Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance-driven scheduling with bit-level chaining

This paper presents a new scheduling algorithm that maximizes the performance of a design under resource constraints in high-level synthesis. The algorithm tries to achieve the maximal utilization of resources and the minimal waste of clock slack time. Moreover, it exploits the technique of bit-level chaining to target high-speed designs. The algorithm tries non-integer multiple-cycling and chaining, which allows multiple cycle execution of chained operations, to further increase the performance at the cost of small increase in the complexity of the control unit. Experimental results on several datapath-intensive designs show significant improvement in execution time, over the conventional scheduling algorithms.
Mutation status of K-ras, p53 and allelic losses at 9p and 18q are not prognostic markers in patients with pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND K-ras mutations and allelic losses of tumor suppressors p16 and DPC4 are perceived as potential markers for screening of pancreatic malignancy. In this study, molecular data is compared with survival statistics of the patients and whether they correlate with patients' prognosis is questioned. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty three consecutive patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (stage III and IV) who underwent EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) were enrolled into the study (28 males, 25 females, 63+/-10.5 years). Samples were evaluated on-site for presence of malignant cells. DNA was extracted from Giemsa stained smears using laser microdissection, and mutation status of K-ras and p53 was tested by cycling-gradient capillary electrophoresis (CGCE). In addition, allelic losses of tumor suppressor genes p16 (INK4, CDKN2A) and DPC4 (MADH4, SMAD4) were detected by monitoring the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 9p and 18q loci. Molecular data were compared with survival statistics using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS The median survival in K-ras positive group was 7.0+/-2.4 months (95% CI 2.3-11.7) and in K-ras negative group was 10.0+/-0.6 months (95% CI 8.7-11.3). The median survival in p53 positive group was 10.0+/-2.2 months (95% CI 5.6-14.4) and in p53 negative group was 6.0+/-2.5 months (95% CI 1.1-10.9). The median survival in LOH 9p positive group was 9.0+/-5.1 months (95% CI 0-18.9), in LOH 9p negatives was 10.0+/-5.0 months (95% CI 0.2-19.8). The median survival in LOH 18q positive group was 10.0+/-4.2 months (95% CI 1.8-18.2) and in LOH 18q negative group was 3.0+/-1.3 months (95% CI 0.5-5.5). After the adjustment for age using Cox proportional hazards model, none of the evaluated molecular markers was shown to be an independent prognostic marker for survival of patients with pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSION None of the studied molecular markers was identified as an independent factor determining survival prognosis.
REDUCING PREDATION THROUGH CHEMICALLY MEDIATED CAMOUFLAGE: INDIRECT EFFECTS OF PLANT DEFENSES ON HERBIVORES

Herbivores often specialize on particular hosts that provide both food and shelter from natural enemies. It is thus often unclear whether a plant’s value as a food or its value as a safe shelter has played a larger role in selecting for specialization. Decorator crabs offer a novel opportunity to investigate the relative effects of diet vs. natural enemies in selecting for specialization because these crabs place plant “shelter” on their backs as camouflage but need not use these plants as food, thus decoupling the plant’s value as a food from its value as a shelter. In this study, we show that juveniles of the decorator crab Libinia dubia selectively decorate with the chemically defended brown alga Dictyota menstrualis but treat this plant as a low-preference food. Common omnivorous fishes that are potential predators of Libinia avoid consuming Dictyota due to the alga’s potent chemical defenses. In the field, juvenile crabs decorated with Dictyota experience significantly less predation than crabs decor.
A Multi-Platform Draft de novo Genome Assembly and Comparative Analysis for the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

Data deposition to NCBI Genomes This Whole Genome Shotgun project has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession AMXX00000000 (SMACv1.0, unscaffolded genome assembly). The version described in this paper is the first version (AMXX01000000). The scaffolded assembly (SMACv1.1) has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession AOUJ00000000, and is also the first version (AOUJ01000000). Strong biological interest in traits such as the acquisition and utilization of speech, cognitive abilities, and longevity catalyzed the utilization of two next-generation sequencing platforms to provide the first-draft de novo genome assembly for the large, new world parrot Ara macao (Scarlet Macaw). Despite the challenges associated with genome assembly for an outbred avian species, including 951,507 high-quality putative single nucleotide polymorphisms, the final genome assembly (>1.035 Gb) includes more than 997 Mb of unambiguous sequence data (excluding N’s). Cytogenetic analyses including ZooFISH revealed complex rearrangements associated with two scarlet macaw macrochromosomes (AMA6, AMA7), which supports the hypothesis that translocations, fusions, and intragenomic rearrangements are key factors associated with karyotype evolution among parrots. In silico annotation of the scarlet macaw genome provided robust evidence for 14,405 nuclear gene annotation models, their predicted transcripts and proteins, and a complete mitochondrial genome. Comparative analyses involving the scarlet macaw, chicken, and zebra finch genomes revealed high levels of nucleotide-based conservation as well as evidence for overall genome stability among the three highly divergent species. Application of a new whole-genome analysis of divergence involving all three species yielded prioritized candidate genes and noncoding regions for parrot traits of interest (i.e., speech, intelligence, longevity) which were independently supported by the results of previous human GWAS studies. We also observed evidence for genes and noncoding loci that displayed extreme conservation across the three avian lineages, thereby reflecting their likely biological and developmental importance among birds.
Bayesian Hyperanalytic Denoising of SONAR Images

The SOund Navigation And Ranging (SONAR) images are perturbed by speckle noise. This paper presents a new denoising method in the wavelet domain, which tends to reduce the speckle, preserving the structural features and the textural information of the scene. Shift invariance associated with good directional selectivity is important for the use of a wavelet transform (WT) in denoising of SONAR images. In this paper, we propose the use of a variant of hyperanalytic WT, which is quasi-shift invariant and has good directional selectivity in association with a maximum a posteriori filter named bishrink. This filter makes a very good treatment of the contours. The corresponding denoising algorithm is simple and fast. Its performance was proved on images perturbed by synthesized speckle noise and on real SONAR images.
A multiplicative reinforcement learning model capturing learning dynamics and interindividual variability in mice

Significance Learning speed can strongly differ across individuals. This is seen in humans and animals. Here, we measured learning speed in mice performing a discrimination task and developed a theoretical model based on the reinforcement learning framework to account for differences between individual mice. We found that, when using a multiplicative learning rule, the starting connectivity values of the model strongly determine the shape of learning curves. This is in contrast to current learning models based on additive rules, in which the learning speed is typically determined by a single parameter describing the ability of connections to change their strength. Our findings suggest that the particular wiring architecture in the brain strongly conditions our ability to rapidly learn a new task. Both in humans and in animals, different individuals may learn the same task with strikingly different speeds; however, the sources of this variability remain elusive. In standard learning models, interindividual variability is often explained by variations of the learning rate, a parameter indicating how much synapses are updated on each learning event. Here, we theoretically show that the initial connectivity between the neurons involved in learning a task is also a strong determinant of how quickly the task is learned, provided that connections are updated in a multiplicative manner. To experimentally test this idea, we trained mice to perform an auditory Go/NoGo discrimination task followed by a reversal to compare learning speed when starting from naive or already trained synaptic connections. All mice learned the initial task, but often displayed sigmoid-like learning curves, with a variable delay period followed by a steep increase in performance, as often observed in operant conditioning. For all mice, learning was much faster in the subsequent reversal training. An accurate fit of all learning curves could be obtained with a reinforcement learning model endowed with a multiplicative learning rule, but not with an additive rule. Surprisingly, the multiplicative model could explain a large fraction of the interindividual variability by variations in the initial synaptic weights. Altogether, these results demonstrate the power of multiplicative learning rules to account for the full dynamics of biological learning and suggest an important role of initial wiring in the brain for predispositions to different tasks.
Scorpio On the 6m Telescope: Current State and Perspectives for Spectroscopy of Galactic and Extragalactic Objects

Abstract A significant part of observations at the Russian 6 m telescope is carried out using the SCORPIO multi-mode focal reducer. During the past ten years, a lot of scientific data have been collected using observations in the direct imaging, slit spectroscopy and Fabry-Pérot interferometry modes. Some results of these observations are considered in this review. We also present a short description of a new generation instrument named SCORPIO-2.
Comparison of Metabolic Network between Muscle and Intramuscular Adipose Tissues in Hanwoo Beef Cattle Using a Systems Biology Approach

The interrelationship between muscle and adipose tissues plays a major role in determining the quality of carcass traits. The objective of this study was to compare metabolic differences between muscle and intramuscular adipose (IMA) tissues in the longissimus dorsi (LD) of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) using the RNA-seq technology and a systems biology approach. The LD sections between the 6th and 7th ribs were removed from nine (each of three cows, steers, and bulls) Hanwoo beef cattle (carcass weight of 430.2 ± 40.66 kg) immediately after slaughter. The total mRNA from muscle, IMA, and subcutaneous adipose and omental adipose tissues were isolated and sequenced. The reads that passed quality control were mapped onto the bovine reference genome (build bosTau6), and differentially expressed genes across tissues were identified. The KEGG pathway enrichment tests revealed the opposite direction of metabolic regulation between muscle and IMA. Metabolic gene network analysis clearly indicated that oxidative metabolism was upregulated in muscle and downregulated in IMA. Interestingly, pathways for regulating cell adhesion, structure, and integrity and chemokine signaling pathway were upregulated in IMA and downregulated in muscle. It is thus inferred that IMA may play an important role in the regulation of development and structure of the LD tissues and muscle/adipose communication.
Modulation of Sphingolipid Metabolism by the Phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate Phosphatase Sac1p through Regulation of Phosphatidylinositol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

Sphingolipids and phosphoinositides both play signaling roles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although previous data indicate independent functions for these two classes of lipids, recent genetic studies have suggested interactions between phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) phosphate effectors and sphingolipid biosynthetic enzymes. The present study was undertaken to further define the effects of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) metabolism on cell sphingolipid metabolism. The data presented indicate that deletion of SAC1, a gene encoding a PtdIns(4)P phosphatase, increased levels of most sphingolipid species, including sphingoid bases, sphingoid base phosphates, and phytoceramide. In contrast, sac1Δ dramatically reduced inositol phosphosphingolipids, which result from the addition of a PtdIns-derived phosphoinositol head group to ceramides through Aur1p. Deletion of SAC1 decreased PtdIns dramatically in both steady-state and pulse labeling studies, suggesting that the observed effects on sphingolipids may result from modulation of the availability of PtdIns as a substrate for Aur1p. Supporting this hypothesis, acute attenuation of PtdIns(4)P production through Stt4p immediately increased PtdIns and subsequently reduced sphingoid bases. This reduction was overcome by the inhibition of Aur1p. Moreover, modulation of sphingoid bases through perturbation of PtdIns(4)P metabolism initiated sphingolipid-dependent biological effects, supporting the biological relevance for this route of regulating sphingolipids. These findings suggest that, in addition to potential signaling effects of PtdInsP effectors on sphingolipid metabolism, PtdIns kinases may exert substantial effects on cell sphingolipid profiles at a metabolic level through modulation of PtdIns available as a substrate for complex sphingolipid synthesis.
Effects of Manidipine Plus Rosuvastatin Versus Olmesartan Plus Rosuvastatin on Markers of Insulin Resistance in Patients With Impaired Fasting Glucose, Hypertension, and Mixed Dyslipidemia

Aim: To compare the effect of manidipine 20 mg plus rosuvastatin 10 mg versus olmesartan 20 mg plus rosuvastatin 10 mg on markers of insulin resistance in patients with mixed dyslipidemia, hypertension, and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Methods: This study had a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE) design. A total of 40 patients with IFG, mixed dyslipidemia, and stage 1 hypertension were included. Following dietary intervention, patients were randomly allocated to rosuvastatin (10 mg/d) plus olmesartan (20 mg/d) or manidipine (20 mg/d). The primary end point was the between-group difference in changes in the Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index following 3 months of treatment. Secondary end points included changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin levels, and glucosylated hemoglobin. Results: At the end of the 3-month treatment period, a significant increase in HOMA-IR index by 14% (from 2.4 [0.5-7.9] to 2.7 [0.5-5.2], P = .02 versus baseline) was seen in the olmesartan plus rosuvastatin group. On the contrary, no significant change in HOMA-IR index was observed in the manidipine plus rosuvastatin group (1.7 [0.5-5.2] to 1.7 [0.8-6.0], P = NS versus baseline, P = .04 versus olmesartan plus rosuvastatin group). An increase in fasting insulin levels was observed in the olmesartan plus rosuvastatin group (+8%, from 10.1 [2.0-29.6] to 10.9 [2.0-19.1] μU/mL, P < .05 versus baseline), while no significant change was seen in the manidipine plus rosuvastatin group (+3%, from 7.3 [2.0-17.6] to 7.5 [1.9-15.6] μU/mL, P = NS versus baseline, P = .02 versus olmesartan plus rosuvastatin group). Fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin did not change significantly in any group. Conclusion: Manidipine seems to ameliorate the possible statin-associated increase in insulin resistance as compared with olmesartan in patients with IFG, hypertension, and mixed dyslipidemia.
Discourse parsing for multi-party chat dialogues

In this paper we present the first ever, to the best of our knowledge, discourse parser for multi-party chat dialogues. Discourse in multi-party dialogues dramatically differs from monologues since threaded conversations are commonplace rendering prediction of the discourse structure compelling. Moreover, the fact that our data come from chats renders the use of syntactic and lexical information useless since people take great liberties in expressing themselves lexically and syntactically. We use the dependency parsing paradigm as has been done in the past (Muller et al., 2012; Li et al., 2014). We learn local probability distributions and then use MST for decoding. We achieve 0.680 F1 on unlabelled structures and 0.516 F1 on fully labeled structures which is better than many state of the art systems for monologues, despite the inherent difficulties that multi-party chat dialogues have.
The myth of comfort food.

OBJECTIVE People seek out their own idiosyncratic comfort foods when in negative moods, and they believe that these foods rapidly improve their mood. The purpose of these studies is to investigate whether comfort foods actually provide psychological benefits, and if so, whether they improve mood better than comparison foods or no food. METHODS Participants first completed an online questionnaire to indicate their comfort foods and a variety of comparison foods. During two lab sessions a week apart from each other (and at least a week after the online questionnaire, counterbalanced in order), participants watched films that induced negative affect. In one session, participants were then served their comfort food. In the other, participants were served an equally liked noncomfort food (Study 1), a neutral food (Study 2), or no food (Studies 3 and 4). Short-term mood changes were measured so that we could seek out psychological effects of these foods, rather than biochemical effects on mood from particular food components (e.g., sugars or vitamins). RESULTS Comfort foods led to significant improvements in mood, but no more than other foods or no food. CONCLUSIONS Although people believe that comfort foods provide them with mood benefits, comfort foods do not provide comfort beyond that of other foods (or no food). These results are likely not due to a floor effect because participants' moods did not return to baseline levels. Individuals may be giving comfort food "credit" for mood effects that would have occurred even in the absence of the comfort food.
Metabolomics and surgical oncology: Potential role for small molecule biomarkers

Metabolomics, the newest of the “omics” sciences, has brought much excitement to the field of oncology as a potential new translational tool capable of bringing the molecular world of cancer care to the bedside. While still early in its development, metabolomics could alter the scope and role of surgery in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer. This review examines potential roles of metabolomics in areas of early cancer detection, personalized therapeutics and tumorigenesis. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 103:451–459. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In vivo serial diffusion tensor imaging of experimental spinal cord injury

In vivo longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of rodent spinal cord injury (SCI) was carried out over a period of eight weeks post‐injury. A balanced, rotationally invariant, alternating gradient polarity icosahedral diffusion encoding scheme was used for an unbiased estimation of the DTI metrics. The fractional anisotropy (FA), diffusivities along (longitudinal), and perpendicular (transverse) to the fiber tracts, were estimated for the ventral, dorsal, and lateral white matter. In all the three regions, the DTI metrics were observed to be significantly different in injured cords relative to the uninjured controls close to the epicenter of the injury. However, these differences gradually disappeared away from the epicenter. The spatio‐temporal changes in the DTI metrics showed a recovery pattern that is region specific. Although the temporal trends in the tissue recovery in rostral and caudal sections seem to be similar, overall the DTI metrics were observed to be closer to the normal tissue values in the caudal relative to the rostral sections (rostral–caudal asymmetry). © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Global patterns and determinants of forest canopy height.

Forest canopy height is an important indicator of forest biomass, species diversity, and other ecosystem functions; however, the climatic determinants that underlie its global patterns have not been fully explored. Using satellite LiDAR-derived forest canopy heights and field measurements of the world's giant trees, combined with climate indices, we evaluated the global patterns and determinants of forest canopy height. The mean canopy height was highest in tropical regions, but tall forests (>50 m) occur at various latitudes. Water availability, quantified by the difference between annual precipitation and annual potential evapotranspiration (P-PET), was the best predictor of global forest canopy height, which supports the hydraulic limitation hypothesis. However, in striking contrast with previous studies, the canopy height exhibited a hump-shaped curve along a gradient of P-PET: it initially increased, then peaked at approximately 680 mm of P-PET, and finally declined, which suggests that excessive water supply negatively affects the canopy height. This trend held true across continents and forest types, and it was also validated using forest inventory data from China and the United States. Our findings provide new insights into the climatic controls of the world's giant trees and have important implications for forest management and improvement of forest growth models.
0.4–6 GHz,17-dBm B1dB, 36-dBm IIP3 channel-selecting, low-noise amplifier for SAW-less 3G/4G FDD receivers

A channel-selecting, low-noise amplifier (CSLNA) is presented that meets the requirements for a SAW-less diversity path receiver in frequency-division duplexing (FDD) cellular systems. An N-path filter is incorporated into the LNA feedback network to tune from 400 MHz to 6 GHz. The proposed CS-LNA creates close-in stopbands around the passband to suppress transmit (TX) blockers up to 17 dBm. This work reports an out-of-band (OOB) IIP3 of 36 dBm and IB IIP3 of 10 dBm with the maximum rejection larger than 60 dB. To the author's knowledge, this is the highest blocker rejection, power-handling capability and IIP3 for an LNA that is tunable over more than a decade.
Immunocytochemical localization of microtubule-associated protein 1 in rat cerebellum using monoclonal antibodies

Immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies showed that microtubule-associated protein 1 (MAP1) has a restricted cellular distribution in the rat cerebellum. Anti-MAP1 staining was found only in neurons, where it was much stronger in dendrites than in axons. There were striking variations in the apparent concentration of MAP1 in different classes of neurons. Purkinje cells were the most strongly labeled, while granule cell neurons gave a faint, threshold-level reaction with the antibody. The reaction of Golgi neurons was intermediate between these two extremes. Equivalent results were obtained using two different methods of tissue preparation. Thus MAP1 appears to be a neuron-specific protein that is highly concentrated in dendrites and occurs at markedly different levels in different types of neurons. These observations provide further indications of heterogeneity among brain microtubules.