Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerate GPU Concurrent Kernel Execution by Mitigating Memory Pipeline Stalls

Following the advances in technology scaling, graphics processing units (GPUs) incorporate an increasing amount of computing resources and it becomes difficult for a single GPU kernel to fully utilize the vast GPU resources. One solution to improve resource utilization is concurrent kernel execution (CKE). Early CKE mainly targets the leftover resources. However, it fails to optimize the resource utilization and does not provide fairness among concurrent kernels. Spatial multitasking assigns a subset of streaming multiprocessors (SMs) to each kernel. Although achieving better fairness, the resource underutilization within an SM is not addressed. Thus, intra-SM sharing has been proposed to issue thread blocks from different kernels to each SM. However, as shown in this study, the overall performance may be undermined in the intra-SM sharing schemes due to the severe interference among kernels. Specifically, as concurrent kernels share the memory subsystem, one kernel, even as computing-intensive, may starve from not being able to issue memory instructions in time. Besides, severe L1 D-cache thrashing and memory pipeline stalls caused by one kernel, especially a memory-intensive one, will impact other kernels, further hurting the overall performance. In this study, we investigate various approaches to overcome the aforementioned problems exposed in intra-SM sharing. We first highlight that cache partitioning techniques proposed for CPUs are not effective for GPUs. Then we propose two approaches to reduce memory pipeline stalls. The first is to balance memory accesses of concurrent kernels. The second is to limit the number of inflight memory instructions issued from individual kernels. Our evaluation shows that the proposed schemes significantly improve the weighted speedup of two state-of-the-art intra-SM sharing schemes, Warped-Slicer and SMK, by 24.6% and 27.2% on average, respectively, with lightweight hardware overhead.
The Prevalence and Underreporting of Needlestick Injuries among Dental Healthcare Workers in Pakistan: A Systematic Review

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are a major occupational health problem among dental healthcare workers (HCWs) in Pakistan, which places them at a significant risk of acquiring blood-borne infections. However, not all NSIs are reported, leading to an underestimation of the actual prevalence. The harmful impacts of NSIs on the healthcare delivery necessitate an urgent need to measure its actual prevalence. Objectives. The aim of this study was to review literature to estimate the prevalence and reporting rates of NSIs among dental-HCWs in Pakistan. Methods. 713 potentially relevant citations were identified by electronic databases and hand searching of articles. Nine primary studies were subsequently identified to be included in the review. Results. The results of the included studies indicate that the prevalence of NSIs among Pakistani dental-HCWs was between 30% and 73%. The rate of reporting of NSIs was between 15% and 76%, and the most common reason was found to be the lack of awareness regarding the reporting system, or of the need to report NSIs. Conclusion. It is evident from the review of the included studies that there is a significantly high prevalence and a low rate of reporting of NSIs among dental-HCWs in Pakistan, suggesting the need to setup an occupational health department in dental settings, for preventing, managing, recording, and monitoring NSIs.
Vector Space Basis Change in Information Retrieval

The Vector Space Basis Change (VSBC) is an algebraic operator responsible for change of basis and it is parameterized by a transition matrix. If we change the vector space basis, then each vector com- ponent changes depending on this matrix. The strategy of VSBC has been shown to be effective in separating relevant documents and irrelevant ones. Recently, using this strategy, some feedback algorithms have been de- veloped. To build a transition matrix some optimization methods have been used. In this paper, we propose to use a simple, convenient and direct method to build a transition matrix. Based on this method we develop a relevance feedback algorithm. Experimental results on a TREC collection show that our proposed method is effective and generally superior to known VSBC-based models. We also show that our proposed method gives a statistically significant improvement over these models.
Complexity in Transcription Control at the Activation Domain–Mediator Interface

Transcriptional activation kinetics varies in different cell types in part because related transcription factors make alternative mediator interactions. Different Partners Elicit Different Responses The mediator of transcription complex links various DNA-bound transcription factors to RNA polymerase II and associated proteins, enabling signals that modify these transcription factors to regulate gene transcription. For instance, in embryonic stem cells, growth factors in serum activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, leading to phosphorylation of the ternary complex factor (TCF) ELK1, which interacts with mediator to stimulate transcription of the Egr1 gene. Balamotis et al. observed that, whereas loss of a particular mediator subunit—MED23—nearly abolished serum-stimulated transcription of Egr1 in embryonic stem cells, it failed to do so in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Further investigation revealed that the relative abundance of ELK1 and two closely related TCFs differed in these two cell types, as did the magnitude and kinetics of Egr1 activation. Activation by the three TCFs showed differential sensitivity to the loss of MED23 and differences in their interactions with mediator revealed by fluorescence microscopy in living cells. Thus, the authors propose that different cell types can modify their transcriptional responses to MAPK signaling by regulating the relative concentrations of these three closely related TCFs. Transcript elongation by polymerase II paused at the Egr1 promoter is activated by mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation of the ternary complex factor (TCF) ELK1 bound at multiple upstream sites and subsequent phospho-ELK1 interaction with mediator through the MED23 subunit. Consequently, Med23 knockout (KO) nearly eliminates Egr1 (early growth response factor 1) transcription in embryonic stem (ES) cells, leaving a paused polymerase at the promoter. Med23 KO did not, however, eliminate Egr1 transcription in fibroblasts. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and direct visualization of fluorescently labeled TCF derivatives and mediator subunits revealed that three closely related TCFs bound to the same control regions. The relative amounts of these TCFs, which responded differently to the loss of MED23, differed in ES cells and fibroblasts. Transcriptome analysis suggests that most genes expressed in both cell types, such as Egr1, are regulated by alternative transcription factors in the two cell types that respond differently to the same signal transduction pathways.
Acoustic resolution photoacoustic Doppler velocity measurements in fluids using time-domain cross-correlation

Blood flow measurements have been demonstrated using the acoustic resolution mode of photoacoustic sensing. This is unlike previous flowmetry methods using the optical resolution mode, which limits the maximum penetration depth to approximately 1mm. Here we describe a pulsed time correlation photoacoustic Doppler technique that is inherently flexible, lending itself to both resolution modes. Doppler time shifts are quantified via cross-correlation of pairs of photoacoustic waveforms generated in moving absorbers using pairs of laser light pulses, and the photoacoustic waves detected using an ultrasound transducer. The acoustic resolution mode is employed by using the transducer focal width, rather than the large illuminated volume, to define the lateral spatial resolution. The use of short laser pulses allows depth-resolved measurements to be obtained with high spatial resolution, offering the prospect of mapping flow within microcirculation. Whilst our previous work has been limited to a non-fluid phantom, we now demonstrate measurements in more realistic blood-mimicking phantoms incorporating fluid suspensions of microspheres flowing along an optically transparent tube. Velocities up to 110 mm/s were measured with accuracies approaching 1% of the known velocities, and resolutions of a few mm/s. The velocity range and resolution are scalable with excitation pulse separation, but the maximum measurable velocity was considerably smaller than the value expected from the detector focal beam width. Measurements were also made for blood flowing at velocities up to 13.5 mm/s. This was for a sample reduced to 5% of the normal haematocrit; increasing the red blood cell concentration limited the maximum measurable velocity so that no results were obtained for concentrations greater than 20% of a physiologically realistic haematocrit. There are several possible causes for this limitation; these include the detector bandwidth and irregularities in the flow pattern. Better results are obtained using a detector with a higher centre frequency and larger bandwidth and tubes with a narrower diameter.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GUAR GUM DERIVATIVES WITH ANTIOXIDANT MOIETIES

The purpose of this research is to introduce new green, nontoxic, cost effective derivatives of guar gum with antioxidant moieties covalently bounded to guar backbone. Guar gum is one of the significant naturally occurring non-ionic polysaccharide which has wide applications due to its rheological modifying properties in medicinal industrial and other commercial sectors. The amendment of rheological properties of guar gum can improve and diversify its commercial applications. A novel and efficient synthesis of five different new derivatives of guar gum (3a-3e) were prepared by insitu activation of caffeic, cinnamic, coumaric ferulic, and hydrocinnamic acid with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and N,N-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP). Temperature Effect, reactants concentration and time interval played imperative role for determining the degree of substitution (DS) in all synthetic guar esters. The DS value was estimated quantitatively by titration method. Guar derivatives with variable DS were prepared and confirmed by FT-IR and 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. Surface morphological study of new
Spectral-efficiency comparison of different multiple-access schemes under a generalized framework

Based on multicarrier communications principles, this paper compares the spectral-efficiency (SE) of a range of multiple-access (MA) schemes via a generalized framework referred to as the generalized code-division multiple-access (GCDMA). As detailed in the paper, by assuming different classes of spreading codes, the GCDMA can be readily configured to form different MA schemes. The ones considered include the frequency-division multiple-access (FDMA), orthogonal multicarrier CDMA (OMC-CDMA), fractionally spread OMC-CDMA (FS/OMC-CDMA), the low-density spreading or sparse-code multiple-access (SCMA), and the multicarrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) employing random binary spreading. For the SE of these MA schemes, we consider two operational modes, namely Mode A of fixed code-allocation and Mode B with adaptive code-allocation. Furthermore, for SCMA, we compare three operational scenarios, namely Scenarios 1,2, and 3, as specified in Section III. We provide the formulas for evaluating the SE of these MA schemes operated in different cases, and compare their SE performance based on numerical simulations.
A Context-Aware Entity Recognition Scheme for Pervasive Computing

In the future world filled with pervasive computing, almost all entities can be mobile, which means not only service requesters but also service providers are always dynamic and unpredictable. This raises two security problems. For service providers, how can they keep their security capability when they move here and there? And for service requesters, how can they be trusted by various service providers that may have different security requirements? Unfortunately, available security mechanisms, including traditional authentication and authorization approaches and exotic trust management proposals, cannot solve the both two problems very well. In this paper, we propose a context-aware entity recognition scheme, which enables service providers to use their current trust infrastructures to determine whether requesters are trustworthy or not, and also enables service requesters to be recognized through exchanging different information with service providers according to different services they request and different security level service providers require. We argue for the notion of “Trust Infrastructure”, which is an abstract of all available trusted entities that can help an entity to recognize strangers in pervasive environments and can be dynamically built when entities move about. We also argue for an attribute-based recognition information exchange scheme, which makes it possible for service requesters to be checked in terms of trustworthiness in various scenarios. Finally, we give an algorithm to compute a service requester’s trust value based on the trust infrastructure of the service provider entity.
VIRUS PARTICLES AS TEMPLATES FOR MATERIALS SYNTHESIS

The interface between biology, chemistry, and materialsscience has provided inspiration for novel approaches to theformationofmaterials.Increasingly,organizedbiomoleculararchitectures are being used as templates for the precisepatterning of inorganic materials in a biomimetic approachto materials synthesis. For example bacterial S-layers,
Video Decolorization Using Visual Proximity Coherence Optimization

Video decolorization is to filter out the color information while preserving the perceivable content in the video as much and correct as possible. Existing methods mainly apply image decolorization strategies on videos, which may be slow and produce incoherent results. In this paper, we propose a video decolorization framework that considers frame coherence and saves decolorization time by referring to the decolorized frames. It has three main contributions. First, we define decolorization proximity to measure the similarity of adjacent frames. Second, we propose three decolorization strategies for frames with low, medium, and high proximities, to preserve the quality of these three types of frames. Third, we propose a novel decolorization Gaussian mixture model to classify the frames and assign appropriate decolorization strategies to them based on their decolorization proximity. To evaluate our results, we measure them from three aspects: 1) qualitative; 2) quantitative; and 3) user study. We apply color contrast preserving ratio and C2G-SSIM to evaluate the quality of single frame decolorization. We propose a novel temporal coherence degree metric to evaluate the temporal coherence of the decolorized video. Compared with current methods, the proposed approach shows all around better performance in time efficiency, temporal coherence, and quality preservation.
Advances on Containment Iodine Chemistry

The 5 FWP EURSAFE project highlighted iodine chemistry in the containment as one of the issues requiring further research in order to reduce source term uncertainties. Consequently, a series of studies was launched in the 6 FWP SARNET project aimed at improving the predictability of iodine behaviour during severe accidents via a better understanding of the complex chemical phenomena in the containment. In particular, SARNET has striven to foster common interpretation of integral and separate effect test data; production of new or improved models where necessary needed, and compilation of the existing knowledge of the subject. The work has been based on a substantial amount of experimental information made available from bench-scale projects (PARIS and EPICUR), via intermediate-scale tests (CAIMAIN) to large scale facilities (SISYPHE, THAI and PHEBUS-FP).
Single pixel camera: An acquisition strategy based on the non-linear wavelet approximation

Single pixel imaging opened the door to a cheaper camera architecture able to operate in a wide spectral range. Compressive sensing has been used with such an optical setup to reconstruct an image using ℓ1-minimization. To avoid this type of reconstruction, we consider an adaptive approach leading to a direct restoration of an image and for which we propose a new acquisition strategy. Our technique allows one to acquire an image in the wavelet domain with a progressive non-linear acquisition strategy. This scheme is based on the non-linear approximation of the wavelet transform which takes advantage of the transformation's sparsity. This approximation is applied in a multiresolution way and is shown to offer high compression performance on simulated data. One application of the single pixel camera concerns time-resolved acquisition to observe fluorescence lifetime images of biological structures.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Evolutionarily Acquires Two Proteins, Vif and Protease, Capable of Antagonizing Feline APOBEC3

ABSTRACT The interplay between viral and host proteins has been well studied to elucidate virus-host interactions and their relevance to virulence. Mammalian genes encode apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) proteins, which act as intrinsic restriction factors against lentiviruses. To overcome APOBEC3-mediated antiviral actions, lentiviruses have evolutionarily acquired an accessory protein, viral infectivity factor (Vif), and Vif degrades host APOBEC3 proteins via a ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent pathway. Although the Vif-APOBEC3 interaction and its evolutionary significance, particularly those of primate lentiviruses (including HIV) and primates (including humans), have been well investigated, those of nonprimate lentiviruses and nonprimates are poorly understood. Moreover, the factors that determine lentiviral pathogenicity remain unclear. Here, we focus on feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a pathogenic lentivirus in domestic cats, and the interaction between FIV Vif and feline APOBEC3 in terms of viral virulence and evolution. We reveal the significantly reduced diversity of FIV subtype B compared to that of other subtypes, which may associate with the low pathogenicity of this subtype. We also demonstrate that FIV subtype B Vif is less active with regard to feline APOBEC3 degradation. More intriguingly, we further reveal that FIV protease cleaves feline APOBEC3 in released virions. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that a lentivirus encodes two types of anti-APOBEC3 factors, Vif and viral protease. IMPORTANCE During the history of mammalian evolution, mammals coevolved with retroviruses, including lentiviruses. All pathogenic lentiviruses, excluding equine infectious anemia virus, have acquired the vif gene via evolution to combat APOBEC3 proteins, which are intrinsic restriction factors against exogenous lentiviruses. Here we demonstrate that FIV, a pathogenic lentivirus in domestic cats, antagonizes feline APOBEC3 proteins by both Vif and a viral protease. Furthermore, the Vif proteins of an FIV subtype (subtype B) have attenuated their anti-APOBEC3 activity through evolution. Our findings can be a clue to elucidate the complicated evolutionary processes by which lentiviruses adapt to mammals.
The Speed of Serial Attention Shifts in Visual Search: Evidence from the N2pc Component

Finding target objects among distractors in visual search display is often assumed to be based on sequential movements of attention between different objects. However, the speed of such serial attention shifts is still under dispute. We employed a search task that encouraged the successive allocation of attention to two target objects in the same search display and measured N2pc components to determine how fast attention moved between these objects. Each display contained one digit in a known color (fixed-color target) and another digit whose color changed unpredictably across trials (variable-color target) together with two gray distractor digits. Participants' task was to find the fixed-color digit and compare its numerical value with that of the variable-color digit. N2pc components to fixed-color targets preceded N2pc components to variable-color digits, demonstrating that these two targets were indeed selected in a fixed serial order. The N2pc to variable-color digits emerged approximately 60 msec after the N2pc to fixed-color digits, which shows that attention can be reallocated very rapidly between different target objects in the visual field. When search display durations were increased, thereby relaxing the temporal demands on serial selection, the two N2pc components to fixed-color and variable-color targets were elicited within 90 msec of each other. Results demonstrate that sequential shifts of attention between different target locations can operate very rapidly at speeds that are in line with the assumptions of serial selection models of visual search.
Recombinant Mouse PAP Has pH-Dependent Ectonucleotidase Activity and Acts through A1-Adenosine Receptors to Mediate Antinociception

Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is expressed in nociceptive neurons and functions as an ectonucleotidase. When injected intraspinally, the secretory isoforms of human and bovine PAP protein have potent and long-lasting antinociceptive effects that are dependent on A1-adenosine receptor (A1R) activation. In this study, we purified the secretory isoform of mouse (m)PAP using the baculovirus expression system to determine if recombinant mPAP also had antinociceptive properties. We found that mPAP dephosphorylated AMP, and to a much lesser extent, ADP at neutral pH (pH 7.0). In contrast, mPAP dephosphorylated all purine nucleotides (AMP, ADP, ATP) at an acidic pH (pH 5.6). The transmembrane isoform of mPAP had similar pH-dependent ectonucleotidase activity. A single intraspinal injection of mPAP protein had long-lasting (three day) antinociceptive properties, including antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects in the Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) inflammatory pain model. These antinociceptive effects were transiently blocked by the A1R antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine (CPX), suggesting mPAP dephosphorylates nucleotides to adenosine to mediate antinociception just like human and bovine PAP. Our studies indicate that PAP has species-conserved antinociceptive effects and has pH-dependent ectonucleotidase activity. The ability to metabolize nucleotides in a pH-dependent manner could be relevant to conditions like inflammation where tissue acidosis and nucleotide release occur. Lastly, our studies demonstrate that recombinant PAP protein can be used to treat chronic pain in animal models.
TIME-OF-FLIGHT SECONDARY ION MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL PENETRATION INTO WOOD CELL WALLS

Penetration of high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) into wood cell walls was investigated in red pine. PEG of different molecular weights (1000, 8000 and 20000) was labelled by bromination and treated samples were analyzed on Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in dynamic mode. Both negative and positive spectra of the samples were collected in high spatial (bunched), high spectral (burst), and an intermedi- ate (burst alignment) resolution mode. Spectral and image data were statistically analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). Negative spectra distinguished untreated from treated samples, showing Br allocation in cell walls of all treated samples. Positive spectra did not provide differentiation between PEG and wood components. Penetration of PEG of all molecular weights into cell walls was confirmed even in case of treatments with PEG 20000.