Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LASIC: Loop-Aware Sleepy Instruction Caches Based on STT-RAM Technology

This brief presents an approach to reduce static power consumption in peripheral circuits of spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM) instruction caches. It is based on the key observation that only a small set of instructions is accessed inside a program loop. We propose to add a small static RAM cache called loop cache between the processor and the L1 instruction cache made of STT-RAM. When the loop cache has an entire loop cached, the L1 instruction cache can be turned off to save energy during the execution of the loop. Experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves 49% reduction in energy consumption over the STT-RAM baseline.
Evaluation of core vocabulary therapy for deaf children: Four treatment case studies

This study evaluated whether core vocabulary intervention (CVT) improved single word speech accuracy, consistency and intelligibility in four 9−11-year-old children with profound sensori-neural deafness fitted with cochlear implants and/or digital hearing aids. Their speech was characterized by inconsistent production of different error forms for the same lexical item. The children received twice weekly therapy sessions for eight weeks. Fifty target words were drilled and changes in production assessed for accuracy and consistency. Generalization of consistency and accuracy was assessed on non-targeted words. There were four assessment points: six weeks pre-therapy; immediately before therapy; immediately following therapy and six weeks post-therapy. In addition, 10 unfamiliar listeners judged the intelligibility of audio recordings of the children’s speech before and after therapy. The children’s consistency and accuracy of single word production improved following CVT. Consistency generalized to untreated words. Sentence intelligibility ratings improved and more target words were identified after therapy. These case studies suggest that CVT merits further investigation as an effective intervention approach for deaf children, enhancing consistency, accuracy and intelligibility of speech.
A Multialgorithm Approach to Land Surface Modeling of Suspended Sediment in the Colorado Front Range

A new paradigm of simulating suspended sediment load (SSL) with a Land Surface Model (LSM) is presented here. Five erosion and SSL algorithms were applied within a common LSM framework to quantify uncertainties and evaluate predictability in two steep, forested catchments (>1,000 km2). The algorithms were chosen from among widely used sediment models, including empirically based: monovariate rating curve (MRC) and the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE); stochastically based: the Load Estimator (LOADEST); conceptually based: the Hydrologic Simulation Program—Fortran (HSPF); and physically based: the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM). The algorithms were driven by the hydrologic fluxes and meteorological inputs generated from the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) LSM. A multiobjective calibration was applied to each algorithm and optimized parameter sets were validated over an excluded period, as well as in a transfer experiment to a nearby catchment to explore parameter robustness. Algorithm performance showed consistent decreases when parameter sets were applied to periods with greatly differing SSL variability relative to the calibration period. Of interest was a joint calibration of all sediment algorithm and streamflow parameters simultaneously, from which trade‐offs between streamflow performance and partitioning of runoff and base flow to optimize SSL timing were noted, decreasing the flexibility and robustness of the streamflow to adapt to different time periods. Parameter transferability to another catchment was most successful in more process‐oriented algorithms, the HSPF and the DHSVM. This first‐of‐its‐kind multialgorithm sediment scheme offers a unique capability to portray acute episodic loading while quantifying trade‐offs and uncertainties across a range of algorithm structures.
Moving object segmentation based on new likelihood functions

Accurate segmentation of moving objects from a video sequence is still a difficult task. A moving object segmentation method is proposed in this paper to deal with the segmentation splits and defects. First, it is claimed that the confusion point is one reason for the segmentation inaccuracy, and corresponding solution is also presented. According to the solution, new likelihood functions are proposed to compute membership probabilities, which are then used for final segmentation within an energy minimization framework. Unlike related algorithms which compute membership probabilities using kernel density estimation, the proposed method models the membership probabilities as functions with kernel density estimation as the independent variable. Experiments show that improved results are generated by the proposed likelihood functions.
Enabling performance intelligence for application adaptation in the Future Internet

Today's Internet which provides communication channels with best-effort end-to-end performance is rapidly evolving into an autonomic global computing platform. Achieving autonomicity in the Future Internet will require a performance architecture that (a) allows users to request and own 'slices' of geographically-distributed host and network resources, (b) measures and monitors end-to-end host and network status, (c) enables analysis of the measurements within expert systems, and (d) provides performance intelligence in a timely manner for application adaptations to improve performance and scalability. We de- scribe the requirements and design of one such "Future Internet performance architecture" (FIPA), and present our reference implementation of FIPA called 'OnTimeMeasure. ' OnTimeMeasure comprises of several measurement-related services that can interact with each other and with existing measurement frameworks to enable performance intelligence. We also explain our OnTimeMea- sure deployment in the global environment for network innovations (GENI) infrastructure collaborative research initiative to build a sliceable Future Internet. Further, we present an application- adaptation case study in GENI that uses OnTimeMeasure-enabled performance intelligence in the context of dynamic resource allocation within thin-client based virtual desktop clouds. We show how a virtual desktop cloud provider in the Future Internet can use the performance intelligence to increase cloud scalability, while simultaneously delivering satisfactory user quality-of-experience.
Who teaches in American charter schools? Findings from secondary analysis of the 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey

Charter schools have been in existence for 20 years in the USA and their effectiveness has been heatedly debated. Despite a growing literature on charter school administration, research on charter school teachers in comparison with their counterparts at traditional public schools is scarce. Using secondary data from the 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey, this study aims to compare the demographic and qualification characteristics of charter school teachers versus traditional public school teachers. Cross-tab analysis, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied. The results show that charter teachers were considerably younger, more likely to be from minority groups, much less experienced, less likely to have earned a bachelor's degree, to have qualified for full certification, and to be teaching in-field than traditional public teachers. However, charter school teachers were also more likely to graduate from more selective colleges. It is concluded that the reduced regulation at charter schools helped lower the entry barriers to teaching for non-traditionally certified but academically qualified candidates. This study is limited by the fact that the secondary data used are around 10 years old. Therefore, the results should be treated primarily as ‘snapshot’ views of the US charter school teachers in early 2000s.
Coded random access design for constrained outage

The emergence of networks of many devices in the context of cyber-physical systems motivates novel solutions for communication over random access channels. Currently deployed random access protocols attempt to avoid collisions, and target the performance of a scheduled multiple access system (a strategy known to be only suboptimal from the information-theoretic perspective). In contrast, in this paper, we allow collisions among the transmissions of different users. We consider code design for random access channels with erasures in which the number of users in each frame is unknown at the transmitters but known at the receiver, and we present a two-layer coding architecture for joint contention resolution and erasure correction. For random LDPC codes based on this scheme, the density evolution is asymptotically analyzed, which enables optimized code design for maximized throughput with constrained outage. The results demonstrate that the proposed low-complexity scheme approaches the outage capacity of the random access channel with erasures when the average number of active users is small.
Formulation development, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of microemulsion-based gel loaded with ketoprofen

Abstract Background: Anti-inflammatory agents are widely used to relieve inflammation caused by various factors. Aim: This study was initiated with the intention to deliver low aqueous soluble ketoprofen to enhance its solubility by developing microemulsion system as a template and then incorporating it into gel phase. Materials and methods: Initially ketoprofen was solubilized into microemulsion preparation made up of clove oil, Tween 20 and propylene glycol as oil phase, surfactant and co-surfactant respectively, then it was incorporated into different concentration of gelling phase using gelling agents namely Carbopol 940, Carbopol 934 and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose K4M (HPMC K4M). Formulated emulgels were evaluated for their physical appearance, pH, rheological properties, globule size, extrudability, drug content, spreadability, bioadhesion strength, in vitro and ex vivo drug release, skin irritation test and anti-inflammatory activity. Results: Microemulsion had shown globule size 396 nm, pH 6–6.7, viscosity 29.4 cps and zeta potential −12 mV indicating good stability. Formulated emulgels showed good physical appearance, skin acceptable pH 6–6.9, non-Newtonian shear thinning system, drug content 99.28 ± 0.16%, bioadhesion strength 48.4 gram force, globule size 473 nm, spreadability 22.96 gm.cm/s, good extrudability, in vitro release, ex vivo release did not showed any irritation reaction and possess a good anti-inflammatory activity. Conclusions: Selected batch showed enhanced drug release (92.42 ± 4.66%) as compared to marketed gel (65.94 ± 3.30). Similarly ex vivo release of formulation showed 72.22% release through mice skin compared with marketed gel. Formulations followed Korsmeyer–Peppas diffusion kinetic model. It was observed from the results that the formulated emulgel can provide promising delivery of ketoprofen.
Functional expression of horseradish peroxidase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris.

The ability to engineer proteins by directed evolution requires functional expression of the target polypeptide in a recombinant host suitable for construction and screening libraries of enzyme variants. Bacteria and yeast are preferred, but eukaryotic proteins often fail to express in active form in these cells. We have attempted to resolve this problem by identifying mutations in the target gene that facilitate its functional expression in a given recombinant host. Here we examined expression of HRP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Through three rounds of directed evolution by random point mutagenesis and screening, we obtained a 40-fold increase in total HRP activity in the S.cerevisiae culture supernatant compared with wild-type, as measured on ABTS ¿2, 2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (260 units/l/OD(600)). Genes from wild-type and two high-activity clones were expressed in Pichia pastoris, where the total ABTS activity reached 600 units/l/OD(600) in shake flasks. The mutants show up to 5.4-fold higher specific activity towards ABTS and 2.3-fold higher specific activity towards guaiacol.
Chapter V: Local Selection, Placement, and Administrative Relations

J. HE AMOUNT of research dealing with matters covered by this chapter heading has been regrettably limited during the period of this review. True, a number of related articles appear annually in educational journals, but the majority of these may be characterized as expressions of opinion regarding objectives and/or practices. Research reports and descriptions of technics or procedures reported in the literature are relatively few. It is important to take cognizance of this apparent neglect. Reliable and valid procedures leading to the identification of good teachers and contributing to their selection and guidance must be developed and validated if the obligations of the schools are to be fulfilled. Research workers must provide these necessary technics.
Basotho teachers’ constructions of gender: Implications on gender equality in the schools

Abstract This paper gives prominence to rural teachers’ own accounts of gender in three co-educational primary schools in Lesotho. The paper employs the social constructionist paradigm as its theoretical framework. Drawing from ethnographic data (observations and informal discussions), it discusses factors that inform teachers’ constructions of gender and the implications of these on gender in/equality in the schools. Twelve teachers’ (male = 1; female = 11) participated in the study. Analysis denotes how teachers constructed masculinities and femininities as inherent gender qualities, and the role of Basotho culture, language and its discourse in promoting gender inequalities. The conclusion provides strategies that would strengthen teachers’ ability to promote gender equality in schools.
Implementation of a Burn Scar Assessment System by Ultrasound Techniques

Tissue injury and its ensuing healing process cause scar formation. In addition to physical disability, the subsequent disfigurements from burns often bring negative psychological impacts on the survivors. Scar hypertrophy and contracture limit the joint motion and body function of the patient. With fast development of the current available technologies regarding the scar therapies, not only the process of wound healing has to be focused, but also the cosmetic and functional outcomes need to be emphasized. Therefore, proper evaluation and assessment of the healing process to nil scar status is highly recommended. However, the currently employed tools for scar evaluation are mostly subjective. For example, Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) scar index uses color, pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and depth of the scar as dependent variables for scar evaluation. These parameters only estimate the superficial surface of the scar, but they can not evaluate the deeper tissue within dermis. Ultrasound is a safe, inexpensive, and multifunctional technique for probing tissue characteristics. In addition, its resolution is not inferior to other measurement techniques. Although 3D-ultrasound is available in clinical application, it's still not widely used in scar evaluation because of its high cost. In this study, we proposed a system for scar assessment using B-mode ultrasonic technique. By utilizing the reconstruction methods to search the scar border, many characteristic parameters, including depth, area and volume, can be estimated. The proposed method is useful in assisting the clinician to evaluate the treatment effect and to plan further therapeutic strategy more objectively. In this report, the quantitative assessment system was used to evaluate the scar of a seriously burned patient. In order to verify the reliability of systematic reconstruction method, we constructed a phantom to imitate the scar tissue. The results show that it can achieve more than 90% in accuracy
Sex Lives and Audiotape: Geography, Sexuality, and Undergraduate Dissertations.

Abstract The dissertation is commonly the largest piece of work conducted by UK geography undergraduates. There has been an increase in dissertations on topics grouped under the heading ‘sexual geographies’. This paper addresses some of the practicalities in doing a dissertation on sexual geographies, from choosing a topic to selecting a relevant methodological framework. It also draws attention to issues in the ethics of independent research in this area.
Consistent fusion of ZNF198 to the fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 in the t(8;13)(p11;q12) myeloproliferative syndrome.

The 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome is a rare, aggressive condition associated with reciprocal translocations of chromosome band 8p11, most commonly the t(8;13)(p11;q12). To identify the genes involved in this translocation, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis to show that the chromosome 8 breakpoints fell within YAC 899e2 and that the chromosome 13 breakpoints are clustered in a region flanked by YACs 929f11 and 911h8. FISH using chromosome 13 PAC clones indicated that the t(8;13) is not simply a reciprocal translocation but also involves an inversion of 13q11-12. Exon trapping of a PAC that spanned the chromosome 13 translocation breakpoints led to the identification of a gene, ZNF198, that detected rearranged bands when used as a probe against Southern blots of patient DNA. Conceptual translation of the full-length ZNF198 cDNA sequence predicts a protein of 1377 amino acids that shows significant homology to the DXS6673E/KIAA0385 and KIAA0425 proteins. Alignment of these three proteins revealed a novel, conserved Zn-finger-related motif (MYM domain) of the general form CX2C19-22CX3CX13-19CX2CX19-25FCX3CX3F/Y that is repeated five times in each protein. To identify the translocation partner gene on chromosome 8, 5' and 3' RACE polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were performed on patient RNA with several combinations of ZNF198 primers. Clones were identified in which the ZNF198 was fused to exon 9 of the fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGFR1), a gene known to map to 8p11. An identical ZNF198-FGFR1 fusion was detected in the three patients with a t(8;13) for whom RNA was available; reciprocal FGFR1-ZNF198 transcripts were not detected. Rearrangements of both ZNF198 and FGFR1 were found in two further patients by Southern blotting. ZNF198-FGFR1 includes the five MYM domains of ZNF198 and the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of FGFR1. We hypothesize that this fusion leads to constitutive activation of the FGFR1 tyrosine kinase in a manner analogous to the activation of ABL by BCR in chronic myeloid leukemia.
Serum Uric Acid and Renal Transplantation Outcomes: At Least 3-Year Post-transplant Retrospective Multivariate Analysis

Since the association of serum uric acid and kidney transplant graft outcome remains disputable, we sought to evaluate the predictive value of uric acid level for graft survival/function and the factors could affect uric acid as time varies. A consecutive cohort of five hundred and seventy three recipients transplanted during January 2008 to December 2011 were recruited. Data and laboratory values of our interest were collected at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months post-transplant for analysis. Cox proportional hazard model, and multiple regression equation were built to adjust for the possible confounding variables and meet our goals as appropriate. The current cohort study lasts for 41.86 ± 15.49 months. Uric acid level is proven to be negatively associated with eGFR at different time point after adjustment for age, body mass index and male gender (standardized β ranges from -0.15 to -0.30 with all P<0.001). Males with low eGFR but high level of TG were on CSA, diuretics and RAS inhibitors and experienced at least one episode of acute rejection and diabetic issue were associated with a higher mean uric acid level. Hyperuricemia was significantly an independent predictor of pure graft failure (hazard ratio=4.01, 95% CI: 1.25-12.91, P=0.02) after adjustment. But it was no longer an independent risk factor for graft loss after adjustment. Interestingly, higher triglyceride level can make incidence of graft loss (hazard ratio=1.442, for each unit increase millimoles per liter 95% CI: 1.008-2.061, P=0.045) and death (hazard ratio=1.717, 95% CI: 1.105-2.665, P=0.016) more likely. The results of our study suggest that post-transplant elevated serum uric acid level is an independent predictor of long-term graft survival and graft function. Together with the high TG level impact on poor outcomes, further investigations for therapeutic effect are needed.
Genomic selection needs to be carefully assessed to meet specific requirements in livestock breeding programs

Genomic selection is a promising development in agriculture, aiming improved production by exploiting molecular genetic markers to design novel breeding programs and to develop new markers-based models for genetic evaluation. It opens opportunities for research, as novel algorithms and lab methodologies are developed. Genomic selection can be applied in many breeds and species. Further research on the implementation of genomic selection (GS) in breeding programs is highly desirable not only for the common good, but also the private sector (breeding companies). It has been projected that this approach will improve selection routines, especially in species with long reproduction cycles, late or sex-limited or expensive trait recording and for complex traits. The task of integrating GS into existing breeding programs is, however, not straightforward. Despite successful integration into breeding programs for dairy cattle, it has yet to be shown how much emphasis can be given to the genomic information and how much additional phenotypic information is needed from new selection candidates. Genomic selection is already part of future planning in many breeding companies of pigs and beef cattle among others, but further research is needed to fully estimate how effective the use of genomic information will be for the prediction of the performance of future breeding stock. Genomic prediction of production in crossbreeding and across-breed schemes, costs and choice of individuals for genotyping are reasons for a reluctance to fully rely on genomic information for selection decisions. Breeding objectives are highly dependent on the industry and the additional gain when using genomic information has to be considered carefully. This review synthesizes some of the suggested approaches in selected livestock species including cattle, pig, chicken, and fish. It outlines tasks to help understanding possible consequences when applying genomic information in breeding scenarios.
A Multi-Agent System Framework for Real-Time Electric Load Management in MVAC All-Electric Ship Power Systems

All-electric ship power systems include less generation capacity and smaller rotating inertia compared with large power systems. The systems include large portions of nonlinear loads and dynamic loads, which may reduce the stability margin. Moreover, various operational constraints, such as system frequency constraint, motor voltage constraint and dynamic cable constraint, need to be satisfied in operational real time. Further, pulse loads draw very high short-time power in an intermittent way, which may significantly deteriorate the power quality of the system. In this paper, a novel multi-agent system cooperative controller for a medium voltage AC (MVAC) system of all-electric ship power systems is developed to balance load and generation in real time while satisfying system's operational constraints and considering load priorities. The new method coordinates the pulse load and the propulsion load to reduce the impact of pulse load changes on the power quality of all-electric ship power systems. The dynamic behavior of the new method is evaluated using case studies in PSCAD software.