Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scalable stochastic gradient descent with improved confidence

Stochastic gradient descent methods have been quite successful for solving largescale and online learning problems. We provide a simple parallel framework to obtain solutions of high confidence, where the confidence can be easily controlled by the number of processes, independently of the length of learning processes. Our framework is implemented as a scalable open-source software which can be configured for a single multicore machine or for a cluster of computers, where the training outcomes from independent parallel processes are combined to produce the final output.
Dynamic scratchpad memory management for code in portable systems with an MMU

In this work, we present a dynamic memory allocation technique for a novel, horizontally partitioned memory subsystem targeting contemporary embedded processors with a memory management unit (MMU). We propose to replace the on-chip instruction cache with a scratchpad memory (SPM) and a small minicache. Serializing the address translation with the actual memory access enables the memory system to access either only the SPM or the minicache. Independent of the SPM size and based solely on profiling information, a postpass optimizer classifies the code of an application binary into a pageable and a cacheable code region. The latter is placed at a fixed location in the external memory and cached by the minicache. The former, the pageable code region, is copied on demand to the SPM before execution. Both the pageable code region and the SPM are logically divided into pages the size of an MMU memory page. Using the MMU's pagefault exception mechanism, a runtime scratchpad memory manager (SPMM) tracks page accesses and copies frequently executed code pages to the SPM before they get executed. In order to minimize the number of page transfers from the external memory to the SPM, good code placement techniques become more important with increasing sizes of the MMU pages. We discuss code-grouping techniques and provide an analysis of the effect of the MMU's page size on execution time, energy consumption, and external memory accesses. We show that by using the data cache as a victim buffer for the SPM, significant energy savings are possible. We evaluate our SPM allocation strategy with fifteen applications, including H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, and PGP. The proposed memory system requires 8&percent; less die are compared to a fully-cached configuration. On average, we achieve a 31&percent; improvement in runtime performance and a 35&percent; reduction in energy consumption with an MMU page size of 256 bytes.
Individual β Cells within the Intact Islet Differentially Respond to Glucose*

Insulin production by the pancreatic islet is tightly coupled to the concentration of blood glucose. The mechanism by which glucose controls proinsulin biosynthesis in β cells is poorly understood. Analysis of insulin gene expression in individual cells within whole, living islets using adenovirus gene transfer and direct observation of insulin promoter-directed green fluorescent protein activity indicates that β cells are functionally heterogeneous. An increase in glucose concentration not only stimulates expression within individual β cells, but unexpectedly acts to increase the total number of positive cells. The net islet response to a given glucose stimulus reflects an integrated action of β cells with individually differing behaviors. This additional level of functional complexity may provide new insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Validity of Borg Ratings of Perceived Exertion During Active Video Game Play

During physically interactive video game play (e.g., Nintendo Wii), users are exposed to potential distracters (e.g., video, music), which may decrease their ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) throughout game play. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the association between RPE scores and heart rate while playing the Nintendo Wii. Healthy adults (N = 13, 53.5 ± 5.4 years old) participated in two exercise sessions using the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus. During each session participants played a five-minute warm-up game (Basic Run), two separate Wii Fit Plus games (Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics or Balance Training) for fifteen minutes each, and then a five-minute cool down game (Basic Run). Borg RPE and heart rate were assessed during the final 30 seconds of the warm up and cool down, as well during the final 30 seconds of play for each Wii Fit Plus game. Correlation analysis combining data from both exercise sessions indicated a moderate positive relationship between heart rate and RPE (r = 0.32). Mixed-effects model regression analyses demonstrated that RPE scores were significantly associated with heart rate (p < 0.001). The average percentage of age-predicted heart rate maximum achieved (58 ± 6%) was significantly greater (p = 0.001) than the percentage of maximum RPE indicated (43 ± 11%). Borg RPE scores were positively associated with heart rate in adults during exercise sessions using the Wii Fit Plus. However, this relationship was lower than observed in past research assessing RPE validity during different modes of exercise (e.g. walking, running) without distracters.
A note on Robot-packable and Orthogonal variants of the three-dimensional bin packing problem

In the three-dimensional bin packing problem the task is to orthogonally pack a given set of rectangular items into a minimum number of three-dimensional rectangular bins. We give a characterization of the algorithm proposed by Martello, Pisinger and Vigo (2000) for the exact solution of the problem, showing that not all orthogonal packings can be generated by the proposed algorithm. The packings however have the property of being robot packings, which is of great relevance to the industry. A new (and correct) algorithm for solving the general orthogonal packing problem is presented based on constraint programming. Extensive computational experiments compare the algorithm for the three-dimensional bin packing when solving general orthogonal packings and when restricted to robot packings.
Cognitive screening improves the predictive value of stroke severity scores for functional outcome 3–6 months after mild stroke and transient ischaemic attack: an observational study

Objectives To investigate the prognostic value of the neurocognitive status measured by screening instruments, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), individually and in combination with the stroke severity scale, the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), obtained at the subacute stroke phase or the baseline (≤2 weeks), for functional outcome 3–6 months later. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Tertiary stroke neurology service. Participants 400 patients with a recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) received NIHSS, MoCA and MMSE at baseline and were followed up 3–6 months later. Primary outcome measures At 3–6 months following the index event, functional outcome was measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Results Most patients (79.8%) had a mild ischaemic stroke and less disability (median NIHSS=2, median mRS=2 and median premorbid mRS=0), while a minority of patients had TIA (20.3%). Baseline NIHSS, MMSE and MoCA scores individually predicted mRS scores at 3–6 months, with NIHSS being the strongest predictor (NIHSS: R2 change=0.043, p<0.001). Moreover, baseline MMSE scores had a small but statistically significant incremental predictive value to the baseline NIHSS for mRS scores at 3–6 months, while baseline MoCA scores did not (MMSE: R2 changes=0.006, p=0.03; MoCA: R2 changes=0.004, p=0.083). However, in patients with more severe stroke at baseline (defined as NIHSS>2), baseline MoCA and MMSE had a significant and moderately large incremental predictive value to the baseline NIHSS for mRS scores at 3–6 months (MMSE: R2 changes=0.021, p=0.010; MoCA: R2 changes=0.017, p=0.021). Conclusions Cognitive screening at the subacute stroke phase can predict functional outcome independently and improve the predictive value of stroke severity scores for functional outcome 3–6 months later, particularly in patients with more severe stroke.
Implementation of a Motion Planning Framework for the daVinci Surgical System Research Kit

In the traditional teleoperation mode, the Master Tool Manipulators (MTMs) interface with the Patient Side Manipulators (PSMs). Corresponding changes in the position and orientation of the MTM’s grippers translate into corresponding actuation of the PSM’s joints and correspondingly its end effector’s pose. Integration of ROS as a middleware for data flow significantly enhances the ability to add computer intelligence to the surgical procedures. Within the described framework, kinematic and dynamic simulation models of the MTMs and PSMs have been developed. The framework is tightly integrated with RViz, a 3D visualization tool that is native to ROS and allows for tasks such as planning, manipulation and trajectory control. For planning and manipulation tasks, it is necessary to have a 3D representation of the environment and obstacles. In order to generate 3D point clouds of the environment, we utilize a pair of compact stereo cameras. However, 3D volumes and point clouds from both live and registered preoperative imaging from various sources may be readily incorporated into the system. In this paper, a system architecture and a method for a collision free motion planning is proposed from 3D streaming point clouds. The goal is to provide assistance to the surgeon by guiding a tool to follow an optimal path while avoiding sensitive anatomical features or other obstacles. ROBOT SIMULATION & CONTROL
Automatic Document Categorization for Highly Nuanced Topics in Massive-Scale Document Collections : The SPEED BIN Program

This whitepaper offers a brief introduction to the BIN system of the Social, Political and Economic Event Database (SPEED) project. BIN provides automatic document categorization of highly nuanced topics across massive-scale document archives. The BIN system allows a group of trained human editors to present the computer with a relatively small collection of hand-categorized documents representing a given topic. It uses the semantic characteristics of these documents to develop a statistical model that is capable of identifying other documents on that same topic from the Cline Center global news archive, which contains tens of millions of news reports. Tests have shown that BIN has a false negative (incorrectly discarded relevant documents) rate of 1-4%. This paper outlines the basic premise and motivation behind BIN, its development, and its application to the SPEED project. CONTRIBUTOR
Noise and Artifact Characterization of in Vivo Raman Spectroscopy Skin Measurements

In this work principal component analysis (PCA), a multivariate pattern recognition technique, is used to characterize the noise contribution of the experimental apparatus and two commonly used methods for fluorescence removal used in biomedical Raman spectroscopy measurements. These two methods are a fifth degree polynomial fitting and an iterative variation of it commonly known as the Vancouver method. The results show that the noise in Raman spectroscopy measurements is related to the spectral resolution of the measurement equipment, the intrinsic variability of the biological measurements, and the fluorescence removal algorithm used.
Metagenome Sequencing of Prokaryotic Microbiota Collected from Byron Glacier, Alaska

ABSTRACT Cold environments, such as glaciers, are large reservoirs of microbial life. The present study employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon metagenomic sequencing to survey the prokaryotic microbiota on Alaskan glacial ice, revealing a rich and diverse microbial community of some 2,500 species of bacteria and archaea.
CollabRank: Towards a Collaborative Approach to Single-Document Keyphrase Extraction

Previous methods usually conduct the keyphrase extraction task for single documents separately without interactions for each document, under the assumption that the documents are considered independent of each other. This paper proposes a novel approach named CollabRank to collaborative single-document keyphrase extraction by making use of mutual influences of multiple documents within a cluster context. CollabRank is implemented by first employing the clustering algorithm to obtain appropriate document clusters, and then using the graph-based ranking algorithm for collaborative single-document keyphrase extraction within each cluster. Experimental results demonstrate the encouraging performance of the proposed approach. Different clustering algorithms have been investigated and we find that the system performance relies positively on the quality of document clusters.
Efficacy of Fumaric Acid Esters in the R6/2 and YAC128 Models of Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited progressive neurodegenerative disease. The exact sequel of events finally resulting in neurodegeneration is only partially understood and there is no established protective treatment so far. Some lines of evidence speak for the contribution of oxidative stress to neuronal tissue damage. The fumaric acid ester dimethylfumarate (DMF) is a new disease modifying therapy currently in phase III studies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. DMF potentially exerts neuroprotective effects via induction of the transcription factor “nuclear factor E2-related factor 2” (Nrf2) and detoxification pathways. Thus, we investigated here the therapeutic efficacy of DMF in R6/2 and YAC128 HD transgenic mice which mimic many aspects of HD and are characterized by an enhanced generation of free radicals in neurons. Treatment with DMF significantly prevented weight loss in R6/2 mice between postnatal days 80–90. At the same time, DMF treatment led to an attenuated motor impairment as measured by the clasping score. Average survival in the DMF group was 100.5 days vs. 94.0 days in the placebo group. In the histological analysis on day 80, DMF treatment resulted in a significant preservation of morphologically intact neurons in the striatum as well as in the motor cortex. DMF treatment resulted in an increased Nrf2 immunoreactivity in neuronal subpopulations, but not in astrocytes. These beneficial effects were corroborated in YAC128 mice which, after one year of DMF treatment, also displayed reduced dyskinesia as well as a preservation of neurons. In conclusion, DMF may exert beneficial effects in mouse models of HD. Given its excellent side effect profile, further studies with DMF as new therapeutic approach in HD and other neurodegenerative diseases are warranted.
Enhance task-technology fit model by task categorization characteristics for a proposed knowledge creation and sharing model via weblogs

Social computing systems such as blogs and wikis have been used quite extensively in the last two decades by technical savvy and young users to publish their journals both for job and leisure purposes. However, the latest new development was the use of weblog as the preferred platform for knowledge creation and sharing in many commercial organizations due to its popularity and ease-of-use. Most studies conducted by researchers had been focused on motivational factors [9,10,11] aspect of blogging. However, technological characteristics of weblogs and features provided by the platform had attracted many researchers lately to study the fit between tasks performed by users and technological features offered by social networking tools such as weblogs and wikis. This paper intends to explore an additional new dimension, “task categorization” characteristics of tasks carried out by employees of companies as they do their day-to-day activities, onto the Task-Technology Fit Model discussed in [4], to provide a more appropriate model that explains the use of weblogs for knowledge creation and sharing which will be further tested and evaluated by selected Malaysian ICT Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) companies. The proposed model will be explained in detail its rationales and objectives to justify the need to consider and enhance the model with a new dimension. The paper will conclude with a set of proposed further research activities at the end of the paper.
Elasticity-inspired deformers for character articulation

Current approaches to skeletally-controlled character articulation range from real-time, closed-form skinning methods to offline, physically-based simulation. In this paper, we seek a closed-form skinning method that approximates nonlinear elastic deformations well while remaining very fast. Our contribution is two-fold: (1) we optimize skinning weights for the standard linear and dual quaternion skinning techniques so that the resulting deformations minimize an elastic energy function. We observe that this is not sufficient to match the visual quality of the original elastic deformations and therefore, we develop (2) a new skinning method based on the concept of joint-based deformers. We propose a specific deformer which is visually similar to nonlinear variational deformation methods. Our final algorithm is fully automatic and requires little or no input from the user other than a rest-pose mesh and a skeleton. The runtime complexity requires minimal memory and computational overheads compared to linear blend skinning, while producing higher quality deformations than both linear and dual quaternion skinning.
USENIX Association Proceedings of the BSDCon 2002

This paper documents a program in Mac OS X called SystemStarter. SystemStarter brings the system from its initial state up to a state where basic services are running and a user may log in. It replaces the previous /etc/rc startup sequence employed by Mac OS X's predecessors in order to address some additional goals set forth by the Mac OS X project. SystemStarter is part of the BSD subsystem in Mac OS X, now known as Darwin, though it's creation predates Darwin as an open source project; it was therefore created by a single author, though it now enjoys several contributors.
Cable-Stayed Bridges: A Case Study for Vibration-Based Cable Tension Estimation

A cable-stayed bridge recently constructed by the Ohio Department of Transportation incorporates measures put forth by a Federal Highway Administration study to mitigate stay motion. In following recent trends, the stays at this bridge are built without the use of grout for the purposes of inspection and, if necessary, replacement. Several experiments were performed to determine the viability of using traditional vibration techniques, which assume an integral sheath, to estimate cable tension with this new configuration.
Extending access control models with break-glass

Access control models are usually static, i.e, permissions are granted based on a policy that only changes seldom. Especially for scenarios in health care and disaster management, a more flexible support of access control, i.e., the underlying policy, is needed. Break-glass is one approach for such a flexible support of policies which helps to prevent system stagnation that could harm lives or otherwise result in losses. Today, break-glass techniques are usually added on top of standard access control solutions in an ad-hoc manner and, therefore, lack an integration into the underlying access control paradigm and the systems' access control enforcement architecture. We present an approach for integrating, in a fine-grained manner, break-glass strategies into standard access control models and their accompanying enforcement architecture. This integration provides means for specifying break-glass policies precisely and supporting model-driven development techniques based on such policies.
NOMPC, a Member of the TRP Channel Family, Localizes to the Tubular Body and Distal Cilium of Drosophila Campaniform and Chordotonal Receptor Cells

Mechanoreception underlies the senses of touch, hearing and balance. An early event in mechanoreception is the opening of ion channels in response to mechanical force impinging on the cell. Here, we report antibody localization of NOMPC, a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family, to the tubular body of campaniform receptors in the halteres and to the distal regions of the cilia of chordotonal neurons in Johnston's organ, the sound‐sensing organ of flies. Because NOMPC has been shown to be associated with the mechanotransduction process, our studies suggest that the transduction apparatus in both types of sensory cells is located in regions where a specialized microtubule‐based cytoskeleton is in close proximity to an overlying cuticular structure. This localization suggests a transmission route of the mechanical stimulus to the cell. Furthermore, the commonality of NOMPC locations in the two structurally different receptor types suggests a conserved transduction apparatus involving both the intracellular cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using memory mapping to support cactus stacks in work-stealing runtime systems

Many multithreaded concurrency platforms that use a work-stealing runtime system incorporate a “cactus stack,” wherein a function's accesses to stack variables properly respect the function's calling ancestry, even when many of the functions operate in parallel. Unfortunately, such existing concurrency platforms fail to satisfy at least one of the following three desirable criteria: † full interoperability with legacy or third-party serial binaries that have been compiled to use an ordinary linear stack, † a scheduler that provides near-perfect linear speedup on applications with sufficient parallelism, and † bounded and efficient use of memory for the cactus stack. We have addressed this cactus-stack problem by modifying the Linux operating system kernel to provide support for thread-local memory mapping (TLMM). We have used TLMM to reimplement the cactus stack in the open-source Cilk-5 runtime system. The Cilk-M runtime system removes the linguistic distinction imposed by Cilk-5 between serial code and parallel code, erases Cilk-5's limitation that serial code cannot call parallel code, and provides full compatibility with existing serial calling conventions. The Cilk-M runtime system provides strong guarantees on scheduler performance and stack space. Benchmark results indicate that the performance of the prototype Cilk-M 1.0 is comparable to the Cilk 5.4. 6 system, and the consumption of stack space is modest.
U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle-protein interactions are revealed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by in vivo competition assays

Two highly conserved regions of the 586-nucleotide yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) can be mutated or deleted with little or no effect on growth rate: the universally conserved loop II (corresponding to the metazoan A loop) and the yeast core region (X. Liao, L. Kretzner, B. Séraphin, and M. Rosbash, Genes Dev. 4:1766-1774, 1990). To examine the contribution of these regions to U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) activity, a competitor U1 gene, encoding a nonfunctional U1 snRNA molecule, was introduced into a number of strains carrying a U1 snRNA gene with loop II or yeast core mutations. The presence of the nonfunctional U1 gene lowered the growth rate of these mutant strains but not wild-type strains, consistent with the notion that mutant U1 RNAs are less active than wild-type U1 snRNAs. A detailed analysis of the U1 snRNA levels and half-lives in a number of merodiploid strains suggests that these mutant U1 snRNAs interact with U1 snRNP proteins less well than do their wild-type counterparts. Competition for protein factors during snRNP assembly could account for a number of previous observations in both yeast and mammalian cells.