since the last decade of the twentieth century, several authors have claimed that the contemporary and ‘new’ developments in (private) policing and crime control form part of the process of neo-liberal policies and rational choice approaches to crime. However, as is argued in this paper, so-called late-modern strategies and discourses of risk-reduction, loss prevention and situational crime prevention were already present in the armoury of crime control measures more than a hundred years ago. To demonstrate the shortcomings in criminological theory with regards to longer-term patterns of crime control, I have used a case study approach to private (security) organisations in the Port of Antwerp between 1880 and the outbreak of the Second World War. Hence, this study analyses the policing discourses and practices of private players, in cooperation with the public police and authorities or not. It shows that even during the heyday of the criminal justice state, they aimed exclusively at manipulating the temporal and spatial dimensions of the opportunity structures in which criminal activities could develop, which is quite similar to contemporary approaches. Therefore, existing criminological accounts that stress the discontinuities in policing and security need to be questioned.
Rac and Cdc42 play distinct roles in regulating PI(3,4,5)P3 and polarity during neutrophil chemotaxis

Neutrophils exposed to chemoattractants polarize and accumulate polymerized actin at the leading edge. In neutrophil-like HL-60 cells, this asymmetry depends on a positive feedback loop in which accumulation of a membrane lipid, phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI[3,4,5]P3), leads to activation of Rac and/or Cdc42, and vice versa. We now report that Rac and Cdc42 play distinct roles in regulating this asymmetry. In the absence of chemoattractant, expression of constitutively active Rac stimulates accumulation at the plasma membrane of actin polymers and of GFP-tagged fluorescent probes for PI(3,4,5)P3 (the PH domain of Akt) and activated Rac (the p21-binding domain of p21-activated kinase). Dominant negative Rac inhibits chemoattractant-stimulated accumulation of actin polymers and membrane translocation of both fluorescent probes and attainment of morphologic polarity. Expression of constitutively active Cdc42 or of two different protein inhibitors of Cdc42 fails to mimic effects of the Rac mutants on actin or PI(3,4,5)P3. Instead, Cdc42 inhibitors prevent cells from maintaining a persistent leading edge and frequently induce formation of multiple, short lived leading edges containing actin polymers, PI(3,4,5)P3, and activated Rac. We conclude that Rac plays a dominant role in the PI(3,4,5)P3-dependent positive feedback loop required for forming a leading edge, whereas location and stability of the leading edge are regulated by Cdc42.
The Multiscale Morphology Filter: Identifying and Extracting Spatial Patterns in the Galaxy Distribution

Aims. We present here a new method, MMF, for automatically segmenting cosmic structure into its basic components: clusters, fi laments, and walls. Importantly, the segmentation is scale independent, so all structures are identified without prejudice as to the ir size or shape. The method is ideally suited for extracting catalogues of clusters, wa lls, and filaments from samples of galaxies in redshift surve ys or from particles in cosmological N-body simulations: it makes no prior assumptions about the scale or shape of the structures. Methods. Our Multiscale Morphology Filter (MMF) method has been developed on the basis of visualization and feature extraction t echniques in computer vision and medical research. The density or intensity field of the sample is smoothed over a range of scales. Th e smoothed signals are processed through a morphology response filter whose for m is dictated by the particular morphological feature it see ks to extract, and depends on the local shape and spatial coherence of the intensity field. The morphology signal at each location is then defi ned to be the one with the maximum response across the full range of smoothing scales. The success of our method in identifying anisotropic features such as filaments and walls depends critically on the use of an optimally defined intensity field. This is accomplished by applying the DTFE re construction methodology to the sample particle or galaxy distribution. Results. We have tested our MMF Filter against a set of heuristic models of weblike patterns such as are seen in the Megaparsec cosmic matter distribution. To test its effectiveness in the context of more realistic configurations w e also present preliminary results from the MMF analysis of an N-body model. Comparison with alternative prescriptions for feature extraction shows that MMF is a remarkably strong structure finder
Bioengineering the Lung : Molecules , Materials , Matrix , Morphology , and Mechanics Matrix stiffness-modulated proliferation and secretory function of the airway smooth muscle cells

Artem Shkumatov, Michael Thompson, Kyoung M. Choi, Delphine Sicard, Kwanghyun Baek, Dong Hyun Kim, Daniel J. Tschumperlin, Y. S. Prakash, and Hyunjoon Kong Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Ansan-si, South Korea; Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Pathobiology, and Bioengineering, Institute of Genomic Biology, Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; and Deptartment of Chemical Engineering, Soongshil University, Seoul, Korea
Understanding Similarity Metrics in Neighbour-based Recommender Systems

Neighbour-based collaborative filtering is a recommendation technique that provides meaningful and, usually, accurate recommendations. The method's success depends however critically upon the similarity metric used to find the most similar users (neighbours), the basis of the predictions made. In this paper, we explore twelve features that aim to explain why some user similarity metrics perform better than others. Specifically, we define two sets of features, a first one based on statistics computed over the distance distribution in the neighbourhood, and, a second one based on the nearest neighbour graph. Our experiments with a public dataset show that some of these features are able to correlate with the performance up to a 90%.
To ‘just be relaxed and with your own thoughts’: Experiences of aquatic activity amongst individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia

The subjective, lived experiences of people with severe and enduring mental ill health during leisure remain a relatively under-researched area. Research suggests, however, that such participants value the empowering nature of tailored leisure activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five individuals, or ‘clients,’ diagnosed with schizophrenia, along with two of their support workers. A Foucauldian theoretical framework guided analysis. Clients were initially passive and dependent upon health professionals for support and guidance. Swimming in an exclusive group with other service users, however, engendered confidence and facilitated the development of supportive relationships between clients. Clients also felt empowered to make their own decisions within the enclosed pool environment. Moreover, descriptions of swimming also focused upon an ethic of self-care and positive emotions and sensations, such as relaxation, peacefulness, and ‘floating’ as an end in itself. The potential to engender similarly empowering experiences amongst other similar groups is considerable.
Bacterial utilization of dissolved glucose in the upper water column of the Gulf of Mexico

Several aspects of bacterial glucose assimilation and bacterial production (BP) were investigated over 2 d in the upper 300 m of the Gulf of Mexico. Glucose concentrations ranged from 2 to 15 nM in surface seawater; glucose utilization rates were 1–3 nM d−1 in the upper 150 m of the water column and 0.02–0.8 nM d−1 in deeper water (150–300 m). Turnover of glucose and bacteria were similar and were in the range of 0.01–0.4 d−1. Measured glucose assimilation rates imply that glucose supports ∼5–10% of the observed BP in surface waters. The limiting factors for bacterial glucose utilization varied with depth. Glucose assimilation seemed to be limited by availability of inorganic N in the chlorophyll maximum. Additions of nitrate or ammonium had similar effects on glucose assimilation. BP was limited by C below and above the chlorophyll maximum. Additions of high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) dissolved organic matter (DOM) decreased bacterial glucose uptake rates, indicating that substances competing with glucose assimilation were derived from HMW DOM extracellularly. Thus, the measurement of free glucose assimilation appears to integrate bacterial utilization of combined glucose and indicates that many of the free sugars in seawater may be derived from polymers. The higher glucose assimilation rates achieved with inorganic nutrient additions indicate that bacterial degradation of C‐rich organic matter (OM) could vary between ocean regions with varying inorganic nutrient concentrations.
Complete Design and Measurement Methodology for a Tunable RF Impedance-Matching Network

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a compact narrowband tunable impedance-matching network. A prototype was fabricated in hybrid technology using coplanar waveguide transmission lines and surface-mounted components. The network consists of a II-structure with tunable components made of varactors in series with inductors. Simulations and measurements are in good agreement. A new measurement methodology suitable for tunable impedance-matching networks is proposed. The results show that complex impedances with magnitudes varying from 6 Omega to 1 kOmega can be matched at 1 GHz and tuned in a 50% bandwidth. In addition, nonlinear measurements were done to fully characterize the network. The 1-dB compression point is reached at an input power of 20 dBm, while the input power for the third-order intermodulation intercept point is 21.3 dBm for a 1-kHz offset between the two input frequencies.