Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated extra pipeline analysis of applications mapped to Xilinx UltraScale+ FPGAs

This paper describes the methodology and algorithms behind extra pipeline analysis tools released in the Xilinx Vivado Design Suite version 2015.3. Extra pipelining is one of the most effective ways to improve performance of FPGA applications. Manual pipelining, however, often requires significant efforts from FPGA designers who need to explore various changes in the RTL and re-run the flow iteratively. The automatic pipelining approach described in this paper, in contrast, allows FPGA users to explore latency vs. performance trade-offs of their designs before investing time and effort into modifying RTL. We describe algorithms behind these tools which use simple cut heuristics to maximize performance improvement while minimizing additional latency and register overhead. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, we analyse a set of 93 commercial FPGA applications and IP blocks mapped to Xilinx UltraScale+ and UltraScale generations of FPGAs. The results show that extra pipelining can provide from 18% to 29% potential Fmax improvement on average. It also shows that the distribution of improvements is bimodal, with almost half of benchmark suite designs showing no improvement due to the presence of large loops. Finally, we demonstrate that highly-pipelined designs map well to UltraScale+ and UltraScale FPGA architectures. Our approach demonstrates 19% and 20% Fmax improvement potential for the UltraScale+ and UltraScale architectures respectively, with the majority of applications reaching their loop limit through pipelining.
Structural Analysis of Source Code Collected from Programming Contests

Programming contests such as the International Olympiad for Informatics (IOI) and the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) are effective for encouraging young and bright programmers. These contests require contestants to complete a few tasks (between three and nine) related to algorithmic problems within a limited time. For this study, we collected a set of 2,400 programming codes submitted to the KOI (Korea Olympiad for Informatics) in 2011 and 2012 as well as 2,300 programming codes submitted at the preliminary contest session for the ICPC in 2009, 2011, and 2012 at the East-Asia regional contest. Because submitted source codes were evaluated with blind test cases, we can define a criteria to separate the high- and low-scoring students in the order of their respective scores. The main objective of this paper is to reveal the relationship between the task's proposed features, its difficulty, the school grade (elementary, middle-, and high-school), and the score. We do so with the data-mining tool WEKA. The ultimate goal of this study is to predict the score of some particular code with static analysis. We propose a simple and straightforward complexity measure based on the block-tree structure. We considered the high scoring student group as a positive class and the low scoring student group as negative class. The performance of the data mining classifier named Naïve Bayes are evaluated based on 10-fold cross validation test. We decided that the meaningful classification for a harmonic mean of sensitivity and specificity is empirically larger than 0.6 empirically. Among the codes acquired through the KOI, we found a set of outlier codes that attempt to reply with the correct response to receive extra points. Among the codes acquired through the ICPC, we discovered that good collegiate programmers (i.e., Those with high score) attempt to keep their code more compact, both lexically and structurally. We used WEKA to analyze the code using code-features proposed in this study, and the results are detailed quantitatively.
A Novel Mechanism of Sequestering Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 by Glypican in Lipid Rafts, Allowing Skeletal Muscle Differentiation

ABSTRACT Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are critical modulators of growth factor activities. Skeletal muscle differentiation is strongly inhibited by fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2). We have shown that HSPGs present at the plasma membrane are expressed in myoblasts and are downregulated during muscle differentiation. An exception is glypican-1, which is present throughout the myogenic process. Myoblasts that do not express glypican-1 exhibit defective differentiation, with an increase in the receptor binding of FGF-2, concomitant with increased signaling. Glypican-1-deficient myoblasts show decreased expression of myogenin, the master gene that controls myogenesis, myosin, and the myoblast fusion index. Reversion of these defects was induced by expression of rat glypican-1. Glypican-1 is the only HSPG localized in lipid raft domains in myoblasts, resulting in the sequestration of FGF-2 away from FGF-2 receptors (FGFRs) located in nonraft domains. A chimeric glypican-1, containing syndecan-1 transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, is located in nonraft domains interacting with FGFR-IV- and enhanced FGF-2-dependent signaling. Thus, glypican-1 acts as a positive regulator of muscle differentiation by sequestering FGF-2 in lipid rafts and preventing its binding and dependent signaling.
Nitric Oxide and the Mechanism of Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Photorelaxation

Photorelaxation of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) was studied using segments of tail artery from normotensive rats (NTR) or spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Isolated vessels with intact endothelium were perfused with Krebs solution containing phenylephrine. Perfusion pressures were recorded while arteries were irradiated with either visible (VIS; λ= 514.5 nm) or long wavelength ultra‐violet (UVA; λ= 366 nm) light. VIS light produced a transient vasodilator response: a rapid decrease of pressure that recovered fully during the period (6 min) of illumination. An irradiated artery was refractory to a second period of illumination delivered immediately after the first, but its photosensitivity recovered slowly in the dark, a process called ‘repriming’. Photorelaxations generated by UVA light were qualitatively different and consisted of two components: a phasic (or p‐) component superimposed on a sustained (or s‐) component. The p‐component is similar to the VIS light‐induced response in that both exhibit refractoriness and repriming depends upon endothelium‐derived NO. In contrast, the s‐component persists throughout the period of illumination and does not show refractoriness. We conclude that VIS light‐induced photorelaxations and the p‐component of UVA light‐induced responses are mediated by the photochemical release of NO from a finite molecular ‘store’ that can be reconstituted afterwards in the dark. The s‐component of the UVA light‐induced response does not depend directly on endothelial NO and may result instead from a stimulatory effect of UVA light on soluble guanylate cyclase. NO‐dependent photorelaxation is impaired in vessels from SHR while the s‐component is enhanced.
Palmitate, but Not Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Induces the Expression of Interleukin-6 in Human Myotubes through Proteasome-dependent Activation of Nuclear Factor-κB*

Circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6), insulin, and free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations are associated with impaired insulin action in obese and type 2 diabetic individuals. However, a causal relationship between elevated plasma FFAs and IL-6 has not been shown. Because skeletal muscle represents a major target of impaired insulin action, we studied whether FFAs may affect IL-6 expression in human myotubes. We demonstrate that specifically saturated FFAs, e.g. palmitate (0.25 mm), induce IL-6 mRNA expression and protein secretion by a proteasome-dependent mechanism that leads to a rapid and chronic activation of nuclear factor-κB. Insulin, high glucose concentrations, or unsaturated FFAs did not activate IL-6 expression. In fact, the unsaturated FFA linoleate inhibited palmitate-induced IL-6 production. Because inhibition of palmitate metabolism by the acyl-CoA synthetase inhibitor triacsin C did not abolish IL-6 expression, it appears that the palmitate molecule per se exerts the observed effects. Furthermore, we show that in human myotubes, IL-6 activates the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in concentrations similar to hepatocytes. However, no inhibitory effect of IL-6 on insulin action, determined as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase association with insulin receptor substrate-1, Akt phosphorylation, and glycogen synthesis, was detected. We conclude that IL-6 expression may be modulated by the composition of circulating FFA, e.g. by diet, and that skeletal muscle cells could be target cells for IL-6.
Regulation and the management of risk in commercial gambling in Great Britain

The regulation of commercial gambling in Great Britain is the responsibility of the Gambling Commission, the regulatory agency created by the Gambling Act 2005. This article examines the risk model that it has developed in order to assess operator risks to the Act's licensing objectives. These are to prevent gambling from becoming a source of crime, to ensure that gambling is fair and open, and to protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The article discusses four factors that affect the implementation of this model: operator compliance, the regulatory environment, the regulatory toolkit and the Commission's approach to its regulatory responsibilities. Its regulatory ideology sits squarely within the neo-liberal mode of regulation that has been pursued in Great Britain since the 1980s. By reference to political and public disquiet concerning gaming machines, the article analyses the tensions between the state, the regulator, the gambling industry and its consumers to which this mode of regulation gives rise. The article examines the challenges that the Commission faces in seeking to adopt a regulatory stance that is defensible both in terms of the protection of the public and the demands of a liberal market economy.
Role-based design: A contemporary framework for innovation and creativity in instructional design

This is the first in a series of four articles presenting a new outlook on the process of instructional design. Along with offering an improvement to current practice, the goal is to stimulate discussion about the role of designers, and more importantly, about the nature of the process of instructional design. The authors present in this article a brief overview of current instructional design processes and an illustration of a contemporary framework for design created to foster innovation and creativity throughout the instructional design process
Standard Malay (Brunei)

Malay (Bahasa Melayu) is a member of the Malayic subgroup of the Austronesian language family. This subgroup includes languages like Gayo in Sumatra (Eades & Hajek 2006), Minangkabau in Sumatra, and Iban in Borneo, as well as many local dialects of Malay found in Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and eastern Indonesia (Adelaar 2005).
The Stability of a Stochastic CaMKII Switch: Dependence on the Number of Enzyme Molecules and Protein Turnover

Molecular switches have been implicated in the storage of information in biological systems. For small structures such as synapses, these switches are composed of only a few molecules and stochastic fluctuations are therefore of importance. Such fluctuations could potentially lead to spontaneous switch reset that would limit the lifetime of information storage. We have analyzed a model of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) switch implicated in long-term memory in the nervous system. The bistability of this switch arises from autocatalytic autophosphorylation of CaMKII, a reaction that is countered by a saturable phosphatase-1-mediated dephosphorylation. We sought to understand the factors that control switch stability and to determine the functional relationship between stability and the number of molecules involved. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that the lifetime of states of the switch increase exponentially with the number of CaMKII holoenzymes. Switch stability requires a balance between the kinase and phosphatase rates, and the kinase rate must remain high relative to the rate of protein turnover. Thus, a critical limit on switch stability is set by the observed turnover rate (one per 30 h on average). Our computational results show that, depending on the timescale of fluctuations in enzyme numbers, for a switch composed of about 15 CaMKII holoenzymes, the stable persistent activation can span from a few years to a human lifetime.
A Comparative Analysis of Secrecy Rates of Wireless Two-Way Relay Systems

This paper studies the information-theoretic secrecy rates of wireless two-way relay systems where two users wish to exchange information through a single relay with an eavesdropper observing all communications. We formulate and compare the achievable secrecy rates of the system that employs one of the three common relay protocols: conventional decode-and-forward (DF), DF with network coding (NC), and compute-and-forward (CF) based on physical-layer network coding (PNC). We show that CF based on PNC achieves the highest secrecy rate at high signal-to- noise ratio (SNR), while, interestingly, the other two protocols have mixed performance depending on the power allocation scheme and network topology. Our study offers insights into designing wireless two-way relay protocols from a secrecy perspective.
Altered nitric oxide system in patients with open-angle glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the ocular blood flow response to systemic nitric oxide synthase inhibition in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. METHODS In 12 patients with glaucoma and 12 age-matched control subjects, subfoveal choroidal blood flow, optic nerve head blood flow, ocular fundus pulsation amplitude, intraocular pressure, and systemic hemodynamic parameters were measured at baseline and after inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by intravenous administration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. RESULTS The increase in blood pressure in response to NG-monomethyl-L-arginine was comparable between the 2 study cohorts. In patients with glaucoma, the decrease of optic nerve head blood flow (P = .03) and fundus pulsation amplitude (P<.001) during nitric oxide synthase inhibition was significantly less pronounced than in healthy control subjects. A tendency toward a reduced response in choroidal blood flow was seen (P = .051 between groups) in patients with glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS This is the first in vivo study providing evidence for an altered ocular L-arginine/nitric oxide system in patients with glaucoma. Normalization of the ocular nitric oxide production may be beneficial in terms of normalization of ocular blood flow and neuroprotection of retinal ganglion cells.
Estrogen receptor is expressed in pig embryos during preimplantation development

Although estrogen is recognized as essential for embryonic development and maintenance of pregnancy, it remains unclear whether it has a direct role in the embryos themselves. The aim of this study was to investigate whether estrogen can have any effect in pig embryos during preimplantation development. Since the function of estrogen is mediated through its specific receptor, estrogen receptor (ER), the presence of ER mRNA and protein in pig embryos collected in vivo at different stages of preimplantation development was determined and compared. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, ER RNA was detected at the one‐cell, two‐cell, and four‐cell stages. The level became undetectable at the five‐ to eight‐cell stages and the morula stages and then reappeared again at the blastocyst stage. To determine whether the ER message observed in the embryos was translated into ER protein, immunocytochemical analysis was performed and the presence of ER protein was detected in oocytes at one‐cell and four‐cell stages. However, the amount of ER protein in porcine embryos at the blastocyst stage was still below the detection limit. The presence of ER mRNA at the blastocyst stages suggests that estrogen may start to act directly on pig embryos afterwards, and our results provide a basis for determining the direct role of estrogen in preimplantation pig embryos. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 55:83–88, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intentional action in folk psychology: An experimental investigation

Four experiments examined people's folk-psychological concept of intentional action. The chief question was whether or not evaluative considerations--considerations of good and bad, right and wrong, praise and blame--played any role in that concept. The results indicated that the moral qualities of a behavior strongly influence people's judgments as to whether or not that behavior should be considered "intentional. " After eliminating a number of alternative explanations, the author concludes that this effect is best explained by the hypothesis that evaluative considerations do play some role in people's concept of intentional action.
Performance Measurement Systems in SMEs: A Review for a Research Agenda

In recent years, literature has identified the increasing complexity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and highlighted their sensitivity to differences in managerial culture and management systems. Research has shown that performance measurement systems (PMSs) could play an important role in supporting managerial development in these companies. In this paper, the literature on performance measurement in manufacturing SMEs is reviewed and the diffusion, characteristics and determinants of performance measurement in SMEs are analysed. Shortcomings in the performance measurement systems are highlighted and the many factors that seem to constrain PMSs in manufacturing SMEs are defined, e.g. lack of financial and human resources, wrong perception of the benefits of PMS implementation, short-term strategic planning. Moreover, using dimensions defined according to the information found in the literature, two PMS models specifically developed for SMEs are compared with generic PMS models. The comparison points out an evolution in PMS models over time; in particular, the models developed in the last 20 years are more horizontal, process-oriented and focus on stakeholder needs. However, it is not clear whether these changes are due to the evolution of the generic models or an attempt to introduce models suited to the needs of SMEs. To clarify this matter and better to understand PMSs in SMEs, further theoretical and empirical studies are necessary. The main issues still requiring investigation are listed in a research agenda at the end of the paper.
Location and Key Success Factors of Special Economic Zone in Thailand

This paper proposes a selection of different types of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Thailand. Following this, the locations and key success factors of SEZs in Thailand are also provided. The first part of the paper presents all factors that are analytical or essential to the success of all types of SEZ in the world by re-examining all literature which can be found in most of the academic databases. All of those factors from the review then underwent the correlation test. The regression model with Ordinary Least Square method is created in this step. The result of the test indicated that there are eight factors which were found to be correlated to the success or survival of SEZs around the world. These eight factors are location advantage and macroeconomic of the country, industrial investment support, investment cost and value of trade, skill levels and availability of human resource, management and service, government policies, law and regulation, and stability and consistency of the government. Twenty-eight provinces from seventy-seven provinces across the country in Thailand were then selected because of two reasons, namely the government policy in promoting special economic area in Thailand and the consensus of experts from Delphi Technique. Lastly, all selected provinces are tested using the model provided in the mentioned steps. The results reveal that the most appropriate types of SEZ in Thailand are the Export Processing Zone, Specialized Zone, and Freeport Zone. The research indicates that Bangkok, Trat, Pathumthani, Chonburi, Phuket, Suratthani, Udonthani, and Srakaew are the eight provinces which have such perfect environments and factors that contribute to the success of SEZ in Thailand.
Life-Cycle Impacts of Forest Resource Activities in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast United States

Environmental impacts associated with the life-cycle of forest resource activities were assessed for the Southeastern U.S. and Pacific Northwest supply regions as a component of a broad analysis of life-cycle inventory data on wood products produced in these regions. The assessment included all of the inputs to establish a forest stand (seedlings, site preparation, and planting), to treat that stand through harvest maturity (thinning and fertilization) and to harvest the merchantable logs from the stand. To provide a region-wide representation under different management strategies, three forest management scenarios were structured for both the Southeastern U.S. and Pacific Northwest regions. Within each region, three combinations of management intensity and site productivity were allocated to acreages corresponding to the U.S. Forest Service RPA allocation and then merged into a single estimate of yield and the corresponding harvesting impacts. This allocation of acreage to management intensity/site productivity class provided a representative base case for each region. A more intensive management alternative was created for each region by reallocating acres to higher management intensity classes. Harvesting activities were segmented into five stages to allow development of all inputs and outputs: (1) felling, (2) processing (bucking, limbing, cutting to length), (3) secondary transportation (skidding and yarding), (4) loading, and (5) hauling to a process point. The costs and consumption rates of energy and materials for these activities drove the log outputs, emissions, and carbon pools. Logs are allocated to wood product facilities, the primary product of the analysis, or pulp and paper mills as a co-product from the forest. Non-merchantable slash is generally left on site and is disposed of
Double Blinding with a New Placebo Needle: A Validation Study on Participant Blinding

Background A no-touch control needle in which the needle tip cannot reach the skin has been designed, and has been validated for practitioner blinding in a previous study but not for participant blinding. Objective To test whether the no-touch control needle can effectively blind subjects. Methods An acupuncturist applied, in turn, a no-touch control, skin-touch placebo and penetrating needle in one forearm of 80 healthy subjects. After removing each needle, the subjects were asked to judge the type of needle and rate the sensation of skin penetration/penetration-like or skin pressure/pressure-like pain on a 100 mm visual analogue scale. Results The subjects correctly identified 67% of needles overall. 17 of the 80 no-touch control needles were judged as skin-touch, and one as penetrating. In addition, six skin-touch placebo needles, and no penetrating needles, were judged as no-touch. Half of the 80 skin-touch placebo needles and 65 of the 80 penetrating needles and two no-touch control needles elicited pain. Of 240 needles, the practitioner identified 120 correctly that did not fit the probability of 1/3 (χ2=30.00, p<0.01). Conclusions The no-touch control needles may be used as a blind control for the acupuncture procedure, or to test the physiological effect of the skin-touch needles, but are not suitable for double-blind testing of the needle effect.