Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed event-driven simulation of VHDL-SPICE mixed-signal circuits

Presents a new framework and its prototype implementation for the distributed simulation of a mixed-signal system where some parts are modeled by differential and algebraic equations (as in SPICE) and other parts are modeled by discrete events (as in VHDL or Verilog). The work is built on top of a general-purpose framework of parallel and distributed simulation that combines both conservative and optimistic synchronization methods to extract the maximum concurrency available in such mixed analog and digital systems. We demonstrate that the maximum speedup can be achieved with digital components using optimistic scheduling and with analog components using conservative scheduling. A technique to further increase the parallelism among simultaneous events without sacrificing the simulation accuracy is proposed, by using a coarser time grain for the internal step events of analog solvers. Experimental results demonstrate a 6.2/spl times/ speedup on eight processors for a circuit described in VHDL and SPICE. This paper details our implementation, including how to make the numerical integration used by analog electrical-level event-driven simulation and to synchronize it with digital behavioral and gate-level simulation, analog/digital conversions, and how to resolve the non-convergence arising from straightforward analog and digital simulator integration. This paper also shows that optimistic synchronization for distributed analog simulation is feasible and quite efficient for small-to-medium-size analog blocks.
Human - Computer interaction for smart environment applications using hand gestures and facial expressions

The paper discusses two body-language Human Computer Interaction (HCI) modalities, namely facial expressions and hand gestures, for healthcare and smart environment applications. This is an expanded version of a paper presented at the 3rd IEEE International Workshop on Medical Measurements and Applications, 9 10 May 2008, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Why Does the Neocortex Have Columns, A Theory of Learning the Structure of the World

Neocortical regions are organized into columns and layers. Connections between layers run mostly perpendicular to the surface suggesting a columnar functional organization. Some layers have long-range excitatory lateral connections suggesting interactions between columns. Similar patterns of connectivity exist in all regions but their exact role remain a mystery. In this paper, we propose a network model composed of columns and layers that performs robust object learning and recognition. Each column integrates its changing input over time to learn complete predictive models of observed objects. Excitatory lateral connections across columns allow the network to more rapidly infer objects based on the partial knowledge of adjacent columns. Because columns integrate input over time and space, the network learns models of complex objects that extend well beyond the receptive field of individual cells. Our network model introduces a new feature to cortical columns. We propose that a representation of location relative to the object being sensed is calculated within the sub-granular layers of each column. The location signal is provided as an input to the network, where it is combined with sensory data. Our model contains two layers and one or more columns. Simulations show that using Hebbian-like learning rules small single-column networks can learn to recognize hundreds of objects, with each object containing tens of features. Multi-column networks recognize objects with significantly fewer movements of the sensory receptors. Given the ubiquity of columnar and laminar connectivity patterns throughout the neocortex, we propose that columns and regions have more powerful recognition and modeling capabilities than previously assumed.
Joining microelectronics and microionics: Nerve cells and brain tissue on semiconductor chips

The direct electrical interfacing of semiconductor chips with individual nerve cells and with brain tissue is considered. At first, the structure of the cell-chip contact is described and then the electrical coupling is characterized between ion channels, the electrical elements of nerve cells, and transistors and capacitors of silicon chips. On that basis the signal transmission between microelectronics and microionics is implemented in both directions. Simple hybrid neuroelectronic systems are assembled with neuron pairs and with small neuronal networks. Finally, the interfacing with capacitors and transistors is extended to brain tissue on silicon. The application of CMOS chips with capacitively coupled recording and stimulation sites allows an imaging of neuronal activity with high spatiotemporal resolution. Goal of the work in an integration of neuronal network dynamics and digital electronics on a microscopic level for applications in brain research, medical prosthetics and information technology.
Fusions of Description Logics and Abstract Description Systems

Fusions are a simple way of combining logics. For normal modal logics, fusions have been investigated in detail. In particular, it is known that, under certain conditions, decidability transfers from the component logics to their fusion. Though description logics are closely related to modal logics, they are not necessarily normal. In addition, ABox reasoning in description logics is not covered by the results from modal logics. In this paper, we extend the decidability transfer results from normal modal logics to a large class of description logics. To cover different description logics in a uniform way, we introduce abstract description systems, which can be seen as a common generalization of description and modal logics, and show the transfer results in this general setting.
Metabolomic approaches reveal that cell wall modifications play a major role in ethylene-mediated resistance against Botrytis cinerea.

In Arabidopsis, resistance to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea is conferred by ethylene via poorly understood mechanisms. Metabolomic approaches compared the responses of the wild-type, the ethylene-insensitive mutant etr1-1, which showed increased susceptibility, and the constitutively active ethylene mutants ctr1-1 and eto2 both exhibited decreased susceptibility to B. cinerea. Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy demonstrated reproducible biochemical differences between treatments and genotypes. To identify discriminatory mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) associated with resistance, discriminant function analysis was employed on spectra derived from direct injection electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry on the derived principal components of these data. Ethylene-modulated m/z were mapped onto Arabidopsis biochemical pathways and many were associated with hydroxycinnamate and monolignol biosynthesis, both linked to cell wall modification. A high-resolution linear triple quadrupole-Orbitrap hybrid system confirmed the identity of key metabolites in these pathways. The contribution of these pathways to defence against B. cinerea was validated through the use of multiple Arabidopsis mutants. The FT-IR microspectroscopy indicated that spatial accumulation of hydroxycinnamates and monolignols at the cell wall to confine disease was linked ot ethylene. These data demonstrate the power of metabolomic approaches in elucidating novel biological phenomena, especially when coupled to validation steps exploiting relevant mutant genotypes.
Relationship between Repetitions and Selected percentages of One Repetition Maximum: A Comparison between Untrained and Trained Males and Females

Ninety-one subjects were tested to determine the number of repetitions they could perform at 40, 60, and 80 percent of one repetition maximum (percent 1 RM) for each of seven specified weight training lifts. Thirty-eight subjects from a previous study (18) were also included in the data analysis. The subjects represented four categories: untrained males (n = 38), untrained females (n = 40), trained males (n = 25) and trained females (n = 26). The results indicated that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the number of repetitions that males and females can perform at the selected percent 1 RM among the seven weight training lifts, as well as in the number of repetitions performed at these percentages across lifts. When comparing untrained and trained males, a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found in the number of repetitions performed at all selected percent 1 RM for the arm curl, knee extension and sit-ups. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were also found at 60 percent 1 RM for the leg curl and at 60 and 80 percent 1 RM for the lateral pulldown. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found for any percent 1 RM for the bench press and the leg press. When comparing untrained and trained females, a significant difference in performance (p < 0.05) was found among all seven lifts at 40 percent 1 RM. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found at 60 percent 1 RM for the knee extension, bench press, sit-ups, leg curl and leg press; and at 80 percent 1 RM for the bench press, sit-ups and leg press. The findings of this study indicate that a given percent of 1 RM will not always elicit the same number of repetitions when performing dafferent lifts.
From reversible logic to quantum circuits: Logic design for an emerging technology

Quantum computing has been attracting increasing attention in recent years because of the rapid advancements that have been made in quantum algorithms and quantum system design. Quantum algorithms are implemented with the help of quantum circuits. These circuits are inherently reversible in nature and often contain a sizeable Boolean part that needs to be synthesized. The logic design of such quantum circuits constitutes a non-trivial task and, hence, have heavily been investigated by researchers in the recent past. This paper provides a brief overview of these research. We review the major steps to be conducted in the logic design of quantum circuits and provide a sketch for each single step. These descriptions are enriched with discussions as well as references to the respective related work.
Useful and convenient procedure for intermittent vascular occlusion in laparoscopic hepatectomy

While the amount of blood loss during laparoscopic hepatectomy tends to be smaller than that during open hepatectomy, intermittent vascular occlusion to control hepatic inflow can diminish blood loss during laparoscopic hepatectomy. Described herein is a useful and convenient method for intermittent vascular occlusion, which was standardized for laparoscopic hepatectomy.
hvbench: An open and scalable SDN network hypervisor benchmark

Software-defined networking (SDN) introduces a split between the forwarding plane and the control plane of modern network equipment. Furthermore, OpenFlow, as an open interface for SDN, fosters the development of logically centralized network operation systems (NOS). To allow multiple network operation systems accessing the same network, there is the concept of SDN hypervisors. Little is known about the performance characteristics of SDN hypervisors. Furthermore, there is a lack of scalable and realistic hypervisor benchmark tools capable of emulating dynamic load scenarios. In this paper, we present an extensible and distributed SDN hypervisor benchmarking framework based on flexible statistical request generators. The framework can be scaled out horizontally to multiple compute nodes that are centrally controlled and reconfigured at runtime. We present preliminary measurements of the CPU resource consumption of a hypervisor in a virtual environment. The results show that the performance characteristics of the hypervisor are different for dynamic load scenarios compared to static benchmarks. Furthermore, the results show that for the same overall request rate, multiple NOS increase the CPU load considerable compared to a single NOS.
A Configurable Parallel Hardware Architecture for Efficient Integral Histogram Image Computing

Integral histogram image can accelerate the computing process of feature algorithm in computer vision, but exhibits high computation complexity and inefficient memory access. In this paper, we propose a configurable parallel architecture to improve the computing efficiency of integral histogram. Based on the configurable design in the architecture, multiple integral objects for integral histogram image, such as image intensity, image gradient, and local binary pattern, are well supported. Meanwhile, by means of the proposed strip-based memory partitioning mechanism, this architecture processes the integral histogram quickly with maximal parallelism in a pipeline manner. Besides, in this architecture, the proposed data correlation memory compression mechanism effectively solves the expansion problem of integral histogram memory caused by storing the histogram data. It fully reduces the data redundancy in the integral histograms, and saves a lot of memory resources. Experiments using Cyclone IV-based field-programmable gate array platform and 65-nm technology-based postsynthesis show that our architecture improves the average computing speed by 8.6 times with high power efficiency compared with the state-of-the-art works.
The practicality of the keyword search using PIR

Nowadays, there are more and more use of storage-provider through the Internet, such as Google and Hotmail e-mail accounts, which are convenient to store and transfer electronic files and medias. Though the storage-provider offers users the capability to collect, retrieve and search on the emails, however, there is no protection of the users' privacy. For example, it is unknown how to prevent some honest-but-curious storage-provider from learning the private information of the user, such as, searching criterion and access pattern, etc. In CRYPTO'07, Boneh et al. put forward a privacy-preserving solution to solve this open problem, under the public key infrastructure. They made use of PIR (private information retrieval) and several other techniques, which are theoretically interesting and likely to be the best approach in the underlying setting. In this paper, we investigate the practicality of the proposed scheme by Boneh et al. Surprisingly, our evaluation result shows that their proposal seems unlikely to be implementable with the latest technology, due to a large amount of computational cost involved. Note that it is the first time to analyze and examine the practicality of this public key encryption based keyword search protocol using PIR.
Empa talk: a physiological data incorporated human-computer interactions

We present a novel approach that allows the user to feel the other's emotional status while communicating with each other in a video chat. The video chat is composed of physiological sensors and multimodal displays. In our first prototype, we employed a Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensor and a Blood Volume Pulse (BVP) sensor as they were crucial indications to human emotions. A vibrotactile motor and a RGB LED were also used in order to convey and display the other's emotion on one's wrist. Along with the hardware part, we implemented intuitive software for processing, transmitting, and displaying bio feedback data.
Neutrophils trigger a NF-κB dependent polarization of tumor-supportive stromal cells in germinal center B-cell lymphomas

Both tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) display specific phenotypic and functional features and contribute to tumor cell niche. However, their bidirectional crosstalk has been poorly studied, in particular in the context of hematological malignancies. Follicular lymphomas (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are two germinal center-derived lymphomas where various cell components of infiltrating microenvironment, including TAN and CAFs, have been demonstrated to favor directly and indirectly malignant B-cell survival, growth, and drug resistance. We show here that, besides a direct and contact-dependent supportive effect of neutrophils on DLBCL B-cell survival, mediated through the BAFF/APRIL pathway, neutrophils and stromal cells cooperate to sustain FL B-cell growth. This cooperation relies on an overexpression of IL-8 by lymphoma-infiltrating stromal cells that could thereafter efficiently promote neutrophil survival and prime them to neutrophil extracellular trap. Conversely, neutrophils are able to activate stromal cells in a NF-κB-dependent manner, inducing their commitment towards an inflammatory lymphoid stroma phenotype associated with an increased capacity to trigger malignant B-cell survival, and to recruit additional monocytes and neutrophils through the release of CCL2 and IL-8, respectively. Altogether, a better understanding of the lymphoma-supporting effects of neutrophils could be helpful to design new anti-tumor therapeutic strategies.
Considerations for information environments and the NaviQue workspace

This paper presents design considerations for the construction of advanccd information environments, and a prototype interlace that attempts to respond to them. The design considerations came from task analyses of information gathering activities, from changes in the global information environment, and from advances in humancomputer interaction. These led to a number of desired design properties that are guiding our prototyping efforts, including the system, NaviQue, detailed here. It is a visually rich environment for information gathering and organizing, based on a navigable, fractal structure of information, ubiquitous queriability, lightweight interaction with ad hoc sets, and information visualization. The resulting interaction paradigm smoothly integrates more than a half dozen synergies between querying, navigation and organization.
Nest depth may not compensate for sex ratio skews caused by climate change in turtles

Maternal ability to match nest characteristics with environmental conditions can influence offspring survival and quality, and may provide a mechanism by which animals can keep pace with climate change. In species with temperature‐dependent sex determination that construct subterranean nests, the depth of the nest may affect incubation temperatures, and thus offspring sex ratio. Maternal adjustment of nest depth may be a mechanism by which climate change‐induced sex ratio skews could be prevented in globally imperiled taxa such as turtles. We experimentally manipulated nest depth within a biologically relevant range in nests of the model turtle species Chrysemys picta. We then quantified the effects of nest depth on incubation regime, offspring sex ratio and offspring performance. We found no effect of nest depth on six parameters of incubation regime, nor on resultant offspring survival, size or sex ratio. However, deeper nests produced hatchlings that weighed less, and were faster at righting themselves and swimming, than hatchlings from shallower nests. We suggest that cues used by females in adjusting nest depth are unreliable as predictors of future incubation conditions, and the adjustment in nest depth required to affect sex ratio in this species may be too great to keep pace with climate change. Therefore, maternal adjustment of nest depth seems unlikely to compensate for climate change‐induced sex ratio skews in small‐bodied, freshwater turtles.
Pheromone Signaling Pathways in Yeast

The actions of many extracellular stimuli are elicited by complexes of cell surface receptors, heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding proteins (G proteins), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) complexes. Analysis of haploid yeast cells and their response to peptide mating pheromones has produced important advances in the understanding of G protein and MAPK signaling mechanisms. Many of the components, their interrelationships, and their regulators were first identified in yeast. Examples include definitive demonstration of a positive signaling role for G protein βγ subunits, the discovery of a three-tiered structure of the MAPK module, development of the concept of a kinase-scaffold protein, and the discovery of the first regulator of G protein signaling protein. New and powerful genomic, proteomic, and computational approaches available in yeast are beginning to uncover new pathway components and interactions and have revealed their presence in unexpected locations within the cell. This updated Connections Map in the Database of Cell Signaling includes several major revisions to this prototypical signal response pathway.
Technology, Culture, and Adaptive Minds: An Introduction

This special issue, inspired by the spirit of Jan Hawkins, focuses on ways that our knowledge of technology, culture, and adaptive minds can be brought together to create new opportunities for learning and personal growth. Jan cared deeply about these issues and explored them in her own work and in her travels throughout the world. She was one of the first to call our attention to the social and equity issues around the design and uses of technologies (Spiro & Collins, 1999). Her research style included helping people from different disciplines connect with one another personally and electronically to solve common problems. The special issue will follow her lead by exploring in detail issues such as what roles technology plays in human learning and cultural change, how diverse cultural contexts interact with a new technology to produce varied outcomes, and ways in which human minds adapt themselves to technology as well as adapt technology to them. The four articles in this special issue represent new research efforts that explore how cultures can influence and learn from one another through the technological artifacts they exchange and sometimes co-develop. The technological artifacts involved in these studies range from physical houses and procedures for building them to computer software and 3–D virtual worlds. We view these artifacts as closely associated with particular cultural practices, not as material and symbolic entities separate from their cultural contexts. As such, exchanging and co-constructing technological artifacts often implies exchanging and co-constructing a particular set of cultural values and practices (Lin, 2001). When these values contrast with another, such exchange may make invisiMIND, CULTURE, AND ACTIVITY, 10(1), 3–8 Copyright © 2003, Regents of the University of California on behalf of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition
A speech coder based on decomposition of characteristic waveforms

For low-rate speech coding it is advantageous to represent the speech signal as an evolving characteristic waveform (CW). The CW evolves slowly when the speech signal is clearly voiced and rapidly when the speech signal is clearly unvoiced. The voiced (periodic) and unvoiced (nonperiodic) components of the speech signal can be separated by a simple nonadaptive filter in the CW domain. Because of perceptual effects, a significant increase in coding efficiency is obtained by coding these two components separately. A 2.4 kb/s coder using these principles was developed. In an independent evaluation, the performance of the 2.4 kb/s waveform interpolation (WI) coder was found to be at least equivalent to the 4.8 kb/s FS1016 standard for all of the many tests.