Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assertion-based power/performance analysis of network processor architectures

Network processors (NPUs) have emerged as successful platforms to provide both high performance and flexibility in building powerful routers. With the scaling of technology and higher requirements on performance and functionality, power dissipation is becoming one of the major design considerations in NPU development. In this paper, we present an assertion-based methodology for system-level power/performance analysis of network processor designs, which can help designers choose the right architecture features and low power techniques. We write power and performance assertions, based on logic of constraints. Trace checkers and simulation monitors are automatically generated to analyze the power and performance characteristics of the network processor model. Furthermore, we apply a low power technique, dynamic voltage scaling (DVS), to the network processor model, and explore their pros and cons with the assertion-based analysis technique. We demonstrate that the assertion-based methodology is useful and effective for system level power/performance analysis.
Discriminative Ability of LDL-Cholesterol to Identify Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in 26 406 Individuals Tested for Genetic FH

Background— Screening for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) within affected families is often based on cutoff values for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). However, the diagnostic accuracy of LDL-C levels is influenced by the magnitude of the LDL-C overlap between FH patients and unaffected relatives. The purpose of the current study was to assess to what extent this overlap is influenced by the severity of specific FH mutations. Methods and Results— Individuals were eligible if they underwent family screening for FH between 2003 and 2010. The entire cohort was then compared with those who were investigated for the presence of the most severe mutations (class 1). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve and the sensitivity of the 90th percentile of LDL-C were calculated for both cohorts. We included 26 406 individuals, of whom 9169 (35%) carried an FH-causing mutation. In the entire cohort at baseline, mean LDL-C was 4.63±1.44 mmol/L for FH carriers (n=5372) and 2.96±0.96 mmol/L for unaffected relatives (n=15 148); P<0.001. The corresponding operating characteristics curve (95% CI) was 86.6% (85.9%–87.2%), and the cutoff level of LDL-C above the 90th percentile showed a sensitivity of 68.5%. The operating characteristics curve and sensitivity significantly improved when the 5933 individuals tested for class 1 mutations were assessed separately; 96.2% (95.3%–97.1%) and 91.3%, respectively. Conclusions— In summary, the overlap in terms of LDL-C levels between those with molecularly proven FH and unaffected relatives is to a large extent because of the high prevalence of modestly severe LDL-receptor mutations in the Netherlands.
An atomic interaction-based adhesive contact model for shallow nanoindentation and nanoscratch

The size effects and physical mechanisms governing small-scale mechanical behavior have important influences on the atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement. Typically, high surface to volume ratio associated with the small-scale system leads to an appreciable surface force; such that the adhesion of AFM indenter to specimen should be taken into consideration for the nanoindentation and nanoscratch testing. In this work, a finite element method (FEM) model was developed to simulate the adhesive contact between spherical indenter and half-space, in which the adhesive stress is obtained based on the Lennard–Jones potential. Shallow indentation and scratching under different contact conditions were investigated with the proposed FEM model. For adhesion-included cases, the load drop events were found during the indent process, which is demonstrated as a manifestation of local plastic yielding caused by the adhesive stress in contact edge. Adhesion-included scratch load was found sharply increased in the beginning, and rapidly decreased once the scratch displacement reaches to a critical value. Such a predicted stick-slip behavior was interpreted as the rupture of adhesive bond with increasing of scratching distance.
In Vivo Assessment of Phage and Linezolid Based Implant Coatings for Treatment of Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) Mediated Orthopaedic Device Related Infections

Staphylococcus comprises up to two-thirds of all pathogens in orthopaedic implant infections with two species respectively Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, being the predominate etiological agents isolated. Further, with the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), treatment of S. aureus implant infections has become more difficult, thus representing a devastating complication. Use of local delivery system consisting of S.aureus specific phage along with linezolid (incorporated in biopolymer) allowing gradual release of the two agents at the implant site represents a new, still unexplored treatment option (against orthopaedic implant infections) that has been studied in an animal model of prosthetic joint infection. Naked wire, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) coated wire and phage and /or linezolid coated K-wire were surgically implanted into the intra-medullary canal of mouse femur bone of respective groups followed by inoculation of S.aureus ATCC 43300(MRSA). Mice implanted with K-wire coated with both the agents i.e phage as well as linezolid (dual coated wires) showed maximum reduction in bacterial adherence, associated inflammation of the joint as well as faster resumption of locomotion and motor function of the limb. Also, all the coating treatments showed no emergence of resistant mutants. Use of dual coated implants incorporating lytic phage (capable of self-multiplication) as well as linezolid presents an attractive and aggressive early approach in preventing as well as treating implant associated infections caused by methicillin resistant S. aureus strains as assessed in a murine model of experimental joint infection.
Naive Bayes and Exemplar-based Approaches to Word Sense Disambiguation Revisited

This paper describes an experimental comparison between two standard supervised learning methods, namely Naive Bayes and Exemplar-based classification, on the Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) problem. The aim of the work is twofold. Firstly, it attempts to contribute to clarify some confusing information about the comparison between both methods appearing in the related literature. In doing so, several directions have been explored, including: testing several modifications of the basic learning algorithms and varying the feature space. Secondly, an improvement of both algorithms is proposed, in order to deal with large attribute sets. This modification, which basically consists in using only the positive information appearing in the examples, allows to improve greatly the efficiency of the methods, with no loss in accuracy. The experiments have been performed on the largest sense-tagged corpus available containing the most frequent and ambiguous English words. Results show that the Exemplar-based approach to WSD is generally superior to the Bayesian approach, especially when a specific metric for dealing with symbolic attributes is used.
Balanced max 2-sat might not be the hardest

We show that, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture, it is NP-hard to approximate MAX2SAT within αLLZ-+ε, where 0.9401 < αLLZ- < 0.9402 is the believed approximation ratio of the algorithm of Lewin, Livnat and Zwick [28]. This result is surprising considering the fact that balanced instances of MAX2SAT, i.e., instances where each variable occurs positively and negatively equally often, can be approximated within 0.9439. In particular, instances in which roughly 68% of the literals are unnegated variables and 32% are negated appear less amenable to approximation than instances where the ratio is 50% - 50%.
New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of axial spondyloarthritis

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is an umbrella term for a group of diseases sharing genetic, molecular, immunological, clinical and imaging features. The last few years have witnessed a remarkable progress in the understanding of SpA. Notable advances include the recognition of MRI as a sensitive and specific tool for detecting axial inflammation and the recent development and validation of the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society classification criteria for predominantly axial and predominantly peripheral SpA. This approach has the advantage of better describing the disease, allowing earlier identification and treatment of the non-radiographic forms and potentially leading to improved outcomes. TNF α-blockers, which dramatically improve the clinical symptoms and signs of patients with ankylosing spondylitis, are now being tested in patients with non-radiographic axial SpA, with the first studies providing evidence that patients with the non-radiographic form of the disease also benefit from this.
Oxygen Sensors Based on Mesoporous Silica Particles on Layer-by-Layer Self-assembled Films

We describe photoluminescent (PL) oxygen sensors based upon phosphorescent dyes adsorbed into the pores of mesoporous silica particles at submonolayer coverage on a layer-by-layer self-assembled film. Eight transition metal dyes (four Pt and Pd porphyrin complexes and four ruthenium complexes) were investigated through monitoring the changes in PL intensity and lifetime upon varying oxygen pressure. The intensity Stern−Volmer (SV) plots were curved. In most systems, the intensity SV plots match the lifetime SV plots, with deviations seen only at high oxygen pressures where static quenching may play a role. The curved intensity Stern−Volmer plots could be fitted with two phenomenological models, a two-site model, and a model based on a Freundlich binding isotherm for oxygen. The Gaussian distribution model was less successful in fitting the data. The most important result to emerge from these data is that the unquenched lifetime of the dye itself is not a sufficient scaling parameter to reduce all of the S.
LiCi: A new ultra-lightweight block cipher

In this paper, we have presented a new lightweight, low power block cipher “LiCi”. The cipher LiCi has Feistel based network which operates on 64 bits plain text and with the help of 128 bits key length it generates 64 bits cipher text. This cipher design shows good performance both on hardware as well as on software platforms. As compared to the existing cipher it requires less footprint area that consumes only 1153 GE's (Gate Equivalents) and has less memory requirements. It also consumes only 30mW which is less power as compared to the other existing ciphers. LiCi cipher needs only 1944 bytes of Flash memory which is very less memory size till date. In this paper, we proposed the security analysis as well as performance parameter of the LiCi. The LiCi cipher resists the linear and differential attack. It also shows the good resistance against the advanced attack like Biclique and Zero correlation. This cipher is well suited for application where small footprint area and low power dissipation are important design metrics.
Optimal preparing methods for optical fiber corrosion sensing techniques

The feasibility of an optical fiber corrosion sensor(OFCS) is studied in the present paper. A multi-mode fiber is metallised by physical vacuum deposition(PVD) and electroplating a Fe-C alloy film on an uncladded part with 1-2cm length. Comparatively, similar methods used to form metallic film on planar quartz crystal. Electrochemical measurements including continuously inspection of electrochemical parameters show different characters between cylindrical and planar wave guide. The shift of light power transmitted through the fiber is registered with corrosion. Microanalysis is carried out to show the metallised film’s forming. Electrochemical process of the corrosion on the fiber is researched by continuously monitoring open potential Ecorr and linear polarized resistance Rp.
Long-Term Evolution and Prognostic Stratification of Biopsy-Proven Active Myocarditis

Background— Active myocarditis is characterized by large heterogeneity of clinical presentation and evolution. This study describes the characteristics and the long-term evolution of a large sample of patients with biopsy-proven active myocarditis, looking for accessible and valid early predictors of long-term prognosis. Methods and Results— From 1981 to 2009, 82 patients with biopsy-proven active myocarditis were consecutively enrolled and followed-up for 147±107 months. All patients underwent clinical and echocardiographic evaluation at baseline and at 6 months. At this time, improvement/normality of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), defined as a LVEF increase > 20 percentage points or presence of LVEF≥50%, was assessed. At baseline, left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF<50%) and left atrium enlargement were independently associated with long-term heart transplantation–free survival, regardless of the clinical pattern of disease onset. At 6 months, improvement/normality of LVEF was observed in 53% of patients. Persistence of New York Heart Association III to IV classes, left atrium enlargement, and improvement/normality of LVEF at 6 months emerged as independent predictors of long-term outcome. Notably, the short-term reevaluation showed a significant incremental prognostic value in comparison with the baseline evaluation (baseline model versus 6 months model: area under the curve 0.79 versus 0.90, P=0.03). Conclusions— Baseline left ventricular function is a marker for prognosis regardless of the clinical pattern of disease onset, and its reassessment at 6 months appears useful for assessing longer-term outcome.
Measurement of the Rates of Synthesis of Three Components of Ribosomes of Mycobacterium fortuitum: A Theoretical Approach to qRT-PCR Experimentation

Background Except for the ribosomal protein L12 (rplL), ribosomal proteins are present as one copy per ribosome; L12 (rplL) is unusual because it is present as four copies per ribosome. Thus, the strategies used by Mycobacterium fortuitum to regulate ribosomal protein synthesis were investigated, including evaluations of the rates of chain elongations of 16S rRNA, rplL and ribosomal protein S12 (rpsL). Methodology RNA was isolated from cell cultures and cDNA was prepared. The numbers of cDNA copies of 16S rRNA, precursor-16S rRNA and transcripts of rpsL and rplL were quantified by qRT-PCR and then related to the rates of 16S rRNA, rpsL and rplL chain elongations by means of a mathematical framework for coupled transcription/translation. Principal Findings The rates of synthesis of 16S rRNA, rpsL and rplL respectively were found to be approximately 50×103 nucleotides h−1, 1.6×103 amino acid residues h−1 and 3.4×103 amino acid residues h−1. The number of transcripts of rplL was approximately twice that of rpsL. These data account for the presence of one copy of rpsL and four copies of rplL per ribosome, and reveal that the rate of M. fortuitum ribosome synthesis was closer to that of M. tuberculosis than to E. coli. Except for rplJ, the elongation rate obtained for rpsL was inferred to be appropriate for all other proteins present as one copy per ribosome. Significance The results obtained provide the basis for a comprehensive view of the kinetics of ribosome synthesis, and of the ways that bacterial cells utilize genes encoding ribosomal proteins. The methodology also applies to proteins involved in transcription, energy generation and to bacterial proteins in general. The method proposed for measuring the fidelity of cDNA preparations is intrinsically much more sensitive than procedures that measure the integrity of 16S rRNA.
The Respective Contributions of the Mother and Daughter Centrioles to Centrosome Activity and Behavior in Vertebrate Cells

We have generated several stable cell lines expressing GFP-labeled centrin. This fusion protein becomes concentrated in the lumen of both centrioles, making them clearly visible in the living cell. Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy reveals that the centriole pair inherited after mitosis splits during or just after telophase. At this time the mother centriole remains near the cell center while the daughter migrates extensively throughout the cytoplasm. This differential behavior is not related to the presence of a nucleus because it is also observed in enucleated cells. The characteristic motions of the daughter centriole persist in the absence of microtubules (Mts). or actin, but are arrested when both Mts and actin filaments are disrupted. As the centrioles replicate at the G1/S transition the movements exhibited by the original daughter become progressively attenuated, and by the onset of mitosis its behavior is indistinguishable from that of the mother centriole. While both centrioles possess associated gamma-tubulin, and nucleate similar number of Mts in Mt repolymerization experiments. during G1 and S only the mother centriole is located at the focus of the Mt array. A model, based on differences in Mt anchoring and release by the mother and daughter centrioles, is proposed to explain these results.
Pose-Independent Face Identification from Video Sequences

A scheme for pose-independent face recognition is presented. An "unwrapped" texture map is constructed from a video sequence using a texture-from-motion approach, which is shown to be quite accurate. Recognition of single frames against calculated unwrapped textures is carried out using principal component analysis. The system is typically better than 90% correct in its identifications.
Knowledge-Sharing Intention in a Virtual Community: A Study of Participants in the Chinese Wikipedia

This study proposes a model for evaluating virtual community members' knowledge-sharing intention toward Chinese Wikipedia. The results of this study reveal that knowledge-sharing intention is influenced directly by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, whereas anticipated reciprocal relationships and enjoying helping are positively related to attitude; sense of self-worth and peer influences are positively related to subjective norms; and self-efficacy and resource-facilitating conditions are positively related to perceived behavioral control on knowledge sharing.
Multi-band à trous wavelet transform for multisensor image fusion

À trous wavelet transform is less spatial information distortion and without decimation in fusing multisensor images at same degree. Therefore, the image fused by à trous wavelet transform can get better performance than other image fusion methods. In this paper, multi-band à tours wavelet algorithm is used for multisensor images fusion with different resolution ratio at 1:3 and 1:4 respectively, and 2-band wavelet algorithm is also performed for comparison and evaluation at the same time. The experimental results shows if the ratio of multisensor images resolution are 1:3 and 1:4, the visual and quality of the image fused by 3-band and 4-band à trous wavelet transform are both superior to the 2-band respectively. As a conclusion, the selection of appropriate multi-band a trous wavelet transform will provides potential for image fusion in multisenor images with different ratio of resolution.
Self-reported financial barriers to care among patients with cardiovascular-related chronic conditions.

BACKGROUND People with chronic conditions who do not achieve therapeutic targets have a higher risk of adverse health outcomes. Failure to meet these targets may be due to a variety of barriers. This article examines self-reported financial barriers to health care among people with cardiovascular-related chronic conditions. DATA AND METHODS A population-based survey was administered to western Canadians with cardiovascular-related chronic conditions (n = 1,849). Associations between self-reported financial barriers and statin use, the likelihood of stopping use of prescribed medications, and emergency department visits or hospitalizations were assessed. RESULTS More than 10% respondents reported general financial barriers (12%) and lack of drug insurance (14%); 4% reported financial barriers to accessing medications. Emergency department visits or hospitalizations were 70% more likely among those reporting a general financial barrier. Those reporting a financial barrier to medications were 50% less likely to take statins and three times more likely to stop using prescribed medications. Individuals without drug insurance were nearly 30% less likely to take statins. INTERPRETATION In this population, self-reported financial barriers were associated with lower medication use and increased likelihood of emergency department visits or hospitalization.
Automatic Generation of Efficient Accelerators for Reconfigurable Hardware

Acceleration in the form of customized datapaths offer large performance and energy improvements over general purpose processors. Reconfigurable fabrics such as FPGAs are gaining popularity for use in implementing application-specific accelerators, thereby increasing the importance of having good high-level FPGA design tools. However, current tools for targeting FPGAs offer inadequate support for high-level programming, resource estimation, and rapid and automatic design space exploration. We describe a design framework that addresses these challenges. We introduce a new representation of hardware using parameterized templates that captures locality and parallelism information at multiple levels of nesting. This representation is designed to be automatically generated from high-level languages based on parallel patterns. We describe a hybrid area estimation technique which uses template-level models and design-level artificial neural networks to account for effects from hardware place-and-route tools, including routing overheads, register and block RAM duplication, and LUT packing. Our runtime estimation accounts for off-chip memory accesses. We use our estimation capabilities to rapidly explore a large space of designs across tile sizes, parallelization factors, and optional coarse-grained pipelining, all at multiple loop levels. We show that estimates average 4.8% error for logic resources, 6.1% error for runtimes, and are 279 to 6533 times faster than a commercial high-level synthesis tool. We compare the best-performing designs to optimized CPU code running on a server-grade 6 core processor and show speedups of up to 16.7×.
Simultaneous deblur and super-resolution technique for video sequence captured by hand-held video camera

Nowadays, video camera is commonly used everywhere and demand of retrieving a single shot from video sequence is increasing. Since resolution of video camera is usually lower than that of digital camera, simply cutting out a frame from a video sequence ends up with low quality. Further, because of the necessity of high fps on video camera, video data inevitably contains motion blur and it leads mis-registration between frames which is critical for multi-frame superresolution. In this paper, we propose a method to restore high-resolution image from a video sequence considering motion blur. Since the frame-rate of a video camera is high, motion of the object in successive frames is small, and thus, stable feature tracking during short sequences is possible even if there is a blur. Thus, we adopt a division/integration approach to realize robust tracking for long sequence. We also propose a simultaneous deblur and super-resolution technique using multiple images based on MAP estimation. Experimental results are shown to prove the strength of our method.