Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hard block reduction and synthesis improvements in Odin II

A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit that allows users to program product features and functions after manufacturing. Verilog-to-Routing (VTR) is an open source CAD tool for conducting FPGA architecture and CAD research and development. As one of the core tools of VTR, Odin II is responsible for Verilog elaboration and hard block synthesis. This project describes the improvements in Odin II on three aspects: for loop support, abstract syntax tree (AST) simplification and hard block reduction. This work allows elaboration of a for loop statement by modifying the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST). There are different alternatives to simplify an AST, and this paper demonstrates three ways: simplifying expressions with variables, reducing parameters with values and using shift operations to replace multiplications or divisions. For a circuit design, some hard blocks in the netlist have the same high-level function. This project further provides a method to reduce redundant hard blocks. Each implementation is tested with designed testing cases or sets of benchmarks, and the results of running them through Odin II and VTR are demonstrated.
Profit-maximizing virtual machine trading in a federation of selfish clouds

The emerging federated cloud paradigm advocates sharing of resources among cloud providers, to exploit temporal availability of resources and diversity of operational costs for job serving. While extensive studies exist on enabling interoperability across different cloud platforms, a fundamental question on cloud economics remains unanswered: When and how should a cloud trade VMs with others, such that its net profit is maximized over the long run? In order to answer this question by the federation, a number of important, correlated decisions, including job scheduling, server provisioning and resource pricing, need to be dynamically made, with long-term profit optimality being a goal. In this work, we design efficient algorithms for inter-cloud resource trading and scheduling in a federation of geo-distributed clouds. For VM trading among clouds, we apply a double auction-based mechanism that is strategy proof, individual rational, and ex-post budget balanced. Coupling with the auction mechanism is an efficient, dynamic resource trading and scheduling algorithm, which carefully decides the true valuations of VMs in the auction, optimally schedules stochastic job arrivals with different SLAs onto the VMs, and judiciously turns on and off servers based on the current electricity prices. Through rigorous analysis, we show that each individual cloud, by carrying out our dynamic algorithm, can achieve a time-averaged profit arbitrarily close to the offline optimum.
Identifying Children at Risk in Peer Relations: A Critique of the Rate-of-Interaction Approach to Assessment.

ASHER, STEVEN R. ; MARKELL, RICHARD A. ; and HYMEL, SHELLEY. Identifying Children at Risk in Peer Relations: A Critique of the Rate-of-Interaction Approach to Assessment. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1981, 52, 1239-1245. This paper critically evaluates a widely used method of identifying children as at risk in their peer relations. This method emphasizes children's total rate of peer interaction, regardless of the quality or skillfulness of the interaction. Children whose total rate is considerably below average for the group are referred to as socially withdrawn and efforts are then made to increase their total rate of interaction. The present paper evaluates this identification method, particularly in terms of the predictive and concurrent validity of the total-rate measure. Our conclusion is that validity evidence is lacking and that researchers are probably selecting children who do not differ in social skills or peer acceptance from those with higher interaction rates. Future efforts to identify children as at risk in peer relations should give greater attention to both the quality of children's interaction and to whether children are accepted by the peer group.
Computer- and Internet-Based Psychotherapy Interventions

Computers and Internet-based programs have great potential to make psychological assessment and treatment more cost-effective. Computer-assisted therapy appears to be as effective as face-to-face treatment for treating anxiety disorders and depression. Internet support groups also may be effective and have advantages over face-to-face therapy. However, research on this approach remains meager.
Stratégies RSE-BOP et Soin des Communautés Humaines. Concepts et Propositions Génériques

Parmi les nombreuses pratiques de strategies de responsabilite sociale, l’une requiert un engagement fort de l’entreprise sur le territoire, c’est-a-dire de ses competences, de sa gouvernance et de son management : la RSE-BOP (Martinet, Payaud, 2008a, 2008b, 2009). La RSE-BOP est inspiree de « La base de la pyramide » (« Bottom of the pyramid ») de Prahalad (2004) qui designe les 4 milliards d’individus disposant de moins de deux dollars par jour et qui suggere aux entreprises de reconsiderer ce faible pouvoir d’achat et de s’interesser a ces nouveaux consommateurs. L’article esquisse un cadre conceptuel destine au management strategique de projets d’entreprise s’inscrivant dans une telle perspective. Ainsi, il presente la RSE-BOP comme une forme avancee de la RSE et une voie pour l’aide au developpement des pays les plus pauvres, developpe les fondements theoriques du cadre conceptuel et les conditions de mise en oeuvre d’une RSE-BOP.
‘Boys Business’: an unusual northern Australian music program for boys in the middle years of schooling

The Northern Territory’s population commingles Anglo, European and Asian cultural communities. At over 25 percent, it also has Australia’s proportionately largest indigenous population. Consequently it presents an amazing proving ground for people-related research projects. One such project is ‘Boys Business’, involving middle years’ boys with learning in school and for life. What is unusual about the project is its use of music as the primary vehicle to inspire boys. The program operates in part from a belief that boys themselves are actually alright but that they seek affirmation in their engagement with an increasingly challenging world. Literacy may provide one such challenge, constraining many boys’ learning. The program addresses this, as it encourages acquisition of oral and emotional literacy through music making and related activities. So effective is ‘Boys Business’ in the ways it addresses these and other issues that it is now moving across state and national borders, introducing boys elsewhere to the joys of music making.
`That is my job'

Findings from two field studies support the proposition that the way individuals define their role, or their role orientation, is a powerful influence on their behaviour, resulting in more or less effective job performance. The first study showed that, within a relatively self-managing context, flexible role orientation predicted supervisory assessments of overall job performance, as well as a change in job performance. The second study showed flexible role orientation predicted job performance in high autonomy jobs but not low autonomy jobs. In both studies, role orientation predicted performance more strongly than other work attitudes, including job satisfaction, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and job aspiration. Collectively, the findings suggest that the development of a more flexible role orientation represents a relatively unexplored avenue for enhancing employee performance, particularly in self-managing contexts. As such, further research on the process of shaping and promoting employees' role orientation is recommended.
Political Protest Orientations among Black and White Adults.

The political protest activities of the late 1960s and early 1970s stimulated a flurry of empirical research by social scientists seeking explanations. Most of the research, aimed at explaining individuals' radical political orientations, willingness to use protest and perhaps violence, or actual riot or protest participation, has been guided by either a mass society perspective or some variant of the relative deprivation model. After outlining the basic elements of these two theories as well as an alternative differential socialization theory, central causal features of each theory are integrated into a structural equation model designed to explain individual political protest orientation, and the model (allowing for measurement error in the endogenous constructs) is estimated on separate samples of white and black adults. The results indicate strong race-specific differences in the formation of political orientations. Explanations for these differences are examined; the empirical patterns are interpreted as supporting a theory of differential political socialization.
Defective Lipid Delivery Modulates Glucose Tolerance and Metabolic Response to Diet in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice

OBJECTIVE—Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) regulates plasma lipid levels via modulation of lipolysis and serving as ligand for receptor-mediated clearance of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. This study tested the impact of modulating lipid delivery to tissues on insulin responsiveness and diet-induced obesity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—ApoE+/+ and apoE−/− mice were placed on high-fat–high-sucrose diabetogenic diet or control diet for 24 weeks. Plasma TG clearance, glucose tolerance, and tissue uptake of dietary fat and glucose were assessed. RESULTS—Plasma TG clearance and lipid uptake by adipose tissue were impaired, whereas glucose tolerance was improved in control diet–fed apoE−/− mice compared with apoE+/+ mice after an oral lipid load. Fat mass was reduced in apoE−/− mice compared with apoE+/+ mice under both dietary conditions. The apoE−/− mice exhibited lower body weight and insulin levels than apoE+/+ mice when fed the diabetogenic diet. Glucose tolerance and uptake by muscle and brown adipose tissue (BAT) was also improved in mice lacking apoE when fed the diabetogenic diet. Indirect calorimetry studies detected no difference in energy expenditure and respiratory quotient between apoE+/+ and apoE−/− mice on control diet. Energy expenditure and uncoupling protein-1 expression in BAT were slightly but not significantly increased in apoE−/− mice on diabetogenic diet. CONCLUSIONS—These results demonstrated that decreased lipid delivery to insulin-sensitive tissues improves insulin sensitivity and ameliorates diet-induced obesity.
HOW HIGH- AND LOW-CHALLENGE TASKS AFFECT MOTIVATION AND LEARNING: IMPLICATIONS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS

Elementary school students often complete four to six reading and writing assignments each day. Using findings from several of my studies, I describe how most reading and writing assignments, referred to as {\rm academic \ tasks} , do not require the demonstration of sophisticated cognitive, social, or self-regulation skills. As both a classroom teacher and researcher, I have questioned how teachers might design academic tasks that challenge students to read and write complex prose, share opinion with and offer feedback to classmates, and monitor their learning progress over extended time periods. This article describes an intervention study where teachers required students to demonstrate such abilities across the school year. The discussion focuses on how these new expectations influenced student motivation and learning and the implications of these findings for struggling readers and writers.
MINIMAL DISTANCE MARTINGALE MEASURES AND OPTIMAL PORTFOLIOS CONSISTENT WITH OBSERVED MARKET PRICES

Abstract In this paper we study derivative pricing under information on observed market prices of some derivatives. To this purpose we characterize minimal distance martingale measures under constraints on a finite number of random variables with respect to f -divergence distances in a general semimartingale setting. As a result a characterization of optimal portfolios of the underlyings and the given derivatives is obtained.
Microarray-Based Analysis of Cell-Cycle Gene Expression During Spermatogenesis in the Mouse1

Mammalian spermatogenesis is a continuum of cellular differentiation in a lineage that features three principal stages: 1) a mitotically active stage in spermatogonia, 2) a meiotic stage in spermatocytes, and 3) a postreplicative stage in spermatids. We used a microarray-based approach to identify changes in expression of cell-cycle genes that distinguish 1) mitotic type A spermatogonia from meiotic pachytene spermatocytes and 2) pachytene spermatocytes from postreplicative round spermatids. We detected expression of 550 genes related to cell-cycle function in one or more of these cell types. Although a majority of these genes were expressed during all three stages of spermatogenesis, we observed dramatic changes in levels of individual transcripts between mitotic spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes and between meiotic spermatocytes and postreplicative spermatids. Our results suggest that distinct cell-cycle gene regulatory networks or subnetworks are associated with each phase of the cell cycle in each spermatogenic cell type. In addition, we observed expression of different members of certain cell-cycle gene families in each of the three spermatogenic cell types investigated. Finally, we report expression of 221 cell-cycle genes that have not previously been annotated as part of the cell cycle network expressed during spermatogenesis, including eight novel genes that appear to be testis-specific.
Lipid Peroxidation: Production, Metabolism, and Signaling Mechanisms of Malondialdehyde and 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal

Lipid peroxidation can be described generally as a process under which oxidants such as free radicals attack lipids containing carbon-carbon double bond(s), especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Over the last four decades, an extensive body of literature regarding lipid peroxidation has shown its important role in cell biology and human health. Since the early 1970s, the total published research articles on the topic of lipid peroxidation was 98 (1970–1974) and has been increasing at almost 135-fold, by up to 13165 in last 4 years (2010–2013). New discoveries about the involvement in cellular physiology and pathology, as well as the control of lipid peroxidation, continue to emerge every day. Given the enormity of this field, this review focuses on biochemical concepts of lipid peroxidation, production, metabolism, and signaling mechanisms of two main omega-6 fatty acids lipid peroxidation products: malondialdehyde (MDA) and, in particular, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), summarizing not only its physiological and protective function as signaling molecule stimulating gene expression and cell survival, but also its cytotoxic role inhibiting gene expression and promoting cell death. Finally, overviews of in vivo mammalian model systems used to study the lipid peroxidation process, and common pathological processes linked to MDA and 4-HNE are shown.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews the Neural Mechanisms of Hallucinations: a Quantitative Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

Keywords: Hallucinations Auditory-verbal Visual ALE meta-analysis Reality monitoring a b s t r a c t Activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging data was used to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying auditory-verbal and visual hallucinations (AVHs and VHs). Consistent activation across studies during AVHs, but not VHs, in Wernicke's and Broca's areas is consistent with involvement of speech and language processes in the experience of hearing voices when none are present. Similarly, greater activity in auditory cortex during AVHs and in visual cortex during VHs supports models proposing over-stimulation of sensory cortices in the generation of these perceptual anomalies. Activation across studies in the medial temporal lobe highlights a role for memory intrusions in the provision of content for AVHs, whereas insula activation may relate to the involvement of awareness and self-representation. Finally, activation in the paracingulate region of medial prefrontal cortex during AVHs is consistent with models implicating reality monitoring impairment in the misattribution of self-generated information as externally perceived. In the light of the results, the need for unified theoretical frameworks that account for the full range of hallucinatory experiences is discussed.
A Fast Alignment-Free Approach for De Novo Detection of Protein Conserved Regions

Background Identifying conserved regions in protein sequences is a fundamental operation, occurring in numerous sequence-driven analysis pipelines. It is used as a way to decode domain-rich regions within proteins, to compute protein clusters, to annotate sequence function, and to compute evolutionary relationships among protein sequences. A number of approaches exist for identifying and characterizing protein families based on their domains, and because domains represent conserved portions of a protein sequence, the primary computation involved in protein family characterization is identification of such conserved regions. However, identifying conserved regions from large collections (millions) of protein sequences presents significant challenges. Methods In this paper we present a new, alignment-free method for detecting conserved regions in protein sequences called NADDA (No-Alignment Domain Detection Algorithm). Our method exploits the abundance of exact matching short subsequences (k-mers) to quickly detect conserved regions, and the power of machine learning is used to improve the prediction accuracy of detection. We present a parallel implementation of NADDA using the MapReduce framework and show that our method is highly scalable. Results We have compared NADDA with Pfam and InterPro databases. For known domains annotated by Pfam, accuracy is 83%, sensitivity 96%, and specificity 44%. For sequences with new domains not present in the training set an average accuracy of 63% is achieved when compared to Pfam. A boost in results in comparison with InterPro demonstrates the ability of NADDA to capture conserved regions beyond those present in Pfam. We have also compared NADDA with ADDA and MKDOM2, assuming Pfam as ground-truth. On average NADDA shows comparable accuracy, more balanced sensitivity and specificity, and being alignment-free, is significantly faster. Excluding the one-time cost of training, runtimes on a single processor were 49s, 10,566s, and 456s for NADDA, ADDA, and MKDOM2, respectively, for a data set comprised of approximately 2500 sequences.
Getting Rid of Troublemakers: High School Disciplinary Procedures and the Production of Dropouts

This paper examines the routine disciplinary procedures of an inner-city high school. The analysis shows that school policies and procedures encourage disciplinarians to use suspensions, transfers, and involuntary “drops” to “get rid of”students they deem “troublemakers. ” The indicators disciplinarians use to identify “troublemakers” are the same factors that, according to educational research, place students “at risk” of dropping out. Because a disproportionate number of urban black and Hispanic students come from circumstances that interfere with attendance and attention or produce behaviors school workers define as insubordinate or disobedient, routine disciplinary practices that exclude “troublemakers” may be a mechanism through which the school helps perpetuate racial and class stratification in the larger society.
An scl gene product lacking the transactivation domain induces bony abnormalities and cooperates with LMO1 to generate T‐cell malignancies in transgenic mice

The product of the scl (also called tal‐1 or TCL5) gene is a basic domain, helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor required for the development of hematopoietic cells. Additionally, scl gene disruption and dysregulation, by either chromosomal translocations or a site‐specific interstitial deletion whereby 5′ regulatory elements of the sil gene become juxtaposed to the body of the scl gene, is associated with T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and T‐cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Here we show that an inappropriately expressed scl protein, driven by sil regulatory elements, can cause aggressive T‐cell malignancies in collaboration with a misexpressed LMO1 protein, thus recapitulating the situation seen in a subset of human T–cell ALL. Moreover, we show that inappropriately expressed scl can interfere with the development of other tissues derived from mesoderm. Lastly, we show that an scl construct lacking the scl transactivation domain collaborates with misexpressed LMO1, demonstrating that the scl transactivation domain is dispensable for oncogenesis, and supporting the hypothesis that the scl gene product exerts its oncogenic action through a dominant‐negative mechanism.
Cyclic fatigue of nickel-titanium rotary instruments after clinical use with low- and high-torque endodontic motors.

This study investigated the cyclic fatigue resistance of used nickel-titanium rotary instruments, clinically operated by a traditional high-torque motor and a new low-torque electric motor. Fifty instruments (ProFile, Maillefer, Baillagues, Switzerland) for each of the following sizes were used: . 06-25, . 06-20, and . 04-25. They were divided into three groups: A = 10 new instruments (control), B = 20 used instruments operated by a high-torque motor, and C = 20 used instruments operated by a low-torque motor. Each instrument was used in 10 clinical cases (at least six molars). Cyclic fatigue testing of new and used instruments was performed with a device that allowed the instruments to rotate freely inside a stainless-steel artificial canal at 350 rpm. Data were recorded and statistically analyzed. Mean (and SD) numbers of rotation-to-breakage cycles for . 06-25, . 06-20, and . 04-25 instruments were, respectively: group A 463 (85), 535 (101), and 613 (105); group B 229 (64), 343 (92), and 233 (84); and group C 352 (77), 454 (89), and 466 (86). Results showed that group A instruments exhibited significantly higher values of rotation-to-breakage cycles (two-sample t test, p < 0.01), when compared with groups B and C, respectively. Statistically higher resistance to cyclic fatigue was noted for group C in all sizes compared with group B (two-sample t test, p < 0.01), showing that the use of endodontic motor with lower torque values reduced cyclic fatigue of nickel-titanium rotary instruments.
Prevalence and horizontal propagation of gonococcal infections among Nigerian children

The prevalence and mode of spread of gonococcal infections was studied among prepubertal children in Nigeria. Of 16 children with symptoms suggestive of sexually transmissible diseases (STD), 9 (56%) had gonorrhoea, while no causative organism was found in 7. The majority (7; 78%) of the gonococcal isolates produced penicillinase. Three of the cases were by child‐to‐child transmission, with female peers as the initiators. Prepubertal children should no longer be ignored as propagators of STD.
Neural network based approximate spectral clustering for remote sensing images

Contrary to the traditional clustering methods (often based on parametric models), a recently popular non-parametric method, spectral clustering (SC), employs eigendecomposition of pairwise similarities, and has been shown successful. Despite the advantages of spectral clustering, due to its computational and spatial complexity, its use in remote sensing applications is possible only through approximate spectral clustering (ASC), i.e. SC of the data representatives obtained by quantization or sampling. In this study, we show that, compared to other quantization methods, neural network (self-organizing map or neural gas) based quantization produces better quantization for ASC, to achieve high clustering accuracies.