Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customizable coarse-grained energy-efficient reconfigurable packet processing architecture

In this paper, we present a highly customizable and rapidly reconfigurable multi-core packet processing architecture that provides energy and area efficiency while retaining flexibility. Presented architecture with its agile reconfigurability permits time-critical adaptability where resources can be re-clustered at run time in few cycles, hence, maintaining efficiency if requirements of the use-case change. We elaborate the flexibility and adaptability of our architecture and we report its evaluation results. For evaluation, we performed the widely-used UDP/IP and we compared our proposed architecture to low-power 32-bit general purpose processors, a custom ASIC implementation and a programmable protocol processor. Compared to GPP-based solutions, our architecture is 20-34 times more energy efficient while providing 2.4-4.1 times higher throughput. While retaining the programmability, the proposed solution achieved 78% of the energy efficiency of hardwired ASIC implementation. Compared to a programmable protocol processor, our solution has 2.6 times more throughput and requires only a third of the gate count. lastly, we quantified the worst-case time and average-case time required for time-critical adaptability when reconfiguration occurs during a real-life Voice-Over IP traffic.
Optimizing the planning of intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

A method of computing optimized intensity-modulated beam profiles has been further developed and used to generate highly conformal radiotherapy dose distributions. The features of these distributions are shown to be strongly dependent on the tuning built into the algorithm. The optimization aims to achieve a specified dose prescription with a posteriori computation of probabilistic biological response. A method has been developed to show the effect of stratifying the intensity-modulated beam profiles into a number of finite intensity increments. It is shown that, provided the number of intensity strata is not too small, highly conformal dose distributions can be achieved with a number of fields (e.g. 7 or 9) which is not excessively large. This number, however, depends on the exact shape of the planning target volume (PTV and its disposition with respect to juxtaposed organs at risk (OARs). These intensity-modulated profiles can therefore be delivered either by apparatus for 'tomotherapy' or by using the multileaf collimator at each gantry orientation to deliver a sequence of fixed fields with different field sizes, constructing the beam profile via finite increments of beam intensity. When the PTV and OARS overlap, due to including a finite margin on the clinical target volume to account for tissue movement, it is shown that the dose delivered to the overlap region provides a limit on what can be achieved with conformal therapy. This problem is encountered, for example, when treating the prostate which lies next to part of the rectum and bladder. Some comment is provided on, but not a solution for, the problem of optimizing field orientation.
Relationship between the nuclear morphology of the sperm of 10 bulls and their fertility

The relationships between the fertility and nuclear morphology, chromatin maturity and chromatin condensation of the sperm of three bulls with a calving rate over a year of more than 65 per cent, four bulls with a calving rate between 65 per cent and 35 per cent, and three bulls with a calving rate of less than 35 per cent were studied. The sperm nuclei were stained with the Feulgen reaction, and chromatin condensation and maturation were evaluated in situ by staining with toluidine blue and acid aniline blue. Nuclear chromatin decondensation was induced with dithiothreitol; this showed that in the bulls with low fertility, more than 35 per cent of nuclei were decondensed, and that one of them had the lowest percentage of normal nuclei (64·9 per cent) and stronger positive reactions to the acid aniline blue and toluidine blue stains than the other bulls.
Utility values and myopia in medical students in Singapore

Purpose: Although technologies to correct myopia have progressed in recent years, it is not known how cost‐effective such technologies are. In this paper, utility values of myopic medical students in Singapore were ascertained as a first step to deriving weights for quality adjustment in future cost‐effectiveness studies of such technologies.
In0.53Ga0.47As MOSFETs with high channel mobility and gate stack quality fabricated on 300 mm Si substrate

In<sub>0.53</sub>Ga<sub>0.47</sub>As channel MOSFETs were fabricated on 300 mm Si substrate. The epitaxial In<sub>0.53</sub>Ga<sub>0.47</sub>As channel layer exhibits high Hall electron mobility comparable to those grown on lattice matched InP substrates. Excellent device characteristics (SS~95 mV/dec., I<sub>on</sub>/I<sub>off</sub> ~10<sup>5</sup>, DIBL ~51 mV/V at V<sub>ds</sub> = 0.5V for L<sub>g</sub>=150 nm device) with good uniformity across the wafer were demonstrated. The extracted high field effect mobility (μ<sub>EF</sub> = 1837 cm<sup>2</sup>/V-s with EOT ~ 0.9 nm) is among the highest values reported for surface channel In<sub>0.53</sub>Ga<sub>0.47</sub>As MOSFETs.
Effects of Particulate Matter on Daily Mortality in 13 Japanese Cities

BACKGROUND: In recent years, numerous reports demonstrating the relationship between an increase in the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and daily mortality have been released in the United States and Europe. There have been few studies that clearly characterize the short-term effects of particulate matter on the mortality in Japan. We conducted data analysis to investigate the short-term effects of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on mortality in Japan. METHODS: In this study, we used data sets from the 13 largest cities containing data on the daily mortality of residents aged 65 years or older, concentrations of air pollutants including SPM, temperature, and humidity. Risk ratios for mortality resulting from respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and all causes other than accidents, from 1990 through 1994, were summarized using a generalized additive model (GAM) and a meta-analysis of random effect model. RESULTS: The risk ratios for an increase of 10 μg/m3 in SPM concentrations adjusted for SO2, NO2, CO, Ox, temperature, and humidity were 1.0077 for all causes of mortality, 1.0109 for respiratory diseases, and 1.0091 for cardiovascular diseases, and the lower limits of the 95% confidence intervals for the risk ratios were greater than one for all cases. With regards to the effects of time lag, risk ratios were higher for the SPM concentrations on the day when the mortality was recorded, and the preceding day. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a positive relationship between SPM concentrations and daily mortality in Japan.
COMPARISON OF INTRAVITREAL TRIAMCINOLONE ACETONIDE VERSUS INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB AS THE PRIMARY TREATMENT OF CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT MACULAR EDEMA

Objectives: To evaluate the short-term efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide versus bevacizumab for the treatment of diabetic, clinically significant, macular edema with different optical coherence tomography findings. Methods: Fifty eyes of 45 consecutive patients with diabetic, clinically significant, macular edema were incorporated in this prospective interventional case series. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to findings on optical coherence tomography: 1) macular edema combined with serous retinal detachment (Group 1), 2) diffused macular thickening (Group 2), and 3) cystoid macular edema (Group 3). Patients from each group were treated with a single intravitreal injection of triamcinolone (IVTA) or 2 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (IVB) with an interval of 6 weeks. Patients were observed at 6, 12, and 24 weeks after IVTA or the first IVB injection. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were examined at each visit. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare the efficacy of the treatment groups. Results: In Group 1, IVTA showed more favorable effects on CRT reduction and BCVA improvement compared with IVB at 6, 12, and 24 weeks (P = 0.002, 0.001, 0.027 and P = 0.036, 0.001, 0.027), respectively. In Group 2, IVB had more CRT reduction than IVTA at 6 and 12 weeks (P = 0.013 and 0.036), although there was no significant difference in BCVA improvement between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). In Group 3, IVTA and IVB did not have significant effects on CRT reduction and BCVA improvement (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The short-term efficacy of IVTA and IVB on treating clinically significant macular edema varied with different optical coherence tomography findings. In clinically significant macular edema combined with serous retinal detachment, IVTA may be more favorable than IVB in CRT reduction and BCVA improvement. In patients with diffused macular thickening, IVB may be better than IVTA in macular thickness reduction, although this does not translate to a significant improvement in BCVA.
Health-Related Quality of Life Over Time in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Their Families

Objectives: Existing treatments for pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) effectively reduce inflammation. The impact of treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time for pediatric patients with EoE and their families, however, has not been systematically assessed. We hypothesized that individualized multidisciplinary treatment would improve both child and family HRQoL over time, with improvements associated with decreased symptom severity. Methods: Children with EoE treated in 4 tertiary care centers were enrolled. Baseline assessments occurred at the time of patients’ first evaluation; follow-up assessments occurred at 2 and 6 months after baseline. Presence and severity of 8 EoE symptoms were measured. HRQoL was measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory parent proxy report, child self-report (CR), and Family Impact Module (FIM). Statistical analyses used mixed-effects modeling to test changes over time for child and family HRQoL. Results: Ninety-seven children were enrolled (ages 2–18 years, mean age 7.7 years ± 4.8, 78% boys, 80% white). Baseline mean symptom number was 3.5 (standard deviation 2.3), and symptom severity was 5.5 (standard deviation, 4.5). HRQoL scores were significantly related to symptom scores (P < 0.001). EoE symptom severity decreased during the study (P = 0.03). Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory parent proxy Total and FIM Total scores improved from baseline to 6 months (respectively, adjusted means 78.4 vs 81.0, P = 0.0006; 68.9 vs 70.1, P = 0.03). Interactions with baseline symptom severity revealed that subjects with lowest symptom severity showed the most improved HRQoL scores (P = 0.0013). Conclusions: HRQoL improved during the course of evaluation and treatment, with positive changes being strongest for patients with less symptom severity at baseline.
Direct Interdomain Interactions Can Mediate Allosterism in the Thyroid Receptor*

The thyroid (TR) and retinoid X receptors (RXR) belong to the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of ligand-mediated transcription factors. At the molecular level, TR activity is specifically modulated by interactions with the ligand 3,3′,5 triiodo-l-thyronine (T3), RXR, DNA, and co-activators such as SRC1, occurring in concert or sequentially. Although binding sites for DNA and coregulators such as SRC1 are distinct and at distal regions of these receptors, cell-based and EMSA studies have suggested that these molecules can regulate binding of each other to the receptor. We present evidence of direct, DNA-dependent, communication between the DNA and ligand binding domains (DBD and LBD) that can allosterically regulate interactions with SRC1 and DNA, respectively, using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and cell-based assays. Additionally, we note that interdomain communication is affected by RXR in RXR:TR. We also noticed a DNA-dependent cross-talk between RXR and TR within RXR:TR. Finally, we suggest that differences in transactivation on different TRE may be the consequence of different affinities between TRE and RXR:TR.
Corporate governance, research and development volatility and firm performance - Evidence from Spain and Ireland

Abstract The present study sheds light on the comparative experiences of the two countries originating from differing legal systems and describes how their codes and practices affect the publicly listed firms’ performance. It investigates the linkages between Research and Development (R&D) expenditures, Board characteristics and firm performance using a sample of Irish and Spanish firms for the period 2005–2014. To do this, the study uses ROA and Tobin’s Q as proxies for financial performance; and board size, non-executive directors, female representation and CEO duality as board structure characteristics; and R&D expenditure volatility, employing different techniques that include OLS, fixed effects model and Quantile regression model. The difference-in-difference model is used to verify the significance of robustness of relationships considering the global financial crisis as an exogenous shock. The descriptive statistics suggests a comparability of boards’ independence for the Spanish- and Irish-listed firms. Although the Spanish firms are less dual than Irish firms, the results are comparable on the association between CEO duality and firm performance. The findings of Spanish-listed firms on the relationship between increase and decrease in the R&D expenditures volatility and performance support the creative–destructive perspective that suggests effective governance in funding allocation to R&D.
The ‘Lost Caravan’ of Ma’den Ijafen Revisited: Re-appraising Its Cargo of Cowries, a Medieval Global Commodity

The lost caravan of Ma’den Ijafen, Mauritania, with its cargo of cowries and brass, is widely discussed in African archaeology, providing significant insight into the nature of long-distance trade in the medieval period. While the brass bars recovered by Théodore Monod during his expedition to the site in 1962 have received considerable attention, the cowrie shells described in his comprehensive publication of the assemblage in 1969 have received much less coverage. This issue was addressed during a recent visit to the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN) in Dakar, Senegal in May 2017, when the authors re-examined the shells as part of a wider project which also involved archaeological and environmental surveys in the Maldives, the oft-assumed source of these shells. Examinations of natural history collections of cowries, ethnographic interviews in the Maldives, and environmental surveys in East Africa were also carried out. Drawing on insights from these surveys, we systematically compared the Ma’den Ijafen cowrie assemblage to three others from the Maldives, focussing on four criteria: species composition and diversity, shell size and evidence of modifications. This analysis enabled us to shed new light on the nature of the Ma’den Ijafen cowries and their wider significance to understanding the role of the shells in West African trade networks.
Microbial Load of Drinking Water Reservoir Tributaries during Extreme Rainfall and Runoff

ABSTRACT Hygienic and microbiological examinations of watercourses are usually not carried out during heavy rainfall and runoff events. After rainfall or snowmelt, there are often massive increases in turbidity in flooding creeks in mountain ranges, which are frequently interpreted as an indication of microbial contamination. The aim of this study was to quantify the microbial loads of watercourses during such runoff events and to compare these loads with loads occurring during regular conditions. In a 14-month monitoring period we investigated the microbial loads of three tributaries of different drinking water reservoirs. A total of 99 water samples were taken under different runoff conditions and analyzed to determine physical, chemical, bacterial, and parasitic parameters. Thirty-two water samples were considered event samples during nine measuring series. The criteria for events, based on duration and intensity of precipitation, water depth gauge measurements, and dynamics, had been fixed before the investigation for each creek individually. Of the physical and chemical parameters examined, only the turbidity, pH, and nitrate values differed clearly from the values obtained for regular samples. Most of the bacteriological parameters investigated (colony, Escherichia coli, coliform, fecal streptococcal, and Clostridium perfringens counts) increased considerably during extreme runoff events. If relevant sources of parasitic contamination occurred in catchment areas, the concentrations of Giardia and Cryptosporidium rose significantly during events. The results show that substantial shares of the total microbial loads in watercourses and in drinking water reservoirs result from rainfall and extreme runoff events. Consequently, regular samples are considered inadequate for representing the microbial contamination of watercourse systems. The procedures for raw water surveillance in the context of multiple-barrier protection and risk assessment ought to include sampling during extreme runoff situations.
CHANGING CONCEPTS IN DENTAL HISTOLOGY

In the decade and a half during which the electron microscope has been applied to the examination of calcified tissues considerable information about the microstructure of teeth has accumulated. The type of studies carried on and the technical means by which the data have been derived reflect directly the progress that has taken place'in the field of electron microscopy itself. For the first few years the studies were fairly well limited to those that could be made through use of the replica techniques, and the primary concern was with the structure of fully calcified enamel and dentin. When methods for the direct sectioning of soft tissues. were introduced about ten years ago, the scope of the investigations was greatly extended, for it became possible to examine embryonic material as well as mature specimens that had been demineralized. Continuous refinement has been made in sectioning technique, until today we are approaching the point where even fully calcified specimens can be cut routinely. It is inevitable that the observations made in such investigations with the electron microscope will bring about revisions in the histological concepts established earlier through light microscopy. The present discussion will center upon three general areas in which the new evidence is most impressive. The first concerns the interrelationships between odontogenic cells, with special attention directed to terminal bars and desmosomes. The second relates to the origins of the organic matrices of enamel and dentin, with the principal emphasis placed on fibrogenesis. The third concerns the structure of mature enamel and dentin; here the points of major interest are crystal structure in the former and the so-called peritubular region in the latter.
Self-Limited Systemic Sarcoidosis in a Pregnant Woman Presenting as Oral

A 30-year-old pregnant woman in her third trimester presented with a few months history of multiple asymptomatic lesions in the oral cavity. She had concomitant recurrent painful lesions over the shins. Her system review was non-revealing. She denied any oral or perioral injections, or exposure to insecticides or other environmental chemicals. Her previous medical history was unremarkable, and her family history was negative for sarcoidosis or other connective tissue diseases.
Prevalence of Obesity among Type-2 Diabetics

Abstract As per first law of thermodynamics, obesity results from an imbalance between energy expenditure and energy intake. There is an intimate relationship between obesity and diabetes mellitus. It was observed that diabetes incidence rise with increasing BMI (Body Mass Index). The prevalence of diabetes is 2.9 times higher in overweight than in normal weight subjects of 20 to 70 years of age. Along with BMI, individuals with upper body obesity or adiposity are at high risk for hyperinsulinaemia, insulin resistance and diabetes. This study was therefore, planned to evaluate the prevalence of obesity in type-2 diabetic subjects. A total of 60 type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects (27 males and 33 females) were recruited from the outpatients diabetic clinic of P.B. M. Hospital, Bikaner, Rajasthan. Obesity and overweight was assessed by BMI categories Abdominal adiposity was determined by waist hip ratio, which is specific for sex. The results revealed that study group was overweight/obese (BMI>25kg/m2). Further mean waist hip ratio of male and female patients was 1.0±0.01 and 0.96±0.07 respectively, which indicate that subjects had abdominal obesity. Results indicate that nearly all the female patients (84.84%) had abdominal obesity, where as only 15.15 percent were normal as per the WHR indicator. In case of male patients 40.70 percent of the patients had abdominal obesity. These results clearly indicate that the overweight/obesity persist in type 2 diabetic patients, which is more identical by abdominal obesity thus it can be used as a major indicator in assessing diabetes.
The Niche for Spermatogonial Stem Cells in the Mammalian Testis

The theory of the “stem cell niche” was originally proposed for the hematopoietic system, and the existence of the niche as an actual entity was proved in the Drosophila germ cell system. Historically, mammalian spermatogenesis has been studied extensively as a prime example of a stem cell system, and studies have established a stem-progenitor hierarchical order of spermatogonia. In the niche on the basal lamina of seminiferous tubules, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are secluded from the outside world and divide constantly to self-renew and differentiate. During the last 10 years, the development and exploitation of the germ cell transplantation method has expanded our understanding of the nature of SSCs and their niches. The ability to maintain and expand SSCs in vitro, which recently became possible, has further reinforced this research area as a mecca of stem cell biology. Nonetheless, the mammalian germ stem cell and its niche remain to be defined more strictly and precisely. We are still on a journey in search of the real stem cell and its true niche.
The Early Bronze IVB Painted Simple Ware from Tell Shʻaīrat: an integrated archaeometric approach

The site of Shʻaīrat is located at the western edge of the Syrian steppe (Badiyat al-Sham), 34 km south-east of the city of Homs. The preliminary results of the Syrian archaeological mission carried out at Shʻaīrat, show that it was a genuine town occupied during the mid to late 3rd millennium BC. Our results evidenced that from its foundation around 2500 BC the city was structured according to a regular, circular plan, laid out around a concentric network of streets. Tell Shʻaīrat is a key-site for understanding the dynamics of urbanization in Syria, as well as the origin of an early territorial state, on the margins of the Syrian Desert within a context of territorial conquest. In fact, EB IVB Tell Shʻaīrat may well be the largest city dated to that period thus far discovered in Western Syria. In this study, which is based on the analysis of the pottery remains recovered from Tell Shʻaīrat, typological and stylistic approaches are successfully combined with the results stemming from recent petrographic and chemical analyses of these pottery samples, in order to understand the modalities of production and distribution. This combination made it possible to identify three major pottery traditions, which correspond to different productions. This in turn made it possible to distinguish between vessels that were imported to Shʻaīrat and those that were manufactured locally. As a result of this investigation it was possible to recognize different workshops inside the polity and trace inter-regional interactions within the Badiyah region and to reconstruct the networks of exchange in which Tell Shʻaīrat was involved during the second part of the 3rd millennium BC.