Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Compiler Directed Prefetching for EPIC Processors

The widely acknowledged performance gap between processors and memory has been the subject of much research. In the Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) paradigm, the combination of in-order issue and the presence of a large number of parallel functional units exacerbate the problem. Prefetching, by hardware, software, or a combination of both, is one of the primary mechanisms advocated to alleviate this problem. In this paper, we propose a new software-based data prefetching mechanism that is the Adaptive Markovian Predictor ( AMP). AMP is suitable for implementation in EPIC processors without significant hardware overhead. Specifically, we introduce a predicated prefetch operation which leverages the concept of an informing load to dynamically adapt to runtime memory behaviors. Furthermore, we employ predicated prefetching in a new optimization framework that also consists of data remapping and off-line learning of Markovian predictors. This distinguishes our approach from early software prefetching techniques that only involve static program analysis. Our experiments show that the proposed framework can effectively remove 10%-30% of the stall cycles due to cache misses for benchmarks from the well-known SPEC and OLDEN suites. The results also show that the framework performs better than pure stride predictors and has lower bandwidth and instruction overheads.
Tag-Aware Personalized Recommendation Using a Deep-Semantic Similarity Model with Negative Sampling

With the rapid growth of social tagging systems, many efforts have been put on tag-aware personalized recommendation. However, due to uncontrolled vocabularies, social tags are usually redundant, sparse, and ambiguous. In this paper, we propose a deep neural network approach to solve this problem by mapping both the tag-based user and item profiles to an abstract deep feature space, where the deep-semantic similarities between users and their target items (resp., irrelevant items) are maximized (resp., minimized). Due to huge numbers of online items, the training of this model is usually computationally expensive in the real-world context. Therefore, we introduce negative sampling, which significantly increases the model's training efficiency (109.6 times quicker) and ensures the scalability in practice. Experimental results show that our model can significantly outperform the state-of-the-art baselines in tag-aware personalized recommendation: e.g., its mean reciprocal rank is between 5.7 and 16.5 times better than the baselines.
The anxiolytic effect of the CRH1 receptor antagonist R121919 depends on innate emotionality in rats

Hyperactivity of central corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) circuits appears to contribute to the symptomatology of affective and anxiety disorders and therefore CRH receptor antagonists have attracted attention as potential therapeutic agents. R121919, a novel high‐affinity nonpeptide CRH1 receptor antagonist, displaced 125I‐oCRH in rat pituitary, cortex and amygdala, but not in choroid plexus or cerebral blood vessels in vitro and in vivo, which is consistent with CRH1 receptor antagonism. In vivo, R121919 significantly inhibited stress‐induced corticotropin release in rats selectively bred for high‐ and low‐anxiety‐related behaviour but displayed anxiolytic effects in high‐anxiety rats only. These data, corroborated by ex vivo receptor occupancy studies, suggest that this animal model is appropriate for the evaluation of CRH1 receptor antagonists and that compounds such as R121919 will be beneficial whenever the central stress hormone system is hyperactive.
Effect of ambient language in the period of first words: 'bye-bye' vocalizations of Japanese and American children

Abstract The bye-bye vocalizations produced by 15 Japanese-reared children and seven American-English-reared children were examined for evidence of the effect of ambient language in the period of first words. Using the lexical age periods of 10-word and 50-word development, bye-bye vocalizations were analysed for overall duration and final syllable lengthening. Results of the analysis indicated a significant difference in overall duration and final syllable lengthening for the Japanese-reared children across the lexical periods, while minimal change was noted among the American-English-reared children. The results obtained for both groups were congruent with features of adult prosody known to exist for the two languages.
The Personal Consequences of a Year of Study Abroad.

Using a design involving experimental and control groups, this study evaluates the effect of a year of study abroad on the self-realization of a group of junior-year students in France. The kind of self-realization which is proposed by the ideologues and custodians of such programs is seen to be aimed at producing a liberal-international version of a typically modern individual. Using this model as a guide, a series of hypotheses regarding the effects on individuals of a year of overseas study were developed. The tests of these hypotheses involved the comparison of changes in the junior-year group and a group which remained at home. Some support for the hypotheses was obtained from assessments made at the end of the year abroad, but a later assessment, using less-than-adequate data, suggests that most of the personality changes derived from the overseas experience did not persist after return home. Further research is called for.
Don't Be Cruel: Assessing Beliefs About Punishments for Crimes Against Animals

ABSTRACT Hypothetical scenarios depicting an act of animal abuse were given to 438 participants who rated the appropriateness of eight types of punishments. The predictive value of sex of participant, animal type, crime type (acute abuse or neglect), crime outcome (victim lives or dies), and sex of perpetrator for ratings of appropriate punishments was evaluated using a canonical correlation analysis. Sex of participant and animal type emerged as the two strongest predictors, suggesting participants tend to concentrate on the victim rather than the crime, and then use their own beliefs about that specific animal to make a decision regarding punishment. Among the various punishment types, participants placed the greatest importance on restricting the perpetrator's ability to adopt an animal in the future, rather than recommending rehabilitative measures. Also, mandatory counseling, a monetary fine, and jail time were desired. Exploratory analyses showed that early experience on a farm moderates the gender effect such that females who lived on a farm rated harsher punishments as more appropriate, whereas males who lived on a farm rated more lenient punishments as more appropriate.
Determinants of Positive Naturalisation Intentions among Germany's Labour Migrants

This study adds another piece to the puzzle of naturalisation among individuals with an immigrant background by further developing the application of social identity. I suggest that two important determinants of an intention to naturalise are identification with one's country of origin, and discrimination. The effects of these and other predictors associated with social identity theory are empirically tested with data from the 1995 to 2002 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel. The models additionally account for institutionally generated opportunities for naturalisation and their advantages. Findings from conditional fixed-effects models show that intentions to naturalise correspond only partially to the assumptions of social identity theory. Discrimination decreases the odds of respondents intending to naturalise; increasing in-group identification does not. Social and cultural integration are also found to decrease rather than increase the odds, as do unemployment and a short duration of stay. Replicating previous results, political utilities increase the odds that respondents will demonstrate positive naturalisation intentions. The data do not confirm the claim that the higher rates of naturalisation among Turkish nationals are associated with their lower social status and their desire to improve it.
Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization Losing Under Contract : Transaction-Cost Externalities and Spot Market Disintegration

Standard economic intuition of revealed preference implies that when two parties freely enter into a contract then neither should be worse off. In this study, we develop a simple model showing that introducing the opportunity to contract can lower welfare for some, and perhaps all, contracting parties. We consider a situation where processors can obtain inputs from suppliers (farmers) using either a spot market or contractual arrangements, and where spot market transaction costs depends on the volume of trade in the spot market. We show that contracting parties may lose when more contracting results in higher transaction costs for spot market participants. At the margin, firms and input suppliers gain from signing contracts. However, contracting raises spot-market transaction costs for those who do not sign contracts, which provides a greater incentive for others to sign contracts, ultimately inducing more contracting than optimal. The model demonstrates why structural or organizational change may be rapid and why the private minimization of transaction costs may not lead to optimal institutional arrangements.
Moral cognition, affect, and psychopathy

Few theorists would challenge the idea that affect and emotion directly influence decision-making and moral judgment. There is good reason to think that they also significantly assist in decision-making and judgment, and in fact are necessary for fully effective moral cognition. However, they are not sufficient. Deliberation and more reflective thought processes likewise play a crucial role, and in fact are inseparable from affective processes. I will argue that while the dual-process account of moral judgment set forth by Craigie (2011) has great merit, it fails to appreciate fully the extent to which affective and reflective processes are not only integrated, but also mutually interdependent. Evidence from psychopathy indicates that when reflective processes are not assisted adequately by what I will call ‘affective framing’, and moral cognition is of the “cooler,” less emotionally-informed variety, what results is not effective cognitive functioning, but rather psychopathology. My proposed account of affective framing aims to make sense of the way in which affect plays a strictly necessary and integral role not just in intuitive moral responses, but also in reflective moral judgments, so that moral cognition is accomplished by the joint operation of affective processes and reflective reasoning processes.
Invertebrate Synapsins: A Single Gene Codes for Several Isoforms in Drosophila

Vertebrate synapsins constitute a family of synaptic proteins that participate in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. Information on the presence of synapsin homologs in invertebrates has been inconclusive. We have now cloned a Drosophila gene coding for at least two inferred proteins that both contain a region with 50% amino acid identity to the highly conserved vesicle- and actin-binding “C” domain of vertebrate synapsins. Within the C domain coding sequence, the positions of two introns have been conserved exactly from fly to human. The positions of three additional introns within this domain are similar. The Drosophilasynapsin gene (Syn) is widely expressed in the nervous system of the fly. The gene products are detected in all or nearly all conventional synaptic terminals. A single amber (UAG) stop codon terminates the open reading frame (ORF1) of the most abundant transcript of the Syn gene 140 amino acid codons downstream of the homology domain. Unexpectedly, the stop codon is followed by another 443 in-frame amino acid codons (ORF2). Using different antibodies directed against ORF1 or ORF2, we demonstrate that in the adult fly small and large synapsin isoforms are generated. The small isoforms are only recognized by antibodies against ORF1; the large isoforms bind both kinds of antibodies. We suggest that the large synapsin isoform in Drosophila may be generated by UAG read-through. Implications of such an unconventional mechanism for the generation of protein diversity from a single gene are discussed.
Encephalization and Brain Organization of Mobulid Rays (Myliobatiformes, Elasmobranchii) with Ecological Perspectives

In the present study the brain mass to body mass ratio and external morphological features of the brain of Mobula japanica, Mobula thurstoni and Manta birostris (devilrays) are described. The Mobulids extended the upper boundary of the minimum convex polygon described earlier by other authors for batoids, which is plotted on a double logarithmic scale of brain to body mass, causing some change in the allometric coefficient. The encephalization quotient of Mobulas was higher than unity, therefore it can be concluded that the actual brain mass is greater than expected by the given body mass. M. japanica had the highest percentage (61%) of telencephalic mass from all batoids, while the brain mass of M. birostris was the highest of all fish studied so far. The gross morphology of the enlarged Mobulid telencephalon and cerebellum prominently resembled to that of Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead shark). A structural dimorphism of the highly foliated cerebellum was detected between genders of the M. japanica, albeit with a small sample size. No such gender-related dimorphism was detected in brain mass/body mass ratio. Other brain parts were similar to those of other elasmobranch species. The data are discussed in terms of their ecological and evolutionary
Rapid and Simple Approach for Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Isolates by PCR-Based Genomic Deletion Analysis

ABSTRACT Although the virulences and host ranges differ among members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (TBC; M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. canettii, M. microti, M. bovis, and M. bovis BCG), commercially available molecular assays cannot differentiate these organisms because of the genetic identities of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Comparative genomic analyses with the complete DNA sequence of M. tuberculosis H37Rv has provided information on regions of difference (RD 1 to RD 16) deleted in members of the TBC other than M. tuberculosis. To determine whether deletion analysis could accurately differentiate members of TBC, we used PCR to assess the presence or absence of specific regions of the genome in 88 well-characterized isolates of M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. microti, M. bovis, and M. bovis BCG. The identifications obtained by use of the specific deletion profiles correlated 100% with the original identifications for all TBC members except M. africanum, but further characterization resulted in profiles specific for all members. Although six RD regions were used in the analyses with the original 88 isolates, it was found that the use of RD 1, RD 9, and RD 10 was sufficient for initial screenings, followed by the use of RD 3, RD 5, and RD 11 if the results for any of the first three regions were negative. When 605 sequential clinical isolates were screened, 578 (96%) were identified as M. tuberculosis, 6 (1%) were identified as M. africanum, 8 (1%) were identified as M. bovis, and 13 (2%) were identified as M. bovis BCG. Since PCR-based assays can be implemented in most clinical mycobacteriology laboratories, this approach provides a rapid and simple means for the differentiation of members of TBC, especially M. bovis and M. tuberculosis, when it is important to distinguish between zoonotic sources (i.e., cattle and unpasteurized dairy products) and human sources of tuberculosis disease.
Low insulin sensitivity (S(i) = 0) in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects in the insulin resistance atherosclerosis study: is it associated with components of the metabolic syndrome and nontraditional risk factors?

OBJECTIVE To determine the meaning of S(i) = 0 derived from the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The issue of assessing insulin resistance in large studies is important because the most definitive method ("gold standard"), the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, is expensive and invasive. The frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT) has been widely used, but in insulin-resistant subjects (especially diabetic subjects), it yields considerable numbers of subjects whose S(i) is zero. The interpretation of an S(i) equaling zero is unknown. RESULTS -To address this issue, we examined 1482 subjects from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS) using an insulin-modified FSIGTT and minimal model calculation of S(i). The proportion of insulin-resistant subjects (S(i) < 1.61 x 10(-4) [min(-1). microU(-1) x ml(-1)] based on the median of the nondiabetic population) was 38.6% in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 74% in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 92% in subjects with type 2 diabetes. The proportion of subjects with S(i) = 0 was 2.2% in subjects with NGT, 13.2% in subjects with IGT, and 35.7% in subjects with type 2 diabetes. In subjects with IGT, those with S(i) = 0 had significantly lower HDL cholesterol levels and higher BMI, waist circumference, fibrinogen, plasminogen-activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and 2-h insulin levels than insulin-resistant subjects with S(i) > 0. In type 2 diabetes, subjects with S(i) = 0 had significantly greater BMI and waist circumference and higher triglyceride, PAI-1, CRP, fibrinogen, and fasting and 2-h insulin levels than insulin-resistant subjects with S(i) > 0. In addition, diabetic subjects with S(i) = 0 had more metabolic disorders related to the insulin resistance syndrome than diabetic insulin-resistant subjects with S(i) > 0. CONCLUSIONS We found very few subjects with S(i) = 0 among subjects with NGT and few subjects with S(i) = 0 among subjects with IGT. In contrast, S(i) = 0 was common in subjects with diabetes. Subjects with S(i) = 0 tended to have more features of the insulin resistance syndrome than other insulin-resistant subjects with S(i) > 0, as would be expected of subjects with almost no insulin-mediated glucose disposal, thus suggesting that subjects with S(i) = 0 are correctly classified as being very insulin resistant rather than having failed the minimal model program.
Hypothyroidism after treatment for nonthyroid head and neck cancer.

OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of posttreatment hypothyroidism in patients treated with surgery with or without radiotherapy for advanced-stage nonthyroid head and neck cancer and to make recommendations for its detection. DESIGN A prospective study to assess the incidence and time frame of occurrence of hypothyroidism in patients by primary tumor site and treatment modality. Thyroid function tests were performed preoperatively, at the first postoperative visit, and then approximately every 6 months. Patients were followed up for up to 3 years. SETTING Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio. PATIENTS A total of 251 patients with nonthyroid head and neck cancer were originally enrolled; 198 patients with evaluable data were studied to determine the incidence of posttreatment hypothyroidism. Approximately 80% of the patients had advanced stage (III or IV) or recurrent cancer. RESULTS The overall incidence of posttreatment hypothyroidism was 15% in 198 patients followed up for a mean of approximately 12 months. Hypothyroidism developed in 12% of patients treated with nonlaryngeal surgery and radiotherapy. The group undergoing total laryngectomy (with thyroid lobectomy) and radiotherapy had a 61% incidence of hypothyroidism. The average time to detection of hypothyroidism was 8.2 months. CONCLUSIONS Approximately 15% of patients treated for advanced head and neck cancer with surgery and radiotherapy will develop hypothyroidism. Those treated with total laryngectomy and radiotherapy are at greatest risk.
Decentralized Frank–Wolfe Algorithm for Convex and Nonconvex Problems

Decentralized optimization algorithms have received much attention due to the recent advances in network information processing. However, conventional decentralized algorithms based on projected gradient descent are incapable of handling high-dimensional constrained problems, as the projection step becomes computationally prohibitive. To address this problem, this paper adopts a projection-free optimization approach, a.k. a. the Frank–Wolfe (FW) or conditional gradient algorithm. We first develop a decentralized FW (DeFW) algorithm from the classical FW algorithm. The convergence of the proposed algorithm is studied by viewing the decentralized algorithm as an <italic>inexact </italic> FW algorithm. Using a diminishing step size rule and letting <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$t$ </tex-math></inline-formula> be the iteration number, we show that the DeFW algorithm's convergence rate is <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal O}(1/t)$</tex-math></inline-formula> for convex objectives; is <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal O}(1/t^2)$</tex-math></inline-formula> for strongly convex objectives with the optimal solution in the interior of the constraint set; and is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\mathcal O}(1/\sqrt{t})$</tex-math></inline-formula> toward a stationary point for smooth but nonconvex objectives. We then show that a consensus-based DeFW algorithm meets the above guarantees with two communication rounds per iteration. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed DeFW algorithm on low-complexity robust matrix completion and communication efficient sparse learning. Numerical results on synthetic and real data are presented to support our findings.
Bulbar Acetylcholine Enhances Neural and Perceptual Odor Discrimination

Experimental and modeling data suggest that the circuitry of the main olfactory bulb (OB) plays a critical role in olfactory discrimination. Processing of such information arises from the interaction between OB output neurons local interneurons, as well as interactions between the OB network and centrifugal inputs. Cholinergic input to the OB in particular has been hypothesized to regulate mitral cell odorants receptive fields (ORFs) and behavioral discrimination of similar odorants. We recorded from individual mitral cells in the OB in anesthetized rats to determine the degree of overlap in ORFs of individual mitral cells after exposure to odorant stimuli. Increasing the efficacy of the cholinergic neurotransmission in the OB by addition of the anticholinesterase drug neostigmine (20 mm) sharpened the ORF responses of mitral cells. Furthermore, coaddition of either the nicotinic antagonist methyllycaconitine citrate hydrate (MLA) (20 mm) or muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (40 mm) together with neostigmine (20 mm) attenuated the neostigmine-dependent sharpening of ORFs. These electrophysiological findings are predictive of accompanying behavioral experiments in which cholinergic modulation was manipulated by direct infusion of neostigmine, MLA, and scopolamine into the OB during olfactory behavioral tasks. Increasing the efficacy of cholinergic action in the OB increased perceptual discrimination of odorants in these experiments, whereas blockade of nicotinic or muscarinic receptors decreased perceptual discrimination. These experiments show that behavioral discrimination is modulated in a manner predicted by the changes in mitral cell ORFs by cholinergic drugs. These results together present a first direct comparison between neural and perceptual effects of a bulbar neuromodulator.