Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unbounded transactional memory

Hardware transactional memory should support unbounded transactions: transactions of arbitrary size and duration. We describe a hardware implementation of unbounded transactional memory, called UTM, which exploits the common case for performance without sacrificing correctness on transactions whose footprint can be nearly as large as virtual memory. We performed a cycle-accurate simulation of a simplified architecture, called LTM. LTM is based on UTM but is easier to implement, because it does not change the memory subsystem outside of the processor. LTM allows nearly unbounded transactions, whose footprint is limited only by physical memory size and whose duration by the length of a timeslice. We assess UTM and LTM through microbenchmarking and by automatically converting the SPECjvm98 Java benchmarks and the Linux 2.4. 19 kernel to use transactions instead of locks. We use both cycle-accurate simulation and instrumentation to understand benchmark behavior. Our studies show that the common case is small transactions that commit, even when contention is high, but that some applications contain very large transactions. For example, although 99.9% of transactions in the Linux study touch 54 cache lines or fewer, some transactions touch over 8000 cache lines. Our studies also indicate that hardware support is required, because some applications spend over half their time in critical regions. Finally, they suggest that hardware support for transactions can make Java programs run faster than when run using locks and can increase the concurrency of the Linux kernel by as much as a factor of 4 with no additional programming work.
Parthenogenetic Activation of Porcine Oocytes and Isolation of Embryonic Stem Cells-like Derived from Parthenogenetic Blastocysts

These experiments were carried out to optimize the parameters of electrical activation, methods of parthenogenetic activation and embryo culture in vitro and meanwhile to isolate embryonic stem cells-like (ESCs) derived from porcine parthenogenetic blastocysts (pPBs). These results showed that, as the electric field strength increased from 1.0 to 2.7 kV/cm, the cleavage rate of parthenogenetic embryos increased gradually but the rate of oocyte lysis was significantly increased when using 2.7 kV/cm field strength. The rate of cleavage in 2.2 and 2.7 kV/cm groups was significantly increased in comparison with that of the 1.0 kV/cm group. A voltage field strength of 2.2 kV/cm DC was used to investigate blastocyst development following activation with a single pulse of 30 or 60-μsec pulse duration. The optimum pulse duration was 30-μsec, with a blastocyst rate of 20.7%. Multiple pulses were inferior to a single pulse for blastocyst yield (8.0% vs. 29.9) (p<0.05). For porcine oocyte parthenogenetic activation methods, the rates of cleavage (79.0% vs. 59.8%) and blastocysts (19.4% vs. 3.4%) were significantly increased in electrical activation in contrast to chemical activation with ionomycin/6-DMAP (p<0.05). Rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation in NCSU-23 and PZM-3 embryo media were higher than those of G1.3/G2.3 serial culture media, but there was no significant difference among the three groups. The total cell number of blastocysts in PZM-3 embryo culture media containing 5 μg/ml insulin was significantly higher than that of the control (no insulin) (44.3±9.1 vs. 33.9±11.7). For isolation ofPESCs-like, the rates of porcine blastocysts attached to feeder layers and ICM colony formation in Method B (nude embryo culture) were better than those in Method A (intact embryo culture).
Exploiting TLM and Object Introspection for System-Level Simulation

The introduction of transaction level modeling (TLM) allows a system designer to model a complete application, composed of hardware and software parts, at several levels of abstraction. The simulation speed of TLM is orders of magnitude faster than traditional RTL simulation; nevertheless, it can become a limiting factor when considering a multi-processor system-on-chip (MP-SoC), as the analysis of these systems can be very complex. The main goal of this paper is to introduce a novel way of exploiting TLM features to increase simulation efficiency of complex systems by switching TLM models at runtime. Results show that simulation performance can be increased significantly without sacrificing the accuracy of critical application kernels
RUNX3, EGR1 and SOX9B Form a Regulatory Cascade Required to Modulate BMP-Signaling during Cranial Cartilage Development in Zebrafish

The cartilaginous elements forming the pharyngeal arches of the zebrafish derive from cranial neural crest cells. Their proper differentiation and patterning are regulated by reciprocal interactions between neural crest cells and surrounding endodermal, ectodermal and mesodermal tissues. In this study, we show that the endodermal factors Runx3 and Sox9b form a regulatory cascade with Egr1 resulting in transcriptional repression of the fsta gene, encoding a BMP antagonist, in pharyngeal endoderm. Using a transgenic line expressing a dominant negative BMP receptor or a specific BMP inhibitor (dorsomorphin), we show that BMP signaling is indeed required around 30 hpf in the neural crest cells to allow cell differentiation and proper pharyngeal cartilage formation. Runx3, Egr1, Sox9b and BMP signaling are required for expression of runx2b, one of the key regulator of cranial cartilage maturation and bone formation. Finally, we show that egr1 depletion leads to increased expression of fsta and inhibition of BMP signaling in the pharyngeal region. In conclusion, we show that the successive induction of the transcription factors Runx3, Egr1 and Sox9b constitutes a regulatory cascade that controls expression of Follistatin A in pharyngeal endoderm, the latter modulating BMP signaling in developing cranial cartilage in zebrafish.
Performance Analysis of Opportunistic Distributed Scheduling in Multi-User Systems

Consider the problem of a multiple access channel with a large number of users. In such a system, mostly due to practical constraints (e.g., decoding complexity), not all users can be scheduled together, and usually only one user may transmit at any given time. Assuming a distributed, opportunistic scheduling algorithm, we analyze the system’s properties, such as delay, QoS, and capacity scaling laws. Specifically, we start with analyzing the performance while assuming the users are not necessarily fully backlogged, focusing on the queuing problem and, especially, on the strong dependence between the queues. We first extend a known queuing model by Ephremides and Zhu, to give new results on the convergence of the probability of collision to its average value (as the number of users grows), and hence for the ensuing system performance metrics, such as throughput and delay. This model, however, is limited in the number of users one can analyze. We thus suggest a new model, which is much simpler yet can accurately describe the system behavior when the number of users is large. We then proceed to the analysis of this system under the assumption of time dependent channels. Specifically, we assume each user experiences a different channel state sequence, expressing different channel fluctuations (specifically, the Gilbert-Elliott model). The system performance under this setting is analyzed, along with the channel capacity scaling laws.
GLOBAL SOLUTIONS FOR A SEMILINEAR 2D KLEIN-GORDON EQUATION WITH EXPONENTIAL TYPE NONLINEARITY

We prove the existence and uniqueness of global solutions for a Cauchy problem associated to a semilinear Klein-Gordon equation in two space dimension. Our result is based on an interpolation estimate with a sharp constant obtained by a standard variational method. Accepted for publication: . AMS Subject Classifications: . , . , . 1 2 S. Ibrahim, M. Majdoub, and N. Masmoudi
A Spray-On Carbon Nanotube Artificial Neuron Strain Sensor for Composite Structural Health Monitoring

We present a nanocomposite strain sensor (NCSS) to develop a novel structural health monitoring (SHM) sensor that can be easily installed in a composite structure. An NCSS made of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/epoxy composite was installed on a target structure with facile processing. We attempted to evaluate the NCSS sensing characteristics and benchmark compared to those of a conventional foil strain gauge. The response of the NCSS was fairly good and the result was nearly identical to the strain gauge. A neuron, which is a biomimetic long continuous NCSS, was also developed, and its vibration response was investigated for structural damage detection of a composite cantilever. The vibration response for damage detection was measured by tracking the first natural frequency, which demonstrated good result that matched the finite element (FE) analysis.
Using Indoor Positioning and Mobile Sensing for Spatial Exposure and Environmental Characterizations: Pilot Demonstration of PM2.5 Mapping

New indoor positioning technology makes it possible to use air measuring devices carried by occupants to characterize spatiotemporal patterns of exposure and air quality inside buildings. This pilot study investigated the potential of a mobile monitoring method to map highly variable PM2.5 distributions inside an occupied one-bedroom apartment, coupling a new ultrasound localization method with a pair of collocated research-grade and low-cost sensors (SidePak and PTQS). Measuring the position of the mobile sensing node every 1 s, down to the centimeter scale, this method generated detailed occupant moving trajectories and location histories on a floor plan map, allowing identification of microenvironments causing transient peak exposures. Utilizing a random walking approach throughout the apartment, it identified smoke intrusion sources and captured the spatial distributions of PM2.5 using interpolated two-dimensional concentration fields. The correlations between SidePak and PTQS were evaluated when they.
Clustering of related individuals in a population of the Australian lizard, Egernia frerei

Stable social aggregations are rarely recorded in lizards, but have now been reported from several species in the Australian scincid genus Egernia. Most of those examples come from species using rock crevice refuges that are relatively easy to observe. But for many other Egernia species that occupy different habitats and are more secretive, it is hard to gather the observational data needed to deduce their social structure. Therefore, we used genotypes at six polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci of 229 individuals of Egernia frerei, trapped in 22 sampling sites over 3500 ha of eucalypt forest on Fraser Island, Australia. Each sampling site contained 15 trap locations in a 100 × 50 m grid. We estimated relatedness among pairs of individuals and found that relatedness was higher within than between sites. Relatedness of females within sites was higher than relatedness of males, and was higher than relatedness between males and females. Within sites we found that juvenile lizards were highly related to other juveniles and to adults trapped at the same location, or at adjacent locations, but relatedness decreased with increasing trap separation. We interpreted the results as suggesting high natal philopatry among juvenile lizards and adult females. This result is consistent with stable family group structure previously reported in rock dwelling Egernia species, and suggests that social behaviour in this genus is not habitat driven.
Evaluation of Auditory, Visual, and Dual-Mode Displays for Prolonged Sonar Monitoring in Repeated Sessions

Using a task which closely simulated the actual output from a sonar device, the performance of 12 subjects was observed for a total of 115 hr in repeated prolonged monitoring sessions under auditory, visual, and dual-mode display conditions. Despite an underlying basic superiority of signal discriminability on the visual display, and the occurrence of long-term practice effects, detection rate was consistently and substantially higher under the auditory condition, and higher again with the dual-mode display. These results are similar to those obtained by earlier workers using artificial laboratory tasks for shorter periods, and are consistent with the notion that auditory displays have greater attention-gaining capacity in a “vigilance” situation. A further comparison of the auditory and visual displays was then made in an “alerted” situation, where the possible occurrence of a signal was indicated by a warning stimulus in the alternative sensory mode. Ten subjects were observed for a total of 57 hr in these conditions, under which performance was found to be clearly superior with the visual display. Cross-modal correlations of performance indicated the presence of a common factor of signal detectability within subjects. It was concluded that where efficiency both in the initial detection of targets and their subsequent identification and tracking are equally important, the best solution would seem to be to retain both auditory and visual displays and to ensure that these are monitored concurrently.
All Quantum Adversary Methods are Equivalent

Disclosed is a method of developing an electrostatic image by bringing an electrostatic image-carrying surface of a substrate into sliding contact with a magnetic brush of a developer formed on a developer-feeding sleeve having a magnet arranged in the interior thereof, wherein the magnetic brush is formed from an earing-promoting component comprising particles of a dispersion of a powder of a magnetic material in a resin, which have a relatively large diameter of 70 to 300 microns, and a developer component comprising particles of a dispersion of a powder of a magnetic material in a binder medium, which have a relatively small diameter of 5 to 50 microns.
Epidemiological Study of High Cancer among Rural Agricultural Community of Punjab in Northern India

Based on a citizen’s report, a house-to-house survey was conducted in Talwandi Sabo and Chamkaur Sahib Community Development Blocks in Bathinda and Roop Nagar District respectively in Punjab state located in a northern part of India to identify the number of existing cancer cases, and the number of cancer deaths that occurred in the last 10 years. Age adjusted prevalence of confirmed cancer cases per 100,000 population was 125 (107/85315) in Talwandi Sabo and 72 (71/97928) in Chamkaur Sahib. Cancer of female reproductive system, i.e., breast, uterus/cervix and ovary were more common in Talwandi sabo whereas cancer of blood and lymphatic system, esophagus, and bones were more common in Chamkaur Sahib. Cancer deaths per 100,000 populations per year were 52 in Talwandi Sabo compared to 30 at Chamkaur Sahib. A comparison of the characteristics of randomly selected individuals, from the villages where a cancer case existed or death due to cancer had occurred in last 2 years, revealed that involvement in cultivation, pesticide use, alcohol consumption and smoking were more common in Talwandi Sabo as compared to Chamkaur Sahib. Limited studies show that in drinking water the levels of heavy metals such as As, Cd, Cr, Se, Hg were generally higher, and pesticides such as heptachlor, ethion, and chloropyrifos were also higher in samples of drinking water, vegetables, and blood in Talwandi Sabo as compared to Chamkaur Sahib. As multiple factors were responsible for significantly higher prevalence of cancer cases in Talwandi Sabo, therefore, a multi-pronged strategy to discourage the indiscriminate use of pesticides, tobacco and alcohol needs to be adopted for cancer prevention, and a cancer registry should be set up for elucidation of the role of pesticides and heavy metals in the etiology of cancer in this area.
Automatic methods for lexical stress assignment and syllabification

Improvements in automatic lexical stress assignment and syllabification can increase the quality of text-to-speech synthesis as well as decrease the memory requirements for dictionaries. Several methods were evaluated. Machine-learning based methods are preferred since they easily adapt to multiple languages. For stress prediction, encouraging results were obtain by combining a decision tree approach with an algorithm that uses global (word level) statistical data derived from the training dictionary. For syllable boundary prediction, algorithms that learn syllable level statistics from the training dictionary perform very well, and can be implemented as a post-process after prediction of phoneme transcription and stress.
Electrochemical fabrication of semiconductor nanostructure arrays for photonic applications

Electrochemical Fabrication of Semiconductor Nanostructure Arrays for Photonic Applications Stephen Patrick McGinnis Theoretical and experimental investigations of the properties of semiconductor nanostructures have been an active area of research due to the enhanced performance that is observed when electrons and holes are spatially confined in one, two or three dimensions. However, the development of viable photonic devices using this phenomenon requires the development of appropriate fabrication techniques that can provide control over nanostructure size, material composition, and periodicity for structures with dimensions less than 20 nm. To address these challenges, a nanostructure synthesis technique has been developed that is based on the self-organization of nanometer scale pores during the anodization of aluminum thin films. This template can then be used for direct synthesis of semiconductor material, or as a pattern transfer mask for the etching of structures in a semiconductor substrate. In this work, alumina template technology has been transferred from the exclusive use of an aluminum substrate to a thin film technology that can be applied to an arbitrary substrate material. This thin film process has been developed and characterized to permit control and uniformity over both nanostructure length and diameter. In addition, a Al/Pt/Si structure has been developed to permit direct DC synthesis of semiconductor nanostructures. Finally, the ability of this template to serve as a mask for direct etching of nanoscale features on a semiconductor substrate has been evaluated. This technology is currently being developed to provide device applications in the area of photovoltaic devices and silicon electro-optic modulators.
Context-free session types

Session types describe structured communication on heterogeneously typed channels at a high level. Their tail-recursive structure imposes a protocol that can be described by a regular language. The types of transmitted values are drawn from the underlying functional language, abstracting from the details of serializing values of structured data types. Context-free session types extend session types by allowing nested protocols that are not restricted to tail recursion. Nested protocols correspond to deterministic context-free languages. Such protocols are interesting in their own right, but they are particularly suited to describe the low-level serialization of tree-structured data in a type-safe way. We establish the metatheory of context-free session types, prove that they properly generalize standard (two-party) session types, and take first steps towards type checking by showing that type equivalence is decidable.
The Plausibility of September–November Congo Basin Rainfall Change in Coupled Climate Models

As one of three global hot spots of tropical convection, potential future changes to the Congo Basin climate system will have regional and tropics‐wide implications. However, the latest generation of climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 disagree on the sign and magnitude of future change and diverge in their estimation of the historical rainfall climatology. This study assesses the plausibility of different signals of future rainfall change by examining the processes relating to rainfall projections in samples of historically wet or dry models during the September–November rainy season. In the west Congo Basin, there are no significant differences in rainfall change projections in models that are historically wet or dry. Both composites feature wetting in the north (up to 1.8 mm/day) and drying in the south, associated with enhanced tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures, increased evaporation, and enhanced low‐level moisture flux into the basin. In the east Congo Basin, there is greater evidence that differences in model historical climatologies has an influence on the magnitude of future rainfall change. Historically wet models project significant wetting in the northeast (1.19 mm/day) associated with a weakened northern component of the African Easterly Jet (AEJ) and enhanced moisture convergence. Dry models do not capture the structure of the AEJs in the historical period, and so changes to the AEJs under warming do not produce the same wetting pattern. The analysis therefore casts doubt on the plausibility of the driest rainfall change signals in the east Congo Basin.
FlockLab: A testbed for distributed, synchronized tracing and profiling of wireless embedded systems

Testbeds are indispensable for debugging and evaluating wireless embedded systems. While existing testbeds provide ample opportunities for realistic, large-scale experiments, they are limited in their ability to closely observe and control the distributed operation of resource-constrained nodes-access to the nodes is restricted to the serial port. This paper presents FlockLab, a testbed that overcomes this limitation by allowing multiple services to run simultaneously and synchronously against all nodes under test in addition to the traditional serial port service: tracing of GPIO pins to record logical events occurring on a node, actuation of GPIO pins to trigger actions on a node, and high-resolution power profiling. FlockLab's accurate timing information in the low microsecond range enables logical events to be correlated with power samples, thus providing a previously unattained level of visibility into the distributed behavior of wireless embedded systems. In this paper, we describe FlockLab's design, benchmark its performance, and demonstrate its capabilities through several real-world test cases.
Linear Stability Analysis of Upper-Regime Bed Waves Including the Effect of Density Stratification

Linear stability analysis (LSA) is performed in order to investigate the bed stability of open channel ﬂow. The bed is assumed to be covered with sediment. The governing equations are the Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equation (RANS) and the dispersion/diﬀusion equation of suspended sediment c . In addition, as a turbulent closure model, we employ the standard k - ϵ model which includes the transport equation of turbulent kinetic energy k , and the transport equation of the dissipation rate ϵ . Asymptotic expansions of the variables are then introduced into the governing equations to obtain the perturbation equations. The perturbation equations are solved with the use of the spectral collocation method incorporated with the Chebyshev polynomials. It is found that density stratiﬁcation increases the velocity and suspended sediment concentration at the region near to the bed in the base state condition. The unstable region of antidune is shifted to the range of smaller wavenumber around the critical Froude number due to the eﬀect of density stratiﬁcation.