Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A memory-layout oriented run-time technique for locality optimization on SMPs

Exploiting locality at run-time is a complementary approach to a compiler approach for those applications with dynamic memory access patterns. This paper proposes a memory-layout oriented approach to exploit cache locality for parallel loops at run-time on symmetric multi-processor (SMP) systems. Guided by application-dependent hints and the targeted cache architecture, it reorganizes and partitions a parallel loop through shrinking and partitioning the memory-access space of the loop at run-time. In the generated task partitions, the data sharing among partitions is minimized and the data reuse in a partition is maximized. The execution of tasks in partitions is scheduled in an adaptive and locality-preserved way to achieve balanced execution, for minimizing the execution time of applications by trading off load balance and locality. Based on simulation and measurement, we show our run-time approach can achieve comparable performance with the compiler optimizations for two applications, whose load balance and cache locality can be well optimized by the tiling and other program transformations. However our experimental results also show that our approach is able to significantly improve the memory performance for the applications with dynamic memory access patterns. This type of programs are usually hard to be optimized by compilers.
The contribution of inhibitory mechanisms to the receptive field properties of neurones in the striate cortex of the cat.

1. The iontophoretic application of the GABA antagonist bicuculline to simple and complex cells in the striate cortex of the cat produced extensive modifications of receptive field properties. These modifications appear to relate to a block or reduction of GABA‐mediated intracortical inhibitory influences acting on the cells examined. 2. For simple cells the effects of bicuculline on receptive field properties involved a loss of the subdivision of the receptive field into antagonistic "on" and "off" regions, a reduction in orientation specificity and a reduction or elimination of directional specificity. 3. The effect on the "on" and "off" subdivisions of the simple cell receptive field was such that all stationary flashing stimuli, whether covering the whole receptive field, or located within the receptive field over a previously determined "on" or "off" region, resulted in an "on and off" response. 4. The orientation specificity of complex cells was reduced during the application of bicuculline such that in many cases the original specificity of the cell was virtually lost with the response to the orientation at 90 degrees to the optimal being of similar magnitude to the optimal. The directional specificity of complex cells was generally less affected than that of simple cells. Often when large changes in orientation specificity were observed the directional specificity was relatively unaffected. 5. For some cells apparently showing to all visual stimuli only inhibitory responses, the application of bicuculline resulted in the appearance of excitatory responses. 6. In all cases receptive field properties reverted to the original state after termination of the bicuculline application. It was not generally possible to duplicate the effects of bicuculline by raising neuronal excitability with iontophoretically applied glutamate. 7. On the basis of these results it is suggested that the normal subdivision of the simple cell receptive field into separate "on" and "off" regions and its directional specificity are dependent on intracortical inhibitory processes that are blocked by bicuculline. The orientational tuning of simple cells conversely appears to be largely determined by the excitatory input but normally enhanced by lateral type inhibitory processes acting in the orientation domain. 8. It also appears that the excitatory input to some complex cells is not orientation specific. This suggests that for these cells it is extremely unlikely that they receive an orientation specific excitatory input from simple cells.
Moving to Assessment‐Guided Differentiated Instruction to Support Young Children's Alphabet Knowledge

Early childhood educators are increasingly asked to support the alphabet knowledge development of children enrolled in their classrooms. Children in the same classroom, however, often show vastly different alphabet learning needs. Moreover, recent research suggests that some letters are more difficult to learn. These facts run counter to one-size-fits-all whole-class instructional approaches, which typically provide the same instruction to all children and for all letters. The purpose of this article is to encourage early childhood educators to move beyond whole-class approaches and instead provide alphabet instruction that is aligned with current emphases on assessment-driven decision making and differentiated instruction. The article reviews the importance of alphabet knowledge with respect to theory, research, and the current educational context, summarizes recent research concerning children's alphabet knowledge development, and provides a framework in which assessment guides differentiated alphabet instruction, along with empirically-validated practices for such instruction.
Perceptions of Race-Stereotypic and Race-Nonstereotypic Crimes: The Impact of Response-Time Instructions on Attributions and Judgments

The effect of instructing subjects to respond slowly or quickly to items that measured perceptions of defendants accused of committing a race-stereotypic or a race-nonstereotypic crime was examined. Consistent with findings from previous related research, subjects judged defendants accused of race-stereotypic crimes more negatively than defendants accused of race-nonstereotypic crimes. As predicted, the interaction between defendant race and type of crime was affected by the manipulation of response time (RT) instructions. Subjects who were instructed to respond quickly provided responses that were consistent with the previously documented interaction. In addition, the perceived severity of the crime and attributions regarding the defendant's behavior mediated the relation between perceived typicality of the offense and punishment recommendations. The data revealed that these mediational effects were attributable to those subjects who received the quick RT instructions. The findings are discussed in terms.
Genomic instability and cellular stress in organ biopsies and peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with colorectal cancer and predisposing pathologies

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and polyps, are common colorectal pathologies in western society and are risk factors for development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Genomic instability is a cancer hallmark and is connected to changes in chromosomal structure, often caused by double strand break formation (DSB), and aneuploidy. Cellular stress, may contribute to genomic instability. In colorectal biopsies and peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with IBD, polyps and CRC, we evaluated 1) genomic instability using the γH2AX assay as marker of DSB and micronuclei in mononuclear lymphocytes kept under cytodieresis inhibition, and 2) cellular stress through expression and cellular localization of glutathione-S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1). Colon biopsies showed γH2AX increase starting from polyps, while lymphocytes already from IBD. Micronuclei frequency began to rise in lymphocytes of subjects with polyps, suggesting a systemic genomic instability condition. Colorectal tissues lost GSTO1 expression but increased nuclear localization with pathology progression. Lymphocytes did not change GSTO1 expression and localization until CRC formation, where enzyme expression was increased. We propose that the growing genomic instability found in our patients is connected with the alteration of cellular environment. Evaluation of genomic damage and cellular stress in colorectal pathologies may facilitate prevention and management of CRC.
The impact of message appeal and message source on Gen Y consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward American Apparel

A 3 × 2 experimental design was used to examine the impact of message appeal (fair labor, sex, or a combination of fair labor and sex) and message source (company advertisements or third-party publicity) upon Gen Y consumers' (N = 258) intent to patronize the retailer, American Apparel. Results supported models of hierarchical effects of advertising on patronage intention as well as the inclusion of external variables in the theory of reasoned action. Findings revealed that Gen Y consumers' attitudes toward ad, attitudes toward brand, and purchase intentions toward American Apparel varied by exposure to message appeal in advertisements viewed. Participants' evaluations of source credibility, attitudes toward brand, and purchase intentions toward American Apparel were influenced by message source. Additionally, purchase intentions toward American Apparel were directly predicted by attitudes toward American Apparel and indirectly by perceptions of source credibility. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Managing cultural diversity and perceived organizational support: Evidence from Australia

Purpose - The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of their organization's management of cultural diversity, their perceived organizational support and affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to a sample of employees working in a large Australian financial institution. Findings - Analysis of the data shows that, when controlling for perceived organizational support, there is no direct relationship between cultural diversity management perceptions and affective commitment. Rather, the data support an indirect relationship between the two variables via perceived organizational support. Research limitations/implications - Implications are, first, that managers need to recognize the potential contribution of developing a positive workplace atmosphere for cultural diversity to strengthen employee perceived organizational support, which in turn enhances affective commitment. Second, the research findings underscore the importance of perceived organizational support in linking cultural diversity management perceptions to organizational outcomes, such as affective commitment. Third, managers should not underestimate the influence of initiatives, such as making all employees feel included in the “taken-for-granted” informal networks in engendering positive organizational and individual attitudes. Originality/value - The paper examines cultural diversity management from the employees' (rather than a management) perspective to develop a fully mediated model using organizational support to link cultural diversity management perceptions to commitment. The study reinforces the need to rethink simple relationships between cultural diversity management perceptions and organizational/individual outcomes, to consider more complex models that include important mediating variables to more fully understand the effects of cultural diversity management.
From Typology to Taxonomy: A Configurational Analysis of National Business Systems and their Explanatory Power

The business systems approach holds considerable promise for improving our understanding of the relations between societal institutions and technological and economic outcomes. Nonetheless, there have been surprisingly few attempts to validate its proposed typology of business system types. In this paper, I take up this issue and conduct a large-scale empirical assessment of the national business systems typology. I use data on 30 OECD countries from 2000 and 2011 to assess the validity of the typology, and explore its value for comparative institutional analysis through a fuzzy-set analysis of innovation specialization patterns. The findings illustrate that while the national business systems typology needs to be extended, it remains relevant for describing variety in national institutional frameworks. In addition, the detail it adds may provide the nuance needed for exploring more complex relations between institutions and technological and economic outcomes.
Using automatic code differentiation for optimization

This paper proposes an approach based on automatic code differentiation to compute the derivatives of a sizing model during the optimization of an electromagnetic device. After a presentation of automatic code differentiation, results are shown on the example of the sizing a linear electromagnetic actuator (with a reluctance network) by using two software packages implementing the code differentiation approach.
Biomechanical comparison of the sliding hip screw and the dome plunger. Effects of material and fixation design.

We studied the biomechanical behaviour of three sliding fixation devices for trochanteric femoral fractures. These were a titanium alloy sideplate and lag screw, a titanium alloy sideplate and dome plunger with cement augmentation, and a stainless-steel sideplate and lag screw. We used 18 mildly osteoporotic cadaver femora, randomly assigned to one of the three fixation groups. Four displacement and two strain gauges were fixed to each specimen, and each femur was first tested intact (control), then as a two-part fracture and then as a four-part intertrochanteric fracture. A range of physiological loads was applied to determine load-bearing, load-sharing and head displacement. The four-part-fracture specimens were subsequently tested to failure to determine maximum fixation strengths and modes of failure. The dome-plunger group failed at a load 50% higher than that of the stainless-steel lag-screw group (p < 0.05) and at a load 20% higher than that of the titanium-alloy lag-screw group (NS). All 12 lag-screw specimens failed by cut-out through the femoral head or neck, but none of the dome-plunger group showed movement within the femoral head when tested to failure. Strain-gauge analysis showed that the dome plunger produced considerably less strain in the inferior neck and calcar region than either of the lag screws. Inferior displacement of the femoral head was greatest for the dome-plunger group, and was due to sliding of the plunger. The dome plunger with cement augmentation was able to support higher loads and did not fail by cut-out through the femoral head. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Escala de atitudes frente à tatuagem: elaboração e evidências de validade e precisão

The authors built and checked for evidence of the factorial validity and reliability of a scale for measuring attitudes towards tattoos. The Attitudes Towards Tattoos Scale was tested in two studies. In Study 1, participants comprised 273 undergraduate students, equally distributed with respect to gender, with an average age of 25. They answered the Attitudes Towards Tattoos Scale and demographic questions. It was found that the items showed adequate discriminative power, and the expected unifactorial structure was identified, with Cronbach's Alpha (α) of 0.96. 245 undergraduate students participated In Study 2, most of them male (55%), with an average age of 21. They answered the Attitudes Towards Tattoos Scale and demographic questions. Based on confirmatory factor analysis, the unifactorial structure found in the previous study was corroborated, and an α of 0.93 was observed. These findings suggest the Attitudes Towards Tattoos Scale presents evidence of factorial validity and reliability, and may be used among undergraduate students to measure attitudes towards tattoos.
Inhibitory effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on the growth of SW480 colorectal tumor cells involves beta-catenin associated signaling pathway down-regulation.

AIM To study the anti-tumor effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and the influence of CAPE on beta-catenin associated signaling pathway in SW480 colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. METHODS SW480 cells were treated with CAPE at serial concentrations. The proliferative status of cells was measured by methabenzthiazuron (MTT) assay. Cell cycle and cell apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry (FCM). Western blotting assay was used to evaluate the protein level of beta-catenin, c-myc and cyclinD1. Beta-catenin localization was determined by indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS CAPE displayed a strong inhibitory effect in a significant dose- and time-dependent manner on SW480 cell growth. FCM analysis showed that the ratio of G0/G1 phase cells increased, S phase ratio decreased and apoptosis rate increased after SW480 cells were exposed to CAPE for 24 h. Pretreatment of SW480 cells with CAPE significantly suppressed beta-catenin, c-myc and cyclinD1 protein expression. CAPE treatment was associated with decreased accumulation of beta-catenin protein in nucleus and cytoplasm, and concurrently increased its accumulation on the surface of cell membrane. CONCLUSION CAPE can inhibit SW480 cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Decreased beta-catenin and the associated signaling pathway target gene expression may mediate the anti-tumor effects of CAPE.
Proving correctness of highly-concurrent linearisable objects

We study a family of implementations for linked lists using fine-grain synchronisation. This approach enables greater concurrency, but correctness is a greater challenge than for classical, coarse-grain synchronisation. Our examples are demonstrative of common design patterns such as lock coupling, optimistic, and lazy synchronisation. Although they are are highly concurrent, we prove that they are linearisable, safe, and they correctly implement a high-level abstraction. Our proofs illustrate the power and applicability of rely-guarantee reasoning, as well of some of its limitations. The examples of the paper establish a benchmark challenge for other reasoning techniques.
Immune Complexes Present in the Sera of Autoimmune Mice Activate Rheumatoid Factor B Cells1

The fate of an autoreactive B cell is determined in part by the nature of the interaction of the B cell receptor with its autoantigen. In the lpr model of systemic autoimmunity, as well as in certain human diseases, autoreactive B cells expressing rheumatoid factor (RF) binding activity are prominent. A murine B cell transgenic model in which the B cell receptor is a RF that recognizes IgG2a of the j allotype (IgG2aj), but not the b allotype, was used in this study to investigate how the form of the autoantigen influences its ability to activate B cells. We found that sera from autoimmune mice, but not from nonautoimmune mice, were able to induce the proliferation of these RF+ B cells but did not stimulate B cells from RF− littermate controls. The stimulatory factor in serum was found to be IgG2aj, but the IgG2aj was stimulatory only when in the form of immune complexes. Monomeric IgG2aj failed to stimulate. Immune complexes containing lupus-associated nuclear and cytoplasmic autoantigens were particularly potent B cell activators in this system. Appropriate manipulation of such autoantibody/autoantigen complexes may eventually provide a means for therapeutic intervention in patients with certain systemic autoimmune disorders.
Conceptual Versus Monolingual Scoring: When Does It Make a Difference?

PURPOSE This study evaluates the extent to which bilingual children produce the same or overlapping responses on tasks assessing semantic skills in each of their languages and whether classification analysis based on monolingual or conceptual scoring can accurately classify the semantic development of typically developing (TD) bilingual children. METHOD In Study 1, 55 TD children (ages 4;0 [years;months] to 7;11) from bilingual backgrounds named characteristic properties of familiar items. The extent to which children produced overlapping responses in each of their languages and their errors were examined. In Study 2, 40 TD children (ages 5;0 to 6;1), group matched for age and bilingual language exposure, responded to the Phase 2 version of the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment (BESA; E. D. Peña, V. Gutierrez-Clellen, A. Iglesias, B. A. Goldstein, & L. M. Bedore, in development). Conceptual and monolingual scores were compared to determine the extent to which these were comparable for groups of children. RESULTS The results of Study 1 indicated that TD children from bilingual backgrounds are more likely to produce unique than overlapping responses when they respond to test items. Children were more likely to code switch when tested in Spanish than in English, but they were more likely to produce errors in English. In Study 2, monolingual and bilingual children achieved comparable conceptual scores. For Spanish-speaking bilingual children, the conceptual score was more likely to be in the average range of the monolingual children than was their monolingual score. For testing in English, monolingual and conceptual scores were similar. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Bilingual children will benefit from conceptual scoring, especially when they are tested in Spanish.
Gender differences in students' experiences, interests, and attitudes toward science and scientists

The purpose of this study was to examine sixth grade students' attitudes and experiences related to science. The study involved 437 students who completed a survey designed to elicit students' perceptions of science and scientists, out-of-school science experiences, science topics of interest, and characteristics of future jobs. Results showed that for this sample there continue to be significant gender differences in science experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of science courses and careers. Males reported more extracurricular experiences with a variety of tools such as batteries, electric toys, fuses, microscopes, and pulleys. Females reported more experiences with bread-making, knitting, sewing, and planting seeds. More male than female students indicated they were interested in atomic bombs, atoms, cars, computers, x-rays, and technology, whereas more females reported interest in animal communication, rainbows, healthy eating, weather, and AIDS. In addition, when asked about future jobs, male and female students' responses differed by gender. Males saw variables such as controlling other people, becoming famous, earn- ing lots of money, and having a simple and easy job as important. Females, more than males, wanted to "help otherpeople. " Students' per ceptions of science showed that sig- nificantly more females than males reported that science was difficult to understand, whereas more males reported that science was destructive and dangerous, as well as more "suitable" forboys. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 84:180- 192, 2000.
Parental perspectives and challenges in inclusive education in Singapore

Relatively little work has focused on inclusive education in Singapore. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children with disabilities are attending mainstream secondary schools in Singapore. Data was drawn from interviews with 13 parents of children with mild disabilities. Our findings reveal that parental perspective on inclusive education in Singapore is not only about classroom support but also reflects a deeper concern about whether their children with disabilities will emerge from school as contributing individuals in society. While parents strive to effectively include their children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, there were dichotomies in their (1) understanding of disabilities, (2) expectations of school support, and (3) expectations for their child with disabilities. Given that academic and social prowess is a critical prerequisite to have a shot at entering the meritocratic Singapore society, the tension parents experience is to gauge a reasonable amount of pressure to exert on their children, the school and themselves as they assert their children's educational entitlements within an imperfect but evolving state of inclusion.