Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
More is less: Improving the energy efficiency of data movement via opportunistic use of sparse codes

Data movement over long and highly capacitive interconnects is responsible for a large fraction of the energy consumed in nanometer ICs. DDRx, the most broadly adopted family of DRAM interfaces, contributes significantly to the overall system energy in a wide range of computer systems. To reduce the energy cost of data transfers, DDR4 adopts a pseudo open-drain IO circuit that consumes power only when transmitting or receiving a 0, which makes the IO energy proportional to the number of 0s transferred over the data bus. A data bus invert (DBI) coding technique is therefore supported by the DDR4 standard to encode each byte using a small number of 0s. Although sparse coding techniques that are more advanced than DBI can reduce the IO power further, the relatively high bandwidth overhead of these codes has heretofore prevented their application to the DDRx bus. This paper presents MiL (More is Less), a novel data communication framework built on top of DDR4, which exploits the data bus under-utilization caused by DRAM timing constraints to selectively apply sparse codes, thereby reducing the IO energy without compromising system performance. Evaluation results on a set of eleven parallel applications show that MiL can reduce the average IO interface energy by 49%, and the average DRAM system energy by 8% when added on top of a conventional DDR4 system, with less than 2% performance degradation on average.
Lysine metabolism across the hindquarters of sheep; effect of intake on transfers from plasma and red blood cells

Both plasma and red blood cells contain amino acids (AA), but the relative amount of AA transferred from each vascular compartment to the tissues remains unclear. For splanchnic tissues, the relative transfers between the plasma, the red blood cells and the tissues may vary with nutritional state, but whether the same situation pertains for other tissues is not known. The current study focused on the transfer of lysine from plasma and red blood cells across the hindquarters of sheep offered four levels of intakes (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.5×maintenance energy). This design, coupled with use of [U-13C]lysine as tracer, also allowed the effect of intake on protein kinetics to be examined. At all intakes, the concentration of lysine in the sheep’ red blood cells exceeded that in plasma by 50 % (P<0.001), while the distribution of labelled lysine between the plasma and the red blood cells was 0.71:0.29. Net lysine uptake by the hindquarters increased in a linear manner (P<0.001) with intake, with more than 90 % extracted from the plasma. Free lysine enrichments in plasma from the posterior vena cava were less than that from the artery (P<0.001), but those in red blood cells were not different between the artery and vein. The red blood cells thus play a minor role in the transfers to and from the hindquarter tissues, regardless of intake. Based on plasma transfers and the enrichment of lysine in arterial plasma, hindquarter protein synthesis increased linearly with intake (P<0.001). In contrast, protein breakdown was unaffected by intake. The contribution of hindquarter protein synthesis to whole-body lysine flux remained unchanged with intake (18–20 %).
List-coloring graphs without subdivisions and without immersions

A graph G contains a subdivision of H if G contains a subgraph which is isomorphic to a graph that can be obtained from H by subdividing some edges. A graph H is immersed in a graph G if the vertices of H are mapped to (distinct) vertices of G, and the edges of H are mapped to paths joining the corresponding pairs of vertices of G, in such a way that the paths are pairwise edge-disjoint. Although the well-known Kuratowski's theorem can be stated in terms of both a subdivision and a minor, we know that the notions of a subdivision and a minor do not seem to be similar. The notions of an immersion and a minor seem to be quite similar, and structural approach concerning graph minors has been extremely successful. In fact, Robertson and Seymour extended their proof of the famous Wanger's conjecture to prove that graphs are well-quasi-ordered by the immersion relation. We give additive approximation algorithms for list-coloring within 3.5(k + 1) of the list-chromatic number for graphs without Kk as a subdivision, and within 1.5(k − 1) of the list-chromatic number for graphs without Kk as an immersion. Clearly our results give rise to additive approximation algorithms for graph-coloring of graphs without Kk as a subdivision (in fact, we shall give an additive approximation algorithm within 2.5(k + 1) of the chromatic number) and Kk as an immersion, too. These are the first results in this direction (in fact, these are the first results concerning list-coloring graphs without fixed graph as a subdivision or as an immersion, except for the known upper bound results) and extend the result by Kawarabayashi, Demaine and Hajiaghayi (SODA'09) concerning the additive approximation algorithm for list-coloring graphs without Kk as a minor. We also discuss how our results are related to the famous Hajos' conjecture and Hadwiger's conjecture. We point out that it is Unique-Game hard to obtain an O(k/log2 k)-approximation algorithm for graph-coloring of graphs with maximum degree at most k − 2 [6], and hence it is also Unique-Game hard to obtain an O(k/log2 k)-approximation algorithm for graph-coloring of graphs without a Kk-subdivision or without a Kk-immersion. Therefore it really makes sense to consider an additive approximation algorithm for graph coloring of these family of graphs (which is in contrast to a 2-approximation algorithm for graph-coloring of H-minor-free graphs [13]).
Human induced pluripotent stem cells can reach complete terminal maturation: in vivo and in vitro evidence in the erythropoietic differentiation model

Background Human induced pluripotent stem cells offer perspectives for cell therapy and research models for diseases. We applied this approach to the normal and pathological erythroid differentiation model by establishing induced pluripotent stem cells from normal and homozygous sickle cell disease donors. Design and Methods We addressed the question as to whether these cells can reach complete erythroid terminal maturation notably with a complete switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin. Sickle cell disease induced pluripotent stem cells were differentiated in vitro into red blood cells and characterized for their terminal maturation in terms of hemoglobin content, oxygen transport capacity, deformability, sickling and adherence. Nucleated erythroblast populations generated from normal and pathological induced pluripotent stem cells were then injected into non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency mice to follow the in vivo hemoglobin maturation. Results We observed that in vitro erythroid differentiation results in predominance of fetal hemoglobin which rescues the functionality of red blood cells in the pathological model of sickle cell disease. We observed, in vivo, the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin after infusion of nucleated erythroid precursors derived from either normal or pathological induced pluripotent stem cells into mice. Conclusions These results demonstrate that human induced pluripotent stem cells: i) can achieve complete terminal erythroid maturation, in vitro in terms of nucleus expulsion and in vivo in terms of hemoglobin maturation; and ii) open the way to generation of functionally corrected red blood cells from sickle cell disease induced pluripotent stem cells, without any genetic modification or drug treatment.
Costs and Length of Stay for the Acute Care of Patients with Motor-Complete Spinal Cord Injury Following Cervical Trauma: The Impact of Early Transfer to Specialized Acute SCI Center

Objective Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) centers aim to optimize outcome following SCI. However, there is no timeframe to transfer patients from regional to SCI centers in order to promote cost-efficiency of acute care. Our objective was to compare costs and length of stay (LOS) following early and late transfer to the SCI center. Design A retrospective cohort study involving 116 individuals was conducted. Group 1 (n = 87) was managed in an SCI center promptly after the trauma, whereas group 2 (n = 29) was transferred to the SCI center only after surgery. Direct comparison and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between costs, LOS, and timing to transfer to the SCI center. Results Length of stay was significantly longer for group 2 (median, 93.0 days) as compared with group 1 (median, 40.0 days; P < 10−3), and average costs were also higher (median, Canadian $17,920.0 vs. $10,521.6; P = 0.004) for group 2, despite similar characteristics. Late transfer to the SCI center was the main predictive factor of longer LOS and increased costs. Conclusions Early admission to the SCI center was associated with shorter LOS and lower costs for patients sustaining tetraplegia. Early referral to an SCI center before surgery could lower the financial burden for the health care system. To Claim CME Credits Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry. org/JournalCME CME Objectives Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Determine the optimal timing for transfer of individuals with cervical traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in order to decrease acute care resource utilization; (2) Determine benefits of a complete perioperative management in a specialized SCI center; and (3) Identify factors that may influence resource utilization for acute care following motor-complete tetraplegia. Level Advanced Accreditation The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Modeling the seasonality of Anopheles gambiae s.s. biting rates in a South Benin sanitary zone.

BACKGROUND Efficient malaria vector control requires knowledge of spatio-temporal vector dynamics. We have classified village groups according to the biting rate profiles of both Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae, the major malaria vectors in these villages. METHODS Mosquitoes were captured by human bait in 28 South Benin villages during 2009. Both An. coluzzii and An. gambiae counts in each village were standardized to focus on changes in the vector biting rate over time. Latent class trajectory modeling, allowing for random intercept at the 'village' level, was adjusted to standardized values. RESULTS The villages could be classified into two groups with distinct vector biting rate profiles (continuous/transient). This classification helped creating a map of vector biting rates in the area. The biting rate profiles were found to be significantly correlated with mean rainfall, altitude, average number of larval sites, and average normalized difference vegetation index. CONCLUSIONS In highly malaria-prone regions, knowledge of vector biting rate profiles is important to improve vector control interventions. A similar methodology may be applied to study the biting rate profiles of other vector-borne infections.
cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Postsynaptic Localization Regulated by NMDA Receptor Activation through Translocation of an A-Kinase Anchoring Protein Scaffold Protein

NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation and long-term depression (LTD) involve changes in AMPA receptor activity and postsynaptic localization that are in part controlled by glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) subunit phosphorylation. The scaffolding molecule A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP)79/150 targets both the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and protein phosphatase 2B/calcineurin (PP2B/CaN) to AMPA receptors to regulate GluR1 phosphorylation. Here, we report that brief NMDA receptor activation leads to persistent redistribution of AKAP79/150 and PKA-RII, but not PP2B/CaN, from postsynaptic membranes to the cytoplasm in hippocampal slices. Similar to LTD, AKAP79/150 redistribution requires PP2B/CaN activation and is accompanied by GluR1 dephosphorylation and internalization. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer microscopy in hippocampal neurons, we demonstrate that PKA anchoring to AKAP79/150 is required for NMDA receptor regulation of PKA-RII localization and that movement of AKAP–PKA complexes underlies PKA redistribution. These findings suggest that LTD involves removal of AKAP79/150 and PKA from synapses in addition to activation of PP2B/CaN. Movement of AKAP79/150–PKA complexes from the synapse could further favor the actions of phosphatases in maintaining dephosphorylation of postsynaptic substrates, such as GluR1, that are important for LTD induction and expression. In addition, our observations demonstrate that AKAPs serve not solely as stationary anchors in cells but also as dynamic signaling components.
A multivariate empirical Bayes statistic for replicated microarray time course data

In this paper we derive a one-sample multivariate empirical Bayes statistic (the MB-statistic) to rank genes in the order of difierential expression from replicated microarray time course experiments . We do this by testing the null hypothesis that the expectation of a k-vector of a gene's expression levels is a multiple of 1k, the vector of k 1s. The importance of moderation in this context is explained. Together with the MB-statistic we have the one-sample e T 2 statistic, a variant of the one-sample Hotelling T 2 . Both the MB-statistic and e T 2 statistic can be used to rank genes in the order of evidence of nonconstancy, incorporating any correlation structure among time point samples and the replication. In a simulation study we show that the one-sample MB-statistic, e T 2 statistic, and moderated Hotelling T 2 statistic achieve the smallest number of false positives and false negatives, and all perform equally well. Several special and limiting cases of the MB-statistic are derived, and two-sample versions are described.
Hyperhomocysteinemia, DNA methylation and vascular disease

Abstract Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been established as a potent independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. We were the first to propose that hypomethylation is the key biochemical mechanism by which homocysteine (Hcy) inhibits endothelial cell (EC) growth. We reported that clinically relevant concentrations of Hcy (10–50 μmol/L) exerts highly selective inhibitory effects on cyclin A transcription and EC growth through a hypomethylation related mechanism, which blocks cell cycle progression and endothelium regeneration. Recently, we demonstrated that Hcy reduces DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) activity and demethylates cyclin A promoter leading to cyclin A chromatin remodeling. We found that adenovirus-transduced DNMT1 gene expression reverses the inhibitory effect of Hcy on cyclin A expression and EC growth inhibition. We hypothesize that DNA hypomethylation is a key biochemical mechanism responsible for Hcy-induced cyclin A suppression and growth inhibition in EC and contributes to CVD. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1660–6.
Plastid-LCGbase: a collection of evolutionarily conserved plastid-associated gene pairs

Plastids carry their own genetic material that encodes a variable set of genes that are limited in number but functionally important. Aside from orthology, the lineage-specific order and orientation of these genes are also relevant. Here, we develop a database, Plastid-LCGbase (http://lcgbase.big.ac.cn/plastid-LCGbase/), which focuses on organizational variability of plastid genes and genomes from diverse taxonomic groups. The current Plastid-LCGbase contains information from 470 plastid genomes and exhibits several unique features. First, through a genome-overview page generated from OrganellarGenomeDRAW, it displays general arrangement of all plastid genes (circular or linear). Second, it shows patterns and modes of all paired plastid genes and their physical distances across user-defined lineages, which are facilitated by a step-wise stratification of taxonomic groups. Third, it divides the paired genes into three categories (co-directionally-paired genes or CDPGs, convergently-paired genes or CPGs and divergently-paired genes or DPGs) and three patterns (separation, overlap and inclusion) and provides basic statistics for each species. Fourth, the gene pairing scheme is expandable, where neighboring genes can also be included in species-/lineage-specific comparisons. We hope that Plastid-LCGbase facilitates gene variation (insertion-deletion, translocation and rearrangement) and transcription-level studies of plastid genomes.
Mid-Long Term Load Forecasting using Multi-Model Artificial Neural Networks

Electrical load is a major input factor in a country's economic development. To support economic growth and meet future demands for electricity, Load forecasting has become a very important task for electrical power management and planning. Several techniques have been employed to accomplish this task. One of those that is mostly used is Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) method, which have seen the largest number of studies in the field. the load time series data are auto-correlated and are influenced by other variables, such as temperature and population, etc. Furthermore, a large data sample is needed to perform mid-long term forecasts. For the latter purpose and in order to overcome both the lack of data and the high complexity of adding exogenous variables, a multi-model method, based on neural networks, is proposed for the mid-long term load consumption forecasting. The proposed model decomposes, the initial time series into three components using the X12- ARIMA algorithm, and performs a forecast for each component using three Nonlinear Auto Regressive (NAR) neural networks, with a Feed Forward neural network combining the outputs of the NARs. The experiments that were conducted showed that the proposed model provided good performance even when using a small sample of available data when compared to benchmark models.
Real time image rotation using B-spline interpolation on FPGA's board

The aim of our work is to realize the implementation of a real-time image rotation on FPGA's board. The method we used is based on a B-spline interpolator. The integration capicity of FPGAs is relatively weak, so the difficulty in this problem is to determine the right coding of the rotation filter while keeping a good accuracy on filtering output. In this article, we remind a few definitions about B-spline functions and we present how we use B-spline interpolation for the image rotation problem. Then, we describe the way we calculate probability density function of the output error in order to determine the filter data coding.
Highly Damage-Tolerant Beam-Column Joints Through Use of High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cement Composites

The feasibility of using high-performance fiber-reinforced cement composites (HPFRCCs) as a means to eliminate the need for confinement (transverse) reinforcement and the associated construction problems in beam-column connections subjected to earthquake-induced loading is evaluated. The fiber cementitious material used in this study contained ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers in a 1.5% volume fraction, which represented the minimum value for which a tensile strain-hardening behavior was obtained from direct tension tests. Two large-scale subassemblies, consisting of beams framing into a column from two opposite sides, were tested under displacement reversals to evaluate the adequacy of the proposed connection design for use in zones of high seismicity. The two HPFRCC connections were subjected to peak shear stresses of 7.3 and 9.3 MPa, which corresponded to approximately 1.2 and 1.4 √f' c (MPa), respectively. Although the maximum beam shear stress corresponded to 0.2 √f' c (MPa), no special transverse reinforcement detailing was provided in the beam plastic hinge regions. Experimental results indicate that HPFRCC beam-column connections perform satisfactorily under large shear reversals with excellent damage tolerance. The test specimens sustained drifts as large as 5.0% with beam rotation capacities in the order of 0.04 rad. Only minor joint damage was observed at the end of the tests, indicating that the ACI joint shear stress limit of 5/4 √f' c (MPa) can be safely used in HPFRCC connections with no confinement reinforcement. Also, excellent bond between beam longitudinal bars and surrounding HPFRCC material was observed throughout the tests even though the connection design did not satisfy minimum anchorage length requirements specified in the ACI Building Code.
Cancer protection elicited by a single nucleotide polymorphism close to the adrenomedullin gene.

CONTEXT The risk of developing cancer is regulated by genetic variants, including polymorphisms. Characterizing such variants may help in developing protocols for personalized medicine. OBJECTIVE Adrenomedullin is a regulatory peptide involved in cancer promotion and progression. Carriers of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the proximity of the adrenomedullin gene have lower levels of circulating peptide. The aim of the present work was to investigate whether carriers of this SNP (rs4910118) are protected against cancer. DESIGN This was a retrospective study. DNA samples were obtained from the Carlos III DNA National Bank (University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain). SETTING Samples represent a variety of donors and patients from Spain. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS DNA from patients with breast cancer (n = 238), patients with lung cancer (n = 348), patients with cardiac insufficiency (n = 474), and healthy donors of advanced age (n = 500) was used. INTERVENTIONS All samples were genotyped using double-mismatch PCR, and confirmation was achieved by direct sequencing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The minor allele frequency was calculated in all groups. The Pearson χ(2) was used to compare SNP frequencies. RESULTS Of 1560 samples, 14 had the minor allele, with a minor allele frequency in healthy donors of 0.90%. Patients with cancer had a statistically significantly lower frequency than healthy donors (odds ratio = 0.216, 95% confidence interval = 0.048-0.967, P = .028). CONCLUSIONS Carriers of the minor allele have a 4.6-fold lower risk of developing cancer than homozygotes for the major allele. Knowledge of the rs4910118 genotype may be useful for stratifying patients in clinical trials and for designing prevention strategies.
An ETL optimization framework using partitioning and parallelization

Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) handles large amounts of data and manages workload through dataflows. ETL dataflows are widely regarded as complex and expensive operations in terms of time and system resources. In order to minimize the time and the resources required by ETL dataflows, this paper presents an optimization framework using partitioning and parallelization. The framework first partitions an ETL dataflow into multiple execution trees according to the characteristics of ETL constructs, then within an execution tree pipelined parallelism and shared cache are used to optimize the partitioned dataflow. Furthermore, multi-threading is used in component-based optimization. The experimental results show that the proposed framework can achieve 4.7 times faster than the ordinary ETL dataflows (without using the proposed partitioning and optimization methods), and is comparable to the similar ETL tools.