Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FastTrack: efficient and precise dynamic race detection

\begin{abstract} Multithreaded programs are notoriously prone to race conditions. Prior work on dynamic race detectors includes fast but imprecise race detectors that report false alarms, as well as slow but precise race detectors that never report false alarms. The latter typically use expensive vector clock operations that require time linear in the number of program threads. This paper exploits the insight that the full generality of vector clocks is unnecessary in most cases. That is, we can replace heavyweight vector clocks with an adaptive lightweight representation that, for almost all operations of the target program, requires only constant space and supports constant-time operations. This representation change significantly improves time and space performance, with no loss in precision. Experimental results on Java benchmarks including the Eclipse development environment show that our FastTrack race detector is an order of magnitude faster than a traditional vector-clock race detector, and roughly twice as fast as the high-performance DJIT+ algorithm. FastTrack is even comparable in speed to Eraser on our Java benchmarks, while never reporting false alarms.
Automatic Acquisition of Artifact Nouns in French

This article describes a method which allows acquiring artifact nouns in French automatically by extracting predicateargument structures. Two strategies are presented: the supervised strategy and the semi-supervised strategy. In the supervised method, the semantic classes of artifact nouns are recognized by identifying the predicate-argument structures with the syntactic patterns of the given predicates. In the semi-supervised method, the extraction of predicate-argument structures is carried out from a semantic class of artifact nouns given in advance. The predicate candidates obtained from extracted predicate-argument structures are then intersected. Next, the syntactic patterns of predicates are automatically learned by probabilistic calculation. With the acquired predicates and the learned syntactic patterns, more artifact nouns are identified.
Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein-1c Regulates Inflammasome Activation in Gingival Fibroblasts Infected with High-Glucose-Treated Porphyromonas gingivalis

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial species implicated in the progression of periodontal disease, which is recognized as a common complication of diabetes. The interleukin (IL)-1β, processed by the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, has been identified as a target for pathogenic infection of the inflammatory response. However, the effect of P. gingivalis in a high-glucose situation in the modulation of inflammasome activation in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) is not well-understood. Methods: P. gingivalis strain CCUG25226 was used to study the mechanisms underlying the regulation of HGF NLRP3 expression by the infection of high-glucose-treated P. gingivalis (HGPg). Results: HGF infection with HGPg increases the expression of IL-1β and NLRP3. We further demonstrated that the upregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c by activation of the Akt and p70S6K pathways is critical for HGPg-induced NLRP3 expression. We showed that the inhibition of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) blocks the Akt- and p70S6K-mediated SREBP-1c, NLRP3, and IL-1β expression. The effect of HGPg on HGF signaling and NLRP3 expression is mediated by β1 integrin. In addition, gingival tissues from diabetic patients with periodontal disease exhibited higher NLRP3 and SREBP-1c expression. Conclusions: Our findings identify the molecular pathways underlying HGPg-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome expression in HGFs, providing insight into the effect of P. gingivalis invasion in HGFs.
Average oxidation state of carbon in proteins

The degree of oxidation of carbon atoms in organic molecules depends on the covalent structure. In proteins, the average oxidation state of carbon (ZC) can be calculated as an elemental ratio from the chemical formula. To investigate oxidation-reduction (redox) patterns, groups of proteins from different subcellular locations and phylogenetic divisions were selected for comparison. Extracellular proteins of yeast have a relatively high oxidation state of carbon, corresponding with oxidizing conditions outside of the cell. However, an inverse relationship between ZC and redox potential occurs between the endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm; this trend is interpreted as resulting from overall coupling of protein turnover to the formation of a lower glutathione redox potential in the cytoplasm. In Rubisco homologues, lower ZC tends to occur in organisms with higher optimal growth temperature, and there are broad changes in ZC in whole-genome protein compositions in microbes from different environments. Energetic costs calculated from thermodynamic models suggest that thermophilic organisms exhibit molecular adaptation to not only high temperature but also the reducing nature of many hydrothermal fluids. A view of protein metabolism that depends on the chemical conditions of cells and environments raises new questions linking biochemical processes to changes on evolutionary timescales.
Industrial Benchmarking: A Critical Research and Practices in Automotive Manufacturing Unit

This paper is based on a survey conducted on top ma nagement’s awareness and understanding of benchmarking in Indian automotive manufacturing com panies. The main objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on top management’ s awareness and understanding of the benchmarking technique and its role towards busines survival and competitiveness. To achieve this objective, the authors developed a questionnai re comprising of fifthteen questions, checked for reliability and validity by experts and practit ioners. The survey results and findings revealed that almost 17% are in the very good category, abou t 55% of the respondents companies are still in the moderate category, nearly 22% are in the low category and 6% have very little understanding and knowledge as regards to benchmark ing. In summary, the survey analysis showed large majority of the Indian companies invol ves in the automotive manufacturing sector still experiencing lack of knowledge as regards to the benchmarking concept and its role towards enhancing their business process effectiveness and competitiveness. The paper culminates with discussions and conclusions, focusing on recommendi ng the steps that should be taken by the Indian government through its agencies such India P roductivity Corporation (IPC) and Small & Medium Industry Development Corporation (SMIDEC) i n encouraging more companies to use the benchmarking A Survey on Benchmarking Understan ding and Knowledge Among Indian Automotive Components Manufacturing SMEs 386 techni que in their pursuit to survive and be more competitive in the local, regional and global m rket.
Message-passing detector for uplink massive MIMO systems based on energy spread transform

This paper investigates low-complexity multi-user detectors for massive MIMO systems in practical channels. Beam domain message passing algorithm on the sparse-graph is proposed by exploiting the channel sparsity in beam domain, which has much lower computational complexity compared to the dense-graph based detections. As the massive MIMO channels are usually not i.i. d Gaussian distribution and central limit theorem (CLT) will no longer apply, conventional approximate message passing detector (AMP) may diverge. To improve the performance of AMP in practical channels, we further propose energy spread transform (EST) based massive MIMO transmission, which guarantee that the equivalent channels are i.i. d. distributed. Furthermore, by deriving the state evolution (SE) equations, the convergence analysis of the proposed detector is also provided. Simulation results show that, the proposed detector outperforms the conventional AMP and minimum mean square error (MMSE) detectors, and has fast convergence rate.
In silico genomics analysis of weed Lantana camara and its proposed application in synthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate

Poly (3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) are a class of microbially produced polyesters that have potential applications as conventional plastics, specifically thermoplastic elastomers The most common PHA is poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), and this polymer can accumulate up to 90% of the cellular dry weight of some bacteria. We report using Lantana camara, a weed for the production of PHB to provide a cheap and abundant source of this polymer. Maturase K gene (matK) of chloroplast is highly conserved in plant, which is involved in intron splicing. Based on a computational gene sequence analysis, we propose that the L. Camara, a common weed, can be an inexpensive and abundant source for biological production of PHB. Our simulations focus on the maturase K (matK) gene – length of 1331 base pairs (bp) – of the choloroplasts, which affects the intron splicing. Our computational approach considers a reconstructed chloroplast genome of L. Camara, the trnL–trnF intergenic spacer (IGS), and trnH–psbA IGS in the chloroplast genome. The Blastn result indicates that the Verbenaceae genus Lantana displays 86% sequence identity with that of Solanaceae genus Nicotiana. Phylogenetic tree was constructed to identify an ideal comparison of L. camara matK gene and other plant species used for the insertion of phbA, phbB, and phbC enzymes, which regulate PHB synthesis. The former can be a good candidate for bioplastic biosynthesis in plant of family Verbanaceae. Our computational results propose that the chloroplast transformation may be useful in biological production of PHB.
Relay-assisted UWB communications: links characterization and power allocation

Ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) technology is rising interest for several applications dealing with wireless communication and network localization. Inherent coverage limitations can be overcome via relaying. We propose an analytical framework for the performance evaluation of relay-assisted UWB communications that account for (a) new single link characterization in IEEE 802.15. 4a channels, (b) network topology, and (c) various power allocation techniques. Starting from a new class of tight bounds characterizing the performance in each link, the framework enables to quantify the benefits of relaying for ideal power control, uniform power distribution and optimal power allocation minimizing the bit error probability (BEP).
Engineering Hydrogen Gas Production from Formate in a Hyperthermophile by Heterologous Production of an 18-Subunit Membrane-bound Complex*

Background: Biohydrogen production from formate may aid in efficient chemical and fuel production using H2 as the energy carrier. Results: The hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus was engineered to convert formate to H2. Conclusion: An 18-gene cluster can be inserted into the P. furiosus chromosome for active production of a membrane-bound system. Significance: This work demonstrates the versatility of this model organism for metabolic engineering purposes. Biohydrogen gas has enormous potential as a source of reductant for the microbial production of biofuels, but its low solubility and poor gas mass transfer rates are limiting factors. These limitations could be circumvented by engineering biofuel production in microorganisms that are also capable of generating H2 from highly soluble chemicals such as formate, which can function as an electron donor. Herein, the model hyperthermophile, Pyrococcus furiosus, which grows optimally near 100 °C by fermenting sugars to produce H2, has been engineered to also efficiently convert formate to H2. Using a bacterial artificial chromosome vector, the 16.9-kb 18-gene cluster encoding the membrane-bound, respiratory formate hydrogen lyase complex of Thermococcus onnurineus was inserted into the P. furiosus chromosome and expressed as a functional unit. This enabled P. furiosus to utilize formate as well as sugars as an H2 source and to do so at both 80° and 95 °C, near the optimum growth temperature of the donor (T. onnurineus) and engineered host (P. furiosus), respectively. This accomplishment also demonstrates the versatility of P. furiosus for metabolic engineering applications.
Extrusion foaming of bioplastics for lightweight structure in food packaging

This thesis reports the systematic approaches to overcome the key drawbacks of the pure PHBV, namely low crystallisation rate, tensile strength, ductility, melt viscosity, thermal stability and high materials cost. The physical, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the pure PHBV were studied systematically first to lay a solid foundation for formulation development. The influence of blending with other biopolymers, inclusion of filler, and chain extender additives in terms of mechanical properties, rheology, thermal decomposition and crystallization kinetics were then followed. Creating lightweight structures by foaming is considered to be one of the effective ways to reduce material consumption, hence the reduction of density and morphology of PHBV-based foams using extrusion foaming technique were studied comprehensively in terms of extrusion conditions (temperature profiles, screw speed and material feeding rate) and the blowing agent content. The material cost reduction was achieved by adding low-cost filler (e.g. CaCO3) and reduction of density by foaming. The thermal instability was enhanced by incorporation of chain extender (e.g. Joncryl) and blending with a high thermal stability biopolymer (e.g. PBAT). The polymer blend also improved the ductility. Adding nucleation agent enhanced the crystallization rate to reduce stickiness of extruded sheet. The final formulation (PHBV/PBAT/CaCO3 composite) was successfully extruded into high quality sheet and thermoformed to produce prototype trays in an industrial scale trial. The effect of the extrusion conditions (temperature profiles, screw speed and material feeding rate) and the blowing agent content are correlated to the density reduction of the foams. 61 and 47 % density reduction were achieved for the commercial PHBV and the PHBV/PBAT/CaCO3 composite respectively and there exists further scope for more expansion if multiple variable optimisation of the conditions are carried out.
Grammatical Relations in the Listening Brain

Using an audio-book as a stimulus, and timelocked hemodynamic response modelling of individual events, we show that grammatical subjects and grammatical objects can be differentiated based on fMRI images acquired immediately after hearing a word. A searchlight analysis suggests that grammatical relation information is encoded in the superior and middle temporal gyrus. This finding confirms earlier suggestions that these regions perform combinatorial grammatical processing during naturalistic language comprehension.
Monocyte- and Endothelial-Derived Microparticles Induce an Inflammatory Phenotype in Human Podocytes

Background/Aims: Proteinuria is associated with cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease. Microparticles (MPs) are bioactive vesicles shed from activated cells and also linked to cardiovascular disease. MP-like structures have been identified in the glomerular basement membrane, urinary space and between the glomerular basement membrane and the podocyte. We hypothesised that circulating MPs may provide a link between vascular injury and kidney diseases by inducing podocyte phenotypic alterations, thus propagating glomerular dysfunction and proteinuria. Methods:Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and U937 monocytes were stimulated with TNF-α to produce MPs. These MPs were confirmed by electron microscopy, and added to differentiated podocyte monolayers to determine effects on podocyte albumin endocytosis and the production of soluble mediators. Results:Monocyte and endothelial MPs upregulated podocyte production of pro-inflammatory mediators monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p < 0.001) and interleukin-6 (p < 0.001). Only monocyte MPs upregulated podocyte secretion of VEGF (p < 0.001), known to regulate glomerular permeability. Endothelial MPs decreased podocyte albumin endocytosis by 13% compared to control cells (p < 0.01). Conclusion:MPs alter endocytic functions of podocytes and induce secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially leading to glomerular inflammation in vivo and the development of proteinuria. This study identifies a potential pathophysiological role for circulating MPs in the kidney through effects on the podocyte.
WireFab: Mix-Dimensional Modeling and Fabrication for 3D Mesh Models

Many rapid fabrication technologies are directed towards layer wise printing or laser based prototyping. We propose WireFab, a rapid modeling and prototyping system that uses bent metal wires as the structure framework. WireFab approximates both the skeletal articulation and the skin appearance of the corresponding virtual skin meshes, and it allows users to personalize the designs by (1) specifying joint positions and part segmentations, (2) defining joint types and motion ranges to build a wire-based skeletal model, and (3) abstracting the segmented meshes into mixed-dimensional appearance patterns or attachments. The WireFab is designed to allow the user to choose how to best preserve the fidelity of the topological structure and articulation motion while selectively maintaining the fidelity of the geometric appearance. Compared to 3D-printing based high-fidelity fabrication systems, WireFab increases prototyping speed by ignoring unnecessary geometric details while preserving structural integrity and articulation motion. In addition, other rapid or low-fidelity fabrication systems produce only static models, while WireFab produces posable articulated models and has the potential to enable personalized functional products larger than the machines that produce them.
The multiple stress-responsive transcription factor SlNAC1 improves the chilling tolerance of tomato.

NAC (NAM-ATAF1, 2-CUC2) family members play important roles in various environmental responses. Here, we cloned a full-length NAC gene (954 bp) from Solanum lycopersicum (SlNAC1). This gene belonged to ATAF subfamily which included ATAF1 and ATAF2 of Arabidopsis thaliana. SlNAC1 expression was induced by chilling stress (4°C), heat stress (40°C), high salinity, osmotic stress and mechanical wounding. SlNAC1 transcripts were enhanced after application of abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, gibberellin, ethylene, methyl viologen and hydrogen peroxide. The seedlings of transgenic plants overexpressing SlNAC1 grew more leaves but were shorter than wild-type (WT) plants. SlNAC1 overexpression increased the chilling tolerance of tomato plants by maintaining the higher maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and oxygen-evolving activities. Compared with WT plants, transgenic plants showed higher superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) activities, which reduced levels of H2 O2 and superoxide anion radicals and promoted lower ion leakage and malondialdehyde content. The expression level of SlCBF1 in transgenic plants was also higher than that in WT plants under both normal conditions and chilling stress; this increased expression may be the main factor influencing the high chilling tolerance of transgenic plants. The results suggest that SlNAC1 plays important roles in diversiform plant-stress responses and diverse signaling pathways.
Human brain lesion-deficit inference remapped

Much of our knowledge of functional brain anatomy is based on lesion-deficit studies. Mah et al. show that the established methodology for conducting these — voxel-wise mass univariate inference — mislocalises function owing to complex correlations in natural patterns of damage across the brain; a problem soluble only by high-dimensional multivariate inference.
The Design for WR-06 Corrugated Conical Horn Antenna and its Application in Emissivity Measurement of Microwave Radiator

This paper presents the design for a corrugated conical-horn antenna working in WR06 frequency band and its application in emissivity measurement of microwave radiator. For a calibration target of microwave radiometer, we consider design the corrugated conical-horn antenna to satisfy its measurement requirements of the emissivity of calibration target. The antenna is designed with small flare angle and low VSWR in a frequency range of 150±10GHz. The measurement results for electrical properties of antenna and emissivity of microwave radiator are presented in this paper. The results show that the performance of antenna is fit to the emissivity measurement of radiator of radiometer calibration target.
Man-Made Structure Segmentation using Gaussian Processes and Wavelet Features

We apply Gaussian process classification (GPC) to man-made structure segmentation, treated as a two class problem. GPC is a discriminative approach, and thus focuses on modelling the posterior directly. It relaxes the strong assumption of conditional independence of the observed data (generally used in a generative model). In addition, wavelet transform features, which are effective in describing directional textures, are incorporated in the feature vector. Satisfactory results have been obtained which show the effectiveness of our approach.
Central Role of Endogenous Gamma Interferon in Protective Immunity against Blood-Stage Plasmodium chabaudi AS Infection

ABSTRACT The role of endogenous gamma interferon (IFN-γ) in protective immunity against blood-stage Plasmodium chabaudi AS malaria was studied using IFN-γ gene knockout (GKO) and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice. Following infection with 106 parasitized erythrocytes, GKO mice developed significantly higher parasitemia during acute infection than WT mice and had severe mortality. In infected GKO mice, production of interleukin 12 (IL-12) p70 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in vivo and IL-12 p70 in vitro by splenic macrophages was significantly reduced compared to that in WT mice and the enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production observed in infected WT mice was completely absent. WT and GKO mice had comparable numbers of total nucleated spleen cells and B220+ and Mac-1+spleen cells both before and after infection. Infected WT mice, however, had significantly more F4/80+, NK1.1+, and F4/80+Ia+ spleen cells than infected GKO mice; male WT had more CD3+ cells than male GKO mice. In comparison with those from WT mice, splenocytes from infected GKO mice had significantly higher proliferation in vitro in response to parasite antigen or concanavalin A stimulation and produced significantly higher levels of IL-10 in response to parasite antigen. Infected WT mice produced more parasite-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG2a, and IgG3 and less IgG1 than GKO mice. Significant gender differences in both GKO and WT mice in peak parasitemia levels, mortality, phenotypes of spleen cells, and proliferation of and cytokine production by splenocytes in vitro were apparent during infection. These results thus provide unequivocal evidence for the central role of endogenous IFN-γ in the development of protective immunity against blood-stage P. chabaudi AS.