Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multilevel full-chip routing for the X-based architecture

As technology advances into the nanometer territory, the interconnect delay has become a first-order effect on chip performance. To handle this effect, the X-architecture has been proposed for high-performance integrated circuits. The X-architecture presents a new way of orienting a chip's microscopic interconnect wires with the pervasive use of diagonal routes. It can reduce the wire-length and via count, and thus improve performance and routability. Furthermore, the continuous increase of the problem size of IC routing is also a great challenge to existing routing algorithms. In this paper, we present the first multilevel framework for full-chip routing using the X-architecture. To take full advantage of the X-architecture, we explore the optimal routing for three-terminal nets on the X-architecture and develop a general X-Steiner tree algorithm based on the Delaunay triangulation approach for the X-architecture. The multilevel routing framework adopts a two-stage technique of coarsening followed by uncoarsening, with a trapezoid-shaped track assignment embedded between the two stages to assign long, straight diagonal segments for wirelength reduction. Compared with the state-of-the-art multilevel routing for the Manhattan architecture, experimental results show that our approach reduced wirelength by 18.7% and average delay by 8.8% with similar routing completion rates and via counts.
A simple method for finding molecular signatures from gene expression data

Background " Molecular signatures " or " gene-expression signatures " are used to model patients' clinically relevant information (e.g., prognosis, survival time) using expression data from coexpressed genes. Signatures are a key feature in cancer research because they can provide insight into biological mechanisms and have potential diagnostic use. However, available methods to search for signatures fail to address key requirements of signatures and signature components, especially the discovery of tightly coexpressed sets of genes.
Young people’s perceptions of wellbeing: The importance of peer relationships in Slovak schools

ABSTRACT This article explores the wellbeing experiences of 15-year-old students in Slovakia, who have repeatedly scored among the lowest ranks in the international reports on wellbeing (Program for International Student Assessment [PISA] 2003; PISA 2012; Health Behavior in School-Aged Children [HBSC] 2009/2010). In a qualitative enquiry, students from one urban and one rural school in Slovakia were invited to participate. Semistructured interviews (n = 8) and two focus groups (n = 12) were conducted in total. The focus groups engaged in a creative activity and prepared a banner for the next year cohort. The analytical approach of Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology revealed that students consider peer relationships as crucial to their wellbeing experiences in school. They would welcome having more guidance in developing their communication and interpersonal skills as part of the official curricula. As Slovak education places considerable emphasis on academic learning and performance, the findings imply that giving students a more active voice promotes meeting their educational and developmental needs.
Violence against lesbians, gays and bisexuals in Croatia: research report

This is the first research conducted within the LGB community in Croatia which investigated the extent and structure of violence against the LGB persons due to their sexual orientation. The goals of the research are as follows: 1. informing Croatian LGB community about their member’s life experiences with homophobic violence, 2. drawing attention of the public and the relevant state institutions to the prevalence of the homophobic violence and to the need of its better legal regulations and 3. raising awareness of the police, psychotherapists, social and medical workers, e.g. everyone responsible for offering help to the victims of violence on the issue of violence against the LGB persons. The research was conducted in late 2005 at the sample of 202 persons from the LGB population in Zagreb, Rijeka and Osijek. It became apparent that every second lesbian, gay and bisexual person in Croatia had suffered violence due to her/his sexual orientation in the last 4 years. Almost 40% of participants experienced insults or swearing in that period, 20% of them suffered threats with physical violence, while 14% of participants suffered physical violence. The violence had mostly been committed by the persons who were unknown to the victims, either in open or enclosed public areas. As the numerous studies before this, our study showed as well that the experience of violence was related to several symptoms of the psychological problems. The persons who experienced assaults and limitation of freedom due to their sexual orientation from 2002 up to the end of 2005 show more anxiety, depression and lower self-esteem that the persons who had not experienced violence and those who experienced verbal violence, and feel that belonging to the LGB community is important for defining their own identity. It also appeared that the social environment of the victims of violence knew better about their sexual orientation than of those LGB persons who did not experience violence. Even 84% of participants are aware of more than one case of a physical violence against an unknown to them LGBT person due to his/her sexual orientation. 56% of participants in the research have one or more close LGBT persons who were victims of physical violence. People whose several friends or partners were attacked show more depression and anxiety than the others. When it comes to belonging to the LGB population, we noticed that a lesbian, gay or bisexual person who is more open about his/her views on homo/bisexuality has a higher level of a personal self-esteem. The results have also shown that less anxious persons are those who do not conceal his/her sexual orientation in order to avoid unease, discrimination or violence. At the end of the report we gave basic recommendations to the institutions in charge of helping the victims of violence as well as LGBT organisations on prevention and reduction of primary and secondary victimization due to sexual orientation.
What you get is what you see: revisiting the evaluator effect in usability tests

Usability evaluation is essential to user-centred design; yet, evaluators who analyse the same usability test sessions have been found to identify substantially different sets of usability problems. We revisit this evaluator effect by having 19 experienced usability professionals analyse video-recorded test sessions with five users. Nine participants analysed moderated sessions; 10 participants analysed unmoderated sessions. For the moderated sessions, participants reported an average of 33% of the problems reported by all nine of these participants and 50% of the subset of problems reported as critical or serious by at least one participant. For the unmoderated sessions, the percentages were 32% and 40%. Thus, the evaluator effect was similar for moderated and unmoderated sessions, and it was substantial for the full set of problems and still present for the most severe problems. In addition, participants disagreed in their severity ratings. As much as 24% (moderated) and 30% (unmoderated) of the problems reported by multiple participants were rated as critical by one participant and minor by another. The majority of the participants perceived an evaluator effect when merging their individual findings into group evaluations. We discuss reasons for the evaluator effect and recommend ways of managing it.
A Robust Audio Watermarking Algorithm Based on Statistical Characteristics and DWT+DCT Transforms

Abstract - This paper considers quantization based audio watermarking algorithm based on both Discrete Wavelet Transforms (DWT) and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). The embedding information used is a binary image. Different techniques like Arnold Transform and Linear Feedback Shift Register are used for image encryption. Different wavelet filters are considered and the performance is evaluated. Watermark embedding is performed by mean quantization of DCT values of nth level low frequency components where n ε {3, 4, 5} . Low frequency components contains majority of the signals energy, which helps provide robustness. Synchronization codes are embedded in the low frequency components of the audio signal, and it makes algorithm more robust against desynchronized attacks. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is inaudible and robust against common signal processing techniques. Our results are better than those obtained using techniques involving only single domain transformations such as [2], [9] and [10].
Prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in young adults living in three east Anglian towns.

BACKGROUND The European Community respiratory health survey is examining the prevalence of asthma and risk factors for asthma. AIM As part of this multinational survey, a study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in young adults living in Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich using a postal questionnaire. METHOD A previously validated symptom questionnaire was sent to 2500 men and 2500 women aged 20-44 years living in and registered with a general practitioner in each of the three towns. RESULTS In total, approximately 9000 adults responded. The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma was found to be similar in the three towns. Of respondents, 8% reported having been woken by an attack of shortness of breath at some time in the last 12 months, higher than previously reported. Five per cent reported having had an asthma attack. CONCLUSION General practitioners wishing to examine asthma prevalence in their own practice population could use a similar methodology.
Meaningful and contextualised grammar instruction: what can foreign language textbooks offer?

ABSTRACT This article explores the methodological approaches offered in grammar exercises in a selection of French as a foreign language textbooks produced for the Scandinavian market. It investigates the extent to which developments within the research fields of second language acquisition and language pedagogy are reflected in current textbooks and thus to what extent these books can help teachers provide students with meaningful and varied grammar exercises. By using established typologies as the analytical framework, the range of different exercise types is examined. Findings reveal that the developments within the research fields concerning meaningful and contextualised grammar instruction are finally beginning to find their way into some of the teaching material. This trend is more prominent for lower secondary than for upper secondary textbooks. The study concludes that in most cases teachers must still add supplementary material in order to teach in accordance with research-based principles for grammar instruction.
Skill Acquisition and Interface Loyalty: A Human Capital Perspective

In this paper we examine the role of skill acquisition in the development of interface loyalty from a human capital perspective. It has long been recognized that humans are able to improve task performance as a result of repeated experience with a particular task, and that this type of learning consistently adheres to the Power Law of Practice. However, less attention has been given to the impact that practice, and the acquisition of skill, have on a users' loyalty to a particular software interface. We review the notion of human capital, and discuss specific examples from research into online shopping, in an effort to better understand the role of learning in the development of interface loyalty.
Effects of propofol on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of acute renal failure. The aim of this study was to investigate whether propofol pretreatment in a rat model protects kidney tissue against IRI. Thirty-two Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups: a sham-operated group, untreated renal IRI group, and low-dose (5 mg/kg) and high-dose (10 mg/kg) propofol-treated groups which were treated with propofol prior to the induction of IRI. The rats were subjected to renal ischemia by bilateral clamping of the pedicles for 50 min, followed by reperfusion. The low-dose and high-dose propofol treatment groups were pretreated via femoral vein injection with a propofol suspension prior to the induction of ischemia/reperfusion. The untreated IRI group showed significantly higher serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared with the sham-operated rats. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were significantly reduced following IRI; however, they significantly increased following propofol administration. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) levels were significantly increased in the propofol-treated groups compared with the untreated IRI group. These results suggest that propofol reduces renal oxidative injury and facilitates repair following IRI. Propofol may play a protective role by regulating BMP2 expression in renal IRI.
Patient Acceptability of Tear Collection in the Primary Healthcare Setting

Purpose The primary healthcare setting is well placed for health screening. Tear fluid composition gives valuable information about the eye and systemic health, and there is now significant interest in the potential application of tears as a tool for health screening; however, the acceptability of tear collection in the primary healthcare setting as compared with other methods of human sample collection has not been previously addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the patient acceptability of tear collection in a primary healthcare setting. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on 383 adult patients seeking primary healthcare, who were not diabetic and were not attending for an eye-related complaint. Tear collection was done using Schirmer strips, and an interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted to collate information on the pain score (0–10) of the Schirmer tear collection, as well as to score the pain associated with their previous experience of antecubital venous puncture and finger prick test. Results The pain score for Schirmer tear collection was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than antecubital venous puncture but higher (p < 0.001) than finger prick. The pain scores for all three procedures were significantly higher in participants of younger age, female gender, and higher education level. Among the participants, 70% did not mind their tears being collected to screen for eye problems, whereas only 38% did not mind this procedure being performed for general health screening. Nevertheless, 69% of the participants preferred tear to urine collection, and 74% of participants preferred tear to blood collection. Conclusions Tear collection using Schirmer strips is a highly acceptable form of investigation that has the potential for use in health screening in the primary healthcare setting. This study has implications on using tear collection as a method of ocular and systemic health screening in the primary healthcare setting.
Clinical comparison of frusemide with bendrofluazide, mersalyl, and ethacrynic acid.

The ulcer crater disappeared completely in 81% of the cases after six weeks and in 92% after 12 weeks of carbenoxolone. The dose used in the trial was 100 mg. thrice daily for the first week and 50 mg. thrice daily for the second and subsequent weeks. Treatment should be continued until the ulcer has been shown radiologically to have healed. After complete healing a maintenance dose should be prescribed to prevent recurrence. Attention is also drawn to the drug's side-effects, which occurred in 35 % of patients, and of which salt-and-water retention is the most important. The side-effects led to the introduction of a fiveor six-day regime in which carbenoxolone was omitted on one or both days at the week-end in those at risk. Since the introduction of this regime side-effects have been much less marked and less frequent. Carbenoxolone has a specific effect, facilitating the healing of gastric ulcer, and is not merely yet another symptomatic measure.
Freight distribution tours in congested urban areas: characteristics and implications for carriers’ operations and data collection efforts

This research analyses several months of truck activity records in an urban area. Data corresponds to the daily activity of less than truckload (LTL) delivery tours in the city of Sydney. The analysis of the data provides insightful information about urban truck tours and congestion levels. Route patterns were identified and their relationship to trip and tour length distribution was analyzed. Travel between different industrial suburbs explains the shape of multimodal trip length distributions. Variations in daily demand explain the normal-like shape of the tour trip distribution. Tour data indicate that there is no clear relationship between tour distance, percentage of empty trips, and percentage of empty distance. Congestion costs and operational implications are discussed as well as truck driver perceptions regarding congestion and route choice. It is argued that large metropolitan areas should offer open internet access to congestion data and vehicle routing tools in order to reduce unnecessary buffers in route design and to reduce the amount of truck kilometers traveled.
Molecular Basis for Cation Selectivity in Claudin-2–based Paracellular Pores: Identification of an Electrostatic Interaction Site

Paracellular ion transport in epithelia is mediated by pores formed by members of the claudin family. The degree of selectivity and the molecular mechanism of ion permeation through claudin pores are poorly understood. By expressing a high-conductance claudin isoform, claudin-2, in high-resistance Madin-Darby canine kidney cells under the control of an inducible promoter, we were able to quantitate claudin pore permeability. Claudin-2 pores were found to be narrow, fluid filled, and cation selective. Charge selectivity was mediated by the electrostatic interaction of partially dehydrated permeating cations with a negatively charged site within the pore that is formed by the side chain carboxyl group of aspartate-65. Thus, paracellular pores use intrapore electrostatic binding sites to achieve a high conductance with a high degree of charge selectivity.
Command-level Police Officers’ Perceptions of the “War on Cops” and De-policing

Policing has been the subject of intense public scrutiny for the better part of two years after several high-profile police killings of unarmed African Americans across the United States. The scrutiny has been so extreme that some contend there is currently a “war on cops”—whereby citizens are emboldened by protests and negative media coverage of the police, and are lashing out by assaulting police officers more frequently. In response, it is argued that officers are de-policing (i.e. avoiding proactive stops). We surveyed command-level police officers from a southeastern state about their attitudes concerning the war on cops and de-policing. The majority of our sample believed there has been a war on cops over the last two years. Moreover, officers who felt strongly about the existence of a war on cops were more likely to believe that de-policing is common among officers in today’s world of law enforcement.
La influencia de los productos químicos en la precipitación de asfaltenos: una comparación entre las técnicas de microscopía de fuerza atómica y de infrarrojo cercano

espanolLos asfaltenos pueden causar serios problemas en la industria de petroleo. La evaluacion de la estabilidad de los asfaltenos puede ser obtenida a traves de la precipitacion inducida por n-heptano, monitoreada por infrarrojo cercano (NIR). Sin embargo, esta tecnica no provee informacion al respecto del tamano de particulas. En este estudio, el onset de precipitacion de sistemas modelo (asfaltenos en tolueno 1%p) fue monitoreado por NIR, con y sin la adicion de aditivo. Los tamanos de particulas de los mismos sistemas fueron monitoreados por microscopia de fuerza atomica (AFM): dispersiones de asfaltenos en tolueno, n-heptano y mezclas de estos dos solventes fueron analizadas por AFM. Para el sistema modelo puro, el tamano de los agregados de asfaltenos aumento claramente en funcion del aumento de la concentracion de n-heptano en la mezcla de solventes, siendo este aumento mas marcado para valores de parametros de solubilidad menor que el correspondiente al onset de precipitacion. En la presencia de aditivos, particulas significativamente menores fueron obtenidas aun cuando el onset de precipitacion mostro solo un ligero cambio. EnglishAsphaltenes can cause serious problems to petroleum industry. Indication of asphaltenes stability can be obtained by precipitation induced by n-heptane, monitored by near-infrared (NIR). However, this technique does not provide information on the particles sizes. In this study, the precipitation onset of model systems (1wt% asphaltenes in toluene) was monitored by NIR, with and without adding additive. The particles sizes of the same systems were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM): Dispersions of asphaltenes in toluene, n-heptane and mixtures of these two solvents were analyzed by AFM. For the pure model system, the size of the asphaltenes aggregates clearly increased in function of rising n-heptane concentration in the solvent mixture, with this increase being much more pronounced for solubility parameter values below that corresponding to the precipitation onset. In the presence of additives, significantly smaller particles were obtained even when the precipitation onset showed only a slight shift.
The Poverty of Cities in Developing Regions

The long-standing presumption that living conditions are better for big-city residents has come into question. This study uses indicators of childrens status and level of infant mortality to compare wellbeing across cities of one million or more residents and smaller settlements within developing regions. Findings suggest that sustainable development of large cities is dependent not only on efficient management good governance and sufficient resources but is also related to cities size and their rate of population growth. (EXCERPT) (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)
The `Chicken and Egg' of Subjective and Social Factors in Desistance from Crime

It is now widely acknowledged that progression from persistent offending to desistance from crime is the outcome of a complex interaction between subjective/ agency factors and social/environmental factors. A methodological challenge for desistance researchers is to unravel the differential impacts of these internal and external factors and the sequence in which they come into play. Towards this, the present investigation draws on a prospective study of 130 male property offenders, interviewed in the 1990s (the Oxford Recidivism Study), and followed up 10 years later. The analysis supports a `subjective—social model' in which subjective states measured before release have a direct effect on recidivism as well as indirect effects through their impact on social circumstances experienced after release from prison.