Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimizing coarse-grained units in floating point hybrid FPGA

This paper introduces a novel methodology to optimize coarse-grained floating point units (FPUs) in a hybrid FPGA. We employ common subgraph extraction to determine the number of floating point adders/subtracters (FAs), multipliers (FMs) and wordblocks (WBs) in the FPUs. We flrst study the area, speed and utilization trade-off of the selected FPU subgraphs in a set of floating point benchmark circuits. We then explore the impact of density and flexibility of FPUs on the system in terms of area, speed and routing resources. We derive an optimized coarse-grained FPU by considering both architectural and system level issues. The results show that: (1) embedding more types of coarse-grained FPU in the system causes at most 21.3% increase in delay, (2) the area of the system can be reduced by 27.4% by embedding high density subgraphs, (3) the high density subgraphs requires 14.8% fewer routing resources.
Explaining the effects of communities of pastoral care for students

ABSTRACT This article explains how communities of pastoral care work. It presents an empirically forged theory in action. We examined theoretical and empirical work across the targeted area of personalization for students. We also completed what Hallinger (2012) refers to as “exhaustive review” of the field of school improvement writ large. We treated the literature as qualitative data, inductively developing macro-level constructs, mid-level elements, and micro-level practices. We find that pastoral care for students has important effects on student learning. We conclude that the impact is mediated through two critical variables, institutional affiliation and student engagement.
Dietary fibre, lente carbohydrates and the insulin-resistant diseases

Several epidemiological studies link consumption of fibre-rich foods to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and CHD. The ‘fibre hypothesis’ suggested that this was a direct effect of fibre. However, fibre-rich foods contain different types of fibre as well as other potentially beneficial compounds, and many foods naturally high in fibre have low glycaemic and insulinaemic indices, possibly due to food form. The question therefore emerges as to the effect of isolated fibre per se on insulin sensitivity, lipids and other risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome. Many beneficial effects are seen with pharmacological doses of isolated viscous soluble fibre, including improved insulin sensitivity, decreased LDL-cholesterol levels and decreased clotting factors. Similar effects are seen with low glycaemic-index foods. In contrast, insoluble non-viscous cereal fibre is not seen to act directly on risk factors when taken in refined foods such as in milled flour. Since cereal fibre, the major type of fibre in western diets, does not directly act on the risk factors for the metabolic syndrome, the question remains as to possible mechanisms. Until now, fibre and the nature and processing of the starch and particle size have been seen as the main determinants of the metabolic response to starchy foods. However, fibre-rich foods also have an increased protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. Hence we suggest that the protective effect of fibre may also be due to increased vegetable protein content, which may act directly to reduce clotting factors and oxidized LDL-cholesterol levels.
Molecular Characterization and Expression Profiling of Odorant-Binding Proteins in Apolygus lucorum

Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is one of the most important agricultural pests, with broad host range and cryptic feeding habits in China. Chemosensory behavior plays an important role in many crucial stages in the life of A. lucorum, such as the detection of sex pheromone cues during mate pursuit and fragrant odorants during flowering host plant localization. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are involved in the initial biochemical recognition steps in semiochemical perception. In the present study, a transcriptomics-based approach was used to identify potential OBPs in A. lucorum. In total, 38 putative OBP genes were identified, corresponding to 26 ‘classic’ OBPs and 12 ‘Plus-C’ OBPs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. lucorum OBP proteins are more closely related to the OBP proteins of other mirid bugs as the same family OBP clustering together. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis for the first reported 23 AlucOBPs revealed that the expression level of 11 AlucOBP genes were significantly higher in antennae of both sexes than in other tissues. Three of them were male antennae-biased and six were female antennae-biased, suggesting their putative roles in the detection of female sex pheromones and host plant volatiles. In addition, three, four, two and one AlucOBPs had the highest degree of enrichment in the stylet, head, leg, and in abdomen tissues, respectively. Two other OBPs were ubiquitously expressed in the main tissues, including antennae, stylets, heads, legs and wings. Most orthologs had similar expression patterns, strongly indicating that these genes have the same function in olfaction and gustation.
Cardiovascular Health, Part 1

Context: Identification of potentially fatal cardiac conditions in otherwise healthy athletes presents a major challenge to the sports medicine community. The requirements for preparticipation screening vary among countries and even from state to state within the United States. The mandated use of an electrocardiogram as a screening implement has provoked international controversy. Evidence acquisition: Part 1 of this review highlights the current guidelines and controversies surrounding cardiovascular screening, with a focus on the diagnostic challenges associated with identifying athletes with inheritable cardiomyopathies. Data sources were limited to peer-reviewed publications from 1984 to the present. Results: Preparticipation screening should include at least a history and a physical examination for all athletes, whereas use of an electrocardiogram is still controversial. Diagnosis of inherited cardiomyopathies presents unique challenges, particularly in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where many features can mimic those found in the “athlete’s heart. ” Conclusions: Recognizing cardiac conditions in athletes that can predispose them to sudden cardiac death or other adverse outcomes is of vital importance, as is the appropriate exclusion of these athletes from competition. Further studies are needed to determine the most efficient and cost-effective means of screening and to increase the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic testing for inheritable cardiovascular diseases.
LAND USE/LAND COVER MAPPING IN BRAZILIAN AMAZON USING NEURAL NETWORK WITH ASTER/TERRA DATA

: The objective of this study is to show the applicability of the genetic synthesis of the unsupervised artificial neural network ART2 (Adaptive Resonance Theory) in the classification of ASTER image for land use/land cover mapping. The area under study is located in northern Mato Grosso State, Brazil, and is characterized by a strong human occupation process, which caused intensive changes at the landscape, by deforestation, selective logging and agriculture. Field data were acquired in May/June 2003. The use of ASTER data allowed an improvement of the analysis of the occupation process in tropical forest areas. ASTER images have adequate spatial and spectral resolution and are an alternative to the remaining remote sensing data available. The data had a correction of the cross-talk problem, after realized a resampling from SWIR bands (spatial resolution 30 to 15 m), a atmospheric correction and rectification of ASTER images from both data sets 2002 e 2003. The input parameters for the neural network ART2 were optimized by genetic algorithm and the neural network was evaluated by a comparison of classification results with field data. The evaluation of accuracy was done using Kappa statistics. The results of the classification were of satisfactory quality. ASTER bands 2 (630-690 nm), 3 (760-860 nm) and 4 (1600-1700 nm) allowed an increased differentiation of classes, while bands 8 (2295-2365 nm) and 6 (2185-2225 nm) were complementary for the identification of classes. The main land use changes that occurred between 2002 and 2003 were related to deforestation, since many areas of tropical forest were replaced by agriculture and pastures
Neurotrophic Factors and Their Receptors in the Developing Avian Retina and Its Tectal Target

Neurotrophic factors and their receptors are crucial for the formation of neuronal connections and for the neuronal survival during embryonic development of the nervous system. This has particularly been shown by studies of the PNS. The work of this thesis has aimed at clarifying where and when in the developing retina and its tectal target (as parts of the CNS), certain neurotrophic factors come into play. In a functional perspective, the focus has been on the possible involvement of these factors in the regulation of cell death / survival. Therefore, naturally occuring cell death in the developing avian retina was first studied. From the results, it is concluded that there is an early and a late phase of cell death in the developing retina. The cells dying during the early phase are proliferating retinal precursor cells, and the cells dying later are in the process of terminal differentiation. The timing and distribution of the dying cells suggest that the cell death is regulated. During retinal development two retinal cell types, amacrine cells and horizontal cells, express TrkA, a receptor for the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF). These amacrine cells are shown to undergo cell death during the late cell death phase, but can be rescued by exogenous NGF. The horizontal cells in turn, are supported by NGF in an autocrine manner, and therefore survive. Two other neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) are both expressed in the retina and in the target for retinal ganglion cells, the optic tectum. By the results, it is concluded that neuronal activity can regulate the expression of BDNF in the retina and optic tectum. Furthermore, GDNF can stimulate neurite outgrowth from retinal explants of a certain age. Taken together, the main result of this thesis is that neurotrophic factors indeed can work as autocrine survival factors in the developing CNS.
3 . 6 MODELING AND SIMULATION OF NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL GAIT

The diagnosis and treatment of gait abnormalities in children with cerebral palsy is challenging. A combination of several factors, including muscle spasticity, muscle weakness, bony malalignment, and neurological impairment may contribute to a patient’s movement abnormality. In theory, correcting these factors with the appropriate treatment will improve the patient’s gait pattern. Identifying the set of factors to target with treatment is difficult, however, since the abnormal gait pattern and set of contributing factors differ between patients. Further, the human body is a complex 3-dimensional linkage, and consequently muscles often have non-intuitive roles during locomotion that are difficult to discern from examining electromyographs (EMG) and joint motions (Fig. 3.6.1). Modeling and simulation of the musculoskeletal system is a powerful tool for quantifying muscle function during pathological gait, which can in turn help identify why a specific patient walks with an abnormal gait, and enable us to design an appropriate treatment plan. ‘Modeling’, in the context of gait, is a term that often conjures images of 3-dimensional musculoskeletal models and complex dynamic simulations. It is important to recognize that the term ‘model’ simply refers to a set approximations used to represent a system of interest – in this case, the human body. For example, a model of the musculoskeletal system is needed to perform a conventional gait analysis. The process of inverse dynamics, which calculates joint angles and moments during gait (Davis et al. 1991), requires a model of the body that represents the rotational axes of the joints and the inertial properties of the body segments (i.e. masses and moments of inertia). Recent advances in the field of biomechanics allow us to extend this model in several ways to rigorously define the roles of skeletal alignment, muscle activations, muscle–tendon dynamics, and other factors in generating a normal gait pattern. We can first extend the model used for inverse dynamics with a representation of 3-dimensional musculoskeletal geometry (Fig. 3.6.1, orange box). We represent each muscle as a path or set of paths between the muscle’s origin and insertion, possibly with wrapping surfaces or via points to approximate the more complex geometries of tendon sheaths or overlapping muscles (Delp et al. 1990, Van der Helm et al. 1992). With this addition to the musculoskeletal model, we can calculate muscle moment arms, lengths and velocities as a function of a subject’s joint kinematics (Hoffinger et al. 1993, Delp et al. 1996, Schutte et al. 1997, Thompson et al. 1998). This type of model enables us to quantify, for example, the lengths and velocities of a patient’s hamstrings muscles to determine if the muscles are
Education as a Positional Good: Implications for Market-Based Reforms of State Schooling

Analyses of market-based reforms of state schooling have occasionally acknowledged positional elements in parental demand, but none has fully examined their nature and implications. Contrary to the normal predictions of orthodox economic analysis, competition in positional markets can result in inefficient outcomes. Predominantly relying upon recent British experience, we examine the extent to which compulsory schooling can be viewed as a positional good and explore its implica-tions for policy. In particular, we consider whether policies targeting increases in parental choice assist a rise in the overall level of educa-tional attainment.
Ieee Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems Tmacs: a Robust and Verifiable Threshold Multi-authority Access Control System in Public Cloud Storage

—Attribute-based Encryption (ABE) is regarded as a promising cryptographic conducting tool to guarantee data owners' direct control over their data in public cloud storage. The earlier ABE schemes involve only one authority to maintain the whole attribute set, which can bring a single-point bottleneck on both security and performance. Subsequently, some multi-authority schemes are proposed, in which multiple authorities separately maintain disjoint attribute subsets. However, the single-point bottleneck problem remains unsolved. In this paper, from another perspective, we conduct a threshold multi-authority CP-ABE access control scheme for public cloud storage, named TMACS, in which multiple authorities jointly manage a uniform attribute set. In TMACS, taking advantage of (t, n) threshold secret sharing, the master key can be shared among multiple authorities, and a legal user can generate his/her secret key by interacting with any t authorities. Security and performance analysis results show that TMACS is not only verifiable secure when less than t authorities are compromised, but also robust when no less than t authorities are alive in the system. Furthermore, by efficiently combining the traditional multi-authority scheme with TMACS, we construct a hybrid one, which satisfies the scenario of attributes coming from different authorities as well as achieving security and system-level robustness.
Neutralization Serotyping of BK Polyomavirus Infection in Kidney Transplant Recipients

BK polyomavirus (BKV or BKPyV) associated nephropathy affects up to 10% of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). BKV isolates are categorized into four genotypes. It is currently unclear whether the four genotypes are also serotypes. To address this issue, we developed high-throughput serological assays based on antibody-mediated neutralization of BKV genotype I and IV reporter vectors (pseudoviruses). Neutralization-based testing of sera from mice immunized with BKV-I or BKV-IV virus-like particles (VLPs) or sera from naturally infected human subjects revealed that BKV-I specific serum antibodies are poorly neutralizing against BKV-IV and vice versa. The fact that BKV-I and BKV-IV are distinct serotypes was less evident in traditional VLP-based ELISAs. BKV-I and BKV-IV neutralization assays were used to examine BKV type-specific neutralizing antibody responses in KTRs at various time points after transplantation. At study entry, sera from 5% and 49% of KTRs showed no detectable neutralizing activity for BKV-I or BKV-IV neutralization, respectively. By one year after transplantation, all KTRs were neutralization seropositive for BKV-I, and 43% of the initially BKV-IV seronegative subjects showed evidence of acute seroconversion for BKV-IV neutralization. The results suggest a model in which BKV-IV-specific seroconversion reflects a de novo BKV-IV infection in KTRs who initially lack protective antibody responses capable of neutralizing genotype IV BKVs. If this model is correct, it suggests that pre-vaccinating prospective KTRs with a multivalent VLP-based vaccine against all BKV serotypes, or administration of BKV-neutralizing antibodies, might offer protection against graft loss or dysfunction due to BKV associated nephropathy.
’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Semantic sentiment analysis of twitter Conference Item

Sentiment analysis over Twitter offer organisations a fast and effective way to monitor the publics’ feelings towards their brand, business, directors, etc. A wide range of features and methods for training sentiment classifiers for Twitter datasets have been researched in recent years with varying results. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach of adding semantics as additional features into the training set for sentiment analysis. For each extracted entity (e.g. iPhone) from tweets, we add its semantic concept (e.g. “Apple product”) as an additional feature, and measure the correlation of the representative concept with negative/positive sentiment. We apply this approach to predict sentiment for three different Twitter datasets. Our results show an average increase of F harmonic accuracy score for identifying both negative and positive sentiment of around 6.5% and 4.8% over the baselines of unigrams and part-of-speech features respectively. We also compare against an approach based on sentiment-bearing topic analysis, and find that semantic features produce better Recall and F score when classifying negative sentiment, and better Precision with lower Recall and F score in positive sentiment classification.
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Frugivorous Hornbill Movements in Central Africa and their Implications for Rain Forest Conservation

Tropical forest conservation and restoration require an understanding of the movements and habitat preferences of important seed dispersers. With forests now being altered at an unprecedented rate, avian frugivores are becoming increasingly vital for forest regeneration. Seed movement, however, is highly dependent on the behavioral characteristics of their dispersers. Here, we examined the movements, habitat preferences, and range sizes of two African frugivores: the Black‐casqued (Ceratogymna atrata) and the White‐thighed (Bycanistes albotibialis) Hornbill, in the lowland rain forests of southern Cameroon. Using satellite transmitters, we tracked eight hornbills for 3 yr to characterize their movements and relate them to environmental landscape features. Hornbill movements differed significantly, with B. albotibialis ranging over larger areas (mean = 20,274 ha) than C. atrata (mean = 5604 ha), and females of both species covering over 15 times the area of males. Evidence suggests that movements are irruptive during particular periods, perhaps driven by low resource availability. In addition, hornbills often returned to the same localities within a year, although movements were not characterized as migratory. Both species displayed significant differences in habitat preference, with B. albotibialis utilizing disturbed habitat more frequently than C. atrata (t = −22.04, P = 2.2 × 10−16). Major roads were found to act as barriers for C. atrata, but not for B. albotibialis. The ability of both hornbill species to move large distances suggests hornbills will play a vital role in the maintenance and regeneration of rain forests in Central Africa as forest fragmentation increases and terrestrial vertebrates decline in numbers.
Prevalence of Dog Erythrocyte Antigens 1, 4, and 7 in Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizan Hounds) from Ibiza Island

The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of Dog Erythrocyte Antigens (DEA) 1, 4, and 7 in Ibizan hounds, to compare the results with the prevalence of DEA in Spanish greyhounds, and to determine the risk of sensitization following the first transfusion of blood not typed for DEA 1 and the probability of an acute hemolytic reaction following a second incompatible transfusion using untyped DEA 1 blood. DEA 1, 4, and 7 status was determined in 92 Ibizan hounds. Results were compared with the previously reported prevalence in Spanish greyhounds. The risks of sensitization and of a hemolytic transfusion reaction were determined amongst Ibizan hounds and between Ibizan hounds and Spanish greyhounds. The prevalence of DEA 1, 4, and 7 was 75%, 98.9%, and 25%, respectively. There was a significantly higher expression of DEA 1 and 7 in Ibizan hounds than in Spanish greyhounds. The probability of sensitization of a recipient dog to DEA 1 with transfusions amongst Ibizan hounds was 18.5% and between Ibizan hounds and Spanish greyhounds was 13.7%. The probability of an acute hemolytic reaction in each group was 3.5% and 1.9%, respectively. There is a higher prevalence of DEA 1 and 7 in Ibizan hounds than in other sighthounds.
The quasi-holonomic ansatz and restricted lattice walks

The great enumerator Germain Kreweras empirically discovered this intriguing fact, and then needed lots of pages[K], and lots of human ingenuity, to prove it. Other great enumerators, for example, Heinrich Niederhausen[N], Ira Gessel[G1], and Mireille Bousquet-M\'elou[B], found other ingenious, ``simpler'' proofs. Yet none of them is as simple as ours! Our proof (with the generous help of our faithful computers) is ``ugly'' in the traditional sense, since it would be painful for a lowly human to follow all the steps. But according to our humble aesthetic taste, this proof is much more elegant, since it is (conceptually) one-line. So what if that line is rather long (a huge partial-recurrence equation satisfied by the general counting function), it occupies less storage than a very low-resolution photograph.
An engineered CX3CR1 antagonist endowed with anti‐inflammatory activity

Chemokines are mainly involved in the recruitment of leukocytes into tissues, a key feature of inflammation. Through its unique receptor CX3CR1, the chemokine CX3CL1 participates in diverse inflammatory processes including arterial atherosclerosis and cerebral or renal inflammation. Using a phage display strategy, we engineered a hCX3CL1 analog (named F1) with a modified N terminus. F1 bound specifically to cells expressing hCX3CR1 and had a Kd value close to that of native CX3CL1. F1 was not a signaling molecule and did not induce chemotaxis, calcium flux, or CX3CR1 internalization. However, it potently inhibited the CX3CL1‐induced calcium flux and chemotaxis in CX3CR1‐expressing primary cells of human and murine origin with an IC50 of 5–50 nM. It also efficiently inhibited the cell adhesion mediated by the CX3CL1‐CX3CR1 axis. Finally, in a noninfectious murine model of peritonitis, F1 strongly inhibited macrophage accumulation. These data reveal a prototype molecule that is the first bona fide antagonist of hCX3CR1. This molecule could be used as a lead compound for the development of a novel class of anti‐inflammatory substances that act by inhibiting CX3CR1.