Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Substitute-and-simplify: A unified design paradigm for approximate and quality configurable circuits

Many applications are inherently resilient to inexactness or approximations in their underlying computations. Approximate circuit design is an emerging paradigm that exploits this inherent resilience to realize hardware implementations that are highly efficient in energy or performance. In this work, we propose Substitute-And-SIMplIfy (SASIMI), a new systematic approach to the design and synthesis of approximate circuits. The key insight behind SASIMI is to identify signal pairs in the circuit that assume the same value with high probability, and substitute one for the other. While these substitutions introduce functional approximations, if performed judiciously, they result in some logic to be eliminated from the circuit while also enabling downsizing of gates on critical paths (simplification), resulting in significant power savings. We propose an automatic synthesis framework that performs substitution and simplification iteratively, while ensuring that a user-specified quality constraint is satisfied. We extend the proposed framework to perform automatic synthesis of quality configurable circuits that can dynamically operate at different accuracy levels depending on application requirements. We used SASIMI to automatically synthesize approximate and quality configurable implementations of a wide range of arithmetic units (Adders, Multipliers, MAC), complex data paths (SAD, FFT butterfly, Euclidean distance) and ISCAS85 benchmarks, using various error metrics such as error rate and average error magnitude. The synthesized approximate circuits demonstrate power improvements of 10%–28% for tight error constraints, and 30%–60% for relaxed error constraints. The quality configurable circuits obtain between 14%–40% improvement in energy in the approximate mode, while incurring no energy overheads in the accurate mode.
Predicting job performance using FFM and non-FFM personality measures

This study compares the criterion validity of the Big Five personality dimensions when assessed using Five-Factor Model (FFM)-based inventories and non-FFM-based inventories. A large database consisting of American as well as European validity studies was meta-analysed. The results showed that for conscientiousness and emotional stability, the FFM-based inventories had greater criterion validity than the non FFM-based inventories. Conscientiousness showed an operational validity of . 28 (N = 19,460, 90% CV = .07) for FFM-based inventories and . 18 (N =5,874, 90% CV = -.04) for non-FFM inventories. Emotional stability showed an operational validity of . 16 (N = 10,786, 90% CV = .04) versus . 05 (N = 4,541, 90% CV = -.05) for FFM and non-FFM-based inventories, respectively. No relevant differences emerged for extraversion, openness, and agreeableness. From a practical point of view, these findings suggest that practitioners should use inventories based on the FFM in order to make personnel selection decisions.
Injuries to riders in the cross country phase of eventing: the importance of protective equipment.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the distribution of injuries in the eventing discipline of equestrian sports and the effectiveness of the protective equipment worn. METHODS: Data on all injuries sustained in the cross country phase over fixed obstacles were collected from 54 days of competition from 1992 to 1997. This involved 16,940 rides. RESULTS: Data on a total of 193 injuries were collected, which included two deaths. This represents an injury rate of 1.1%. Head and facial injuries represented the largest group (31%), with one third of these requiring treatment in hospital. All riders were wearing protective helmets and body protectors. CONCLUSIONS: Eventing is one of the most dangerous equestrian sports. Improved protective equipment, which is mandatory for 1999, should reduce the severity of these injuries.
Parameters Affecting Telomere-Mediated Chromosomal Truncation in Arabidopsis[W]

This work describes the development of a robust and quantitative system for elucidating the sequences and trans-acting factors required for de novo telomere formation in Arabidopsis thaliana. We determine that genetic redundancy and the nonhomologous end-joining factors Ku and Lig4 facilitate higher levels of de novo telomere formation. Conversion of a double-strand break into a telomere is a dangerous, potentially lethal event. However, little is known about the mechanism and control of de novo telomere formation (DNTF). DNTF can be instigated by the insertion of a telomere repeat array (TRA) into the host genome, which seeds the formation of a new telomere, resulting in chromosome truncation. Such events are rare and concentrated at chromosome ends. Here, we introduce tetraploid Arabidopsis thaliana as a robust genetic model for DNTF. Transformation of a 2.6-kb TRA into tetraploid plants resulted in a DNTF efficiency of 56%, fivefold higher than in diploid plants and 50-fold higher than in human cells. DNTF events were recovered across the entire genome, indicating that genetic redundancy facilitates recovery of DNTF events. Although TRAs as short as 100 bp seeded new telomeres, these tracts were unstable unless they were extended above a 1-kb size threshold. Unexpectedly, DNTF efficiency increased in plants lacking telomerase, and DNTF rates were lower in plants null for Ku70 or Lig4, components of the nonhomologous end-joining repair pathway. We conclude that multiple competing pathways modulate DNTF, and that tetraploid Arabidopsis will be a powerful model for elucidating the molecular details of these processes.
A Metrics Suite for Object Oriented Design

Given the central role that software development plays in the delivery and application of information technology, managers are increasingly focusing on process improvement in the software development area. This demand has spurred the provision of a number of new and/or improved approaches to software development, with perhaps the most prominent being object-orientation (OO). In addition, the focus on process improvement has increased the demand for software measures, or metrics with which to manage the process. The need for such metrics is particularly acute when an organization is adopting a new technology for which established practices have yet to be developed. This research addresses these needs through the development and implementation of a new suite of metrics for OO design. Metrics developed in previous research, while contributing to the field's understanding of software development processes, have generally been subject to serious criticisms, including the lack of a theoretical base. Following Wand and Weber (1989), the theoretical base chosen for the metrics was the ontology of Bunge (1977). Six design metrics are developed, and then analytically evaluated against Weyuker's (1988) proposed set of measurement principles. An automated data collection tool was then developed and implemented to collect an empirical sample of these metrics at two field sites in order to demonstrate their feasibility and suggest ways in which managers may use these metrics for process improvement. >
Overview of FACTS devices for wind power plants directly connected to the transmission network

Growing number of wind turbines is changing electricity generation profile all over the world. This brings challenges for power system operation, which was designed and developed around conventional power plants with directly coupled synchronous generators. In result, safety and stability of the electrical network with high wind energy penetration might be compromised. For this reason transmission system operators (TSO) impose more stringent connection requirements on the wind power plant (WPP) owners. On the other hand flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices offer enhancement of grid stability and can facilitate grid code compliance for WPP. In this paper state-of-the-art in FACTS for WPPs with AC connection is given. FACTS devices with their properties are described. HVDC, which in literature is also often recognized as FACTS device, is out of this paper scope. Academic and industrial research in FACTS applicability for WPPs is summarized. Examples of few existing FACTS applications for wind farms are given.
Game Design as Marketing: How Game Mechanics Create Demand for Virtual Goods

Selling virtual goods for real money is an increasingly popular revenue model for massivelymultiplayer online games (MMOs), social networking sites (SNSs) and other online hangouts. In this paper, we argue that the marketing of virtual goods currently falls short of what it could be. Game developers have long created compelling game designs, but having to market virtual goods to players is a relatively new situation to them. Professional marketers, on the other hand, tend to overlook the internal design of games and hangouts and focus on marketing the services as a whole. To begin bridging the gap, we propose that the design patterns and game mechanics commonly used in games and online hangouts should be viewed as a set of marketing techniques designed to sell virtual goods. Based on a review of a number of MMOs, we describe some of the most common patterns and game mechanics and show how their effects can be explained in terms of analogous techniques from marketing science. The results provide a new perspective to game design with interesting implications to developers. Moreover, they also suggest a radically new perspective to marketers of ordinary goods and services: viewing marketing as a form of game design.
Relationship of Expectations for the Academic Chairperson's Role to Role Behaviours

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the expectations of the role-set for the academic chairperson's role and the chairperson's actual role behaviours using role theory and the role episode model suggested by Kahn et al. as the theoretical framework. The research was carried out on the population of heads of occupational therapy and physical therapy programs in Canadian universities. These subjects participated in indepth personal interviews and completed logs of their time spent in professionally-related activities; deans and faculty members, on the other hand, were surveyed for their expectations of the chairperson's role by means of a mailed questionnaire. Data analysis involved content analysis of interview transcripts and primarily non-parametric correlational statistics. The percentages of time which chairpersons spent on the various role responsibilities as well as the expectations of the role-set, both for time expenditure and for the importance of role responsibilties, were determined. While the results indicated a significant positive correlation between the expectations for time expenditure of physical therapy and of male chairpersons and their own role behaviours, no other significant correlations between the expectations of the role-set and the actual role behaviour of chairpersons were evident. Directions for future research as well as strategies to reduce discordance between expectations are suggested.
A Tidal Extension in the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We report the detection of main-sequence and blue horizontal-branch stars of the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy beyond its tidal radius, indicating the existence of a possible tidal extension in this satellite of the Milky Way. This tidal extension could spread out well beyond the area covered in our survey (R > 80′), as suggested by the presence of a "break" to a shallower slope observed in its density profile. The V-band surface brightness for this possible tidal extension ranges from 29.8 to 31.5 mag arcsec-2. The area covered in our survey (~1.65 deg2) is not enough to discriminate if this extratidal population is part of a tidal tail or an extended halo around the galaxy. The existence of this tidal extension in Ursa Minor indicates that this satellite is currently undergoing a tidal disruption process by the Milky Way. We discuss the possibility of a tidal origin for the high mass-to-light ratio observed in this galaxy on the basis of our result and recent theoretical simulations of the tidal disruption of dwarf satellites in the Galactic halo.
Competitive Binding between Dynamic p53 Transactivation Subdomains to Human MDM2 Protein

Background: The interaction between the transactivation domain of p53 with the N-terminal domains of MDM2 and MDMX is critical for many cell functions. Results: The binding properties of the two subdomains TAD1 and TAD2 of p53 were studied at atomic detail by NMR, mutagenesis, and molecular dynamics simulations. Conclusion: The binding between subdomains TAD1 and TAD2 is competitive. Significance: Regulation of the MDM2/MDMX interactions can be modulated by both TAD1 and TAD2. The interaction between the transactivation domain of p53 (p53TAD) and the N-terminal domain of MDM2 and MDMX plays an essential role for cell function. Mutations in these proteins have been implicated in many forms of cancer. The intrinsically disordered p53TAD contains two subdomains, TAD1 and TAD2. Using NMR spectroscopy, site-directed mutagenesis, and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that TAD2 directly interacts with MDM2, adopting transient structures that bind to the same hydrophobic pocket of MDM2 as TAD1. Our data show that binding of TAD1 and TAD2 to MDM2 is competitive, which is further supported by the observation that the interaction of TAD2 with MDM2 can be blocked by the small molecule inhibitor nutlin-3. Our data further indicate that TAD2 interacts with MDMX in a fashion very similar to MDM2. Because TAD2 is known to have transcriptional activity, the interaction of TAD2 with MDM2/MDMX may play a direct role in the inhibition of p53 transactivation.
Powered Wheelchair Platform for Assistive Technology Development

Literature shows that numerous wheelchair platforms, of various complexities, have been developed and evaluated for Assistive Technology purposes. However there has been little consideration to providing researchers with an embedded system which is fully compatible, and communicates seamlessly with current manufacturer's wheelchair systems. We present our powered wheelchair platform which allows researchers to mount various inertial and environment sensors, and run guidance and navigation algorithms which can modify the human desired joystick trajectory, so as to assist users with negotiating obstacles, and moving from room to room. We are also able to directly access other currently manufactured human input devices and integrate new and novel input devices into the powered wheelchair platform for clinical and research assessment.
The new (old) age movement: Assessing a Vatican assessment

This article examines the recent Vatican document "Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the 'New Age' ". This official Catholic response to a diverse and polycentric religio-spiritual phenomenon reveals problematic conditions and core institutional concerns surrounding religion in the culture of postmodernity. These concerns--which are both cause and effect of the diffusion of Catholic identity--include pollution motifs, the impact of relativism, pluralism, privatized religiosity, and waning institutional control of religious symbols. Attention is also directed to the efficacy of doctrinal formulations as a boundary maintenance mechanism and to the way in which the Vatican response to the New Age movement exemplifies church/sect dynamics within contemporary Catholicism.
Assessment of the Accuracy of Using ICD-9 Codes to Identify Uveitis, Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus, Scleritis, and Episcleritis.

IMPORTANCE With the increased use of data from electronic medical records for research, it is important to validate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for their respective diagnoses. OBJECTIVE To assess the accuracy of using ICD-9 codes to identify ocular inflammatory diseases. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective secondary database analysis. The setting was Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, an integrated managed care consortium that serves approximately 15% of the general Hawaiian population. Participants were patients with ICD-9 diagnosis codes that might be associated with a diagnosis of ocular inflammation seen at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007. The data collection and analysis took place from January 2011 to August 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was the positive predictive value (PPV) of ICD-9 codes for identifying specific types of ocular inflammatory disease. The PPVs were calculated by determining the ratio of the confirmed cases found by medical record review to the total number of cases identified by ICD-9 code. RESULTS Of the 873 patients identified by a comprehensive list of ICD-9 codes for ocular inflammatory diseases, 224 cases were confirmed as uveitis after medical record review. Using a set of uveitis-specific codes and eliminating patients with a history of ocular surgery, the overall PPV for uveitis was 61% (95% CI, 56%-66%). The PPVs for individual uveitis codes ranged from 0% to 100%, and 11 uveitis codes had a PPV exceeding 80%. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus and scleritis/episcleritis ICD-9 codes had PPVs of 91% (95% CI, 86%-95%) and 60% (95% CI, 54%-66%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our results suggest that using ICD-9 codes alone to capture uveitis and scleritis/episcleritis diagnoses is not sufficient in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii healthcare system, although there were specific uveitis codes with high PPVs. However, the electronic medical record can reliably be used to identify herpes zoster ophthalmicus cases. Medical record review, as was done in this study, is recommended to elucidate diagnoses for uveitis and scleritis/episcleritis.
Adipogenic Potential of Adipose Stem Cell Subpopulations

Background: Adipose stem cells represent a heterogenous population. Understanding the functional characteristics of subpopulations will be useful in developing adipose stem cell–based therapies for regenerative medicine applications. The aim of this study was to define distinct populations within the stromal vascular fraction based on surface marker expression, and to evaluate the ability of each cell type to differentiate to mature adipocytes. Methods: Subcutaneous whole adipose tissue was obtained by abdominoplasty from human patients. The stromal vascular fraction was separated and four cell populations were isolated by flow cytometry and studied. Candidate perivascular cells (pericytes) were defined as CD146+/CD31–/CD34–. Two CD31+ endothelial populations were detected and differentiated by CD34 expression. These were tentatively designated as mature endothelial (CD 31+/CD34–), and immature endothelial (CD31+/CD34+). Both endothelial populations were heterogeneous with respect to CD146. The CD31–/CD34+ fraction (preadipocyte candidate) was also CD90+ but lacked CD146 expression. Results: Proliferation was greatest in the CD31–/CD34+ group and slowest in the CD146+ group. Expression of adipogenic genes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&ggr;, and fatty acid binding protein 4, were significantly higher in the CD31–/CD34+ group compared with all other populations after in vitro adipogenic differentiation. This group also demonstrated the highest proportion of AdipoRed lipid staining. Conclusions: The authors have isolated four distinct stromal populations from human adult adipose tissue and characterized their adipogenic potential. Of these four populations, the CD31/CD34+ group is the most prevalent and has the greatest potential for adipogenic differentiation. This cell type appears to hold the most promise for adipose tissue engineering.
Purificaton of a functional mouse Fc receptor through the use of a monoclonal antibody

We recently reported the isolation of a rat monoclonal antibody designated 2.4G2 (9) that is directed against the mouse trypsin- resistant Fc receptor (FcR) for IgG2b and IgG1 immune aggregates. We have now utilized the Fab fragment of 2.4G2 as an affinity reagent to purify FcR from the macrophage cell line J774 to apparent homogeneity. The antigen isolated from J774 cells consisted of two general types of polypeptides with broad electrophoretic mobilities of approximately 60,000 and 47,000 mol wt. Similar broad bands ranging from 47,000 to 70,000 mol wt were isolated from various FcR-bearing cell lines of B, T, and null lymphocyte, as well as of macrophage origin. J774 FcR was judged to be a glycoprotein based on the sensitivity of its isoelectric point to neuraminidase digestion, its labeling with galactose oxidase/NaB[3H4], and its binding to concanavalin A-Sepharose. In phosphate-buffered saline, the isolated protein formed large aggregates that were shown to retain FcR activity, albeit with a somewhat altered IgG subclass specificity. The FcR aglutinated erythrocytes that were coated with both IgG2b and IgG2a that did not otherwise hemagglutinate. In addition, iodinated FcR bound to Sephadex beads coated with rabbit IgG, mouse IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG2a, but not to beads coated with mouse IgG3 or rabbit F(ab')2 fragments. The binding of the purified receptor to all IgG classes was inhibited by the Fab fragments of 2.4G2. In contrast, the binding of IgG2a to intact macrophages was inhibited by 2.4G2 Fab by only 15%, whereas rabbit IgG immune aggregate binding was almost completely abolished.
Antioxidant, oxidative DNA damage protective and antimicrobial activities of the plant Trigonella foenum-graecum.

BACKGROUND The plant Trigonella foenum-gracecum (TFG) is used as antidiabetic and diuretic. In order to ascertain antioxidant potential of leaf (early and mature) and seed of TFG, total phenolics, free radical scavenging assay, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, reducing power, lipid peroxidation, ferric thiocyanate assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and DNA damage protective activities were determined. The study was further carried out to assay the antimicrobial activity and HPLC analysis of plant parts. RESULTS Ethanol extracts of leaf (early and mature) exhibited a high content of phenolics (54.79 and 41.28 g kg(-1) GAE) when it was compared with seed extract (23.85 g kg(-1) GAE). Results showed that mature TFG leaf extract had the lowest IC50 for the free radical scavenging assay (IC50 = 2.23 mg mL(-1)), superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 2.71 mg mL(-1)), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 17.30 mg mL(-1)) and highest reducing power (10.14 ascorbic acid equivalents mL(-1)). However, the ethanol seed extract showed the maximum inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the ferric thiocyanate assay. Mature leaf also showed the maximum DNA damage protection activity and higher concentration of phytochemicals. CONCLUSION The results showed that the mature TFG leaf had a higher antioxidant activity, which may be due to the presence of total phenolics. It may be used in herbal drugs or as a nutritional supplement.