Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic branch speculation in a speculative parallelization architecture for computer clusters

This article describes a technique for path unfolding for conditional branches in parallel programs executed on clusters. Unfolding paths following control structures makes it possible to break the control dependencies existing in the code and consequently to obtain a high degree of parallelism through the use of idle CPUs. The main challenge of this technique is to deal with sequences of control statements. When a control statement appears in a path after a branch, a new conditional block needs to be opened, creating a new code split before the previous one is resolved. Such subsequent code splits increase the cost of speculation management, resulting in reduced profits. Several decision techniques have been developed for improving code splitting and speculation efficiency in single machine architecture. The main contribution of this paper is to apply such techniques to a cluster of single processor systems and evaluate them in such an environment. Our results demonstrate that code splitting in conjunction with branch speculation and the use of statistical information improves the performance measured by the number of processes executed in a time unit. This improvement is particularly significant when the parallelized programs contain iterative structures in which conditions are repeatedly executed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultrastructural alterations in endothelial mitochondria are associated with enhanced nitrotyrosine accumulation and progressive reduction of VEGF expression in sequential protocol renal allograft biopsies with calcineurin inhibitor toxicity

Calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine and tacrolimus; CNIs) continue to be used as constituents of post‐transplant immunosuppression in most centers. However, renal toxicity associated with the use of these drugs remains a problem adversely affecting the long‐term graft survival. Fifteen adequate protocol renal allograft biopsies, with histological features of CNI toxicity among 140 protocol biopsies performed at 1‐, 6‐, and 12‐month post‐transplant, were included. Mitochondrial alterations in the tubular epithelial cells and endothelia of glomerular, peritubular capillaries and arterioles were graded semiquantitatively and further ultrastructural morphometric evaluation of numerical density and area of the mitochondria was performed. Immunohistochemical staining for nitrotyrosine (marker of peroxynitrite formation) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was performed and expression graded semiquantitatively. Higher grades of alterations were seen in endothelial mitochondria as compared with tubular mitochondria in biopsies with calcineurin inhibitor toxicity (CNIT). Endothelial mitochondrial numerical density showed progressive decline over 1‐, 6‐ and 12‐month biopsies while area showed progressive increase in biopsies with CNIT as compared with controls. Upregulation of nitrotyrosine was seen even at 1‐month post‐transplant, persisted at 6 and 12 months, and was significantly greater than that in control biopsies. Intense VEGF expression was noted in early CNIT while progressive reduction was seen in 6‐ and 12‐month protocol biopsies. This study shows a relatively high incidence of CNIT in protocol renal allograft biopsies, indicating that this might be an important mechanism of background damage to the allograft. Structural alterations in endothelial mitochondria are consistent findings in protocol biopsies with CNIT and this relatively specific mitochondrial damage may stem from the peroxynitrite‐mediated damage associated with progressive loss of protective function of VEGF.
A PAE of 17.5% Ka-band balanced frequency doubler with conversion gain of 20 dB

A frequency doubler from 27 to 41 GHz fabricated in 0.13-μm SiGe BiCMOS technology with a maximum output power of 8 dBm and a power added efficiency (PAE) of 17.5% at dc power consumption of 35 mW is presented. It consists of a balun, a driver amplifier (DA), a common-base (CB) core and a medium power amplifier. The CB topology with balun is designed for wider bandwidth and better matching. The measured results showed that the doubler presents a gain of 16.8-19.8 dB, an output power of 1.3-4.3 dBm, and a fundamental rejection of better than 25.7 dB from 27 to 41 GHz with -15.5 dBm input power. The chip size is 0.75 × 0.45 mm2.
Task-context-dependent Linear Representation of Multiple Visual Objects in Human Parietal Cortex

A host of recent studies have reported robust representations of visual object information in the human parietal cortex, similar to those found in ventral visual cortex. In ventral visual cortex, both monkey neurophysiology and human fMRI studies showed that the neural representation of a pair of unrelated objects can be approximated by the averaged neural representation of the constituent objects shown in isolation. In this study, we examined whether such a linear relationship between objects exists for object representations in the human parietal cortex. Using fMRI and multivoxel pattern analysis, we examined object representations in human inferior and superior intraparietal sulcus, two parietal regions previously implicated in visual object selection and encoding, respectively. We also examined responses from the lateral occipital region, a ventral object processing area. We obtained fMRI response patterns to object pairs and their constituent objects shown in isolation while participants viewed these objects and performed a 1-back repetition detection task. By measuring fMRI response pattern correlations, we found that all three brain regions contained representations for both single object and object pairs. In the lateral occipital region, the representation for a pair of objects could be reliably approximated by the average representation of its constituent objects shown in isolation, replicating previous findings in ventral visual cortex. Such a simple linear relationship, however, was not observed in either parietal region examined. Nevertheless, when we equated the amount of task information present by examining responses from two pairs of objects, we found that representations for the average of two object pairs were indistinguishable in both parietal regions from the average of another two object pairs containing the same four component objects but with a different pairing of the objects (i.e., the average of AB and CD vs. that of AD and CB). Thus, when task information was held consistent, the same linear relationship may govern how multiple independent objects are represented in the human parietal cortex as it does in ventral visual cortex. These findings show that object and task representations coexist in the human parietal cortex and characterize one significant difference of how visual information may be represented in ventral visual and parietal regions.
Personality traits, level of anxiety and styles of coping with stressin people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - a comparative analysis.

OBJECTIVES Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are a challenge to public health, with the sufferers experiencing a range of psychological factors affecting their health and behavior. The aim of the present study was to determine the level of anxiety, personality traits and stress-coping ability of patients with obstructive lung disease and comparison with a group of healthy controls. METHODS The research was conducted on a group of 150 people with obstructive lung diseases (asthma and COPD) and healthy controls (mean age = 56.0 ± 16.00). Four surveys were used: a sociodemographic survey, NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Brief Cope Inventory. Logistic regression was used to identify the investigated variables which best differentiated the healthy and sick individuals. RESULTS Patients with asthma or COPD demonstrated a significantly lower level of conscientiousness, openness to experience, active coping and planning, as well as higher levels of neuroticism and a greater tendency to behavioral disengagement. Logistic regression found trait-anxiety, openness to experience, positive reframing, acceptance, humor and behavioral disengagement to be best at distinguishing people with lung diseases from healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate the need for intervention in the psychological functioning of people with obstructive diseases.
Dental treatment as a risk factor for hepatitis B and C viral infection. A review of the recent literature.

BACKGROUND & AIM Patients chronically infected either with hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at increased risk of developing cirrhosis, end stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Different risk factors were found to be associated with the transmission of these viruses in various settings. HBV and HCV transmission seems to be also acquired by non-parenteral and non-sexual routes. A large number of patients infected with HCV might have non identifiable routes of viral acquisition. Hence, viral hepatitis transmission risk factors identification is the main way to reduce infection. Dental treatment may be one of such risk factors, and this aspect is addressed in the present literature review, drawing information from existing literature. METHODS An online database search was conducted, limited to publications from January 1999 to February 2012 on specific aspects of HBV and HCV infection, including articles on risk factors, markers of infection, dentistry, epidemiology and transmission. Relevant material was evaluated and reviewed. RESULTS Overall, 53 studies which met the selection criteria were evaluated. Although these studies were from different geographical regions of varied socioeconomic status and study populations and assessed different dental procedures, using different types of statistical analysis, we found that, although weak, there is an all-time risk of HBV and HCV infection during dental treatment. This is more important in developing countries where the rate of hepatitis infected individuals is higher. There is a need for more studies on this subject, properly planned, controlled and analyzed. CONCLUSION Dental treatment can be included among the risk factors of HBV and HCV infection. This risk can easily be eliminated using standard precautionary measures.
The role of alcohol in suicide: a case-control psychological autopsy study

Background. The purpose of the study was to estimate the proportion of alcohol abuse and dependence (AAD) among suicides and controls, and to compare the incidence of AAD documented by clinicians with diagnoses derived from a research protocol. Method. AAD according to DSM-IV was diagnosed on the basis of interviews with relatives of people who committed suicide and with controls. A total of 427 people who committed suicide during one year were paired by region, gender, age and nationality with controls randomly selected from general practitioners' lists. Results. Alcohol abuse was found in 10% and alcohol dependence in 51% of suicide cases. The corresponding figures for controls were 7% and 14% respectively. AAD was a statistically significant predictor of completed suicides, while abstinence was a significant predictor for female suicides and former use a significant predictor for older male suicides. AAD was diagnosed in 68% of male and 29% of female suicides. Middle-aged (35–59 years) males who committed suicide had the highest risk of alcohol dependence. Among suicide cases only 29% had received a lifetime diagnosis of AAD, against 23% of controls. Conclusions. AAD was significantly more prevalent among suicides than controls. Overall, the proportion of male suicides affected by alcohol was the same in the present psychological autopsy study as in our previous findings for Estonia on the aggregate level, while the share of female suicides with an AAD diagnosis was dramatically higher on the individual level. AAD is markedly underdiagnosed by general practitioners and clinicians.
The Role of the Human Psoralen 4 (hPso4) Protein Complex in Replication Stress and Homologous Recombination*

Background: hPso4 has been implicated in the resistance to interstrand cross-linking DNA-damaging agents. Results: hPso4 complex is involved in normal replication, and it has a role in DNA repair by homologous recombination through the regulation of DNA strand resection. Conclusion: hPso4 has a function in DNA double strand break repair by homologous recombination. Significance: hPso4 complex levels could predict sensitivity of cancer cells to PARP inhibitors. Psoralen 4 (Pso4) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes including RNA splicing and resistance to agents that cause DNA interstrand cross-links. Here we show that the hPso4 complex is required for timely progression through S phase and transition through the G2/M checkpoint, and it functions in the repair of DNA lesions that arise during replication. Notably, hPso4 depletion results in delayed resumption of DNA replication after hydroxyurea-induced stalling of replication forks, reduced repair of spontaneous and hydroxyurea-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), and increased sensitivity to a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor. Furthermore, we show that hPso4 is involved in the repair of DSBs by homologous recombination, probably by regulating the BRCA1 protein levels and the generation of single strand DNA at DSBs. Together, our results demonstrate that hPso4 participates in cell proliferation and the maintenance of genome stability by regulating homologous recombination. The involvement of hPso4 in the recombinational repair of DSBs provides an explanation for the sensitivity of Pso4-deficient cells to DNA interstrand cross-links.
Inconsciente: ¿Un diálogo entre Freud y Vigotsky?

This paper proposes the cross linking of the Socio-historical theory with Psychoanalysis. Reconstructing, from the statements of Vigotsky, the concepts of Repression, Primary Process and Unconscious Forms of Operating. Rescuing those psychoanalytic contributions that would help us understand the constitution of subjectivity.
Treatment of an acoustic neuroma in an only‐hearing ear: Case reports and considerations for the future

Current options regarding the treatment of acoustic neuroma in an only‐hearing ear include: observation, attempted hearing preservation surgery, and stereotactically guided radiation therapy. A patient who had a left labyrinthectomy for Meniere's disease presented 15 years later with a large right acoustic neuroma. Due to anticipated profound deafness, he fit the criteria for cochlear implantation. Promontory stimulation of the left ear was positive. He underwent successful left cochlear implantation with the Nucleus® 22‐channel device and was successfully rehabilitated. He then underwent translabyrinthine removal of his right‐sided 2.5‐cm acoustic neuroma. This case is used to illustrate a new option available to those faced with treating a patient with acoustic neuroma in an only‐hearing ear. How this approach may fit in with other available options will be discussed.
Listeria monocytogenes Is Resistant to Lysozyme through the Regulation, Not the Acquisition, of Cell Wall-Modifying Enzymes

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen that is highly resistant to lysozyme, a ubiquitous enzyme of the innate immune system that degrades cell wall peptidoglycan. Two peptidoglycan-modifying enzymes, PgdA and OatA, confer lysozyme resistance on L. monocytogenes; however, these enzymes are also conserved among lysozyme-sensitive nonpathogens. We sought to identify additional factors responsible for lysozyme resistance in L. monocytogenes. A forward genetic screen for lysozyme-sensitive mutants led to the identification of 174 transposon insertion mutations that mapped to 13 individual genes. Four mutants were killed exclusively by lysozyme and not other cell wall-targeting molecules, including the peptidoglycan deacetylase encoded by pgdA, the putative carboxypeptidase encoded by pbpX, the orphan response regulator encoded by degU, and the highly abundant noncoding RNA encoded by rli31. Both degU and rli31 mutants had reduced expression of pbpX and pgdA, yet DegU and Rli31 did not regulate each other. Since pbpX and pgdA are also present in lysozyme-sensitive bacteria, this suggested that the acquisition of novel enzymes was not responsible for lysozyme resistance, but rather, the regulation of conserved enzymes by DegU and Rli31 conferred high lysozyme resistance. Each lysozyme-sensitive mutant exhibited attenuated virulence in mice, and a time course of infection revealed that the most lysozyme-sensitive strain was killed within 30 min of intravenous infection, a phenotype that was recapitulated in purified blood. Collectively, these data indicate that the genes required for lysozyme resistance are highly upregulated determinants of L. monocytogenes pathogenesis that are required for avoiding the enzymatic activity of lysozyme in the blood.
Biocompatibility of Chronically Implanted Transverse Intrafascicular Multichannel Electrode (TIME) in the Rat Sciatic Nerve

The transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrode (TIME) is intended to be transversally implanted in the peripheral nerve and to selectively interface subsets of axons in different fascicles within the same nerve. Two versions of TIME (TIME-2 and TIME-3) were designed and tested for biocompatibility and safety in the sciatic nerve of the rat. TIME-2 was implanted in two groups: the first group had only an acute implant and the second group had chronic implantation for two months; a third group was also chronically implanted with the TIME-3 version, designed to avoid the mechanical traction produced by muscles motion. We evaluated the functional and morphological effects of either TIME-2 or TIME-3 implanted in the rat sciatic nerve for two months. The results of the study indicate that implantation of the TIME-2 and TIME-3 devices in the nerve did not cause significant axonal loss or demyelination, as evidenced by the functional and histological results. The results of this study indicate that the TIME-2 and TIME-3 designs are biocompatible and safe after chronic implantation in a small peripheral nerve, such as the rat sciatic nerve.
Concurrent benzodiazepine use in older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia

ABSTRACT Background: Little is known about the combined use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in older psychiatric patients. This study examined the prescription pattern of concurrent benzodiazepines in older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia, and explored its demographic and clinical correlates. Methods: The data of 955 older adults with any type of psychiatric disorders were extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants (REAP-AD) project. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Both univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The proportion of benzodiazepine and antidepressant combination in this cohort was 44.3%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that higher doses of antidepressants, younger age (<65 years), inpatients, public hospital, major comorbid medical conditions, antidepressant types, and country/territory were significantly associated with more frequent co-prescription of benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Conclusions: Nearly, half of the older adults treated with antidepressants in Asia are prescribed concurrent benzodiazepines. Given the potentially adverse effects of benzodiazepines, the rationale of benzodiazepines and antidepressants co-prescription needs to be revisited.
Demonising the Victim

The current study aims to understand victim blaming of Ahmadiyya group by majority Sunni Islam in Indonesia. We included ingroup essentialisation, outgroup essentialisation, identity undermining and belief in conspiracy theory as predictors of victim blaming. Results of a survey among 147 Muslims majority Sunni Islam shows that the relationship between identity undermining and victim blaming is stronger for individuals holding ingroup de-essentialisation compared to those with ingroup essentialisation. Moreover, belief in conspiracy theory was found to mediate the effect of the interaction variable of identity undermining and ingroup essentialisation on victim blaming. In addition, outgroup essentialisation was found correlated with belief in conspiracy theory but did not play a significant role to moderate the effect of identity undermining on belief in conspiracy theory and victim blaming. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The experience of cultural transition among adolescent newcomers

The purpose of this research was to contribute to the literature on migration during adolescence by exploring the phenomenon of cultural transition as experienced by newcomer youth in Canada. The study employed a descriptive phenomenological research approach to answer the following question: “How do adolescents who immigrate or seek refuge in a new country experience cultural transition? ” Interviews were conducted with ten adolescent newcomers, ages 15-17, who had migrated to Canada during their adolescent years. Participants represented six different countries of origin, and resided in both Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Using Giorgi’s (2009) psychological phenomenological method, data analysis uncovered eight major structures that captured participants’ experience of cultural transition. These structures included: (a) Pre-migration Experiences/ “I was excited”; (b) Post-migration Impressions/ “A totally new environment”; (c) Education/ “I’m always in school”; (d) Friendships “Friends is such an important part”; (e) Family/ “Changing makes you come closer”; (f) Language/ “Sometimes I don’t want to say anything”; (g) Internal Experiences/ “I wanted to leave” and (h) Cultural Identity/ “A bit of everything”. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the ways in which adolescents in Canada experience cultural transition, and sheds light on factors that are both challenging and supportive to their integration. Recommendations for further research are made, as well as specific recommendations for counsellors working with newcomer youth and their families.
Multiscale adjoint waveform-difference tomography using wavelets

ABSTRACTFull-waveform seismic inversions based on minimizing the distance between observed and predicted seismograms are, in principle, able to yield better-resolved earth models than those minimizing misfits derived from traveltimes alone. Adjoint-based methods provide an efficient way of calculating the gradient of the misfit function via a sequence of forward-modeling steps, which, using spectral-element codes, can be carried out in realistically complex media. Convergence and stability of full-waveform-difference adjoint schemes are greatly improved when data and synthetics are progressively presented to the algorithms in a constructive multiscale approximation using a (bi)orthogonal wavelet transform. Wavelets provide the nonredundant spectral decomposition that paves the way for the inversion to proceed successively from long-wavelength fitting to detailed exploration of the phases in the seismogram. The choice of wavelet class and type, the initial depth of the multiscale decomposition, and the min.