Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designing high-performance and reliable superscalar architectures-the out of order reliable superscalar (O3RS) approach

As VLSI geometry continues to shrink and the level of integration increases, it is expected that the probability of faults, particularly transient faults, will increase in future microprocessors. So far, fault tolerance has chiefly been considered for special purpose or safety critical systems, but future technology will likely require integrating fault tolerance techniques into commercial systems. Such systems require low cost solutions that are transparent to the system operation and do not degrade overall performance. This paper introduces a new superscalar architecture, termed as 03RS that aims to incorporate such simple fault tolerance mechanisms as part of the basic architecture.
Racial relations in selected faculties in English language historically white universities in South Africa

Abstract In the late 1990s, accusations of racism and the refusal of English language historically white universities (HWUs) in South Africa to transform, despite their long-standing status as non-racist and democratic institutions, began to surface. As a result, from 1996 to 1997 a comparative descriptive study to examine racial and gender relations was conducted in selected faculties of all English language HWUs. The aim of the study was to establish baseline empirical data on racial relations in order to provide a basis for future appraisals of racial integration at these institutions. The study found that black 1 academics differed significantly from their white colleagues in their perceptions regarding racism on campus. Most of them expressed feelings of alienation and believed that black students felt equally alienated. A number of them alluded to a system of ‘outsiders ’ and ‘insiders’, which they perceived to be in existence in HWUs and tended to see themselves as outsiders in the prevailing ‘Oxbridge’ 2 white, male culture of these institutions. Negative perceptions about racial relations at departmental level were largely attributed to predominantly black student populations in departments where the teaching staff was predominantly white. The number of black academics with perceptions of covert and/or unconscious racism at this level was significant. The results of this study paint a picture of institutions with serious, though covert, problems with racial relations, which is clearly not conducive to healthy working relationships. The question is: will South African universities transcend racial tension and transform themselves into truly South African institutions?
A Novel Ship-Bridge Collision Avoidance System Based on Monocular Computer Vision

The study aims to investigate the ship-bridge collision avoidance. A novel system for ship-bridge collision avoidance based on monocular computer vision is proposed in this study. In the new system, the moving ships are firstly captured by the video sequences. Then the detection and tracking of the moving objects have been done to identify the regions in the scene that correspond to the video sequences. Secondly, the quantity description of the dynamic states of the moving objects in the geographical coordinate system, including the location, velocity, orientation, etc, has been calculated based on the monocular vision geometry. Finally, the collision risk is evaluated and consequently the ship manipulation commands are suggested, aiming to avoid the potential collision. Both computer simulation and field experiments have been implemented to validate the proposed system. The analysis results have shown the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Visual analysis of large-scale network anomalies

The amount of information flowing across communication networks has rapidly increased. The highly dynamic and complex networks, represented as large graphs, make the analysis of such networks increasingly challenging. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of several useful visualization techniques for the analysis of spatiotemporal anomalies in large-scale networks. We make use of community-based similarity graphs (CSGs), temporal expansion model graphs (TEMGs), correlation graphs (CGs), high-dimension projection graphs (HDPGs), and topology-preserving compressed graphs (TPCGs). CSG is used to detect anomalies based on community membership changes rather than individual nodes and edges and therefore may be more tolerant to the highly dynamic nature of large networks. TEMG transforms network topologies into directed trees so that efficient search is more likely to be performed for anomalous changes in network behavior and routing topology in large dynamic networks. CG and HDPG are used to examine the complex relationship of data dimensions among graph nodes through transformation in a high-dimensional space. TPCG groups nodes with similar neighbor sets into mega-nodes, thus making graph visualization and analysis more scalable to large networks. All the methods target efficient large-graph anomaly visualization from different perspectives and together provide valuable insights.
Comparison of PSO and DE for Training Neural Networks

The use of computational resources required for Feed-Forward Artificial Neural Network (FFANN) training phase by means of classical techniques such as the back propagation learning rule can be prohibitive in some applications. A good training phase is needed for a high performance of a neural network. In searching for alternative methods for training phase of FFANN, some metaheuristic techniques have been used to do this task. This paper compares the performance of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Differential Evolution (DE) as training methods for FFANN under several well-known pattern recognition instances.
From a reactive to a proactive safety approach. Analysis of medication errors in chemotherapy using general failure types

A better understanding of why medication errors (MEs) occur will mean that we can work proactively to minimise them. This study developed a proactive tool to identify general failure types (GFTs) in the process of managing cytotoxic drugs in healthcare. The tool is based on Reason's Tripod Delta tool. The GFTs and active failures were identified in 60 cases of MEs reported to the Swedish national authorities. The most frequently encountered GFTs were defences, procedures, organisation and design. Working conditions were often the common denominator underlying the MEs. Among the active failures identified, a majority were classified as slips, one‐third as mistakes, and for a few no active failure or error could be determined. It was found that the tool facilitated the qualitative understanding of how the organisational weaknesses and local characteristics influence the risks. It is recommended that the tool be used regularly. We propose further development of the GFT tool. We also propose a tool to be further developed into a proactive self‐evaluation tool that would work as a complement to already incident reporting and event and risk analyses.
Multiple Myeloma and Paget Disease with Abnormal Skull Lesions and Intracranial Hypertension

We report a 73 years old man with a diagnosis of Paget Disease (PD) and symptomatic Multiple Myeloma (MM). Coexistence of MM and PD has rarely been described. PD mimics many of the features of bone destructive process in MM, making differential diagnosis more complicated. In addition, the presence of serious muscolo-skeletal and metabolic complications in both diseases makes management of patients difficult, worsening the prognosis. The comparison of these two diseases has led to the characterization of a common molecular mechanism represented by the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL)/Osteoprotegerin signaling pathway. The improved comprehension of these mechanisms led to the development of new pharmacologic agents (bisphosphonates, cytokines inhibitors) effective for the treatment of these bone diseases.
Visualization of Coherent Structures of Light Transport

Inspired by vector field topology, an established tool for the extraction and identification of important features of flows and vector fields, we develop means for the analysis of the structure of light transport. For that, we derive an analogy to vector field topology that defines coherent structures in light transport. We also introduce Finite‐Time Path Deflection (FTPD), a scalar quantity that represents the deflection characteristic of all light transport paths passing through a given point in space. For virtual scenes, the FTPD can be computed directly using path‐space Monte Carlo integration. We visualize the FTPD field for several example scenes and discuss the revealed structures. Lastly, we show that the coherent regions visualized by the FTPD are closely related to the coherent regions in our new topologically‐motivated analysis of light transport. FTPD visualizations are thus also visualizations of the structure of light transport.
Different transcripts of the Drosophila Abd‐B gene correlate with distinct genetic sub‐functions.

Abdominal‐B (Abd‐B) is a homeotic selector gene required for the correct development of abdominal segments 5‐9. This gene contains at least two different genetic sub‐functions which act as ‘morphogenetic’ or ‘regulatory’ elements within a single lethal complementation group. In an effort to identify the molecular nature of these sub‐functions we have characterized homeobox‐containing transcripts of Abd‐B. The Abd‐B transcripts can be grouped into four major classes whose diversity arises through differential exon splicing. We have isolated cDNAs which represent three of the transcript classes, designated alpha, beta and gamma. Their expression patterns, coupled with previous molecular genetic analyses of Abd‐B, suggest that the alpha transcript class encodes the ‘morphogenetic’ sub‐function while the beta transcript class contributes to the ‘regulatory’ sub‐function.
The role of protective behavioral strategies and anxiety in problematic drinking among college students.

OBJECTIVE The use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) has been shown to reduce heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among college students. Limited research has examined how mental health is related to PBS use in the prediction of alcohol outcomes. Consequently, the aims of the present study were to (a) examine the relationship between anxiety symptoms and the use of PBS, (b) examine PBS as a mediator of the association between anxiety and alcohol-related problems, and (c) test anxiety as a moderator of the relationship between the use of PBS and alcohol-related problems. METHOD Participants were college students (N = 199, 67% women) who completed self-report measures of typical anxiety symptoms, use of PBS, and alcohol-related problems. RESULTS Results indicated that anxiety was significantly negatively related to PBS use. Additionally, the association between anxiety and alcohol-related consequences was mediated by the use of PBS. The association between PBS use and alcohol-related problems was also contingent on one's level of anxiety. That is, although the relationship between the use of PBS and problems was negative regardless of anxiety level, those with higher anxiety exhibited a stronger, negative relationship between PBS and problems. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that PBS is both a mediator in the anxiety and alcohol-related problems association as well as an important factor in reducing negative consequences for college students higher in anxiety. Results indicate that college students with anxiety would be ideal candidates for harm-reduction interventions that emphasize the use of PBS in drinking contexts.
Understanding and defining cognitive style and learning style: a Delphi study in the context of educational psychology

This report outlines the findings from a Delphi study designed to establish consensus on the definitions of cognitive style and learning style amongst an international style researcher community. The study yields long-needed definitions for each construct that reflect high levels of agreement. In a field that has been criticised for a bewildering array of definitions and a proliferation of terms and concepts, this study represents an important step to address confusion in the meaning of the two terms. New researchers interested in styles are encouraged to draw on these definitions when developing new research agendas aimed at deepening our understanding of style as a core construct in educational psychology.
Novel Genetic Diversity Through Somatic Mutations: Fuel for Adaptation of Reef Corals?

Adaptation of reef corals to climate change is an issue of much debate, and often viewed as too slow a process to be of relevance over decadal time scales. This notion is based on the long sexual generation times typical for some coral species. However, the importance of somatic mutations during asexual reproduction and growth on evolution and adaptation (i.e., cell lineage selection) is rarely considered. Here we review the existing literature on cell lineage selection and show that the scope for somatic mutations to arise in the coral animal and associated Symbiodinium is large. For example, we estimate that ~100 million somatic mutations can arise within a branching Acropora coral colony of average size. Similarly, the large population sizes and rapid turn-over times of in hospite Symbiodinium likely result in considerable numbers of somatic mutations. While the fate of new mutations depends on many factors, including ploidy level and force and direction of selection, we argue that they likely play a key role in the evolution of reef corals.
The Buddy-Tree: An Efficient and Robust Access Method for Spatial Data Base Systems

In this paper, we propose a new multidimensional access method, called the buddy-tree, to support point as well as spatial data in a dynamic environment. The buddy-tree can be seen as a compromise of the R-tree and the grid file, but it is fundamentally different from each of them. Because grid files loose performance for highly correlated data, the buddy-tree is designed to organize such data very efficiently, partitioning only such parts of the data space which contain data and not partitioning empty data space. The directory consists of a very flexible partitioning and reorganization scheme based on a generalization of the buddy-system. As for B-trees, the buddy-tree fulfills the property that insertions and deletions are restricted to exactly one path of the directory. Additional important properties which are not fulfilled in this combination by any other multidimensional tree-based access method are: (i) the directory grows linear in the number of records, (ii) no overflow pages are allowed, (iii) the data space is partitioned into minimum bounding rectangles of the actual data and (iv) the performance is basicly independent of the sequence of insertions. In this paper, we introduce the principles of the buddy-tree, the organization of its directory and the most important algorithms. Using our standardized testbed, we present a performance comparison of the buddy-tree with other access methods demonstrating the superiority and robustness of the buddy-tree.
Substance-Related Health Problems during Rave Parties in the Netherlands (1997–2008)

The objective of this study was to describe a 12-year (1997–2008) observation of substance-related incidents occurring at rave parties in the Netherlands, including length of visits to first-aid stations, substances used, and severity of the incidents. During rave parties, specifically trained medical and paramedical personnel staffed first aid stations. Visitors were diagnosed and treated, and their data were recorded using standardized methods. During the 12-year period with 249 rave parties involving about 3,800,000 visitors, 27,897 people visited a first aid station, of whom 10,100 reported having a substance-related problem. The mean age of these people was 22.3+/−5.4 years; 52.4% of them were male. Most (66.7%) substance-related problems were associated with ecstasy or alcohol use or both. Among 10,100 substance-related cases, 515 required professional medical care, and 16 of these cases were life threatening. People with a substance-related problem stayed 20 min at the first aid station, which was significantly longer than the 5 min that those without a substance-related health problem stayed. These unique data from the Netherlands identify a variety of acute health problems related to the use of alcohol, amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and GHB. Although most problems were minor, people using GHB more often required professional medical care those using the other substances. We recommended adherence to harm and risk reduction policy, and the use of first aid stations with specially trained staff for both minor and serious incidents.
Predicting future cardiovascular disease: do we need the oral glucose tolerance test?

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to compare the performance of oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) and multivariate models incorporating commonly available clinical variables in their ability to predict future cardiovascular disease (CVD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We randomly selected 2,662 Mexican-Americans and 1,595 non-Hispanic whites, 25-64 years of age, who were free of both CVD and known diabetes at baseline from several San Antonio census tracts. Medical history, cigarette smoking history, BMI, blood pressure, fasting and 2-h plasma glucose and serum insulin levels, triglyceride level, and fasting serum total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol levels were obtained at baseline. CVD developed in 88 Mexican-Americans and 71 non-Hispanic whites after 7-8 years of follow-up. Stepwise multiple logistic regression models were developed to predict incident CVD. The areas under receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the predictive power of these models. RESULTS The area under the 2-h glucose ROC curve was modestly but not significantly greater than under the fasting glucose curve, but both were relatively weak predictors of CVD. The areas under the ROC curves for the multivariate models incorporating readily available clinical variables other than 2-h glucose were substantially and significantly greater than under the glucose ROC curves. Addition of 2-h glucose to these models did not improve their predicting power. CONCLUSIONS Better identification of individuals at high risk for CVD can be achieved with simple predicting models than with OGTTs, and the addition of the latter adds little if anything to the predictive power of the model.
A Low Energy Injection-Locked FSK Transceiver With Frequency-to-Amplitude Conversion for Body Sensor Applications

An energy-efficient 920 MHz FSK transceiver for wireless body sensor network (BSN) applications is implemented in 0.18 μm CMOS technology with 0.7 V supply. A transceiver architecture based on injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) is proposed for the low energy consumption. In the receiver, the ILFD in the signal path converts the received FSK signal to amplitude-modulated signal which is applied to the next envelope detector. In the transmitter, the ILFD is used as digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO) which directly modulates the FSK signal with digital data. The DCO replaces the frequency synthesizer to eliminate the crystal oscillator (XO), which leads to reduce power consumption and cost. The transceiver can detect whether injection locking occurs or not, and calibrates the frequency drift of DCO over temperature variation thanks to ILFD based architecture. The receiver and transmitter consume 420 μW and 700 μW , respectively, at - 10 dBm output power with a data rate of 5 Mb/s, corresponding to energy consumption of 84 pJ per received bit and 140 pJ per transmitted bit.
Three-dimensional distribution of transverse collagen fibers in the anterior human corneal stroma.

PURPOSE Recent investigations of human corneal structure and biomechanics have shown that stromal collagen fibers (lamellae) are organized into a complex, highly intertwined three-dimensional meshwork of transverse oriented fibers that increases stromal stiffness and controls corneal shape. The purpose of this study was to characterize the three-dimensional distribution of transverse collagen fibers along the major meridians of the cornea using an automated method to rapidly quantify the collagen fibers' angular orientation. METHODS Three eyes from three donors were perfusion-fixed under pressure, excised, and cut into four quadrants. Quadrants were physically sectioned using a vibratome and scanned using nonlinear optical high-resolution macroscopy. Planes were analyzed numerically using software to identify collagen fiber angles relative to the corneal surface, stromal depth, and radial position within the anterior 250 μm of the stroma. RESULTS The range of fiber angles and the fiber percentage having an angular displacement greater than ±3.5° relative to the corneal surface ("transverse fibers") was highest in the anterior stroma and decreased with depth. Numerical analysis showed no significant differences in fiber angles and transverse fibers between quadrants, meridians, and radial position. CONCLUSIONS These results match our previous observation of a depth-dependent gradient in stromal collagen interconnectivity in the central cornea, and show that this gradient extends from the central cornea to the limbus. The lack of a preferred distribution of angled fibers with regard to corneal quadrant or radial position likely serves to evenly distribute loads and to avoid the formation of areas of stress concentration.
Analysing the factors influencing learners’ knowledge sharing behaviour in the virtual learning community of a faculty training programme

The biggest challenge in fostering a virtual learning community is the supply of knowledge sharing behaviour. In order to explore the knowledge sharing behaviour within the virtual learning community of faculty, this study proposed a research model based on the social cognitive theory. Faculty participants of a training programme were surveyed to test the proposed research model. The structural equation modelling technique was used to analyse the data and evaluate the research model. Results showed that the research model fit the data well and helped in identifying the determinants influencing learners’ knowledge sharing behaviour in a virtual learning community. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed at the end of the paper.
Comfortable Modeling of Complex Reactive Systems

Modeling systems based on semi-formal graphical formalisms, such as Statecharts, has become standard practice in the design of reactive embedded devices. However, the modeling of realistic applications often results in very large and unmanageable graphics, severely compromising their readability and practical use. To overcome this, we present a methodology to support the easy development and understanding of complex Statecharts. Central to our approach is the definition of a Statechart normal form (SNF), which provides a standardized layout that is compact and makes systematic use of secondary notations to aid readability. This concept is extended to dynamic Statecharts