Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design Methodology for Optical Interconnect Topologies in NoCs With BER and Transmit Power Constraints

Optical Network-on-Chip (ONoC) has emerged as an enabling technology to integrate a large number of processing cores in a single die. In this paper, we review some of the existing optical interconnect topologies for ONoCs and, propose a novel optical topology using multiple-segment buses (MSB) wherein several clusters of cores are interconnected in optical domain using MSB-based multiple optical interconnects. In particular, we analyze the bit-error rate (BER) performance of various ONoC topologies including the proposed MSB topology, taking into account signal losses and crosstalk components along the signal paths. The proposed MSB topology for 16 clusters offers an encouraging BER performance as compared to the other existing topologies, within the acceptable limit of per-wavelength launched power (1.5 mW). The BER performance in 16-cluster MSB topology is further improved by incorporating forward error-correcting codes in the communicating clusters. Having studied the 16-cluster MSB topology, the size of the ONoC is scaled up to 64 clusters, wherein the 16-cluster topologies are used as modular MSB units (MUs), which are interconnected by inter-MU buses with optical-electronic-optical conversions at the exit and entry points from and into the communicating MUs. For 64-cluster modular MSB, the impacts of error-correcting codes are also examined. Finally, the paper provides a study on the impact of thermal mistuning of MRRs on the average BER of ONoCs, leading to a requirement of 20 MHz laser linewidth to achieve an extinction ratio of 15 dB for the ONoC setting considered in the study.
Beyond the Theoretical Impasse: Extending the applications of Transactional Distance Education Theory

The development of theory in distance education is seen as crucial for its sustainability. Since the 1960s, there have been attempts to theorise distance education activities, to explain underlying initiatives and endeavours. Attempts at theorisation were started in the 1950s (Black, 2007). Wedemeyer (1961, cited in Garrison, 2000) introduced the concept of independent study or learning as opposed to correspondence education. Ever since, theory has been in ebullition, with various emerging tendencies. It has long been argued (for example Moore, 1993; Amundsen, 1993; Moore and Kearsley, 1996; Garrison, 2000; Saba, 2003) that there needs to be a global, comprehensive theory that can explicate all activities pertaining to distance education. While Moore has long claimed that the Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) is one such theory (Moore and Kearsley, 1996), there appears to be hesitance over accepting it as such, despite the fact that a transactional approach seems to be consciously or unconsciously adopted by theorists and practitioners alike. This apparent reluctance to hail the Transactional Distance Theory as a global theory has plunged distance education into a theoretical impasse from whence there was no much development. The emergence of two theoretical synergies has been noted (Saba, 2003, p.4) as has the need to develop a third and more comprehensive synergy. This research paper adopts the view that the theoretical impasse can be crossed with the recognition of Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory as the global theory that can explicate and ensure the sustainability of distance education in a technology-driven world. It further analyses its possible applications beyond simply the educational experience to encompass more general concerns like quality assurance and policy development. It is thus proposed that the Transactional Distance Theory be accepted as a global theory.
Management of soil phosphorus and plant adaptation mechanisms to phosphorus stress for sustainable crop production: a review

Phosphorus is one of the seventeen essential nutrients required for plant growth. Despite its importance, it is limiting crop yield on more than 40% of the world's arable land. Moreover, global P reserves are being depleted at a higher rate and according to some estimates there will be no soil P reserve by the year 2050.This is a potential threat to sustainable crop production. Most of the P applied in the form of fertilizers may be adsorbed by the soil, and is not available for plants lacking specific adaptations. Available soil P and hence crop yield can, however, be increased through applying P containing fertilizers to feed the ever increasing world population. The P contained in crop residues if left in the field can be recycled by incorporating the residues into the soil whereas part of P in crop residues fed to livestock can be returned back to the soil in the form of manure and as bone meal. Additionally, plants have evolved a diverse array of strategies to obtain adequate P for their growth under P limiting conditions (a term called as P-efficiency mechanisms). Plant P-efficiency mechanisms include both improved uptake efficiency (the ability of a plant to take up more P under P limiting condition) and improved utilization efficiency (the ability of a plant to produce higher dry matter yield per unit P taken up). Uptake efficiency mechanisms include modification of root architecture, development of large root system, longer root hairs and thinner roots, exudation of low molecular weight organic acids, protons and enzymes such as phosphatases and phytases, association with mycorrhiza, production of cluster roots and expression of high affinity P transporters all of which contribute to increased P uptake efficiency of the plant. Other mechanisms include the use of alternative P-independent enzymes and glycolytic pathways, efficient cytoplasmic P homeostasis and higher ability to remobilize P from other plant parts all of which are part of enhanced P utilization efficiency. Traits related to the above morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular adaptation mechanisms under P stress can be utilized in improving cultivated crops for P efficiency through breeding programs.
The effects of dichotomous and crossed social categorizations upon intergroup discrimination

The present study explores the effect of crossing social categorizations upon subsequent intergroup discrimination. In the simple categorization conditions, subjects were divided into groups either on an explicitly random basis or on the basis of a very trivial similarity. In the crossed categorization condition, these two categorizations were criss-crossed. After performing a perceptual estimation task, subjects had to evaluate the performance of the different groups in this task. Subsequently they had to evaluate the groups on general characteristics less directly related to task performance. There was significant intergroup discrimination favouring the own group in the two simple categorization conditions, but this discrimination was strongly reduced in the crossed categorization condition. This was true for both kinds of evaluations. Subjects of a no categorization condition exhibited no self-favouritism. The theoretical implications of the data are discussed.
The Biogeography of Globally Threatened Seabirds and Island Conservation Opportunities

Seabirds are the most threatened group of marine animals; 29% of species are at some risk of extinction. Significant threats to seabirds occur on islands where they breed, but in many cases, effective island conservation can mitigate these threats. To guide island‐based seabird conservation actions, we identified all islands with extant or extirpated populations of the 98 globally threatened seabird species, as recognized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and quantified the presence of threatening invasive species, protected areas, and human populations. We matched these results with island attributes to highlight feasible island conservation opportunities. We identified 1362 threatened breeding seabird populations on 968 islands. On 803 (83%) of these islands, we identified threatening invasive species (20%), incomplete protected area coverage (23%), or both (40%). Most islands with threatened seabirds are amenable to island‐wide conservation action because they are small (57% were <1 km2), uninhabited (74%), and occur in high‐ or middle‐income countries (96%). Collectively these attributes make islands with threatened seabirds a rare opportunity for effective conservation at scale.
Hybrid volume and polygon rendering with cube hardware

Hybrid Volume and Polygon Rendering with Cube Hardware Kevin Kreeger and Arie Kaufman* Center for Visual Computing (CVC) and Department of Computer Science State University of New York at Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY 11794-4400 We present two methods which connect today’s polygon graphics hardware accelerators to Cube-5 volume rendering hardware, the successor to Cube4 The proposed methods allow mixing of both opaque and translucent polygons with volumes on PC class machines, while ensuring the correct compositing order of all objects. Both implementations connect the two hardware acceleration subsystems at the frame buffer. One shares a common DRAM buffer and one run-length encodes images of thin slabs of polygonal data and then combines them in the Cube composite buffer In both realizations, we take advantage of the predictable ordered access to frame buffer storage that is utilized by Cube-5 and the rest of the family of volume rendering accelerators based on the Cube design. CR Categories: 1.3. 1 [Computer Graphics]: Hardware Architecture-Graphics Processors; 1.3. 3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation-Display algorithms; 1.3. 7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism;
Pregabalin can decrease acute pain and morphine consumption in laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients

Background: Pregabalin has been used as an adjunct for the management of acute pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This meta-analysis aimed to illustrate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin for pain management following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: In March 2017, a systematic computer-based search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google databases. Data on patients prepared for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in studies that compared pregabalin versus placebo were retrieved. The primary endpoints were the visual analog scale (VAS) score with rest or mobilization at 6, 12, and 24 hours and total morphine consumption. The secondary outcomes were the morphine-related complications (i.e., nausea, vomiting, dizziness, somnolence, headache, pruritus, urine retention, respiratory depression, and blurred vision). Continuous outcomes were expressed as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), and discontinuous outcomes were expressed as a risk ratio (RR) with a corresponding 95% CI. Results: Twelve clinical studies with 938 patients (gabapentin group = 536, control group = 402) were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. Pregabalin was associated with reduced pain scores with rest at 6, 12, and 24 hours, which corresponded to a reduction of 11.27 points at 6 hours, 9.46 points at 12 hours, and 3.99 points at 24 hours on a 100-point VAS. Moreover, pregabalin was associated with reduced pain scores with mobilization at 6, 12, and 24 hours, which corresponded to a reduction of 8.74 points, 5.80 points and 6.37 points at 6, 12, and 24 hours, respectively, on a 110-point VAS. Furthermore, pregabalin reduced the occurrence of nausea and vomiting. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of respiratory depression, pruritus, dizziness, blurred vision, and headache. Conclusions: Pregabalin was efficacious in the reduction of postoperative pain, total morphine consumption, and morphine-related complications following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In addition, a high dose of pregabalin was more effective than a low dose. The dose of pregabalin differed across the studies, and the heterogeneity was large. More studies are needed to verify the optimal dose of pregabalin in laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients.
PAPR Reduction and BER Performance for WiMAX on USRP N 210 using GNU Radio

The test bed utilizes an open source GNU Radio software environment and the Ettus Research Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP N210) for performing SDR functionality, which reduces the cost and complexity of the system. This paper focuses on the implementation of an OFDM based WiMAX physical layer on a specific SDR, the GNU Software Radio (GSR). However, a major problem involved with OFDM is high Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR). In this paper, Channel coding is suggested as a PAPR reduction technique. Nevertheless, in order to take advantage of the diversity provided by the multi-path fading and to avoid the effect of fading on BER of OFDM system, appropriate frequency interleaving and coding is necessary. In this paper, an interleaving based channel coding technique is implemented for improved performance of OFDM system over different transmission channels such as AWGN channel and Binary Symmetric Channel (BSC). This paper analyses the BER performance and PAPR reduction in OFDM for WiMAX specifications with various encoders such as Convolutional Coder (CC), ReedMuller Coder (RM Coder) and Reed-Muller-Golay Coder (RMG Coder). A 6 GHz frequency signal has been extracted from the environment in USRP N210 with the help of CBX daughterboard.
Activation of pig and cattle oocytes by butyrolactone I: morphological and biochemical study

In this study a specific inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks), butyrolactone I (BL I), was used for activation of pig and cattle metaphase II (MII) oocytes. BL I at a concentration of 100 μM was able to induce activation of both pig and cattle MII oocytes in a manner dependent on exposure time; however, precise timing of BL I exposure was required for the best activation results. The optimum activation rates were obtained when cattle MII oocytes were treated for 5 h with BL I and subsequently for 3-11 h in control medium, and pig MII oocytes for 8 h in BL I and then for 8-16 h in control medium; the percentage of activated oocytes after such treatment varied between 55% and 74% and between 53% and 81% for cattle and pig oocytes, respectively. Shorter exposures to BL I led to re-entry of the oocytes to the metaphase state in 35-50% of oocytes, the remaining oocytes forming a pronuclear stage; longer exposure to BL I led to increased numbers of oocytes being abnormal or degenerated. The behaviour of histone H1 kinase and mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase, also measured during the experiment, reflected the morphological changes in the oocytes: both were inactivated after BL I treatment, though the inactivation of histone H1 kinase occurred 2 h ahead of that of MAP kinase. However, in the oocytes treated for a shorter time with BL I, with the reoccurrence of condensed chromatin in proportion of the oocytes cultured in control medium after BL I treatment, both kinases became reactivated. Taken together, these results suggest the possibility of using BL I for activation and cloning experiments in both species.
3D relative pose estimation from six distances

In this paper, we present three fast, hybrid numericalgebraic methods to solve polynomial systems in floating point representation, based on the eigendecomposition of a so-called multiplication matrix. In particular, these methods run using standard double precision, use only linear algebra packages, and are easy to implement. We provide the proof that these methods do indeed produce valid multiplication matrices, and show their relationship. As a specific application, we use our algorithms to compute the 3D relative translation and orientation between two robots, based on known egomotion and six robotto-robot distance measurements. Equivalently, the same system of equations arises when solving the forward kinematics of the general Stewart-Gough mechanism. Our methods can find all 40 solutions, trading off speed (0.08s to 1.5s, depending on the choice of method) for accuracy.
Understanding Civil Wars: Continuity and Change in Intrastate Conflict

Security Council (PSC); however, a concluding chapter by the editors would have been useful here to summarize and synthesize the analyses of the individual chapters and the three larger sections. Overall, the book provides a conceptual focus on the challenges facing the APSA. These include inter alia issues regarding the extent to which norms and processes have become embedded in the continent within and between African security actors. Such embeddedness is shown to remain uneven and challenging given the widely divergent levels of governance, state capacity and interest with regards to security. Indeed, many countries indicate minimal interest in aspects of security beyond the regime, such as that of their own citizens. The book in this sense responds to the increasing interest in African agency in addressing insecurity on the continent, and it provides a sound study of the various instruments available to different actors to realize the APSA. However, its discussions of how the AU, the various RECs, African states and external actors work (or do not work) together would be enhanced by including other elements of the APSA, such as the Peace and Security Council, the Panel of the Wise and the Africa Peace Fund. Nevertheless, the volume constitutes a useful addition to our understanding of evolving dynamics related to security in Africa. Taken together with Haastrup’s book, the two volumes demonstrate the growing scholarly and practitioner interest in security matters on the continent and the various levels of cooperation that currently exist, both within Africa and between Africa and the EU. Both books clearly draw out challenges to the effectiveness of efforts to address insecurity in Africa as well as examples of success, and they signal an abundance of opportunities for future research on these matters.
Churn comprehension analysis for telecommunication industry using ALBA

Customer churn analysis is getting immense attention from the business community, especially in the telecommunication sector, to help in generating more revenue. This raises the need for modeling a churn prediction system that is not only accurate but also encompasses comprehensibility and justifiability. Also the judgment ability of the domain expert to identify the drivers of churn and determine a correlation between those drivers plays a very important role. For the stakeholder or businessman, it is very important to predict the main drivers of churn to increase the profit. In this paper, we use a technique called Active Learning Based Approach (ALBA), with two rule induction methods, Decision Tree and Ripper to develop a churn prediction model that is not only accurate but also yields comprehensibility and justifiability. ALBA is a rule extraction technique based on a flavor of Support Vector Machine (SVM) called Active Learning. Basically, this approach is used as instance generator. Using this approach, we first remove noise from the data by replacing the SVM predicted labels with the original labels and secondly, we generate artificial instances in the noisy area near support vectors. These newly generated instances are not class-wise balanced. For this purpose, we use SMOTE to make them balanced.
Theories of gender development :: selective attention to television and toy play.

THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENTSELECTIVE ATTENTION TO TELEVISION AND TOY PLAY SEPTEMBER 1992 DIANE M. LUECKE, B.A, WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by. Professor Daniel R. Anderson The cognitive-developmental theory of gender development was tested in two studies. Social-learning, gender schema, and TV theories were also explored in relation to the results. Subjects were tested for level of gender attainment using a modified version of the Slaby and Frey (1975) gender constancy interview. Study One investigated selective attention of 12, 6 pregender constant and 6 gender constant, five year old males to television characters and content. The boys were videotaped for ten days in their homes. The hypothesis that gender constant boys will look more at male television characters relative to pregender constant boys was partially confirmed. Study Two examined a total of 45 minutes of sex-typed toy play and first-toy choice for 153 five year old males and females. Gender constant boys were not more stereotyped than pregender constant boys in their toy play or choice. Gender constant girls exhibited mixed results. Gender constant girls were more sex-typed for first-toy choice and less sex-typed in toy play
Novel technique for blood circuit reconstruction in mouse heart transplantation model

Purpose: The surgical technique of heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation in mice, a standard model for transplantation immunology research, is very challenging restricting the widespread use of this model. A novel technique for the blood circuit reconstruction in heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation was developed. Method: The new method makes use of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava instead of the pulmonary artery of the donor heart for the anastomosis to the infrarenal vena cava of the recipient. Findings: The sutures for the double vessel anastomoses were completed within 20.8 ± 1.3 min, which was significantly shorter than 27.5 ± 1.3 min in the traditional method. Similarly, the heart rebeating time postoperation (1.1 ± 0.2 min) was significantly shortened as compared to 2.1 ± 0.4 min using the traditional method. Conclusion: This novel technique facilitated abdominal heart transplantation in mice with reduced warm ischemia and grafted heart rebeating time. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2006.
Large-Scale Energy Storage System Design and Optimization for Emerging Electric-Drive Vehicles

Energy consumption and the associated environmental impact are a pressing challenge faced by the transportation sector. Emerging electric-drive vehicles have shown promises for substantial reductions in petroleum use and vehicle emissions. Their success, however, has been hindered by the limitations of energy storage technologies. Existing in-vehicle lithium-ion battery systems are bulky, expensive, and unreliable. Energy storage system (ESS) design and optimization is essential for emerging transportation electrification. This paper presents an integrated ESS modeling, design, and optimization framework targeting emerging electric-drive vehicles. A large-scale ESS modeling solution is first presented, which considers major runtime and long-term battery effects, and uses fast frequency-domain analysis techniques for efficient and accurate characterization of large-scale ESS. The proposed design framework unifies design-time optimization and runtime control. This conducts statistical optimization for ESS cost and lifetime, which jointly considers the variances of ESS due to manufacture tolerance and heterogeneous driver-specific runtime usage. This optimizes ESS design by incorporating complementary energy storage technologies, e.g., lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors. Using physical measurements of battery manufacture variation and real-world user driving profiles, our experimental study has demonstrated that the proposed framework effectively explores the statistical design space and produces cost-efficient ESS solutions with statistical system lifetime guarantees.