Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring HPC Parallelism with Data-Driven Multithreating

The switch to Multi-core systems has ended the reliance on the single processor for increase in performance and moved into Parallelism. However, the exponential growth in performance of the single processor in the 80's and 90's had overshadowed the drive for efficient Parallelism and relegate it into a niche research area, mostly for High Performance Computing (HPC). Parallelism now is in the forefront and holds the burden for utilising the extra resources of Moore's law to maintain the exponential growth of the computing systems. In the drive to utilise parallel models of computation, Data-Flow models have recently been "re-visited" for exploiting parallelism in the multi and many core systems. Data-Driven Multithreading (DDM) is one such model which is based on Dynamic Data- Flow principles, that can expose the maximum parallelism of an application. DDM schedules Threads based on Data availability driven by a producer consumer graph. DDM enforces single assignments semantics on the data passed from producer to consumer. In this paper we present a preliminary evaluation of whether DDM can be viable candidate for HPC. We study the scalability of a small subset of the LINPACK benchmark using the Data-Driven Multithreading for a system with a 48 cores. We implement three test case operations: Matrix Multiplication, LU and Cholesky decompositions and use them to test their scalability and performance. We use optimized linear algebra kernel operation for the basic operations performed in the threads. We compare our DDM implementations against PLASMA, a state-of-the art linear algebra library for HPC computing, and show that applications using the DDM model can scale efficiently and observe a performance improvement of up to 2×.
Handling audio and video streams in a distributed environment

Handling audio and video in a digital environment requires timely delivery of data. This paper describes the principles adopted in the design of the Pandora networked multi-media system. They attempt to give the user the best possible service while dealing with error and overload conditions.Pandora uses a sub-system to handle the multi-media peripherals. It uses transputers and associated Occam code to implement the time critical functions. Stream implementation is based on self-contained segments of data containing information for delivery, synchronisation and error recovery. Decoupling buffers are used to allow concurrent operation of multiple processing elements. Clawback buffers are used to resynchronise streams at their destinations with minimum latency.The system has proved robust in normal use, under overload, and in the presence of errors. It has been in use for a number of years.The principles involved in this design are now being used in the development of two complementary systems. One approach explodes Pandora by having the camera, microphone, speaker and display as independent units linked only by the LAN. The other approach integrates these devices as peripheral cards in a powerful workstation.
Venous pressure. Its physiology and pathology in haemorrhage, shock, and transfusion

and Altemeier (1961) observed a case, occurring 6 days 7 days after operation. The air escaped apparently at after radical hysterectomy, in which air entered along the site of the anastomosis through a ‘secondary’ Penrose drainage tubes inserted in the vagina. opening, rather than a ‘primary’ one caused by Tension pneumoperitoneum can occur spontanedefective suturing. ously and is an occasional complication of acute Laparotomy and drainage should be performed ulcerative colitis (Brooke, 1959). When the tension promptly. Abdominal paracentesis may allow faeces BRIT. J. SURG. , 1964, Vol. 51, No. 4, APRIL
Multiple curvature based approach to human upper body parts detection with connected ellipse model fine-tuning

In this paper, we discuss an effective method for detecting human upper body parts from a 2D image silhouette using curvature analysis and ellipse fitting. First we smooth the silhouette so that we can determine just the global features: the head, hands and armpits. Next we reduce the smoothing to detect the local features of the neck and elbows. We model the human upper body by multiple connected ellipses. Thus we segment the body by the extracted features. Ellipses are fitted to each segment. Lastly, we apply a non-linear least square method to minimize the differences between the connected ellipse model and the edge of the silhouette.
The impact of individual differences on human information acquisition behavior to enhance gaze-based wheelchair control

Especially for severely disabled people, a powered wheelchair is an important means to participate in societal life. To optimally support people in need without putting an additional burden on them, methods have been developed to enable controlling an electrically powered wheelchair on the basis of the user's natural gaze behavior. While existing approaches consider psychological/physiological research results, they do not take differences in the cognitive and motor abilities of the wheelchair users into consideration. However, according to the study at hand, which analyzed the gaze behavior of 10 wheelchair users when acting in an environment with a varying degree of familiarity, these individual differences are important when interpreting the gaze behavior for enhanced wheelchair control. Implications for a natural gaze-based assistance system for electrically powered wheelchairs are provided.
Distributed Systems Meet Economics: Pricing in the Cloud

Cloud computing allows users to perform computation in a public cloud with a pricing scheme typically based on incurred resource consumption. While cloud computing is often considered as merely a new application for classic distributed systems, we argue that, by decoupling users from cloud providers with a pricing scheme as the bridge, cloud computing has fundamentally changed the landscape of system design and optimization. Our preliminary studies on Amazon EC2 cloud service and on a local cloud computing testbed, have revealed an interesting interplay between distributed systems and economics related to pricing. We believe that this new angle of looking at distributed systems potentially fosters new insights into cloud computing.
13.2: Effects of Sealing Conditions and CaO Contents on Aging Behavior of AC‐PDP with (Mg, Ca)O Protective Layer

In order to reduce formation of hydroxides and carbonates on (Mg, Ca)O protective layer, panels with various CaO contents in protective layer were sealed at lower temperatures and evacuated at elevated temperatures. This processing scheme decreased the aging time of the panels significantly, enabling practical application of the protective layer.
Evaluation of Moisture Damage Mechanisms and Effects of Hydrated Lime in Asphalt Mixtures through Measurements of Mixture Component Properties and Performance Testing

This study presents an approach to help understand moisture damage mechanisms and to evaluate the effects of hydrated lime as moisture damage resisting agents. To this end, various performance testing of hot mix asphalt (HMA) samples induced by moisture damage and several fundamental property measurements (stiffness, strength, toughness, and bonding energy) of mixture components were conducted. Testing data and analyses demonstrated that hydrated lime contributed to moisture damage resistance due to synergistic effects of mastic stiffening, toughening, and advanced bonding characteristics at mastic-aggregate interfaces. However, a well-controlled lime treatment is required to maximize distribution and dispersion of lime particles on aggregate surfaces. In addition to the clear effects of hydrated lime, mineral filler in the HMA samples showed its effects on damage resistance in an early stage of moisture damage due to substantial stiffening-toughening effects from filler addition. Properties and damage characteristics of mixture components measured in this study were related to macroscopic performance behavior of asphalt concrete samples, which infers that the approach herein based on the mixture components can be effectively used to evaluate (or predict) moisture damage of asphalt mixtures and pavements with much less effort.
Efficient c-planarity testing algebraically

We generalize the strong Hanani--Tutte theorem to clustered graphs with two disjoint clusters, and show that an extension of our result to flat clustered graphs with three disjoint clusters is not possible. Moreover, show a variant of Hanani--Tutte theorem for c-connected clustered graphs. We also give a new and short proof for a result by Di Battista and Frati about efficient c-planarity testing of an embedded flat clustered graph with small faces. Our proof is based on the matroid intersection algorithm.
JigsawMap: connecting the past to the future by mapping historical textual cadasters

In this paper, we present an interactive visualization tool, JigsawMap, for visualizing and mapping historical textual cadasters. A cadaster is an official register that records land properties (e.g., location, ownership, value and size) for land valuation and taxation. Such mapping of old and new cadasters can help historians understand the social/economic background of changes in land uses or ownership. With JigsawMap, historians can continue mapping older or newer cadasters. In this way, JigsawMap can connect the past land survey results to today and to the future. We conducted usability studies and long term case studies to evaluate JigsawMap, and received positive responses. As well as summarizing the evaluation results, we also present design guidelines for participatory design projects with historians.
Regional Differences in Pathogen Prevalence and Defensive Reactions to the “Swine Flu” Outbreak among East Asians and Westerners

Research has found that contagion-minimizing behavioral tendencies are amplified in pathogen-prevalent regions. We investigated whether reactions to the “swine flu” outbreak of 2009 were stronger among East Asians than Westerners, populations residing in regions that now enjoy comparable advances in healthcare but that are characterized by relatively high and low historical pathogen prevalence, respectively. In a survey, East Asians reported greater concerns about infection, especially from foreigners. Analyses of international air travel data around the time of the outbreak provided corroborating evidence: Immediately following the outbreak, airports in the Asia-Pacific region lost more international traffic relative to their Western counterparts, and East Asian airlines reported greater declines in international traffic compared to Western airlines. These differences are unlikely to reflect objective threat posed by swine flu (whose casualties were concentrated in the Americas); rather, they appear to reflect culturally adapted behavioral patterns forged and sustained by regionally variable levels of pathogen prevalence.
Superior Survival and Proliferation after Transplantation of Myoblasts Obtained from Adult Mice Compared with Neonatal Mice

Background. Myoblast transfer therapy (MTT) is a strategy designed to compensate for the defective gene in myopathies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Experimental MTT in the mdx mouse (an animal model of DMD) has used donor myoblasts derived from mice of various ages; however, to date, there has been no direct quantitative comparison between the efficacy of MTT using myoblasts isolated from adult and neonate donor muscle. Methods. Donor normal male myoblasts were injected into Tibialis Anterior muscles of dystrophic female host mice and the survival and proliferation of male myoblasts quantitated using Y-chromosome specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The survival of late preplate (PP6) myoblasts derived from neonatal (3–5 days old) or adult (6–8 weeks old) donor mice after MTT were compared. The influence of the number of tissue culture passages, on survival post-MTT, was also evaluated for both types of myoblasts. Results. Surprisingly, superior transplantation efficiency was observed for adult-derived compared with neonatal myoblasts (both early and late passage). Extended expansion (>17 passages) in tissue culture resulted in inferior survival and proliferation of both adult and neonatal myoblasts; however, proliferation of early passage myoblasts (both adult and neonate) was evident between 3 weeks and 3 months. Conclusions. Myoblasts derived from neonatal mice were inferior for transplantation, and early passage donor myoblasts from adult mice are recommended for MTT in this model.
Nuclear pore complex clustering and nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA associated with mutation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAT2/NUP120 gene

To identify genes involved in the export of messenger RNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, we used an in situ hybridization assay to screen temperature-sensitive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This identified those which accumulated poly(A)+ RNA in their nuclei when shifted to the non-permissive temperature of 37 degrees C. We describe here the properties of yeast strains carrying mutations in the RAT2 gene (RAT - ribonucleic acid trafficking) and the cloning of the RAT2 gene. Only a low percentage of cells carrying the rat2-1 allele showed nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA when cultured at 15 degrees or 23 degrees C, but within 4 h of a shift to the nonpermissive temperature of 37 degrees C, poly(A)+ RNA accumulated within the nuclei of approximately 80% of cells. No defect was seen in the nuclear import of a reporter protein bearing a nuclear localization signal. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are distributed relatively evenly around the nuclear envelope in wild-type cells. In cells carrying either the rat2-1 or rat2-2 allele, NPCs were clustered together into one or a few regions of the nuclear envelope. This clustering was a constitutive property of mutant cells. NPCs remained clustered in crude nuclei isolated from mutant cells, indicating that these clusters are not able to redistribute around the nuclear envelope when nuclei are separated from cytoplasmic components. Electron microscopy revealed that these clusters were frequently found in a protuberance of the nuclear envelope and were often located close to the spindle pole body. The RAT2 gene encodes a 120-kD protein without similarity to other known proteins. It was essential for growth only at 37 degrees C, but the growth defect at high temperature could be suppressed by growth of mutant cells in the presence of high osmolarity media containing 1.0 M sorbitol or 0.9 M NaCl. The phenotypes seen in cells carrying a disruption of the RAT2 gene were very similar to those seen with the rat2-1 and rat2-2 alleles. Epitope tagging was used to show that Rat2p is located at the nuclear periphery and co-localizes with yeast NPC proteins recognized by the RL1 monoclonal antibody. The rat2-1 allele was synthetically lethal with both the rat3-1/nup133-1 and rat7- 1/nup159-1 alleles. These results indicate that the product of this gene is a nucleoporin which we refer to as Rat2p/Nup120p.
Thinning films and tribological interfaces

Introduction. Refereeing. Keynote Address. Keynote Papers I. Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication I - Theoretical. Computer Heads, Magnetic Information Storage and Retrieval Systems I. Coatings and Surface Modification. Keynote Papers II. Thin Films and Design of Lubricated Components. Computer Heads, Magnetic Information Storage and Retrieval Systems II. Bio-Tribology. Keynote Papers III. Engine Tribology I. Lubricant Rheology I. Metal Forming. Keynote Papers IV. Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication II - Experimental. Friction and Wear I. Physical & Chemical Actions Associated With Surface Films/Boundary Lubrication I. Lubricant Rheology II. Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication III - Experimental. Friction and Wear II. Physical & Chemical Actions Associated With Surface Films/Boundary Lubrication II. Engine Tribology II. Very Thin Films (Nanometre) Lubrication. Rough Surfaces. Lubricants and Lubrication.
A critical analysis and a recent improvement of the two-dimensional model for solution–precipitation creep: application to silicon nitride ceramics

The step model is one of the most widely used models of solution–precipitation creep in polycrystalline ceramics with secondary glassy phases. However, it leads to unrealistic stress exponent values when two-dimensional step nucleation takes place at the grain boundaries. We present a modification of the original model of step nucleation that avoids such unreasonable values by considering in detail the precipitation (or solution) process. The modified model agrees with reported experimental results for ceramic systems in which it has been accepted that high-temperature plasticity occurs by solution–precipitation.
A dynamic policy management framework in service-oriented architecture

The private businesses and the governments have the high demand for maintaining more easily the policy management system. The major drawback of the traditional policy management system is that we need to turn off them for their maintenance and updates. We may lose the business opportunities by doing so. To solve this problem, we propose a dynamic policy management framework that supports ontology-based policy specifications, policy synchronization algorithm, policy prioritization algorithm, and policy resolution algorithm. This framework is based on a blackboard system and the policy update can be prioritized, evaluated and validated before being stored and activated on the blackboard system. It also supports an event-driven process, dynamic policy registration and policy deregistration. Our solution is demonstrated in a vehicular network, and it can be shown that the framework is versatile enough to be accommodated many other domains.
Two-dimensional microsphere quasi-crystal: fabrication and properties

2D quasi-crystals were fabricated from polystyrene microspheres and characterized for their structural, diffraction, and non-linear optics properties. The quasi- crystals were produced with the method based on Langmuir- Blodgett thin film technique. Illuminating the crystal with the laser beam, we observed the diffraction pattern in the direction of the beam propagation and in the direction of the back scattering, similar to the x-ray Laue pattern observed in regular crystals with hexagonal structure. The absorption spectrum of the quasi-crystal demonstrated two series of regular maxima and minima, with the spacing inversely proportional to the microspheres diameter. Illumination of the dye-doped microspheres crystal with Q- switched radiation of Nd:YAG laser showed the enhancement of non-linear properties, in particular, second harmonic generation.
Attention Increases the Temporal Precision of Conscious Perception: Verifying the Neural-ST2 Model

What role does attention play in ensuring the temporal precision of visual perception? Behavioural studies have investigated feature selection and binding in time using fleeting sequences of stimuli in the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) paradigm, and found that temporal accuracy is reduced when attentional control is diminished. To reduce the efficacy of attentional deployment, these studies have employed the Attentional Blink (AB) phenomenon. In this article, we use electroencephalography (EEG) to directly investigate the temporal dynamics of conscious perception. Specifically, employing a combination of experimental analysis and neural network modelling, we test the hypothesis that the availability of attention reduces temporal jitter in the latency between a target's visual onset and its consolidation into working memory. We perform time-frequency analysis on data from an AB study to compare the EEG trials underlying the P3 ERPs (Event-related Potential) evoked by targets seen outside vs. inside the AB time window. We find visual differences in phase-sorted ERPimages and statistical differences in the variance of the P3 phase distributions. These results argue for increased variation in the latency of conscious perception during the AB. This experimental analysis is complemented by a theoretical exploration of temporal attention and target processing. Using activation traces from the Neural-ST2 model, we generate virtual ERPs and virtual ERPimages. These are compared to their human counterparts to propose an explanation of how target consolidation in the context of the AB influences the temporal variability of selective attention. The AB provides us with a suitable phenomenon with which to investigate the interplay between attention and perception. The combination of experimental and theoretical elucidation in this article contributes to converging evidence for the notion that the AB reflects a reduction in the temporal acuity of selective attention and the timeliness of perception.
The Plasma Membrane-Associated GTPase Rin Interacts with the Dopamine Transporter and Is Required for Protein Kinase C-Regulated Dopamine Transporter Trafficking

Dopaminergic signaling and plasticity are essential to numerous CNS functions and pathologies, including movement, cognition, and addiction. The amphetamine- and cocaine-sensitive dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) tightly controls extracellular DA concentrations and half-life. DAT function and surface expression are not static but are dynamically modulated by membrane trafficking. We recently demonstrated that the DAT C terminus encodes a PKC-sensitive internalization signal that also suppresses basal DAT endocytosis. However, the cellular machinery governing regulated DAT trafficking is not well defined. In work presented here, we identified the Ras-like GTPase, Rin (for Ras-like in neurons) (Rit2), as a protein that interacts with the DAT C-terminal endocytic signal. Yeast two-hybrid, GST pull down and FRET studies establish that DAT and Rin directly interact, and colocalization studies reveal that DAT/Rin associations occur primarily in lipid raft microdomains. Coimmunoprecipitations demonstrate that PKC activation regulates Rin association with DAT. Perturbation of Rin function with GTPase mutants and shRNA-mediated Rin knockdown reveals that Rin is critical for PKC-mediated DAT internalization and functional downregulation. These results establish that Rin is a DAT-interacting protein that is required for PKC-regulated DAT trafficking. Moreover, this work suggests that Rin participates in regulated endocytosis.
Monitoring tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines and nicotine in novel smokeless tobacco products: findings from round II of the new product watch.

INTRODUCTION Analysis of novel smokeless tobacco products purchased in Round I of the New Product Watch (NPW)-a national tobacco monitoring network-demonstrated that some tobacco constituents vary not only across various brands but also regionally and over time within the same product. In this study, we analyzed snus and dissolvable tobacco products that were purchased in Round II of the NPW. METHODS We analyzed tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA) and nicotine in snus and dissolvable tobacco products that were purchased in various regions of the country during the spring and summer of 2011. The results were compared against the Round I data, across different U.S. regions, and among products. RESULTS A total of 216 samples were received from different states representing 6 regions of the country. Compared with the previous analyses, TSNA levels increased significantly in Marlboro and Camel Snus and some dissolvable Camel products. The levels of unprotonated nicotine in Marlboro Snus and Camel Snus in this study were not different from Round I but varied significantly by regions; the differences between the highest and the lowest average regional levels were ~3.2-fold in Marlboro Snus ~1.7-fold in Camel Snus. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that some novel smokeless tobacco products contain TSNA at the levels found in the conventional moist snuff. Observation of regional variations in unprotonated nicotine content in both Round I and Round II of NPW suggest that manufacturers may tailor the levels of this constituent consistently to different regions.