Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperative hardware/software caching for next-generation memory systems

The memory system remains a major performance bottleneck in modern and future architectures. In this dissertation, we propose a hardware/software cooperative approach and demonstrate its effectiveness. This approach combines the global yet imperfect view of the compiler with the timely yet narrow-scope context of the hardware. It relies on a light-weight extension to the instruction set architecture to convey compile-time knowledge (hints) to the hardware. The hardware then uses these hints to make better decisions. Our work shows that a cooperative hardware/software approach to (1) cache replacement, (2) prefetching, and (3) their combination eliminates or tolerates much of the memory performance bottleneck. (1) Our work enhances cache replacement decisions using compiler hints. The compiler detects which data will or will not be reused and annotates loads accordingly. The compiler sets one bit (the evict-me bit) to denote a preferred eviction candidate. On a miss, the cache replacement algorithm preferentially replaces a cache line with its evict-me bit set. Otherwise, it follows the LRU policy. The evict-me replacement scheme improves cache replacement decisions and is effective in both L1 and L2 caches. (2) We also use compiler hints to direct aggressive hardware region prefetching and content-aware pointer prefetching. The original SRP (scheduled region prefetching) engine queues prefetching requests on every outstanding L2 miss and tolerates latencies at the cost of dramatically increasing the memory traffic. GRP (guided region prefetching) enhances SRP by restricting prefetching to compiler-marked loads. Our compiler algorithms effectively mark spatial reuses across the SPEC CPU2000 benchmarks, and thus GRP achieves the performance of SRP with only one eighth of the additional traffic. (3) The evict-me cache replacement scheme helps alleviate the side effects of cache pollution introduced by useless region prefetches. The combination of evict-me caching and region prefetching further improves cache performance. These results demonstrate significant promise for overcoming the memory bottleneck with cooperative hardware/software techniques.
Miniature fiber Bragg grating strain rosette based on lossless tapers

A miniature fiber Bragg grating strain rosette is presented. The proposed design is made possible through the development of low curvature radius lossless tapers, thus offering advantages in miniaturization of the rosette configuration. We report on the experimental validation of the miniature rosette design, demonstrating its effective operation.
Reduction of risk of Salmonella infection from kitchen cleaning clothes by use of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant cleaner

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reduction of infection risk due to exposure to Salmonella sp. in kitchen cleaning clothes by the use of a bleach (sodium hypochlorite) cleaner utilizing a continuous‐time dynamic exposure model. The only route of exposure considered was hand contamination during cloth use. The occurrence and numbers of Salmonella was studied in 60 homes over a 6‐week period in which half disinfected kitchen cleaning clothes with a sodium hypochlorite based disinfectant cleaner. This study demonstrated that a significant risk exists for Salmonella infection from kitchen cleaning clothes in Mexican homes and that this risk can be reduced by almost 100‐fold by soaking cleaning clothes in a bleach product. The risks of infection and illness could likely be further reduced by developing a more effective procedure for reducing Salmonella in cleaning clothes treated twice a day with a sodium hypochlorite disinfectant (i.e. longer soaking time) or using a greater concentration of the disinfectant.
A Probabilistic Energy-Efficient Routing (PEER) Scheme for Ad-hoc Sensor Networks

Wireless ad-hoc sensor networks consist of small nodes with sensing, computing, and communicating capabilities. Energy deficiency is a key problem of these kinds of networks. Many routing, power management, and data dissemination protocols have been specifically designed for them where energy awareness is a chief design issue. This paper proposes a new probabilistic agent-based energy efficient routing strategy (PEER). In contrast to the earlier work that focus on energy-aware routing, PEER takes into account both total cost and individual residual energy of the whole path statistically (path-based) when selecting the next hop, i.e. each intermediate node chooses its next hop node based on the statistical path information from that node to the sink. We show through analysis and simulations that PEER can prolong the network survivability, shorten the average packet delay, and hence outperform all the existing routing schemes. Moreover, we conjecture that the coefficient rho in PEER may be intelligently adjusted to fit the situation of the volatile networks, thus we make further investigation into it and achieve the intending results
Cross-flow microfiltration for lab-on-chip defatting of human breast milk

Determining the lactose concentration in human breast milk (HBM) via standard assay techniques requires fat removal from the milk (defatting), followed by lactose detection in the remaining skim milk. This work focuses on methods of defatting which can be subsequently integrated in the same Lab-on-Chip (LOC) as the lactose measurement. One method under study for defatting HBM is the use of a cross-flow microfiltration structure. This kind of microfiltration prevents clogging and separates the large fat globules from the smaller nutrition constituents of milk, of which lactose is amongst the smallest. To test if large fat globules may clog the channel or not, the biocompatibility of PMMA and HBM was studied. The weight of absorbed fat on the surface of PMMA was found to be 3-orders of magnitude lower than that of the total fat in HBM. Photolithgraphy using SU-8 was applied for mold fabrication; however, hot-embossing using SU-8 mold has not been successful due to the high stress resulting in the demolding process. To improve mold strength, nickel molds were fabricated by electroplating using different current densities. As expected, the deposition rates were found to have a linear relationship with applied current density, while the smaller features have a higher deposition rate than larger features.
Raman-enhanced regenerative ultrafast all-optical fiber XPM wavelength converter

The Raman gain enhancement of a regenerative ultrafast all-optical cross-phase modulation (XPM) wavelength converter (WC) is quantitatively investigated and experimentally demonstrated to operate error free at 40 and 80 Gb/s. The regenerative nature of the converter is shown by experimentally demonstrating a negative 2-dB power penalty at 80 Gb/s. It is also shown that the Raman gain greatly enhances the wavelength conversion efficiency at 80 Gb/s by 21 dB at a Raman pump power of 600 mW using 1 km of highly nonlinear fiber. An analytical theory based on nonlinear phase-shift enhancement of the fiber-effective length is presented and shows the relationship between a nonlinear enhancement and Raman gain as a function of pump power and fiber design parameters. Measured parameters are used in the analytical model, and a good fit between experiment and theory is shown for two different types of fiber: one dispersion-shifted and one highly nonlinear fiber. The ultrafast response time of Raman gain makes this technique applicable to fiber-based ultrafast WCs. In addition, the applicability to other nonlinear fiber wavelength conversion techniques is discussed.
A Method for Surface Reconstruction from Cloud Points Based on Segmented Support Vector Machine

Surface reconstruction based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a hot topic in the field of 3-dimension surface construction. But it is difficult to apply this method to cloud points. A reconstruction method based on segmented data is proposed to accelerate SVM regression process from cloud data. First, by partitioning the original sampling data set, several training data subsets and testing data subsets are generated. Some segmentation technique is adopted to keep the continuity on the borders. Then regression calculation is executed on every training subset to generate a SVM model, from which a segmented mesh is obtained according to the testing data subset. Finally, all the mesh surfaces are stitched into one whole surface. Theoretical analysis and experimental result show that the segmentation technique presented in this paper is efficient to improve the performance of the SVM regression, as well as keeps the continuity of the subset borders.
Ultrasonic measurement of residual wall thickness during gas assisted injection molding

Ultrasonic technology provides a powerful and noninvasive method of in-process measurement during injection molding and extrusion. Changes in the velocity, attenuation and reflection coefficients of high frequency sound waves can be related to the state and conditions of the materials through which they propagate. The velocity of an ultrasonic wave changes with density and elastic moduli; this allows information on solidification and material properties to be collected during the molding cycle. The time of flight of the wave is a function of velocity and path length. This paper shows that it can be correlated with the residual wall thickness of polymer in the mold during gas assisted injection molding. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1730–1739, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
Passive MEMS DC Electric Current Sensor: Part I—Theoretical Considerations

This paper, the first of two companion papers, mainly reports theoretical considerations on working principle and structural design of a passive MEMS dc current sensor. The proposed sensor is capable of measuring dc current flowed in a two-wire appliance cord without using any cord separator like that used in Hall-effect based sensor. The crucial component of the proposed sensor is a cantilever made up of a piezoelectric film and a neodymium micro-magnet integrated on the end. The theoretical considerations are emphasized on the effect of partitioning piezoelectric thin film on the total output voltage, the magnetic force acted on the micro-magnet in a magnetic field generated by the dc current, and the cantilever stiffness subject to the sensing principle. A prototype of the proposed MEMS dc current sensor is thus micro-fabricated, with ten PZT partition plates and a 1-mm3 micro-magnet, in accordance with the theoretical consideration of the design principle. The prototype device provides a physical support for further experimental verifications to be discussed in Part II.
Synthesis, Electrical and Humidity Sensing Properties of BaTiO3 Nanofibers via Electrospinning

Barium titanate (BTO, BaTiO3) nanofiber was prepared via electrospinning and followed annealing process. The as-spun and calcined BTO nanofibers were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). After annealing at 800 °C in air for 3 h, polycrystalline BTO nanofibers with 120-200 nm in diameter were successfully obtained. I-V characteristic curves of single BTO nanofiber were measured. The p-type semiconducting fiber shows a room-temperature conductivity of about 0.3 S/cm. In addition, the small humidity hysteresis demonstrates the application prospects of electrospun BTO nanofibers in the fabrication of a high-sensitive humidity sensor.
Ultrafast laser-based micro-CT system for small-animal imaging

We investigated ultrafast laser-based x-ray (ULX) source as an attractive alternative to a microfocal x-ray tube used in micro-CT systems. The laser pulse duration was in the 30 fs-200 fs range, the repetition rate in the 10 Hz - 1 kHz range. A number of solid targets including Ge, Mo, Rh, Ag, Sn, Ba, La, Nd with matching filters was used. We optimized conditions for x-rays generation and measured: x-ray spectra, conversion efficiency (from laser light to x-rays), x-ray fluence, effective x-ray focal spot size and spatial resolution, contrast resolution and radiation dose. Good quality projection images of small animals in single-and dual-energy mode were obtained. ULX generates narrow x-ray spectra that consist mainly of characteristic lines that can be easily tailored (by changing laser beam target) to the imaging task, (e.g. to maximize contrast while minimizing radiation dose). X-ray fluence can exceed fluence produced by conventional microfocal tube with 10 μm focal-spot hence allowing for faster scans with very high spatial resolution. Changing the laser target, and thus matching the characteristic emission lines with the investigated animal's thickness and composition, can be done quickly and easily. Using narrow emission lines for imaging, instead of broad bremsstrahlung, offers superior dose utilization and limits beam-hardening effects. Employing two narrow emission lines-above and below the absorption edge of a contrast agent-in quick succession allows dual-energy-subtraction micro-CT for imaging with a contrast medium. Dual-energy-subtraction is not practical with a microfocal tube. Compact, robust, ultrafast lasers are commercially available, and their characteristics are rapidly improving. We plan to construct a prototype in vivo ultrafast laser-based micro-CT system.
Sequential art for science and CHI

This paper illustrates our preliminary studies of new interactive tools that support the generation of sequential art for entertainment, learning and scientific discourse. In the first of two examples, primary school students document a practical science session through the creation of a photostory. In the second, participants in a study on the biological nature of thrill create a souvenir photostory by selecting images from a DVD. The paper is written in a comic-book format to further explore and highlight the communicative capabilities of the medium, one that can be visually attractive and facilitate rapid dissemination to a wide audience.
Energy Management of Parallel-Connected Cells in Electric Vehicles Based on Fuzzy Logic Control

Inconsistencies that are associated with parallel-connected cells used in electric vehicles induce varied states of charge (SOCs) in each cell. Thus, loop current in the battery pack is inevitable, and this reduces overall capacity, energy utilization rate, and pack lifetime. However, no method is available to address loop current. To reduce loop current and the resulting battery inconsistency, a parallel-connected cell pack (PCCP) model that considers thermal effects is established, and a novel Simscape model that is based on PCCP is successfully constructed. Furthermore, the strategy of parallel-connected cell energy management (PCCEM) is proposed to utilize fuzzy logic control (FLC) strategy, which automatically adjusts the number of cells in a circuit in accordance with the load demand, and turns on the first N switches in the corresponding SOC order. The New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) driving cycle simulation shows that the PCCEM strategy considerably reduces loop current and improves the consistency of battery performance and the utilization rate of battery power.
Multi-objective multi-view clustering ensemble based on evolutionary approach

Clustering ensembles is a clustering technique which derives a better clustering solution from a set of candidate clustering solutions. Clustering ensemble methods have to address two distinct but interlinked problems: Generating multiple candidate solutions from the data and producing a final clustering solution. Our recently proposed clustering ensembles method (MMOEA) based on NSGA-II used multiple views to address the first problem and a novel cluster oriented approach to address the second problem. MMOEA used a simple crossover method to explore the search space and three objective functions to determine the quality of a candidate clustering solution. The use of a simple crossover method led to slow convergence and using three objectives in NSGA-II framework is often discouraged. This paper presents a new clustering ensemble method, which introduces new ideas for crossover, mutation, tuning steps and two objective functions (instead of three) in an evolutionary process. The results show that our new method outperforms recent methods for clustering ensembles on different multi-view datasets.
Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection Imported from Australia to Missouri, USA, 2012

Buruli ulcer, the third most common mycobacterial disease worldwide, rarely affects travelers and is uncommon in the United States. We report a travel-associated case imported from Australia and review 3 previous cases diagnosed and treated in the United States. The differential diagnoses for unusual chronic cutaneous ulcers and those nonresponsive to conventional therapy should include Mycobacterium ulcerans infection.
Draft Genome Sequence of Exiguobacterium sp. Strain BMC-KP, an Environmental Isolate from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT Exiguobacterium sp. strain BMC-KP was isolated as part of a student environmental sampling project at Bryn Mawr College, PA. Sequencing of bacterial DNA assembled a 3.32-Mb draft genome. Analysis suggests the presence of genes for tolerance to cold and toxic metals, broad carbohydrate metabolism, and genes derived from phage.
A novel development and analysis solution to PaaS log by using CouchDB

Log for PaaS cloud computing system is important to provide information to manage systems. In this paper, we design and implement a PaaS log system by providing log recording ability to other parts of PaaS system as a webservice. This system uses Log4j as log frame and CouchDB as database to analyze logs due to its data structure, efficient log analysis using Map Reduce and fore-end visualization. Also, we analyze system load, webservice load, VM load and DB load based on this PaaS log system and real data. At last, future analysis using our PaaS log system and system optimizations are discussed.
High Thermoelectric Performance in Non‐Toxic Earth‐Abundant Copper Sulfide

A new type of high performance thermoelectric material Cu_(2-x)S composed of non-toxic and earth-abundant elements Cu and S is reported. Cu_(2-x)S surprisingly has lower thermal conductivity and more strikingly reduced specific heat compared to the heavier Cu_(2)Se, leading to an increased zT to 1.7.
Collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and communication: new approaches to K–12 ecology education

Ecologists often engage in global-scale research through partnerships among scientists from many disciplines. Such research projects require collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and strong communication skills. We advocate including these three practices as an integral part of ecology education at the kindergarten through 12th grade (K–12) level, as opposed to waiting until the graduate level. Current discourse about K–12 ecology education focuses on promoting lessons in which students learn science by conducting research rather than simply reading textbooks. Here, we present five models of K–12 ecology education programs that emphasize collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and communication within student research projects on the ecology of drylands and other ecosystems. Such practices not only provide additional skills for future ecologists but also prepare students for success in any career as well as for ecologically literate citizenship.
Occult chronic kidney disease among persons with hypertension in the United States: data from the national health and nutrition surveys 1988–1994 and 1999–2002

Objectives: Hypertension guidelines recommend screening for chronic kidney disease (CKD) using serum creatinine and urine dipstick; this strategy may lead to misclassification. Persons with occult CKD [i.e. missed by creatinine but detected by cystatin C or albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR)] have higher risks for death, cardiovascular events, and end-stage renal disease. Methods: We studied occult CKD prevalence among nondiabetic, hypertensive adults in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988–1994 (N = 2088) and 1999–2002 (N = 737). We defined occult CKD as estimated glomerular filtration rate by cystatin C (eGFRcys) less than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and/or ACR at least 30 mg/g among persons with eGFRcreat more than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. We studied occult CKD prevalence by either marker, stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and assessed clinical predictors associated with occult CKD presence. Results: In 1988–1994, occult CKD was prevalent among 25% of nondiabetic hypertensive persons, and it was 22% in 1999–2002. Each marker's ability to detect occult CKD varied by age and race. Cystatin C detected occult CKD among 8.9% of persons more than 65 years, and among 3.8% of whites. ACR detected occult CKD among 9.3% of persons less than 45 years, 16.6% of Blacks, and 20.6% of Mexican–Americans. In multivariate models, each decade of advancing age was associated with a higher occult CKD prevalence by cystatin C (OR 3.1, 95% CI 2.5–3.8) in 1988–1994 and 1999–2002 (OR 2.9, 1.8–4.6). Conclusion: Current hypertension guidelines may fail to detect a large proportion of high-risk individuals with CKD who can be identified by cystatin C or ACR. Future studies are needed to evaluate targeted use of multimarker renal panels among hypertensives.
Managing and Querying Web Services Communities: A Survey

With the advance of Web Services technologies and the emergence of Web Services into the information space, tremendous opportunities for empowering users and organizations appear in various application domains including electronic commerce, travel, intelligence information gathering and analysis, health care, digital government, etc. However, the technology to organize, search, integrate these Web Services has not kept pace with the rapid growth of the available information space. The number of Web Services to be integrated may be large and continuously changing. To ease and improve the process of Web services discovery in an open environment like the Internet, it is suggested to gather similar Web services into groups known as communities. Although Web services are intensively investigated, the community management issues have not been addressed yet In this paper we draw an overview of several Web services Communities' management approaches based on some currently existing communities platforms and frameworks. We also discuss different approaches for querying and selecting Web services under the umbrella of Web services communities'. We compare the current approaches among each others with respect to some key requirements.
Making program execution comprehensible one level above the machine language

The aim of courses in computer organization at the introductory level is not to produce qualified assembly language programmers but rather, to make the program's execution and the interaction with the hardware comprehensible at the lower programming language level (above machine code). We briefly describe an environment developed with this aim. Recent findings on the evaluation of visualization environment suggest that the evaluation should focus on the way students actually use these environments to better reveal the expected outcomes. To clarify this issue, we used an evaluation procedure based on this approach that provides far-reaching conclusions on the impact of the use of the environment on students' understanding of program execution.