Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PTSMT: A Tool for Cross-Level Power, Performance, and Thermal Exploration of SMT Processors

Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) processors are becoming popular because they exploit both instruction-level and thread- level parallelism by issuing instructions from different threads in the same cycle. However, the issues of power and thermal management hinder SMT processors fabricated in nano-scale technologies. Power and thermal issues in SMT processors not only limit the achievable performance, but also have a direct impact on the cost and viability of these processors. While several performance simulation tools to explore the performance aspect of SMT processors early in their design phase exist, there is a lack of early power and performance evaluation tools for SMT processors. To this end, we have developed PTSMT: a tightly coupled power, performance and thermal exploration tool for SMT processors. In this paper, we demonstrate that PTSMT can automatically and effectively accomplish power, performance and thermal exploration of SMT processors at various levels of design hierarchy, at the application level, microarchitecture level, and physical level. Our experimental results show that: at the application level, number of contexts into which an application is divided could affect performance by 2.2times, energy by 52%, and peak temperature by 35degC; and at the microarchitecture level, context swapping during run time could reduce energy by 9% and improve performance by 8%. These observations indicate the size of the design space which can be explored using PTSMT.
A Sketch on Sketch-Based Interfaces and Modeling

Geometric Modeling is a widely studied area in computer graphics and methods for constructing 3D models with intuitive interfaces are a topic that has been attracting the interest of many researches. In contrast to the complicated interfaces of modeling softwares, created using the WIMP paradigm (Window, Icon, Menu, Pointer), several studies have shown applications with interfaces based on gestures, which are simpler and more natural. In this scenario, the area of Sketch-Based Interfaces and Modeling (SBIM) emerged. Sketch is a very efficient tool to convey the essence of an object with few strokes, because humans have the ability of inferring 3D models from 2D drawings. However, associating a sketch to a 3D model is not a computationally trivial task. In this paper we present a conceptualization of the area, highlighting opportunities, challenges and trends in SBIM.
PP2A-3 interacts with ACR4 and regulates formative cell division in the Arabidopsis root

Significance Plant growth and development are mediated through a wide range of proteins, including receptor kinases and phosphatases. The receptor kinase ARABIDOPSIS CRINKLY 4 (ACR4) is part of a mechanism controlling formative cell divisions in the Arabidopsis root. However, the regulation of ACR4 signaling and how it affects cell divisions remains completely unknown. We discovered that ACR4 phosphorylates the PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2A-3 (PP2A-3) catalytic subunit of the PP2A phosphatase holoenzyme and that PP2A dephosphorylates ACR4. These data exposed a tightly regulated point in the associated biochemical network regulating formative cell divisions in plant roots. In plants, the generation of new cell types and tissues depends on coordinated and oriented formative cell divisions. The plasma membrane-localized receptor kinase ARABIDOPSIS CRINKLY 4 (ACR4) is part of a mechanism controlling formative cell divisions in the Arabidopsis root. Despite its important role in plant development, very little is known about the molecular mechanism with which ACR4 is affiliated and its network of interactions. Here, we used various complementary proteomic approaches to identify ACR4-interacting protein candidates that are likely regulators of formative cell divisions and that could pave the way to unraveling the molecular basis behind ACR4-mediated signaling. We identified PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2A-3 (PP2A-3), a catalytic subunit of PP2A holoenzymes, as a previously unidentified regulator of formative cell divisions and as one of the first described substrates of ACR4. Our in vitro data argue for the existence of a tight posttranslational regulation in the associated biochemical network through reciprocal regulation between ACR4 and PP2A-3 at the phosphorylation level.
Altering Metabolic Profiles of Drugs by Precision Deuteration 2: Discovery of a Deuterated Analog of Ivacaftor with Differentiated Pharmacokinetics for Clinical Development

Ivacaftor is currently used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis as both monotherapy (Kalydeco; Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA) and combination therapy with lumacaftor (Orkambi; Vertex Pharmaceuticals). Each therapy targets specific patient populations: Kalydeco treats patients carrying one of nine gating mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, whereas Orkambi treats patients homozygous for the F508del CFTR mutation. In this study, we explored the pharmacological and metabolic effects of precision deuteration chemistry on ivacaftor by synthesizing two novel deuterated ivacaftor analogs, CTP-656 (d9-ivacaftor) and d18-ivacaftor. Ivacaftor is administered twice daily and is extensively converted in humans to major metabolites M1 and M6; therefore, the corresponding deuterated metabolites were also prepared. Both CTP-656 and d18-ivacaftor showed in vitro pharmacologic potency similar to that in ivacaftor, and the deuterated M1 and M6 metabolites showed pharmacology equivalent to that in the corresponding metabolites of ivacaftor, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies of deuterated compounds. However, CTP-656 exhibited markedly enhanced stability when tested in vitro. The deuterium isotope effects for CTP-656 metabolism (DV = 3.8, DV/K = 2.2) were notably large for a cytochrome P450–mediated oxidation. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of CTP-656 and d18-ivacaftor were assessed in six healthy volunteers in a single-dose crossover study, which provided the basis for advancing CTP-656 in development. The overall PK profile, including the 15.9-hour half-life for CTP-656, suggests that CTP-656 may be dosed once daily, thereby enhancing patient adherence. Together, these data continue to validate deuterium substitution as a viable approach for creating novel therapeutic agents with properties potentially differentiated from existing drugs.
Drosophila EYA Regulates the Immune Response against DNA through an Evolutionarily Conserved Threonine Phosphatase Motif

Innate immune responses against DNA are essential to counter both pathogen infections and tissue damages. Mammalian EYAs were recently shown to play a role in regulating the innate immune responses against DNA. Here, we demonstrate that the unique Drosophila eya gene is also involved in the response specific to DNA. Haploinsufficiency of eya in mutants deficient for lysosomal DNase activity (DNaseII) reduces antimicrobial peptide gene expression, a hallmark for immune responses in flies. Like the mammalian orthologues, Drosophila EYA features a N-terminal threonine and C-terminal tyrosine phosphatase domain. Through the generation of a series of mutant EYA fly strains, we show that the threonine phosphatase domain, but not the tyrosine phosphatase domain, is responsible for the innate immune response against DNA. A similar role for the threonine phosphatase domain in mammalian EYA4 had been surmised on the basis of in vitro studies. Furthermore EYA associates with IKKβ and full-length RELISH, and the induction of the IMD pathway-dependent antimicrobial peptide gene is independent of SO. Our data provide the first in vivo demonstration for the immune function of EYA and point to their conserved immune function in response to endogenous DNA, throughout evolution.
Top-k bounded diversification

This paper investigates diversity queries over objects embedded in a low-dimensional vector space. An interesting case is provided by spatial Web objects, which are produced in great quantity by location-based services that let users attach content to places, and arise also in trip planning, news analysis, and real estate scenarios. The targeted queries aim at retrieving the best set of objects relevant to given user criteria and well distributed over a region of interest. Such queries are a particular case of diversified top-k queries, for which existing methods are too costly, as they evaluate diversity by accessing and scanning all relevant objects, even if only a small subset is needed. We therefore introduce Space Partitioning and Probing (SPP), an algorithm that minimizes the number of accessed objects while finding exactly the same result as MMR, the most popular diversification algorithm. SPP belongs to a family of algorithms that rely only on score-based and distance-based access methods, which are available in most geo-referenced Web data sources, and do not require retrieving all the relevant objects. Experiments show that SPP significantly reduces the number of accessed objects while incurring a very low computational overhead.
Presepsin (Soluble CD14 Subtype): Reference Ranges of a New Sepsis Marker in Term and Preterm Neonates

Objective Presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) has been shown to be beneficial as a sepsis marker in adults. Nevertheless, very few data are available in neonates. The aim of the present study was to determine reference ranges of presepsin in term and preterm neonates. Methods Healthy term neonates and preterm neonates without clinical signs of infection admitted to the Neonatal Unit were consecutively enrolled. Presepsin concentrations in whole blood were measured using a point-of-care assay system located in the Unit. Demographic data, antenatal and perinatal variables commonly affecting C-reactive protein and procalcitonin values were considered. Results Of the 684 neonates enrolled in the study, 484 (70.8%) were born at term and 200 (29.2%) were preterm (24–36 weeks’ gestation). In term infants, presepsin median value was 603.5 pg/mL (interquartile range: 466.5–791 pg/mL; 5th and 95th centiles: 315 and 1178 pg/mL respectively). In preterm infants, presepsin median value was slightly higher, equal to 620 pg/mL (interquartile range: 503–864 pg/mL; 5th and 95th centiles: 352 and 1370 pg/mL respectively). The reference ranges of presepsin we determined were much higher than those seen in healthy adults. No correlation between presepsin levels and postnatal age was observed, as well as no significant difference was demonstrated in preterm neonates at different gestational ages. None of the variables analyzed affected presepsin levels at a clinical significant extent. Conclusion For the first time, this study provides reference ranges of presepsin in term and preterm neonates. Having reliable reference values is crucial for obtaining an adequate diagnostic accuracy. Based on our results, most variables commonly affecting C-reactive protein and procalcitonin values do not affect presepsin levels, which suggests that presepsin could be an effective sepsis marker. Further investigations in large groups of neonates with sepsis are needed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of this biomarker.
Autoencoding the retrieval relevance of medical images

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) of medical images is a crucial task that can contribute to a more reliable diagnosis if applied to big data. Recent advances in feature extraction and classification have enormously improved CBIR results for digital images. However, considering the increasing accessibility of big data in medical imaging, we are still in need of reducing both memory requirements and computational expenses of image retrieval systems. This work proposes to exclude the features of image blocks that exhibit a low encoding error when learned by a n/p/n autoencoder (p <; n). We examine the histogram of autoendcoding errors of image blocks for each image class to facilitate the decision which image regions, or roughly what percentage of an image perhaps, shall be declared relevant for the retrieval task. This leads to reduction of feature dimensionality and speeds up the retrieval process. To validate the proposed scheme, we employ local binary patterns (LBP) and support vector machines (SVM) which are both well-established approaches in CBIR research community. As well, we use IRMA dataset with 14,410 x-ray images as test data. The results show that the dimensionality of annotated feature vectors can be reduced by up to 50% resulting in speedups greater than 27% at expense of less than 1% decrease in the accuracy of retrieval when validating the precision and recall of the top 20 hits.
Inhibitor of κB Kinase β Regulates Redox Homeostasis by Controlling the Constitutive Levels of Glutathione

Cytokine-activated inhibitor of κB kinase β (IKKβ) is a key mediator of immune and inflammatory responses, but recent studies suggest that IKKβ is also required for tissue homeostasis in physiopathological processes. Here we report a novel role for IKKβ in maintenance of constitutive levels of the redox scavenger GSH. Inactivation of IKKβ by genetic or pharmacological means results in low cellular GSH content and marked reduction of redox potential. Similar to Ikkβ(−/−) cells, Tnfr1(−/−) and p65(−/−) cells are also GSH-deficient. As a consequence, cells deficient in IKKβ signaling are extremely susceptible to toxicity caused by environmental and pharmacological agents, including oxidants, genotoxic agents, microtubule toxins, and arsenic. GSH biosynthesis depends on the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), consisting of a catalytic subunit (GCLC) and a modifier subunit (GCLM). We found that loss of IKKβ signaling significantly reduces basal NF-κB activity and decreases binding of NF-κB to the promoters of Gclc and Gclm, leading to reduction of GCLC and GCLM expression. Conversely, overexpression of GCLC and GCLM in IKKβ-null cells partially restores GSH content and prevents stress-induced cytotoxicity. We suggest that maintenance of GSH is a novel physiological role of the IKKβ-NF-κB signaling cascade to prevent oxidative damage and preserve the functional integrity of the cells.
Grid-Based Occupancy Mapping and Automatic Gaze Control for Soccer Playing Humanoid Robots

With advances in walking abilities of autonomous soccer playing humanoid robots, the world modeling and state estimation problem moves into focus, as only sufficiently accurate and robust modeling allows to leverage improved locomotion capabilities. A novel approach for dense grid-based obstacle mapping in dynamic environments with an additional application for automatic gaze control is presented in this paper. It is applicable for soccer playing humanoid robots with external sensing limited to human-like vision and strongly limited onboard computing abilities. The proposed approach allows fusion of information from different sources and efficiently provides a single consistent and robust world state estimate despite strong robot hardware limitations.
Variability in the perception of fidelity in simultaneous interpretation

In a series of distinct operations, an English speech made at a conference and its inter-pretation into French were presented auditorily and visually to professional interpreters, students and other assessors to study what they considered errors and omissions, as well as their assessment of the overall fidelity of the target speech. Results include high intra-group variability in all categories of assessors, marked differences between the number of errors and omissions reported after auditory vs. visual presentation, a generally more lenient assessment by interpreters than by other assessors, and a lack of clear correlation between the number of errors and omissions reported and the general fidelity rating given by assessors. These results suggest that fidelity assessment per-formed by single assessors and by very small groups of assessors may be very un-reliable, and that variability in fidelity norms may be an important factor in fidelity assessment.
Influence of viscosity, surface tension, and inclination angle on motion of long bubbles in closed tubes

An experimental study has been made of the motion of long bubbles in closed tubes. The influence of viscosity and surface tension on the bubble velocity is clarified. A correlation of bubble velocities in vertical tubes is suggested and is shown to be useful for the whole range of parameters investigated. In addition, the effect of tube inclination angle on bubble velocity is presented, and certain features of the flow are described qualitatively.
Estimating the Prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder in the Community

The authors use a new diagnostic algorithm derived from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (the DIS/Borderline Index) to identify a borderline personality disorder among 19- to 55-year-olds at the Duke site of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area project. A criterion score of 11 or more symptoms from the 24-item DIS/Borderline Index identifies 1.8% of the sample. The borderline diagnosis is significantly higher among females, the widowed, and the unmarried; and there is a trend toward the diagnosis in younger, non-White, urban, and poorer respondents. Extensive psychiatric comorbidity and high use of mental health services are found in the borderline group.
The structure of drinking motives in First Nations adolescents in Nova Scotia.

OBJECTIVE The factor structure of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire - Revised (DMQ-R; Cooper, 1994) was examined in a sample of First Nations (i.e., Mi'kmaq) adolescents. RESULTS Exploratory principal components analysis indicated a three-factor structure (conformity, coping, and positive reinforcement motives), with the positive reinforcement motives of enhancement and social motives not separating into the expected two distinct factors. Moreover, community informants (e.g., school personnel) anecdotally indicated possible wording problems with some of the social motive items for the cultural group. A qualitative methodology - focus group interviews with Mi'kmaq adolescents - was used to explore potential reasons for these observed differences in the structure of drinking motives from previous findings in the majority culture (i.e., a measurement problem vs. a real difference in the structure of drinking motives in the Mi'kmaq culture). CONCLUSIONS Qualitative findings support the interpretation that a true social motive for alcohol use does not exist in this cultural/age group and that drinking in social contexts for this group seems less motivated by social affiliation than by enhancement motives (e.g., drinking to party).
TREM-2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) is a phagocytic receptor for bacteria

Phagocytosis, which is essential for the immune response to pathogens, is initiated by specific interactions between pathogens and cell surface receptors expressed by phagocytes. This study identifies triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM-2) and its signaling counterpart DAP12 as a molecular complex that promotes phagocytosis of bacteria. Expression of TREM-2–DAP12 enables nonphagocytic Chinese hamster ovary cells to internalize bacteria. This function depends on actin cytoskeleton dynamics and the activity of the small guanosine triphosphatases Rac and Cdc42. Internalization also requires src kinase activity and tyrosine phosphorylation. In bone marrow–derived macrophages, phagocytosis is decreased in the absence of DAP12 and can be restored by expression of TREM-2–DAP12. Depletion of TREM-2 inhibits both binding and uptake of bacteria. Finally, TREM-2–dependent phagocytosis is impaired in Syk-deficient macrophages. This study highlights a novel role for TREM-2–DAP12 in the immune response to bacterial pathogens.
Document Clustering for Forensic Analysis: An Approach for Improving Computer Inspection

In computer forensic analysis, hundreds of thousands of files are usually examined. Much of the data in those files consists of unstructured text, whose analysis by computer examiners is difficult to be performed. In this context, automated methods of analysis are of great interest. In particular, algorithms for clustering documents can facilitate the discovery of new and useful knowledge from the documents under analysis. We present an approach that applies document clustering algorithms to forensic analysis of computers seized in police investigations. We illustrate the proposed approach by carrying out extensive experimentation with six well-known clustering algorithms (K-means, K-medoids, Single Link, Complete Link, Average Link, and CSPA) applied to five real-world datasets obtained from computers seized in real-world investigations. Experiments have been performed with different combinations of parameters, resulting in 16 different instantiations of algorithms. In addition, two relative validity indexes were used to automatically estimate the number of clusters. Related studies in the literature are significantly more limited than our study. Our experiments show that the Average Link and Complete Link algorithms provide the best results for our application domain. If suitably initialized, partitional algorithms (K-means and K-medoids) can also yield to very good results. Finally, we also present and discuss several practical results that can be useful for researchers and practitioners of forensic computing.
Stable multi-step capacitance control with binary voltage operation at +/-3V in integrated piezoelectric RF MEMS tunable capacitors

The design and operation technique for a stable capacitance control in piezoelectric RF MEMS tunable capacitors have been investigated. Four folded-beam capacitors composed of piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin films were integrated in the quadruple capacitor and each folded-beam capacitor showed uniform operation voltage of less than 3V. A stable multi-step capacitance control was realized with the binary voltage operation at +/-3V, where each capacitor could be handled at binary state of capacitance due to its saturation characteristics. Eight levels of capacitance value up to 1.5pF with a step of 0.13pF to 0.16pF were realized.
Out‐of‐school experiences in science classes: problems, issues and challenges in Botswana

This paper sets out to identify some key problems, issues and challenges relating to out‐of‐school experiences of learners in science teaching that emerged during classroom observations in schools in Botswana. Generally, there is evidence suggesting weak incorporation of learners' experiences into teaching. The experiences seemed to have a lower teaching priority than did formal universally accepted canonical science concepts. The study revealed that the relative merits of the science curriculum also appeared undermined by lack of teacher preparedness to handle the learners' out‐of‐school experiences. This paper also considers some of the implications of the research findings to science education in Botswana.