Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micro-preemption synthesis: an enabling mechanism for multi-task VLSI systems

Task preemption is a critical enabling mechanism in multi-task VLSI systems. On preemption, data in the register files must be preserved in order for the task to be resumed. This entails extra memory to save the context and additional clock cycles to restore the context. We present techniques and algorithms to incorporate micro-preemption constraints during multi-task VLSI system synthesis. Specifically, we have developed: algorithms to insert and refine preemption points in scheduled task graphs subject to preemption latency constraints; techniques to minimize the context switch overhead by considering the dedicated registers required to save the state of a task on preemption and the shared registers required to save the remaining values in the tasks; and a controller based scheme to preclude preemption related performance degradation.
WiMAX/OFDMA Burst Scheduling Algorithm to Maximize Scheduled Data

OFDMA resource allocation algorithms manage the distribution and assignment of shared OFDMA resources among the users serviced by the basestation. The OFDMA resource allocation algorithms determine which users to schedule, how to allocate subcarriers to them, and how to determine the appropriate power levels for each user on each subcarrier. In WiMAX, the downlink (DL) TDD OFDMA subframe structure is a rectangular area of N subchannels \times K time slots. Users are assigned rectangular bursts in the downlink subframe. The size of burst, in terms of number of subchannels and number of time slots, varies based on the user's channel quality and data to be transmitted for the assigned user. In this paper, we study the problem of assigning users to bursts in WiMAX TDD OFDMA system with the objective of maximizing downlink system throughput for the Partially Used subcarrier (PUSC) subchannalization permutation mode. Our main contributions in this paper are: 1) we propose different methods to assign bursts to users, 2) we prove that our Best Channel burst assignment method achieves throughput within a constant factor of the optimal, 3) through extensive simulations with real system parameters, we study the performance of the Best Channel burst assignment method. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study the problem of DL Burst Assignment in the downlink OFDMA subframe for PUSC subchannalization permutation mode taking user's channel quality into consideration in the assignment process.
Spermatozoa capture HIV-1 through heparan sulfate and efficiently transmit the virus to dendritic cells

Semen is the main vector for HIV-1 dissemination worldwide. It contains three major sources of infectious virus: free virions, infected leukocytes, and spermatozoa-associated virions. We focused on the interaction of HIV-1 with human spermatozoa and dendritic cells (DCs). We report that heparan sulfate is expressed in spermatozoa and plays an important role in the capture of HIV-1. Spermatozoa-attached virus is efficiently transmitted to DCs, macrophages, and T cells. Interaction of spermatozoa with DCs not only leads to the transmission of HIV-1 and the internalization of the spermatozoa but also results in the phenotypic maturation of DCs and the production of IL-10 but not IL-12p70. At low values of extracellular pH (∼6.5 pH units), similar to those found in the vaginal mucosa after sexual intercourse, the binding of HIV-1 to the spermatozoa and the consequent transmission of HIV-1 to DCs were strongly enhanced. Our observations support the notion that far from being a passive carrier, spermatozoa acting in concert with DCs might affect the early course of sexual transmission of HIV-1 infection.
Experimental Investigation on Fatigue Evaluation of Orthopaedic Locking Compression Plate

Locking compression plate (LCP) is a common orthopedic instrument for internal fixation and healing of bone trauma. It is important to study on mechanical behavior and failure investigation of LCP because its failure leads to lots of cost and pain to the patient. In this paper, fatigue life of an eight-hole tibia LCP is evaluated under flexural loading. A four-point bending jig is manufactured and fatigue tests are performed for different compression loads. Fatigue life cycles are investigated for compression loads of 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 N and relation between compression load and life cycles is estimated. 125 walking days is estimated for the patient during treatment period according to life cycle results. Post failure analysis results on fracture surface revealed that the crack initiated from the edge of compression hole and propagated from lower to the upper surface of LCP according to beach marks. Finally, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the fracture surface revealed striations as a proof of fatigue crack growth. The striation spacing near the crack initiation site is found to be smaller than this spacing far from the initiation zone. The fatigue crack propagation life is estimated as 1600 cycles according to the number of striation spacings.
New microdeletion and microduplication syndromes: A comprehensive review

Several new microdeletion and microduplication syndromes are emerging as disorders that have been proven to cause multisystem pathologies frequently associated with intellectual disability (ID), multiple congenital anomalies (MCA), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and other phenotypic findings. In this paper, we review the “new” and emergent microdeletion and microduplication syndromes that have been described and recognized in recent years with the aim of summarizing their main characteristics and chromosomal regions involved. We decided to group them by genomic region and within these groupings have classified them into those that include ID, MCA, ASD or other findings. This review does not intend to be exhaustive but is rather a quick guide to help pediatricians, clinical geneticists, cytogeneticists and/or molecular geneticists.
Antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy of triphala and chlorhexidine mouthrinse among schoolchildren - a cross-over, double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE To evaluate and compare the effect of triphala extract mouthrinse and chlorhexidine on dental plaque and gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this double blind, crossover study, 120 qualifying boarding-school students aged 13-16 years were randomised into three groups: 10% triphala, 0.2% chlorhexidine and negative control. The study was conducted in 3 phases of 1-month duration each and a washout period of 15 days. During the experimental period, subjects rinsed with the allocated mouthrinse once daily for 30 s under supervision. The plaque and gingival status was assessed using the Turesky modification of the Quigley and Hein plaque index (QHI) and the gingival index (Löe and Silness) at baseline and at the end of each phase. The results were tested for significance at P < 0.05. RESULTS Triphala and chlorhexidine yielded a significant reduction in plaque and gingival index scores as compared to negative control (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found between the scores obtained with triphala and chlorhexidine mouthwashes. CONCLUSION The antiplaque and antigingivitis activity of triphala closely parallels that of chlorhexidine.
Tuneable UV solid-state laser lines for surface processing

Long UV laser lines find application in crystallization of Si, lift-off of flexible OLED displays from assistance glass and other surface processing technologies. With the appearance of powerful and reliable pulsed UV DPSS lasers in the last years, many efforts are directed to the implementation of such lasers in the line systems instead of excimer lasers. For the processing with a high energy density, several DPSS lasers have usually to be coupled in a homogeneous line focus with 100 - 1000 mm length and FWHM of 20 – 40 μm. We describe an advantageous line design approach based on anisotropic laser beam transformation, which improves beam quality for the narrow line axis and allows tight focusing with large depth of the focus. Solutions for tuning the line width are discussed.
An angle optimized global embedding algorithm

Traditional algorithm of global dimensionality reduction such as PCA, MDS and Isomap, measure the relation of data by distance, this paper gives an angle measurement approach for the relation of data. Based on the theoretic analysis, a novel angle optimized global embedding (AOGE) algorithm is proposed, which measured the relation of data by the angles between the centralized samples and their orthogonal projections. With the optimization of the angles, global dimensionality reduction embedding is realized. Compared with the global algorithms, such as PCA, MDS etc., the proposed algorithm has more effective results for the datasets containing distance irregularity data or noise data. Experiments on facial expression recognition verified the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Interactive Hierarchical Task Learning from a Single Demonstration

We have developed learning and interaction algorithms to support a human teaching hierarchical task models to a robot using a single demonstration in the context of a mixedinitiative interaction with bi-directional communication. In particular, we have identified and implemented two important heuristics for suggesting task groupings based on the physical structure of the manipulated artifact and on the data flow between tasks. We have evaluated our algorithms with users in a simulated environment and shown both that the overall approach is usable and that the grouping suggestions significantly improve the learning and interaction. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.2. 9 [Artificial Intelligence]: Robotics
Silhouette-Based 3D Face Shape Recovery

The creation of realistic 3D face models is still a fundamental problem in computer graphics. In this paper we present a novel method to obtain the 3D shape of an arbitrary human face using a sequence of silhouette images as input. Our face model is a linear combination of eigenheads, which are obtained by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of laser-scanned 3D human faces. The coefficients of this linear decomposition are used as our model parameters. We introduce a near-automatic method for reconstructing a 3D face model whose silhouette images match closest to the set of input silhouettes.
Investigation and Comparison of the DIBL Parameter and Thermal Effects of SOD Transistors and SOI Transistors and Improving Them with the Change of Their BOX Thicknesses

In this paper, thermal effects and Drain Induced barrier lowering (DIBL) of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and silicon-on-diamond (SOD) transistors with 22 nm channel lengths using hydrodynamic simulations have been investigated. Thermal conductivity of diamond in contrast to thermal conductivity of silicon dioxide is significantly higher. Hence, the heat transfers faster in silicon-on-diamond transistors. Lattice temperature of SODs is lower than that of similar SOIs. By using SODs in Integrated circuits with the first transistor turning on and active, neighboring transistors will have the same level of heat as the active transistor. As a result, the DIBL factor will be increased; this is an undesired phenomenon in CMOS applications. To resolve this issue, we propose a new method which is the thickness reduction of buried diamond layers inside of transistors. Due to this change, DIBL of active transistor will be improved, the exceeding lattice heat of side transistors will be evacuated through the devices and their temperatures will be deduced in large scale.
A general approach to automatic programming using occam's razor, compression, and self-inspection: extended abstract

This paper describes a novel general method for automatic programming which can be seen as a generalization of techniques such as genetic programming and ADATE. The approach builds on the assumption that data compression can be used as a metaphor for cognition and intelligence. The proof-of-concept system is evaluated on sequence prediction problems. As a starting point, the process of inferring a general law from a data set is viewed as an attempt to compress the observed data. From an artificial intelligence point of view, compression is a useful way of measuring how deeply the observed data is understood. If the sequence contains redundancy it exists a shorter description i.e. the sequence can be compressed. Consider the sequence:
Exchange Rate Regime Durability and Performance in Developing Countries Versus Advanced Economies

Drawing on new data and advances in exchange rate regimes' classification, we find that countries appear to benefit by having increasingly flexible exchange rate systems as they become richer and more financially developed. For developing countries with little exposure to international capital markets, pegs are notable for their durability and relatively low inflation. In contrast, for advanced economies, floats are distinctly more durable and also appear to be associated with higher growth. For emerging markets, our results parallel the Baxter and Stockman classic exchange regime neutrality result, though pegs are the least durable and expose countries to higher risk of crisis.
Evolving knowledge based product lifecycle management from a digital ecosystem to support automated manufacturing

This paper presents an approach at improving Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in large scale multinational manufacturing companies using Ford Motor Company as a case study. The solution builds a software layer around an existing PLM infrastructure that uses Semantic Web Services (SWSs) to enable a new generation of PLM. This new PLM is then integrated into a digital ecosystem for factory automation using Ford Powertrain as a case study. The work illustrates how a Digital Business Ecosystem (DBE) can spur innovation and evolution in applications around this new type of PLM.
CASPAR: Breaking Serialization in Lock-Free Multicore Synchronization

In multicores, performance-critical synchronization is increasingly performed in a lock-free manner using atomic instructions such as CAS or LL/SC. However, when many processors synchronize on the same variable, performance can still degrade significantly. Contending writes get serialized, creating a non-scalable condition. Past proposals that build hardware queues of synchronizing processors do not fundamentally solve this problem---at best, they help to efficiently serialize the contending writes. This paper proposes a novel architecture that breaks the serialization of hardware queues and enables the queued processors to perform lock-free synchronization in parallel. The architecture, called CASPAR, is able to (1) execute the CASes in the queued-up processors in parallel through eager forwarding of expected values, and (2) validate the CASes in parallel and dequeue groups of processors at a time. The result is highly-scalable synchronization. We evaluate CASPAR with simulations of a 64-core chip. Compared to existing proposals with hardware queues, CASPAR improves the throughput of kernels by 32% on average, and reduces the execution time of the sections considered in lock-free versions of applications by 47% on average. This makes these sections 2.5x faster than in the original applications.
Wireless Systems Performance evaluation of a link adaptation scheme in IEEE 802.11e over IEEE 802.11a WLANs with QoS support

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) represent a powerful technology for accessing data, voice and video services in mobility. The literature dealing with IEEE 802.11 WLANs optimisation for supporting real-time services performance is plentiful. IEEE Task Group E has been created with the aim of enhancing the Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities of the MAC IEEE 802.11, while several link adaptation algorithms have been proposed to optimise the rate selection in the IEEE 802.11a physical layer. In this work, the knowledge of the application type, provided by the MAC IEEE 802.11e layer, is exploited in a link adaptation strategy for the PHY IEEE 802.11a layer. The performance of the system is studied by using an event-driven simulator, which implements the specifications of the IEEE 802.11e draft standard and the IEEE 802.11a standard. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves both the link adaptation advantages and the required QoS support to real-time services. Copyright © 2005 AEIT.
Probabilistic feasibility assessment of real-time wireless networks for factory automation with mobile nodes

This paper proposes a framework for probabilistic schedulability assessment of a real-time wireless factory automation network consisting of multiple automation cells, in the presence of mobile nodes that roam from one cell to another one to accomplish application tasks along a set of predefined paths. The paper contribution is an offline analysis which, on the basis of information about the parameters of the real-time flows, the network topology and the movement patterns of mobile nodes, allows the designer to obtain the probability that the network, at runtime and in the absence of faults, will be schedulable. A case study shows how to apply the proposed analysis to offline dimensioning of the wireless network.
Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Nanoparticles Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized by sol-gel method. Then, the effects of the different pHs, stirring times, surfactants (CTAB and Span 20) and temperatures on TiO2 nanoparticles were studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses were used to characterize the samples. The observations revealed that, the pH of 3.5 and 36 h stirring time could provide dispersion without agglomeration in nanoparticle powder with rutile and anatase phases. However, at higher pH, the powder resulted in the formation of anatase phase. Implementing CTAB as a surfactant modified the shape, size, and distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles better than the Span 20 as a surfactant. Finally, the nanopowder was calcined at 450, 550 and 650 °C. It obviously showed thatby increasing the temperature, the size of nanoparticles increased which might be due to accelerate the crystal growth of titanium dioxide at high calcination temperature.
DMA++: on the fly data realignment for on-chip memories

Multimedia extensions based on Single-Instruction Multiple-Data (SIMD) units are widespread. They are used both in processors and accelerators (e.g., the Cell SPEs), since some time ago. SIMD units have usually big memory alignment constraints in order to meet power requirements and design simplicity. This increases the complexity of the code generated by the compiler, as in the general case, the compiler cannot be sure of the proper alignment of data. For that, the ISA provides either unaligned memory load and store instructions, or a special set of instructions to perform the realignments in software. In this paper, we propose a hardware realignment unit that takes advantage of the DMA transfers needed in accelerators with local memories. While the data is being transferred, it is realigned on the fly by our realignment unit, and stored with the proper alignment in the accelerator memory. The accelerator can then access the data with no special instructions. Finally, the data is realigned properly also when put back to main memory. Our experiments with four applications show that with our approach, the bandwidth of the DMA transfers is not penalized. And the performance of the synthetic benchmarks shows that aligned code is 1.5 to 2 times better with respect using unaligned code.
A comparison of dimensionality reduction techniques for text retrieval

The growth of digital information increases the need to build better techniques for automatically storing, organizing and retrieving it. Much of this information is textual in nature and existing representation models struggle to deal with the high dimensionality of the resulting feature space. Techniques like latent semantic indexing address, to some degree, the problem of high dimensionality in information retrieval. However, promising alternatives, like random mapping (RM), have yet to be completely studied in this context. In this paper, we show that despite the attention RM has received in other applications, in the case of text retrieval it is outperformed not only by principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) but also by a simple noise reduction algorithm.
Frequency-domain measurement of neuronal activity using dynamic optical coherence tomography

We report preliminary results on high-resolution in vivo imaging of fast intrinsic optical signals of neuronal activity in the frequency domain. An optical coherence tomography (OCT) system was used for dynamic imaging of the cross section of rodent somatosensory cortex at 250 frame/s. Neurons in the cortex were excited by contralateral forepaw stimulation, and the ipsilateral forepaw was stimulated as a control. Hemodynamic responses at the cortical surface, which were simultaneously measured using a CCD, confirmed that forepaw stimulation properly evoked neuronal activation. Analysis of the OCT signal in the frequency domain resulted in that the spectrum significantly increased at the stimulation frequency during activation. This spectrum change was only observed during contralateral stimulation and highly localized at the stimulation frequency in the frequency space. Therefore, the spectrum change we observed is likely associated with neuronal activation.
Human Protein N-terminal Acetyltransferase hNaa50p (hNAT5/hSAN) Follows Ordered Sequential Catalytic Mechanism

Background: Nα-Acetylation is catalyzed by N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs). The reaction mechanisms of NATs are unknown. hNaa50p is a member of the human NAT family. Results: Kinetic parameters and product inhibition patterns were determined. Acetyl-CoA binding induced conformational changes facilitating peptide binding. Conclusion: hNaa50p most likely utilizes the Theorell-Chance mechanism. Significance: Bisubstrate inhibitors, mimicking a ternary complex, should function as specific inhibitors of human NATs. Nα-Acetylation is a common protein modification catalyzed by different N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs). Their essential role in the biogenesis and degradation of proteins is becoming increasingly evident. The NAT hNaa50p preferentially modifies peptides starting with methionine followed by a hydrophobic amino acid. hNaa50p also possesses Nϵ-autoacetylation activity. So far, no eukaryotic NAT has been mechanistically investigated. In this study, we used NMR spectroscopy, bisubstrate kinetic assays, and product inhibition experiments to demonstrate that hNaa50p utilizes an ordered Bi Bi reaction of the Theorell-Chance type. The NMR results, both the substrate binding study and the dynamic data, further indicate that the binding of acetyl-CoA induces a conformational change that is required for the peptide to bind to the active site. In support of an ordered Bi Bi reaction mechanism, addition of peptide in the absence of acetyl-CoA did not alter the structure of the protein. This model is further strengthened by the NMR results using a catalytically inactive hNaa50p mutant.