Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CRQ-based fair scheduling on composable multicore architectures

As different workloads require different processor resources for better execution efficiency, recent work has proposed composable chip multiprocessors (CCMPs), which provide the capability to configure different number and types of processing cores at system runtime. However, such composable architecture poses a new significant challenge to system scheduler, that is, how to ensure priority-based performance for each task (i.e. fairness), while exploiting the benefits of composability by dynamically changing the hardware configurations to match the parallelism requirements in running tasks (i.e. resource allocation). Current multicore schedulers fail to address this problem, as they traditionally assume fixed number and types of cores. In this work, we introduce centralized run queue (CRQ) and propose an efficiency-based algorithm to address the fair scheduling problem on CCMP. Firstly, instead of using distributed per-core run queues, this paper employs CRQ to simplify the scheduling and resource allocation decisions on CCMP, and proposes a pipeline-like scheduling mechanism to hide the large scheduling decision overhead on the centralized queue. Secondly, an efficiency-based dynamic priority (EDP) algorithm is proposed to keep fair scheduling on CCMP, which can not only provide homogenous tasks with performance proportional to their priorities, but also ensure equal-priority heterogeneous tasks to get equivalent performance slowdowns when running simultaneously. To evaluate our design, experimental studies are carried out to compare EDP on CCMP with several state-of-art fair schedulers on symmetric and asymmetric CMPs. Our simulation results demonstrate that, while providing good fairness, EDP on CCMP outperforms the best performing fair scheduler on fixed symmetric and asymmetric CMPs by as much as 11.8% in user-oriented performance, and by 12.5% in system throughput.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens Twin-Arginine-Dependent Translocation Is Important for Virulence, Flagellation, and Chemotaxis but Not Type IV Secretion

ABSTRACT This study characterized the contribution of the twin-arginine translocation (TAT) pathway to growth, motility, and virulence of the phytopathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In contrast to wild-type strain A348, a tatC null mutant failed to export the green fluorescent protein fused to the trimethylamine N-oxide reductase (TorA) signal sequence or to grow on nitrate as a sole electron acceptor during anaerobic growth. The tatC mutant displayed defects in growth rate and cell division but not in cell viability, and it also released abundant levels of several proteins into the culture supernatant when grown in rich medium or in vir induction minimal medium. Nearly all A348 cells were highly motile in both rich and minimal media. By contrast, approximately 0.1% of the tatC mutant cells were motile in rich medium, and <0.01% were motile in vir induction medium. Nonmotile tatC mutant cells lacked detectable flagella, whereas motile tatC mutant cells collected from the edge of a motility halo possessed flagella but not because of reversion to a functional TAT system. Motile tatC cells failed to exhibit chemotaxis toward sugars under aerobic conditions or towards nitrate under anaerobic conditions. The tatC mutant was highly attenuated for virulence, only occasionally (∼15% of inoculations) inciting formation of small tumors on plants after a prolonged incubation period of 6 to 8 weeks. However, an enriched subpopulation of motile tatC mutants exhibited enhanced virulence compared to the nonmotile variants. Finally, the tatC mutant transferred T-DNA and protein effectors to plant cells and a mobilizable IncQ plasmid to agrobacterial recipients at wild-type levels. Together, our findings establish that, in addition to its role in secretion of folded cofactor-bound enzymes functioning in alternative respiration, the TAT system of A. tumefaciens is an important virulence determinant. Furthermore, this secretion pathway contributes to flagellar biogenesis and chemotactic responses but not to sensory perception of plant signals or the assembly of a type IV secretion system.
Accuracy of Quarter-point Element in Modeling Crack-tip Fields

Abstract: Accuracy of the quarter-point and transition elements is investigatedon one- and two-dimensional problems with inverse square-root singularity. It isdemonstrated that most coefﬁcients of the stiffness matrix of the quarter-point el-ement are unbounded. However, numerical integration produces ﬁnite values ofthese coefﬁcients. Inﬂuence of several parameters on the error in determining thestress intensity factor is studied. Solution accuracy can be improved using specialdistribution of element sizes and increasing the element integration order in theradial direction.Keywords: Finite element method, linear fracture mechanics, quarter-point ele-ment.1 IntroductionThe quarter-point singular element has been employed in ﬁnite element modelingof crack-tip ﬁelds for several decades. It was proposed by Henshell and Shaw(1975) and Barsoum (1976, 1977). They showed that by shifting midside nodes ofa quadratic isoparametric element to quarter-side positions it is possible to modelexactly square-root singularity of the strains and stresses near the crack tip. Hib-bitt (1977) and Ying (1982) demonstrated that the strain energy of a quarter-pointelement degenerated into a triangle is always bounded. Lynn and Ingraffea (1978)generalized the quarter-point element to the so-called transition element. Tran-sition elements are located in the ﬁnite element mesh at some distance from thecrack tip and exactly represent the square-root singularity with the pole at the cracktip. Midside nodes of transition elements are placed at positions between quarter-and mid-point. The placement of midside nodes depends on the distance of thetransition element from the crack tip.While this study considers the use of quarter-point elements with the ﬁnite ele-
Growth inhibitory effects of miR-221 and miR-222 in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Both pro‐ and anti‐oncogenic roles of miR‐221 and miR‐222 microRNAs are reported in several types of human cancers. A previous study suggested their oncogenic role in invasiveness in lung cancer, albeit only one cell line (H460) was used. To further evaluate involvement of miR‐221 and miR‐222 in lung cancer, we investigated the effects of miR‐221 and miR‐222 overexpression on six lung cancer cell lines, including H460, as well as one immortalized normal human bronchial epithelial cell line, HBEC4. miR‐221 and miR‐222 induced epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐like changes in a minority of HBEC4 cells but, unexpectedly, both the microRNAs rather suppressed their invasiveness. Consistent with the prior report, miR‐221 and miR‐222 promoted growth in H460; however, miR‐221 suppressed growth in four other cell lines with no effects in one, and miR‐222 suppressed growth in three cell lines but promoted growth in two. These are the first results to show tumor‐suppressive effects of miR‐221 and miR‐222 in lung cancer cells, and we focused on clarifying the mechanisms. Cell cycle and apoptosis analyses revealed that growth suppression by miR‐221 and miR‐222 occurred through intra‐S‐phase arrest and/or apoptosis. Finally, lung cancer cell lines transfected with miR‐221 or miR‐222 became more sensitive to the S‐phase targeting drugs, possibly due to an increased S‐phase population. In conclusion, our data are the first to show tumor‐suppressive effects of miR‐221 and miR‐222 on lung cancer, warranting testing their potential as therapeutics for the disease.
Connected digit recognition using vector quantization

The principles of classification applied to the representation of the words in a vocabulary lead to the clustering of the acoustic vectors into prototype vectors. For a small number of prototypes, recognition scores comparable to those observed with unclustered vocabularies are obtained with a highly reduced computation time. Two different forms (deterministic and stochastic) of the single-level recognition method for concatenated words are described and the improvements obtained by vector quantization are put into evidence. The use of prototypes in the training phase of the finite stochastic automata representing a vocabulary word is also described.
First validation of the Haptic Sandwich: A shape changing handheld haptic navigation aid

This paper presents the Haptic Sandwich, a handheld robotic device that designed to provide navigation instructions to pedestrians through a novel shape changing modality. The device resembles a cube with an articulated upper half that is able to rotate and translate (extend) relative to the bottom half, which is grounded in the user's hand. The poses assumed by the device simultaneously correspond to heading and proximity to a navigational target. The Haptic Sandwich provides an alternative to screen and/or audio based navigation technologies for both visually impaired and sighted pedestrians. Unlike many robotic or haptic navigational solutions, the haptic sandwich is discrete and unobtrusive in terms of form and sensory stimulus. Due to the novel nature of the interface, two user studies were undertaken to validate the concept and device. In the first experiment, stationary participants attempted to identify poses assumed by the device, which was hidden from view. 80% of poses were correctly identified and 17.5% had the minimal possible error. Multi-DOF errors accounted for only 1.1% of all responses. Perception accuracy of the rotation and extension DOF was significantly different. In the second study, participants attempted to locate a sequence of invisible navigational targets while walking with the device. Good navigational ability was demonstrated after minimal training. All participants were able to locate all targets, utilizing both DOF. Walking path efficiency was between 32%-56%. In summary, the paper presents the design of a novel shape changing haptic user interface intended to be intuitive and unobtrusive. The interface is then validated by stationary perceptual experiments and an embodied (walking) target finding pilot study.
Practical considerations for the rapid screening for pesticides using ambient pressure desorption ionisation with high-resolution mass spectrometry

A rapid screening method for pesticides has been developed to streamline the processing of produce entering the United States. Foam swabs were used to recover multi-class mixtures of 240, 140, 132 and 60 pesticides from the surfaces of apples, kiwis, peaches and tomatoes. The mixtures were selected to span a large range of chemical classes, polarities, solubilities and sizes to provide a broad look at how this technique will perform for a variety of analytes. The swabs were analysed using direct analysis in real-time (DART) ionisation coupled with a high-resolution Exactive Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer. This study expands the types of commodities analysed using this method and explores the feasibility of compositing multiple units of produce per batch to analyse a representative sample. It was established that whilst smooth-skinned produce, such as apples, maintained a high detection rate for the pesticide mixtures even when ten apples are swabbed with one foam disk, commodities with rougher surfaces, such as peaches, suffered a decrease in detection rate when ten peaches are swabbed with one foam disk. In order to maintain some consistency across the sample preparation process, a composite size of three units was selected. The varying topography of the commodities necessitated minor modifications to the method; for example, analysis of kiwi required that the hair on the surface be shaved prior to swabbing to achieve good recovery. Additionally, the effect of storage conditions on detection rate was analysed by spiking the surface of tomatoes at levels of 5 and 10 ng g−1 for each pesticide, storing them under refrigeration and ambient conditions for 3 and 8 days, and then analysing the surface using this method. After 8 days of storage under both conditions more than 80% of the pesticides in the mixture were detected. Also, analysis of the multi-class mixtures was performed in both positive- and negative-ion mode and many classes were detected in both modes. Some classes, such thiocarbamates, phenylamides and organochlorine pesticides, were only observed in the positive-ion mode, whilst benzoylphenylurea pesticides were only detected in the negative-ion mode.
Dynamic Escherichia coli SeqA complexes organize the newly replicated DNA at a considerable distance from the replisome

The Escherichia coli SeqA protein binds to newly replicated, hemimethylated DNA behind replication forks and forms structures consisting of several hundred SeqA molecules bound to about 100 kb of DNA. It has been suggested that SeqA structures either direct the new sister DNA molecules away from each other or constitute a spacer that keeps the sisters together. We have developed an image analysis script that automatically measures the distance between neighboring foci in cells. Using this tool as well as direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) we find that in cells with fluorescently tagged SeqA and replisome the sister SeqA structures were situated close together (less than about 30 nm apart) and relatively far from the replisome (on average 200–300 nm). The results support the idea that newly replicated sister molecules are kept together behind the fork and suggest the existence of a stretch of DNA between the replisome and SeqA which enjoys added stabilization. This could be important in facilitating DNA transactions such as recombination, mismatch repair and topoisomerase activity. In slowly growing cells without ongoing replication forks the SeqA protein was found to reside at the fully methylated origins prior to initiation of replication.
Enhancement in Tonically Active Glutamatergic Inputs to the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla Contributes to Neuropathic Pain-Induced High Blood Pressure

Neuropathic pain increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases including hypertension with the characteristic of sympathetic overactivity. The enhanced tonically active glutamatergic input to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) contributes to sympathetic overactivity and blood pressure (BP) in cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesize that neuropathic pain enhances tonically active glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM, which contributes to high level of BP and sympathetic outflow. Animal model with the trigeminal neuropathic pain was induced by the infraorbital nerve-chronic constriction injury (ION-CCI). A significant increase in BP and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was found in rats with ION-CCI (BP, n = 5, RSNA, n = 7, p < 0.05). The concentration of glutamate in the RVLM was significantly increased in the ION-CCI group (n = 4, p < 0.05). Blockade of glutamate receptors by injection of kynurenic acid into the RVLM significantly decreased BP and RSNA in the ION-CCI group (n = 5, p < 0.05). In two major sources (the paraventricular nucleus and periaqueductal gray) for glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM, the ION-CCI group (n = 5, p < 0.05) showed an increase in glutamate content and expression of glutaminase 2, vesicular glutamate transporter 2 proteins, and c-fos. Our results suggest that enhancement in tonically active glutamatergic inputs to the RVLM contributes to neuropathic pain-induced high blood pressure.
Methodological issues using a comfort level device in human-robot interactions

This paper introduces a handheld comfort level device to measure subjects' comfort levels in human-robot interaction experiments. We discuss methodological issues of using the device in an exploratory HRI study where subjects were asked to use the device to indicate their subjective comfort level throughout the experiment. The recorded comfort data were time stamped for synchronization and analysis purposes in conjunction with the video footage to help identify certain situations in the HRI trials where subjects felt uncomfortable. In order to provide a proof-of-concept for the suitability of the handheld comfort level device for HRI studies we analyzed the data for seven selected subjects. These examples show that our method helped identifying robot behaviors that subjects felt uncomfortable with. We demonstrate that the device revealed certain uncomfortable states that are visually hidden. Limitations of the device and possible implications for future work conclude the paper.
HUBUNGAN ANTARA KUALITAS KOMUNIKASI ANAK DAN ORANG TUA DENGAN KEBIASAAN BELAJAR SISWA SMP N 13 SEMARANG TAHUN AJARAN 2011-2012

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi dari fenomena mengenai kebiasaan belajar siswa yang kurang baik, Masalah kebiasaan anak dalam belajar merupakan masalah yang patut diperhatikan oleh sekolah maupun orang tua. Kebiasaan belajar yang kurang baik tersebut diperkirakan karena masalah komunikasi anak atau siswa dengan orang tua yang kurang berkualitas. Pelaksanaan penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mencari dan mengetahui hubungan antara kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua dengan kebiasaan belajar siswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian Kuantitatif korelasional. Subjek pada penelitian ini berjumlah 72 siswa. Teknik sampling yang digunakan adalah proportional stratified random sampling. Kebiasaan belajar diukur dengan skala kebiasaan belajar. Skala kebiasaan belajar mempunyai koefisien reliabilitas sebesar 0,971. Skala kebiasaan belajar terdiri dari 66 aitem valid dengan rentang koefisien validitas dari 0,344 sampai dengan 0,852. Sedangkan kualitas komunikasi antara anak dengan orang tua diukur dengan menggunakan skala kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua. Skala kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua mempunyai koefisien reliabilitas sebesar 0,964. Skala kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua terdiri dari 45 aitem valid dengan rentang koefisien validitas dari 0,338 sampai dengan 0,771. Uji korelasi menggunakan teknik korelasi product moment yang dikerjakan menggunakan bantuan program SPSS 12.0 for windows. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan variabel kebiasaan belajar siswa tergolong tinggi. Demikian juga variabel kualitas komunikasi antara anak dengan orang tua juga tergolong tinggi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan antara kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua dengan kebiasaan belajar siswa. Korelasi kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua dengan kebiasaan belajar diperoleh koefisien r = 0,717 dengan signifikansi atau p = 0,000. Hal tersebut menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan yang signifikan antara kualitas komunikasi antara anak dan orang tua dengan kebiasaan belajar siswa SMP Negeri 13 Semarang.
Tomorrow’s EFL teacher educators

Teacher education programs are an important alternative to raise standards in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, there are few studies that have explored the roles of teacher educators in this setting. Three main research questions guided this study: What actions have teachers taken to attain their professional objectives as EFL teachers? What experience have they had in professional development programs? What are the characteristics of an ideal teacher education program? This paper reports the findings concentrating on the ideal characteristics of an EFL teacher educator analyzing the testimonies of teachers from public and private schools. The study used four focus groups sessions and a questionnaire as the main data collection techniques. The results suggest that issues such as knowledge of local realities, broad experience in teaching EFL, command of the language, and experience in research are identified as the most desirable characteristics of EFL teacher educators.
Evolutionary Development of Hierarchical Learning Structures

Hierarchical reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms can learn a policy faster than standard RL algorithms. However, the applicability of hierarchical RL algorithms is limited by the fact that the task decomposition has to be performed in advance by the human designer. We propose a Lamarckian evolutionary approach for automatic development of the learning structure in hierarchical RL. The proposed method combines the MAXQ hierarchical RL method and genetic programming (GP). In the MAXQ framework, a subtask can optimize the policy independently of its parent task's policy, which makes it possible to reuse learned policies of the subtasks. In the proposed method, the MAXQ method learns the policy based on the task hierarchies obtained by GP, while the GP explores the appropriate hierarchies using the result of the MAXQ method. To show the validity of the proposed method, we have performed simulation experiments for a foraging task in three different environmental settings. The results show strong interconnection between the obtained learning structures and the given task environments. The main conclusion of the experiments is that the GP can find a minimal strategy, i.e., a hierarchy that minimizes the number of primitive subtasks that can be executed for each type of situation. The experimental results for the most challenging environment also show that the policies of the subtasks can continue to improve, even after the structure of the hierarchy has been evolutionary stabilized, as an effect of Lamarckian mechanisms
A Machine-Learning Approach to Autonomous Music Composition

There exist several music composition systems that generate blues chord progressions, jazz improvisation, or classical pieces. Such systems often work by applying a set of rules explicitly provided to the system to determine what sequence of output values is appropriate. Others use pattern recognition and generation techniques such as Markov models. These systems often suffer from mediocre performance and limited generality. We propose a system that goes from raw musical data to feature vector representation to classification models. We employ sliding window sequential machine learning techniques to generate classifiers that correspond to a training set of musical data. Our approach has the advantages of greater generality than explicitly specified musical grammar rules and the potential to apply a wide variety of powerful existing nonsequential learning algorithms. We present the design and implementation of the composition system. We demonstrate the efficacy of the method, show and analyze successful samples of its output, and discuss ways in which it might be improved.