Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empirical performance assessment using soft-core processors on reconfigurable hardware

Simulation has been the de facto standard method for performance evaluation of newly proposed ideas in computer architecture for many years. While simulation allows for theoretically arbitrary fidelity (at least to the level of cycle accuracy) as well as the ability to monitor the architecture without perturbing the execution itself, it suffers from low effective fidelity and long execution times. We (and others) have advocated the use of empirical experimentation on reconfigurable hardware for computer architecture performance assessment. In this paper, we describe an empirical performance assessment subsystem implemented in reconfigurable hardware and illustrate its use. Results are presented that demonstrate the need for the types of performance assessment that reconfigurable hardware can provide.
Trade orientation measurement and consequences

New trade theory and endogenous growth models have revived the debate on the static and dynamic implications of trade orientation. Alas, a decade of models has produced more ambiguity than clarity, placing a premium on empirical work. Unfortunately, existing indices of trade orientation invite substantial criticism. In the first part of the paper we construct a new measure, based on the difference between actual trade and the trade levels predicted by a factor endowments mode. In the second part, we use the index to examine the link between trade orientation and economic growth.
Gluconeogenesis and energy expenditure after a high protein, carbohydrate-free diet

BACKGROUND High-protein diets have been shown to increase energy expenditure (EE). OBJECTIVE The objective was to study whether a high-protein, carbohydrate-free diet (H diet) increases gluconeogenesis and whether this can explain the increase in EE. DESIGN Ten healthy men with a mean (+/-SEM) body mass index (in kg/m(2)) of 23.0 +/- 0.8 and age of 23 +/- 1 y received an isoenergetic H diet (H condition; 30%, 0%, and 70% of energy from protein, carbohydrate, and fat, respectively) or a normal-protein diet (N condition; 12%, 55%, and 33% of energy from protein, carbohydrate, and fat, respectively) for 1.5 d according to a randomized crossover design, and EE was measured in a respiration chamber. Endogenous glucose production (EGP) and fractional gluconeogenesis were measured via infusion of [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose and ingestion of (2)H(2)O; absolute gluconeogenesis was calculated by multiplying fractional gluconeogenesis by EGP. Body glycogen stores were lowered at the start of the intervention with an exhaustive glycogen-lowering exercise test. RESULTS EGP was lower in the H condition than in the N condition (181 +/- 9 compared with 226 +/- 9 g/d; P < 0.001), whereas fractional gluconeogenesis was higher (0.95 +/- 0.04 compared with 0.64 +/- 0.03; P < 0.001) and absolute gluconeogenesis tended to be higher (171 +/- 10 compared with 145 +/- 10 g/d; P = 0.06) in the H condition than in the N condition. EE (resting metabolic rate) was greater in the H condition than in the N condition (8.46 +/- 0.23 compared with 8.12 +/- 0.31 MJ/d; P < 0.05). The increase in EE was a function of the increase in gluconeogenesis (DeltaEE = 0.007 x Deltagluconeogenesis - 0.038; r = 0.70, R(2) = 0.49, P < 0.05). The contribution of Deltagluconeogenesis to DeltaEE was 42%; the energy cost of gluconeogenesis was 33% (95% CI: 16%, 50%). CONCLUSIONS Forty-two percent of the increase in energy expenditure after the H diet was explained by the increase in gluconeogenesis. The cost of gluconeogenesis was 33% of the energy content of the produced glucose.
Improvements in the Analysis Strategy Make Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Analysis a Powerful Tool in the Detection and Characterization of Amplified Chromosomal Regions in Human Tumors

Objective: Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis (SNP) has recently been proposed as an alternative technique to comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) for defining loss of heterozygosity and gene copy number changes in a single experimental setup. In order to assess the potential of SNP analysis to complement or, ultimately, substitute CGH results, we applied both techniques to five primary tumor samples and two tumor cell lines. This was complemented by dilution experiments based on normal lymphocyte DNA to decipher the lower detection limit for genetic alterations. Methods/Results: Using an in-house software tool, we demonstrated that SNP analysis permits the generation of chromosomal alteration patterns that largely resemble conventional CGH ratio profiles of a given tumor/cell line. Moreover, compared to CGH, our SNP software tool allows a much more detailed definition of amplicon sizes and involved candidate genes. This advantage even persisted when the technique was applied to DNA with more than 60% of nontumor content. However, the detection of chromosomal losses is severely hampered by the presence of nontumor DNA so that the use of the SNP technique should be limited to tumor samples with more than 80% tumor DNA. Conclusion: SNP analysis is a very valuable tool for the detection and characterization of high-level chromosomal amplifications in the vast majority of primary tumor samples. Our software tool improves the analysis of SNP data and the presentation of the results, bridging the gap to existing CGH knowledge (http://bioinformatics.uni-muenster.de, ‘Publications and Supplements’).
Under-employment of Scottish Graduates?

This paper examines empirically the relationship between under-employment and migration amongst graduates of Scottish higher education institutions with micro-data collected by the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The analysis suggests that there is a positive relationship between migration and graduate-job employment. This relationship is particularly strong for Scotland-domiciled graduates who studied in Scotland. This positive relationship is consistent with the view that there is in over-education/under-employment problem in Scotland. However, other explanations are possible.
Measuring competitive balance in sports using generalized entropy with an application to English premier league football

A central issue in the economics of sport is the degree of competitive balance in sporting contests. The importance attached to competitive balance is predicated on the belief that it is uncertainty about the outcomes of sporting contests that attracts spectators and sponsors. In a perfectly balanced competition, each team would have an equal chance of winning each match and, therefore, of winning the championship or the league. By contrast, the absence of competitive balance would mean that the results of sporting contests would become predictable and attendance at sporting contests would suffer. The general theme that underpins the issue of competitive balance is that of inequality. This article proposes a general measure of competitive balance based on the Generalized Entropy (GE) approach to measuring inequality and shows how this might be interpreted in terms of the league's welfare. The measures are applied to results from 2006 to 2007 season of the English Premier League (EPL).
Case-based reasoning-inspired approaches to education

This commentary briefly reviews work on the application of case-based reasoning (CBR) to the design and construction of educational approaches and computer-based teaching systems. The CBR cognitive model is at the core of constructivist learning approaches such as Goal-based Scenarios and Learning by Design. Case libraries can play roles as intelligent resources while learning and frameworks for articulating one's understanding. More recently, CBR techniques have been applied to design and construction of simulation-based learning systems and serious games. The main ideas of CBR are explained and pointers to relevant references are provided, both for finished work and on-going research.
The development and assessment of a self-perceived quality of vision questionnaire to test pseudophakic patients

purpose To develop and test a questionnaire to assess quality of vision in pseudophakic patients. methods The problems with existing health measurement scales and the need for a new questionnaire are first discussed. Development of the new questionnaire from concept to completion is presented and all stages discussed. The questionnaire is then tested for internal consistency, reliability and validity. results The Cronbach Alpha for internal consistency was 0.92. British Standards Institution repeatability coefficient was satisfactory at 6.6. Discriminant construct validity testing by extreme groups demonstrated excellent discrimination between patients with functionally significant posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and no significant PCO (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.001). conclusion The questionnaire is validated as a robust, stable measure of pseudophakic visual symptoms with a high degree of clinical utility. It should be invaluable for the many studies that compare outcomes from different forms of modern cataract surgery with implantation of different intraocular lenses.
Protection induced by vaccinating sheep with a thiol‐binding extract of Haemonchus contortus membranes is associated with its protease components

Previous work has shown that a protein extract enriched for cysteine protease activity (TSBP) prepared from adult Haemonchus contortus using thiol sepharose affinity chromatography confers substantial protection against a single challenge infection. TSBP comprised proteases and other proteins. Here, TSBP were further fractionated using anion‐exchange chromatography and fractions pooled on the basis of containing (1) protease activity, (2) a prominent non‐protease peptide and (3) material which did not bind to the column. A protection trial showed that only the protease‐enriched material conferred protective immunity and this was comparable to that observed in a TSBP‐immunized positive control group. Immunization stimulated a marked IgG response with the IgG2 isotype predominating.
Designing a Multi-Echelon Multi-Period Supply Chain under Uncertainty: A Simulation-Optimization Approach

Presence of many constraints and existing uncertainties in the real world is always a barrier against properly using the potentials of supply chain to attain its main purpose such as timely responding to customers’ demands and meeting their satisfactions. This study investigates the effects of different scenarios and decisions (policies) made on supply chain performance. A Simulation-optimization approach has been used for making optimal decisions under uncertainty. According to the uncertainties in the discrete stochastic simulation and also system complexity, meta-innovative genetic algorithm was used to find the preferred parameters of supply chain. Moreover, Taguchi method is used for setting up the optimal simulation-optimization algorithm parameters. Finally, results indicate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The proposed algorithm of this study help policy makers to minimize demand lost under different circumstances and data uncertainty.
The potential impact of a single amino-acid substitution on the efficacy of equine influenza vaccines.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY The protection induced by an equine influenza (EI) vaccine strain depends on its antigenic relatedness to the challenge virus. Although the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recommend that both Florida sublineage clade 1 (Fc1) and clade 2 (Fc2) viruses should be included in EI vaccines, Japanese EI vaccines have not, thus far, been updated to include a Fc2 virus. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of antibodies raised against Japanese EI vaccine strains in the neutralisation of recent Fc2 viruses. STUDY DESIGN Antigenic analysis. METHODS Virus neutralisation tests were performed using antisera from experimentally infected horses and from horses that had received a primary course of the currently available vaccines. RESULTS Antiserum raised against the Japanese EI vaccine strain, A/equine/La Plata/1993, exhibited poor cross-neutralising activity against the Fc2 viruses isolated recently in Ireland and the UK, which have the substitution of alanine to valine at position 144 in antigenic site A of the haemagglutinin gene. In contrast, the antiserum exhibited good cross-neutralising activity against the Fc2 viruses without the substitution. This finding was supported in experiments with antisera collected from vaccinated horses. CONCLUSIONS This suggests that the efficacy of the Japanese EI vaccine for some of the recent Fc2 viruses is suboptimal and that vaccines should be updated in accordance with the OIE recommendations.
The economic illusion : false choices between prosperity and social justice

In The Economic Illusion Robert Kuttner sets out to refute the conventional view that a more egalitarian distribution of income and services is only achievable at the expense of a prosperous and growing capitalism. By carefully examining issues where economic growth and social justice appear to be in conflict-issues such as social security, protectionism, income taxation, and welfare-he convincingly argues that equality and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive pursuits. As a means to reconcile equality with efficiency-i.e., prosperity-Kuttner argues for economic polices that would deemphasize private markets, for an increase in trade protection, and for an adapted version of the technical approaches of such countries as Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Japan. Kuttner concludes his arguments with the suggestion that injustice is not necessarily an economic issue and that practical social alternatives are possible.
International Migration, remittances and income distribution in the source country: a synthesis

The paper explores, under a wide variety of circumstances, the welfare impact of emigration. The analytical framework posited is a simple two-factor, two-commodity, two-class general equilibrium model that makes a distinction between traded and non-traded goods. The principal aim is to collect and synthesize the well-known results in the literature, derived from diverse analytical frameworks, as well as to establish a number of new ones. It is shown that pure emigration can be beneficial to the non-emigrants in the source country, irrespective of the welfare criteria adopted, if accompanied by sufficient remittances. The paper also highlights the fact that emigration does not affect all classes in society symmetrically. The division of losers and gainers depends on the volume of remittances, the distribution of factor endowments and the type of emigration. Copyright 1997 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research
MicroRNA Profiling of Sporadic and Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Cancer Identifies Predictors of Nodal Metastasis, Prognosis, and Potential Therapeutic Targets

Purpose: While the molecular basis of hereditary medullary thyroid cancer (HMTC) has been well defined, little is known about the molecular pathogenesis of sporadic medullary thyroid cancer (SMTC). In addition, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be important diagnostic and prognostic markers in cancer but have not been defined in MTC. Our aim was to study the miRNA profile of MTC to identify prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Experimental Design: MiRNA microarray profiling was carried out in fresh frozen tissues from patients with SMTC (n = 12) and HMTC (n = 7). Differential expression of three miRNAs was confirmed in a validation cohort of SMTC and HMTC samples (n = 45) using quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR and correlated with clinical outcomes. The functional role of a selected miRNA was investigated in vitro in the human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line (TT cells) using cell proliferation assays and Western blotting analysis. Results: MiRs-183 and 375 were overexpressed (P = 0.001; 0.031) and miR-9* was under-expressed (P = 0.011) in SMTC versus HMTC. Overexpression of miRs-183 and 375 in MTC predicted lateral lymph node metastases (P < 0.001; P = 0.001) and was associated with residual disease (P = 0.001; 0.003), distant metastases (P = 0.003; 0.001), and mortality (P = 0.01; 0.011). Knock down of miR-183 expression in the TT cell line induced a significant decrease in the viable cell count and upregulation of the protein LC3B, which is associated with autophagy. Conclusions: Our data indicate that miRNAs play a pivotal role in the biology of MTC and represent an important class of prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets warranting further investigation. Clin Cancer Res; 17(14); 4772–81. ©2011 AACR.
Clonal analysis of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae population in a geographically restricted area by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis

The genetic diversity among 250 isolates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from lungs of pigs with pleuropneumonia and from tonsils of apparently healthy pigs at slaughter was estimated by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. The Danish strains were derived from both specific-pathogen-free and conventional herds. Sixty-six percent of the isolates belonged to three electrophoretic types (ETs) of a total of 37 ETs detected. While five biotype 2 isolates constituted a separate ET closely related to biotype 1 isolates, the type strain of the species (Shope 4074) belonged to its own ET, with a genetic distance of 0.30 from its nearest neighbor. Isolates of serotypes traditionally considered to have less pathogenic potential (serotypes 6, 10, and 12) from herds with acute outbreaks of pleuropneumonia belonged to the same ETs as isolates from apparently healthy pigs, suggesting that factors such as cross immunity and management may lead to divergent clinical results. Isolates from four herds harboring more than one serotype showed distinct profiles between the serotypes, indicating no or only limited chromosomal recombination among clones. Isolates from tonsils belonged to the same ET as isolates from lungs. The same ET was isolated from widely different parts of the world. Evidence from this study indicates that multilocus enzyme electrophoresis may be a valuable tool for the epidemiological analysis of A. pleuropneumoniae.
Circadian Regulation of nocturnin Transcription by Phosphorylated CREB in Xenopus Retinal Photoreceptor Cells

ABSTRACT Although CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimers have been implicated in transcriptional regulation of several rhythmic genes in vitro through E-box sequence elements, little is known about how the circadian clock regulates rhythmic genes with diverse phases in vivo. The gene nocturnin is rhythmically transcribed in Xenopus retinal photoreceptor cells, which contain endogenous circadian clocks. Transcription of nocturnin peaks in these cells in the middle of the night, while CLOCK/BMAL1 activity peaks during the early morning. We have identified a novel protein-binding motif within the nocturnin promoter, which we designated the nocturnin element (NE). Although the NE sequence closely resembles an E-box, our data show that it functions as a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) by binding CREB. Furthermore, phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB) levels are rhythmic in Xenopus photoreceptors, with a phase similar to that of nocturnin transcription. Our results suggest that P-CREB controls the rhythmic regulation of nocturnin transcription and perhaps that of other night phase genes. The NE may be an evolutionary intermediate between the E-box and CRE sequences, both of which seem to be involved in the circadian control of transcription, but have evolved to drive transcription with different phases in these clock-containing cells.
Optimal Hedging of American Options in Discrete Time

In this article we study the price of an American style option based on hedging the underlying assets in discrete time. Like its European style analog, the value of the option is not given in general by an expectation with respect to an equivalent martingale measure. We provide the optimal solution that minimizes the hedging error variance. When the assets dynamics are Markovian or a component of a Markov process, the solution can be approximated easily by numerical methods already proposed for pricing American options. We proceed to a Monte Carlo experiment in which the hedging performance of the solution is evaluated. For assets returns that are either Gaussian or Variance Gamma, it is shown that the proposed solution results in lower root mean square hedging error than with traditional delta hedging.
A New Symmetric-Object Oriented Approach for Motion Estimation in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks

: Motion estimation is a process of determining motion vectors. It is an essential challenge in digital video processing and computer vision. Therefore, It does not fit critical condition applications and constricted resource systems such as Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSN). The main objective of the motion estimation is powerfully reducing temporal redundancy between successive frames to achieve significant video compression. In this paper, we propose a novel symmetric-object oriented approach for motion estimation in WMSN, called SYMO-ME. Our goal is to reduce the high complexity of motion estimation process. We also introduce a new motion estimation energy consumption model for block matching algorithms (BMAs) in WMSNs. This model depends on the energy consumption value of different executed instructions. Simulation results confirm the efficiency of our proposition in reducing the total number of search points for finding the motion vectors over a video frame compared with a group of considered BMAs, and improving the WMSN life time by saving the limited resources.
Modulation of membrane fusion by membrane fluidity: temperature dependence of divalent cation induced fusion of phosphatidylserine vesicles.

We have investigated the temperature dependence of the fusion of phospholipid vesicles composed of pure bovine brain phosphatidylserine (PS) induced by Ca2+ or Mg2+. Aggregation of the vesicles was monitored by 90 degrees light-scattering measurements, fusion by the terbium/dipicolinic acid assay for mixing of internal aqueous volumes, and release of vesicle contents by carboxyfluorescein fluorescence. Membrane fluidity was determined by diphenylhexatriene fluorescence polarization measurements. Small unilamellar vesicles (SUV, diameter 250 A) or large unilamellar vesicles (LUV, diameter 1000 A) were used, and the measurements were done in 0.1 M NaCl at pH 7.4. The following results were obtained: (1) At temperatures (0-5 degrees C) below the phase transition temperature (Tc) of the lipid, LUV (PS) show very little fusion in the presence of Ca2+, although vesicle aggregation is rapid and extensive. With increasing temperature, the initial rate of fusion increases dramatically. Leakage of contents at the higher temperatures remains limited initially, but subsequently complete release occurs as a result of collapse of the internal aqueous space of the fusion products. (2) SUV (PS) are still in the fluid state down to 0 degree C, due to the effect of bilayer curvature, and fuse rapidly in the entire temperature range from 0 to 35 degrees C in the presence of Ca2+. The initial rate of leakage is low relative to the rate of fusion. At higher temperatures (15 degrees C and above), subsequent collapse of the vesicles' internal space causes complete release. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Detection of Viable but Nonculturable Escherichia coli O157:H7 Bacteria in Drinking Water and River Water

ABSTRACT A sensitive method for specific detection of viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells, including viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells, in water samples was developed. This method involved capture of the bacterial cells on a low-protein-binding membrane and direct extraction and purification of RNA followed by reverse transcription-PCR and electronic microarray detection of the rfbE and fliC genes of E. coli O157:H7. It detected as few as 1 CFU of E. coli O157:H7 in diluted cultures, 3 to 4 CFU/liter in tap water, 7 CFU/liter in river water, and 50 VBNC cells in 1 liter of river water, demonstrating the best limit of detection reported to date for VBNC cells in environmental water samples.