Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redsharc: A Programming Model and On-Chip Network for Multi-Core Systems on a Programmable Chip

The reconfigurable data-stream hardware software architecture (Redsharc) is a programming model and network-on-a-chip solution designed to scale tomeet the performance needs ofmulti-core Systems on a programmable chip (MCSoPC). Redsharc uses an abstract API that allows programmers to develop systems of simultaneously executing kernels, in software and/or hardware, that communicate over a seamless interface. Redsharc incorporates two on-chip networks that directly implement the API to support high-performance systems with numerous hardware kernels. This paper documents the API, describes the common infrastructure, and quantifies the performance of a complete implementation. Furthermore, the overhead, in terms of resource utilization, is reported along with the ability to integrate hard and soft processor cores with purely hardware kernels being demonstrated.
Advancing work practices: Rethinking online professional development in the context of intervention-based sustainable change

Purpose The paper aims to discuss the effectiveness of e-Learning in advancing work practices. The paper investigates the assumption that e-Learning is as effective as face-to-face interventions when stimulating change. It also examines the assumption that well-designed and well-executed instructional interventions will advance work practices. Design/methodology/approach The paper synthesizes contemporary social-psychological and educational research in the creation of a model of intervention-based change. In addition, the findings from an empirical study of online teacher professional development simultaneously inspire and exemplify the model. Findings The paper suggests that increased attention to individual motivational drivers is needed, especially post intervention, to help ensure meaningful learning transfer and sustainable behavior change. The importance of individualized on-the-job scaffolding for employees is highlighted through relational considerations of attrition and scaffolding. In investigating the chasm between initial and sustained change, seemingly unpredictable contextual factors appear to be critical to the effectiveness of e-Learning in advancing work practices. Practical implications In recognition of the vulnerability and situatedness of turning instructional interventions into sustainable change, the paper initiates a rethinking of e-Learning as technologies for on-the-job, just-in-time and individualized performance support. The paper gives concrete examples of current technologies that may assist in online scaffolding, while also acknowledging that this is still a field in which further research and developments are needed. Originality/value The paper critically investigates some of the more resilient assumptions that serve as a fundament for professional development interventions currently. It conceptualizes intervention-based change and the key motivational drivers of such change. In doing so, it illuminates highly contextual dynamics presumed to have a critical impact on the effectiveness of e-Learning for PD.
Emotional and behavioural problems in offenders with intellectual disability: comparative data from three forensic services.

BACKGROUND Despite an increasing knowledge base concerning the assessment of emotional and behavioural problems in people with intellectual disabilities (ID), relatively little research has examined such problems in offenders with ID. METHODS The study assessed 172 male offenders with ID in three service settings (high, medium-low security and community) using the Behaviour Rating Scale of the Emotional Problem Scales (EPS), with the aim of assessing differences in Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviour Problems. RESULTS Normative information is presented on the Behaviour Rating Scale of the EPS across three levels of forensic ID care. It was found that offenders in higher secure care scored higher on sub-scales reflecting physical aggression than those in lower secure care. However, there was no difference in terms of other Externalizing Behaviour Problems, such as verbal aggression, non-compliance or hyperactivity. In addition, those offenders in higher secure care scored significantly higher on all Internalizing Behaviour Problems sub-scales, including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed, including the utility of the EPS as a measure of clinical need and treatment outcome.
Writing-to-Learn Assignments for Secondary-School Earth-Science Classes

Experience with ninth-grade earth-science students shows that various kinds of writing assignments can help them learn the subject and can increase their interest in it. I have used both formal writing assignments (such as laboratory reports and library-research papers) and informal assignments (such as a “learning log” or journal, and “role writing”). My experience suggests that providing frequent review and encouragement with lots of opportunities for revision, and providing writing assignments that require something other than simple, straightforward expository papers are crucial to student performance. The writing assignments can also be designed to improve student use of textbooks.
Solving Time-Dependent Planning Problems

We are interested in constructing solutions to time-dependent planning problems: problems in which time spent planning affects the utility of the system''s performance. In a previous paper, we define a fraomework for constructing solutions to time-dependent planning problems called expectation-driven iterative refinement. In this paper, we analyze and solve a moderately complex time-dependent planning problem involving path planning for a mobile robot, as a way of exploring a methodology for applying expectation-driven iterative refinement.
Skin deposition and permeation of finasteride in vitro: effects of propylene glycol, ethanol and sodium lauryl sulfate

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of propylene glycol (PG), ethanol (EtOH) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on the in vitro deposition and permeation of finasteride (FNS). A side-by-side diffusion cell mounted with a pig ear skin and a saturated solution of FNS in PG (10, 20% v/v), EtOH (10, 20% v/v) or SLS (0.5, 1% w/v) vehicles were used. Incorporation of PG, EtOH or SLS caused a significant increase in FNS solubility both in the solution and on the skin with SLS > EtOH > PG. The results obtained from skin deposition studies showed that the FNS deposition rate and time increased in the same order as that of the solubility. The deposition kinetics of FNS solubilized in PG, EtOH and SLS vehicles followed either zero-order, square-root-of-time or pseudo-first-order kinetic models depending on the type and concentration of the enhancer. The permeation studies demonstrated that FNS permeation fluxes were enhanced only by EtOH vehicles. These results suggest that PG and SLS could be used as deposition enhancers, while EtOH could be the effective permeation enhancer of FNS. The obtained results can be used as the considerable insights for formulating the topical and transdermal products of FNS.
Mining for Studying Management ’ s Confidence in IPO Prospectuses and IPO Valuations Full Paper

Understanding pricing strategies in the context of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process has been receiving much attention. Most prior studies have however focused on information sources from post issuance periods, and understanding such strategies from the management’s perspective during the IPO process is still an open research issue. Form 424 variants, as finalized IPO prospectus approved by Security Exchange Committee (SEC), contain rich and genuine information about the issuing firms. In this study, we analyze the inter-relationships between the management’s confidence (through the proxy of sentiments expressed in textual contents in the Management’s Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) sections in the prospectus) and the pre-/post-IPO valuations. We develop an analytical framework namely FOCAS-IE (Feature-Oriented, Context-Aware, Systematic Information Extraction) to derive sentiments from the MD&A sections. Further, we construct predictive models using information extracted using FOCAS-IE to predict IPO pricings. The results have shown to outperform results from prior related studies.
Presenting features, natural history, and prognostic factors in localized non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas: analysis of 117 cases from a single institution

Abstract: Clinical features and prognostic factors were analyzed in a series of 117 patients with localized non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage I‐II). Median age of the patients was 53 years and 52% were men; 22% had a lymphoma of low‐grade histology and one‐third presented with extranodal involvement. Eighty percent of the patients achieved a complete response (CR); stage of disease and histology were revealed as the most important factors for response. When analysis was restricted to intermediate/high‐grade cases, stage showed a predictive value for response. With a median follow‐up of 4.5 years, median overall survival was 12.0 years, with 73% and 62.5% of patients being alive at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Main initial parameters significantly related to a shorter survival were intermediate/high‐grade histology, stage II, poor performance status, bulky disease, high serum LDH levels, increased ESR, and advanced International Index. In the multivariate analysis, stage, histology and performance status (PS) were statistically significant. Among intermediate/high‐grade lymphoma patients, stage and PS provided prognostic value for survival. Twenty‐six patients relapsed after CR; median survival after relapse was 2.7 years. Stage (I vs II) was the only predictive variable for relapse in both the whole series and the intermediate/high‐grade subset.
A Framework for Mining Association Rules in Data on Perinatal Care

We propose a data processing framework for mining associations between medical diagnoses in obstetrical and perinatal care. Starting from the ICD-10 codes reported in the DRG system, we focused on identifying and implementing procedures for data aggregation and filtering to be applied as preprocessing tools in mining medical data. The proposed framework was validated for real data provided by two hospitals of obstetrics-gynaecology.
Creating New Genes by Plasmid Recombination in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Gene shuffling is a way of creating proteins with interesting new characteristics, starting from diverged sequences. We tested an alternative to gene shuffling based on plasmid recombination and found that Bacillus subtilis efficiently recombines sequences with 4% divergence, and Escherichia coli mutS is more appropriate for sequences with 22% divergence.
Multi-Architectural Support : A Generic and Generative Approach. (Support multi-architectural : une approche générique et générative)

The constant increasing need for computing power has pushed the development of parallel architectures. Scientific computing relies on the performance of such architectures to produce scientific results. Programming efficient applications that takes advantage of these computing systems remains a non trivial task. In this thesis, we present a new methodology to design architecture aware software: the AA-DEMRAL methodology. This methodology aims at simplifying the development of parallel programming tools with multi-Architectural support through a generic and generative approach. We then present three high level programming tools that rely on this approach. First, we introduce the Boost.Dispatch library that provides a way to develop software based on the AA-DEMRAL methodology. The Boost.Dispatch library is a C++ generic framework for architecture aware function dispatching. Then, we present two C++ template libraries implemented as Architecture Aware DSELs which assess the AA-DEMRAL methodology through the use of Boost.Dispatch: Boost.SIMD, that provides a high level API for SIMD extensions and NT2 , which propose a Matlab like interface with support for multi-Core and SIMD based systems. We assess the performance of these libraries and the validity of our new methodology through benchmarks.
Introducing robustness in controllability of neuronal networks

This paper addresses robust multiobjective identification of driver nodes in the neuronal network of a cat's brain, in which uncertainties in determination of driver nodes and control gains are considered. A framework by including interval uncertainties is proposed for robust controllability. It is revealed that the existence of uncertainties in choosing driver nodes and designing control gains heavily affect the controllability of neuronal networks.
Neogenin Interacts with Matriptase-2 to Facilitate Hemojuvelin Cleavage*

Background: Matriptase-2 regulates iron homeostasis by binding to and cleaving hemojuvelin. Neogenin interacts with hemojuvelin. Results: Matriptase-2 forms a complex with both neogenin and hemojuvelin. Disruption of the hemojuvelin-neogenin interaction abolishes the cleavage of hemojuvelin by matriptase-2. Conclusion: Neogenin is required for matriptase-2 cleavage of hemojuvelin. Significance: Neogenin is involved in iron homeostasis by interacting with both matriptase-2 and hemojuvelin. Hemojuvelin (HJV) and matriptase-2 (MT2) are co-expressed in hepatocytes, and both are essential for systemic iron homeostasis. HJV is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked membrane protein that acts as a co-receptor for bone morphogenetic proteins to induce hepcidin expression. MT2 regulates the levels of membrane-bound HJV in hepatocytes by binding to and cleaving HJV into an inactive soluble form that is released from cells. HJV also interacts with neogenin, a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein with multiple functions. In this study, we showed that neogenin interacted with MT2 as well as with HJV and facilitated the cleavage of HJV by MT2. In contrast, neogenin was not cleaved by MT2, indicating some degree of specificity by MT2. Down-regulation of neogenin with siRNA increased the amount of MT2 and HJV on the plasma membrane, suggesting a lack of neogenin involvement in their trafficking to the cell surface. The increase in MT2 and HJV upon neogenin knockdown was likely due to the inhibition of cell surface MT2 and HJV internalization. Analysis of the Asn-linked oligosaccharides showed that MT2 cleavage of cell surface HJV was coupled to a transition from high mannose oligosaccharides to complex oligosaccharides on HJV. These results suggest that neogenin forms a ternary complex with both MT2 and HJV at the plasma membrane. The complex facilitates HJV cleavage by MT2, and release of the cleaved HJV from the cell occurs after a retrograde trafficking through the TGN/Golgi compartments.
Effects of Test Anxiety and Sex of Subject on Neuropsychological Test Peformance: Finger Tapping, Trail Making, Digit Span and Digit Symbol Tests

To determine the effects of anxiety and sex on various neuropsychological tests, 28 male and 28 female non-impaired, high and low test-anxious subjects were given the Finger Tapping, Trail Making (Forms A and B), Digit Span, and Digit Symbol tests. Sex significantly affected only the Finger Tapping Test; females made significantly fewer taps. High test-anxious subjects reported an increase in posttest state anxiety. However, test anxiety did not significantly affect performance.
Member engagement within digitally enabled social network communities: new methodological considerations

Digitally enabled social networks (DESN) are a complex assemblage of engagement, reflection, action, technology, organization and community. DESN create a unique challenge for researchers who aim to understand what social networks are, what they can become and what enablers and constraints underlie trajectories of member engagement. As DESN continually evolve, knowing them as stable and reified representations or as mere technology artefacts provides a limited understanding of their complexity and emergent properties. While DESN are, in part, the technology that supports the necessary actions for engagement, they are also the people and behaviours that constitute its community. Through the presentation of new methodological considerations towards Digg, a large DESN, we observe that social networks entail practices of engagement, change and evolution within a DESN community. We reveal how engagement is a communal endeavour and that the clash of socio‐technical trajectories can result in the emergence of new paths of member participation. Our findings demonstrate the potential of netnography and impressionist tales for contributing to the ongoing pluralistic investigations of DESN and also inform research on engagement and community design and change.
Neural Control of Movement Neuromuscular rehabilitation by treadmill running or electrical stimulation after peripheral nerve injury and repair

Tanguy Marqueste, Jean-Roch Alliez, Olivier Alluin, Yves Jammes, and Patrick Decherchi Laboratoire des Déterminants Physiologiques de l’Activité Physique, Institut Fédératif de Recherches Etienne-Jules MAREY, Faculté des Sciences du Sport de Marseille-Luminy, Université de la Méditerranée, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09; and Laboratoire de Physiopathologie Respiratoire Cellulaire et Intégrée, Institut Fédératif de Recherches Jean ROCHE, Faculté de Médecine Nord, Université de la Méditerranée, 13916 Marseille Cedex 20, France
Land subsidence monitoring in city area by time series interferometric SAR data

In this paper, the time series multi-image stack processing technique is implemented based on the ERS-1, ERS-2 SAR data set of cities of Las Vegas in America. A single master approach is used in the stack data processing based on the permanent scatterers processing technique invented by Ferretti et al. (1,2). After the differential phase model establishment and stable points selection, linear subsidence velocity and digital elevation model errors are estimated, non-linear subsidence velocity and atmospheric artifacts related to each SAR acquisition are separated, so a land subsidence history covering all the SAR data acquisitions in each city can be achieved. In our research, more test data in cities of China will be implemented in the next step.
Aldosterone induces a rapid increase in the rate of Na,K-ATPase gene transcription in cultured kidney cells.

Aldosterone (300 nM) induces a 4-fold increase over a 6-hr stimulation in A6 kidney cells from Xenopus laevis in the abundance of mRNA beta 1 and a 2-fold in that of mRNA alpha 1 coding for each Na,K-ATPase subunit, which is in agreement with a previous report. After a 3-hr stimulation already, aldosterone elicited a significant increase of mRNA beta 1 (2.51-fold +/- 0.47, n = 3, P less than 0.05) and a nonsignificant increase of mRNA alpha 1 (1.26-fold +/- 0.30, n = 3, NS). Increasing doses of cycloheximide up to 3 micrograms ml-1 led to 90% inhibition of protein synthesis, but failed to block the differential effect of aldosterone on mRNA abundance over a 6-h incubation period. The rate of transcription was measured by a nuclear run-on assay. The basal rate of mRNA alpha 1 transcription exceeded that of mRNA beta 1 by 2.8-fold. Aldosterone (300 nM) stimulated the transcription of the two subunit genes. Fifteen minutes after aldosterone addition there was a significant and parallel increase in the rate of transcription of the alpha 1 subunit (1.98-fold +/- 0.20, n = 3, P less than 0.02) and that of the beta 1 subunit (2.13 +/- 0.32, n = 3, P less than 0.04). After a 45-min stimulation period the transcription rate of the alpha 1 subunit remained at the level observed at 15 min (1.84-fold +/- 0.14, n = 4, P less than 0.01), while the transcription rate of the beta 1 subunit increased further (2.89-fold +/- 0.38, n = 4, P less than 0.01). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
American Options with Stopping Time Constraints to Executive Stock Options

This paper concerns the pricing of American options with stochastic stopping time constraints expressed in terms of the states of a Markov process. Following the ideas of Menaldi, Robin, and Sun (1996) we transform the constrained into an unconstrained optimal stopping problem. The transformation replaces the original payoff by the value of a generalized barrier option. We suggest a new Monte Carlo method to numerically calculate the option value also for multidimensional Markov processes. Because of presence of stopping time constraints the classical Longstaff-Schwartz least-square Monte Carlo algorithm or its extension introduced in Egloff (2005) cannot be directly applied. We adapt the Longstaff-Schwartz algorithm to solve the stochastic Cauchy-Dirichlet problem related to the valuation problem of the barrier option along a set of simulated trajectories of the underlying Markov process. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 60G40, 62L15, 62P05; Secondary 60J25, 91B28, 65C05.
Proposal of a Hysteresis-Free Zero Subthreshold Swing Field-Effect Transistor

An ideal switch with hysteresis-free Sideal = 0 mV/decade switching is desired to keep Moore's law alive, but has never been achieved. Classical field-effect transistors (FETs) have supported Moore's law for 50 years, albeit with a thermodynamically limited value of subthreshold swing S ≥ 60 mV/decade. Alternatives, such as, tunnel FETs, impact ionization FETs, and negative capacitance FETs promise S <; 60 mV/decade, but ideal switching is not expected, even in theory. In this paper, we propose a zero subthreshold swing FET (ZSubFET), which is similar to a classical FET with a suspended-gate and a ferroelectric gate insulator. ZSubFET exhibits ideal switching through integration of two negative capacitors (namely, a ferroelectric and an air-gap) in the gate-stack, in series with the channel capacitance. We believe that the proposed device concept should not only lower the power dissipation in an IC, but also open up new research directions for the alternative of classical-FET.
Contextual Word Sense Tuning and Disambiguation

The discrimination of word senses, word sense disambiguation (WSD), is a major problem in natural language processing (NLP) applications, e.g., text classification and understanding. The problem of determining the correct sense of lexical items in raw texts is relevant to the activities of categorization, machine translation, information retrieval, and any language engineering task. Problems are related to the pervasive ambiguity of words and their use in texts. Moreover, the specificity of senses in the knowledge domains, where words are used, tends to augment the complexity of the disambiguation task, affecting the completeness of most on-line sources, like dictionaries and general purpose lexical resources. In this article an integrated method based on a well-known lexical knowledge base (i.e., WordNet) and on corpus statistics is used to tune the sense classification to a specific sublanguage and to drive contextual disambiguation of word senses. The method results in a system (General Purpose Ontolog.