Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corner block list: an effective and efficient topological representation of non-slicing floorplan

In this paper, a corner block list-a new efficient topological representation for non-slicing floorplan is proposed with applications to VLSI floorplan and building block placement. Given a corner block list, it takes only linear time to construct the floorplan. Unlike the O-tree structure, which determines the exact floorplan based on given block sizes, corner block list defines the floorplan independent of the block sizes. Thus, the structure is better suited for floorplan optimization with various size configurations of each block. Based on this new structure and the simulated annealing technique, an efficient floorplan algorithm is given. Soft blocks and the aspect ratio of the chip are taken into account in the simulated annealing process. The experimental results demonstrate the algorithm is quite promising.
Presence of meaning and search for meaning as mediators between spirituality and psychological well-being in a South African sample

Spirituality and meaning in life are important pathways to well-being. Research has conceptually and empirically linked spirituality, religiousness and meaning in life. The present study was concerned with investigating presence of meaning (MLQ-P) and search for meaning (MLQ-S) as mediators between spirituality (religious and existential well-being) and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. A multi-cultural sample of 326 South African students completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB) and the Mental Health Continuum Short-Form (MHC-SF). Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to study direct and indirect effects. Findings show that the presence of meaning in life explains more paths between spirituality and psychological well-being than search for meaning. MLQ-P mediated the paths between existential well-being and four of the five indices of psychological well-being. MLQ-S did not mediate any path between spirituality (existential and religious well-being) and psychological well-being outcomes.
When the Rule is Ruled Out: Exemplars and Rules in Decisions from Memory

What are the cognitive processes underlying people's decisions from memory? Previous research suggests that these processes can be best described by strategies that are based on abstract knowledge about the decision task (e.g., cue�criterion relations). However, recent results show that different cue presentation formats trigger the use of different decision strategies and that exemplar-based strategies can account for memory-based decisions as well. In three experiments, this effect was replicated, and mediation analyses identified the quality of the underlying knowledge representation as the critical variable that determines decision behavior. This supports the view that exemplar-based reasoning is used as a backup system if cue abstraction is hindered
Face Detection Based on Skin Color Segmentation Using Fuzzy Entropy

Face detection is the first step of any automated face recognition system. One of the most popular approaches to detect faces in color images is using a skin color segmentation scheme, which in many cases needs a proper representation of color spaces to interpret image information. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy system for detecting skin in color images, so that each color tone is assumed to be a fuzzy set. The Red, Green, and Blue (RGB), the Hue, Saturation and Value (HSV), and the YCbCr (where Y is the luminance and Cb,Cr are the chroma components) color systems are used for the development of our fuzzy design. Thus, a fuzzy three-partition entropy approach is used to calculate all of the parameters needed for the fuzzy systems, and then, a face detection method is also developed to validate the segmentation results. The results of the experiments show a correct skin detection rate between 94% and 96% for our fuzzy segmentation methods, with a false positive rate of about 0.5% in all cases. Furthermore, the average correct face detection rate is above 93%, and even when working with heterogeneous backgrounds and different light conditions, it achieves almost 88% correct detections. Thus, our method leads to accurate face detection results with low false positive and false negative rates.
Dynamic estimation of task level parallelism with operating system

The amount of task level parallelism (TLP) in runtime workload is useful information to determine the efficient usage of multiprocessors. This paper presents mechanisms to dynamically estimate the amount of TLP in runtime workloads. Modifications are added to the operating system (OS) to collect information about processor utilization, task activities, from which TLP can be calculated. By effectively utilizing the time stamp counter (TSC) hardware, the task activities can be monitored at fine time resolution, resulting in capability of estimation of TLP at fine granularity. We implement the mechanisms on a recent version of Linux OS. Evaluation results indicate that the mechanisms can estimate TLP accurately for various kinds of workloads with small overheads.
Abbreviation and Acronym Disambiguation in Clinical Discourse

Use of abbreviations and acronyms is pervasive in clinical reports despite many efforts to limit the use of ambiguous and unsanctioned abbreviations and acronyms. Due to the fact that many abbreviations and acronyms are ambiguous with respect to their sense, complete and accurate text analysis is impossible without identification of the sense that was intended for a given abbreviation or acronym. We present the results of an experiment where we used the contexts harvested from the Internet through Google API to collect contextual data for a set of 8 acronyms found in clinical notes at the Mayo Clinic. We then used the contexts to disambiguate the sense of abbreviations in a manually annotated corpus.
Implications of Pro- and Counterattitudinal Information Exposure for Affective Polarization

The American electorate is characterized by political polarization, and especially by increasingly negative affective responses toward opposing party members. To what extent might this be attributed to exposure to information reinforcing individuals' partisan identity versus information representing the views of partisan opponents? And is this a uniquely American phenomenon? This study uses survey data collected immediately following recent national elections in two countries, the United States and Israel, to address these questions. Results across the two nations are generally consistent, and indicate that pro- and counterattitudinal information exposure has distinct influences on perceptions of and attitudes toward members of opposing parties, despite numerous cross-cultural differences. We discuss implications in light of recent evidence about partisans' tendency to engage in selective exposure. © 2014 International Communication Association.
Efficient Recovery Control Channel Design in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

A constantly available control channel facilitates control message exchange and spectrum coordination in cognitive radio (CR) ad hoc networks. When a dedicated control channel is unavailable, a control channel must be dynamically allocated in licensed channels and vacated for the presence of primary users (PUs). As a result, the establishment of such a control channel is a challenge. In this paper, an efficient recovery control channel (ERCC) design is proposed to address this challenge. This heuristic and distributed design approach is essentially based on the observed spectrum homogeneity in a neighborhood. By adaptively updating a list of channels commonly available to neighbors, each secondary user is able to efficiently establish new control channels among neighbors in response to PU activity changes. Therefore, a virtually “always on” control channel robust to PU activity can be realized by the proposed method. The contributions are summarized as follows: 1) The proposed method efficiently recovers control channels from PU activity changes and maintains network connectivity. 2) It extends the control channel coverage to facilitate broadcast and reduce control overhead and delay. 3) It minimizes the interference with PUs. Simulation results show that the proposed solution outperforms the classic group- and sequence-based solutions in the responsiveness to rapidly changing PU activity and the maintenance of connectivity. Furthermore, the increase in control channel coverage and the allocation of the highest quality channels to control channels can be well balanced with reliability and scalability in various network scenarios.
Ridge-valley lines on meshes via implicit surface fitting

We propose a simple and effective method for detecting view-and scale-independent ridge-valley lines defined via first- and second-order curvature derivatives on shapes approximated by dense triangle meshes. A high-quality estimation of high-order surface derivatives is achieved by combining multi-level implicit surface fitting and finite difference approximations. We demonstrate that the ridges and valleys are geometrically and perceptually salient surface features, and, therefore, can be potentially used for shape recognition, coding, and quality evaluation purposes.
Towards a Foundational API for Resilient Distributed Systems Design

Engineering resilient distributed systems remains extremely challenging, particularly in mapping from collective specifications to individual device behavior. Aggregate programming aims to address this problem using a computational field abstraction to provide inherent guarantees of resilience, scalability, and safe composition. These capabilities are provided, however, by an expressive but terse set of operators too low-level for pragmatic use in complex systems development. We thus present an API to raise the level of abstraction, thereby providing an accessible and user-friendly interface for construction of complex resilient distributed systems. In particular, we capture and organize a large, heterogeneous collection of algorithms and use patterns into a unified framework, including methods for common tasks such as leader election, distance and state estimation, and gossip-based information dissemination. We demonstrate how the expressiveness of this library reduces the abstraction gap required to engineer scenarios of large-scale pervasive computing, while introducing the novel multiInstance pattern enabling an unanticipated composition of computational fields.
Normalized names for clinical drugs: RxNorm at 6 years

OBJECTIVE In the 6 years since the National Library of Medicine began monthly releases of RxNorm, RxNorm has become a central resource for communicating about clinical drugs and supporting interoperation between drug vocabularies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Built on the idea of a normalized name for a medication at a given level of abstraction, RxNorm provides a set of names and relationships based on 11 different external source vocabularies. The standard model enables decision support to take place for a variety of uses at the appropriate level of abstraction. With the incorporation of National Drug File Reference Terminology (NDF-RT) from the Veterans Administration, even more sophisticated decision support has become possible. DISCUSSION While related products such as RxTerms, RxNav, MyMedicationList, and MyRxPad have been recognized as helpful for various uses, tasks such as identifying exactly what is and is not on the market remain a challenge.
Biosynthesis of Phenylnannolone A, a Multidrug Resistance Reversal Agent from the Halotolerant Myxobacterium Nannocystis pusilla B150

The myxobacterial strain Nannocystis pusilla B150 synthesizes the structurally new polyketides phenylnannolone A–C. Apart from some common volatiles and siderophores, these are the first natural products from the genus Nannocystis. Phenylnannolone A shows inhibitory activity towards the ABCB1 gene product P‐glycoprotein and reverses daunorubicin resistance in cancer cells. To decipher the biochemical reactions leading to the formation of phenylnannolone A, the putative biosynthetic genes were identified (phn1, phn2). Phn2 is a polyketide synthase (PKS) with an NRPS‐like loading module, and its domain order is consistent with the phenylnannolone A structure. The functionality and substrate selectivity of the loading module were determined by means of a γ‐18O4‐ATP pyrophosphate exchange and a phosphopantetheine ejection assay. A specific activation of cinnamic acid by the AMP‐ligase was detected. Phn1 is a putative butyryl‐CoA carboxylase (BCC), providing ethylmalonyl‐CoA for the formation of the ethyl‐substituted part of phenylnannolone A. Phn1 is the first BCC found in biosynthetic genes for an ethyl‐substituted natural compound. Biosynthesis of phenylnannolone A, putatively encoded by phn1 and phn2, thus utilizes the first biosynthetic machinery in which both a BCC and a PKS are involved.
Stress, Coping and Burnout in Mental Health Nurses: Findings From Three Research Studies

In this paper we present data from three research studies on stress, coping and burnout in mental health nurses. All three studies used a range of self report questionnaires. Measures included a demographic checklist, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the DCL Stress Scale and the Cooper Coping Skills Scale. In all, 648 ward based mental health nurses were surveyed. There were no significant differences between levels of psychological distress on GHQ Total Score, but there were differences in caseness rates. In Study 3, some 38% of nurses were found to score at or above the criterion for caseness. The main stressors for ward staff were to do with staff shortages, health service changes, poor morale and not being notified of changes before they occurred. Differences in coping skills were found across studies. The study group with the highest stress scores also had the lowest coping skills scores. This was also associated with significantly higher alcohol consumption and greater self reported sickness absence. Scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory showed higher levels of burnout amongst nurses in Study 3. These three studies have confirmed that stress is a problem for ward based mental health nurses. Two main implications arise from this work. Firstly we need models of the stress process that are empirically based, and which help us identify the moderating variables that reduce the impact of stressors on nurses. Secondly, we need to utilise this knowledge to deliver stress management interventions for staff. We end by outlining a model which may help us both understand the process of stress causation, and move towards our goal of stress reduction.
Investigation of dip coated ZnO thin film : X-ray reflectivity and Fourier analysis

: In this study we fabricated Zinc Oxide thin film by sol-gel dip coating method on glass substrate. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and its optimization have been used for characterization and extracting physical parameters of the film. Genetic Algorithm (GA) has been applied for this optimization process. Independent information was exploited from Fourier transform of Fresnel reflectivity normalized X-ray reflectivity. The Auto Correlation Function (Fourier transformation of X-ray reflectivity) yields thickness of each coated layer on substrate. This information is a starting point for constructing optimization process. Specular X-ray reflectivity optimization yields structural parameters such as thickness, roughness of surface and interface and electron density profile of the film. Acceptable agreement exists between results obtained from Fourier transformation and X-ray reflectivity fitting. [Ghahraman Solookinejad. Investigation of dip coated ZnO thin film: X-ray reflectivity and Fourier analysis. Journal of American Science 2011;7(6):293-298]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org.
Idiomatic Persistence and Querying for the W3C Web Annotation Data Model

W3C Web annotations are a powerful way to support metadata information about digital resources. The Web Annotation Data Model proposes standardised RDF structures that express this by implementing a hierarchical annotation structure. Those annotations are designed to be shared, linked, tracked back as well as searched and discovered across different peers. However, non-Semantic Web experts may struggle to produce the corresponding RDF data or SPARQL queries. Therefore, we propose Anno4j, a Java-based library that gives developers the possibility to create and consume Web Annotations by using plain old Java objects. Anno4j follows natural Object-oriented idioms including inheritance, polymorphism, and composition to facilitate the development with Web Annotations. An extensible and modular architecture supports enhancements and use-case specific model alterations, while the plugin functionality of Anno4j allows to enrich querying by adding custom function evaluators.
Disability transitions after 30 months in three community-dwelling diagnostic groups in Spain

Background Little is known about changes in disability over time among community-dwelling patients. Accordingly, this study sought to assess medium-term disability transitions. Patients and Methods 300 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure and stroke patients living at home in Madrid were selected from general practitioner lists. In 2009, disability was assessed after a mean of 30 months using the World Health Organisation (WHO) Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Follow-up was completed using death registries. Losses to follow-up were due to: death, 56; institutionalisation, 9; non-location, 18; and non-participation, 17. Changes in WHODAS 2.0 scores and life status were described and analysed using Cox and multinomial regression. Disability at end of follow-up was imputed for 56 deceased and 44 surviving patients. Results Mean disability scores for 200 surviving patients at end of follow-up were similar to baseline scores for the whole group, higher than their own baseline scores, and rose by 16.3% when imputed values were added. The strongest Cox predictors of death were: age over 84 years, adjusted hazard ratios with 95%CI 8.18 (3.06-21.85); severe/complete vs. no/mild disability, 5.18 (0.68-39.48); and stroke compared to COPD, 1.40 (0.67-2.91). Non-participants and institutionalised patients had higher proportions with severe/complete baseline disability. A one-point change in baseline WHODAS 2.0 score predicted independent increases in risk of 12% (8%-15%) for severe/complete disability or death. Conclusions A considerably high proportion of community-dwelling patients diagnosed with COPD, CHF and stroke undergo medium-term changes in disability or vital status. The main features of the emerging pattern for this group appear to be as follows: approximately two-thirds of patients continue living at home with moderately reduced functional status; 1/3 die or worsen to severe/complete disability; and 1/10 improve. Baseline disability scores, age and diagnosis are associated with disability and death in the medium term.
Opportunistic cognitive relay with 1-bit feedback

In this paper, we propose a limited feedback based underlay spectrum sharing scheme where a secondary decode-and-forward opportunistic relay network shares the spectrum with a pair of primary users. The primary destination and each of the N secondary relays send 1-bit feedback of channel quality information to their corresponding transmitters. By overhearing the primary feedback and receiving the secondary feedback, one of the secondary relays is scheduled at the secondary transmitter in each fading block. By maximizing the average secondary rate under the average primary rate loss constraint and average secondary power constraint, the asymptotically optimal solutions of secondary thresholds and power allocation are derived analytically for large N. With the increase of the number of secondary relays, the average achievable rate of secondary user grows as 1/2 log log N.
Glucocorticoids promote development of the osteoblast phenotype by selectively modulating expression of cell growth and differentiation associated genes

To understand the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids promote differentiation of fetal rat calvaria derived osteoblasts to produce bone‐like mineralized nodules in vitro, a panel of osteoblast growth and differentiation related genes that characterize development of the osteoblast phenotype has been quantitated in glucocorticoid‐treated cultures. We compared the mRNA levels of osteoblast expressed genes in control cultures of subcultivated cells where nodule formation is diminished, to cells continuously (35 days) exposed to 10 ‐7 M dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, which promotes nodule formation to levels usually the extent observed in primary cultures. Tritiated thymidine labelling revealed a selective inhibition of internodule cell proliferation and promotion of proliferation and differentiation of cells forming bone nodules. Fibronectin, osteopontin, and c‐fos expression were increased in the nodule forming period. Alkaline phosphatase and type I collagen expression were initially inhibited in proliferating cells, then increased after nodule formation to support further growth and mineralization of the nodule. Expression of osteocalcin was 1,000‐fold elevated in glucocorticoid‐differentiated cultures in relation to nodule formation. Collagenase gene expression was also greater than controls (fivefold) with the highest levels observed in mature cultures (day 35). At this time, a rise in collagen and TGFβ was also observed suggesting turnover of the matrix. Short term (48 h) effects of glucocorticoid on histone H4 (reflecting cell proliferation), alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, and osteocalcin mRNA levels reveal both up or down regulation as a function of the developmental stage of the osteoblast phenotype. A comparison of transcriptional levels of these genes by nuclear run‐on assay to mRNA levels indicates that glucocorticoids exert both transcriptional and post‐transcriptional effects. Further, the presence of glucocorticoids enhances the vitamin D3 effect on gene expression. Those genes which are upregulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 are transcribed at an increased rate by dexamethasone, while those genes which are inhibited by vitamin D3 remain inhibited in the presence of dexamethasone and D3. We propose that the glucocorticoid promote changes in gene expression involved in cell‐cell and cell‐extracellular matrix signaling mechanism that support the growth and differentiation of cells capable of osteoblast phenotype development and bone tissue‐like organization, while inhibiting the growth of cells that cannot progress to the mature osteoblast phenotype in fetal rat calvarial cultures. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.