Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acculock: Accurate and efficient detection of data races

Happens-before detectors are precise but can be too conservative to detect certain data races in repeated test runs as they are sensitive to thread interleaving. By making the opposite tradeoffs, lockset detectors can detect more races but are not precise (by reporting false positives). For both types of detectors, happens-before detectors run more slowly as they use expensive vector clocks. Existing hybrid race detectors (combining lockset and happens-before) alleviate some of the limitations in both analysis techniques at the cost of additional analysis overhead. Recently, due to FastTrack, epoch-based happens-before and lockset detectors now exhibit comparable performance. It is the time to rethink how to design a hybrid race detector to balance precision and coverage, by leveraging the lightweightness of epoch clocks. Acculock is the first such a solution. Acculock analyzes a program by reasoning about the subset of the happens-before relation observed with lock acquires and releases excluded, thereby reducing its sensitivity to thread interleaving. When such a weaker happens-before relation is violated, Acculock applies a new efficient lockset algorithm to enforce a lock-based synchronization discipline by distinguishing the locks protecting reads and writes. The key motivation behind is to ensure that Acculock can improve happens-before detectors by discovering also data races in alternate thread interleavings when analyzing one program execution while limiting false warnings thus incurred in a controlled manner. In addition, Acculock achieves these objectives by maintaining comparable performance as FastTrack, the fastest happens-before detector. All these properties of Acculock are validated and confirmed by comparing it against six other detectors, all implemented in Jikes RVM using 11 benchmark programs.
Generating coalition structures with finite bound from the optimal guarantees

The coalition formation process, in which a number of independent, autonomous agents come together to act as a collective, is an important form of interaction in multiagent systems. When effective, such coalitions can improve the performance of the individual agents and/or of the system as a whole. However, one of the main problems that hinders the wide spread adoption of coalition formation technologies is the computational complexity of coalition structure generation. That is, once a group of agents has been identified, how can it be partitioned in order tomaximise the social payoff? This problem has been shown to be NP-hard and even finding a sub-optimal solution requires searching an exponential number of solutions. Against this background, this paper reports on a novel anytime algorithm for coalition structure generation that produces solutions that are within a finite bound from the optimal. Our algorithm is benchmarked against Sandholm et al.ýs algorithm [8] (the only other known algorithm for this task that can also establish a worst-case bound from the optimal) and is shown to be up to 10^379 times faster (for systems containing 1000 agents) when small bounds from the optimal are desirable.
Synchronizing Image Sequences of Non-Rigid Objects

For stereopsis, images of a given scene must be captured at the same instant to ensure temporal consistency. For sequences of images (i.e. video streams) this requires the potentially costly and technically complex process of synchronizing cameras. We present a simple but effective method for automatically recovering the sub-frame temporal offset between image sequences taken using unsynchronized cameras. Having recovered the offset, we obtain the affine structure of a non-rigid motion. The technique is demonstrated for the application of human motion capture.
Improved image quality measures using ordered histograms

In this paper, we have shown how the fuzzy set theory is used in establishing measures for image quality evaluation. Objective quality measures or measures of comparison are of great importance in the field of image processing. These measures serve as a tool to evaluate and to compare different algorithms designed to solve problems, such as noise reduction, deblurring, compression, etc. It is well-known that classical quality measures, such as the MSE (mean square error) or the PSNR (peak signal to noise ratio), do not always correspond to human visual observations. Therefore, several researchers are - and have been - looking for new quality measures, better adapted to human perception. In this paper, we show how the neighbourhood-based similarity measures can be combined with similarity measures for histogram comparison in order to improve the perceptive behaviour of these similarity measures.
Ontology-based learning object recommendation for cognitive considerations

Learning object recommendation is an emerging technology providing learners with adaptive learning objects or personalized services to overcome the disorientation and overload problems due to massive information. This paper proposes a new ontology-based framework for semantic content recommendation towards learning process. Noting that learning is a continuous self-constructing process based on semantic activations of the learner's prior knowledge, the recommender includes three components: (i) ontology is used to represent the learning object content structure; (ii) semantic rules are developed to identify prerequisite concepts contributing to the understanding of the current learning object; (iii) concept lattices from the inferred concept sets are utilized to obtain the final recommendations. Incorporation of the contextual information as learning process and learning object content structure, this recommendation method is supposed to be effective, especially in the case of novices or learners with low-level prior knowledge, which is different with others.
Coding for noisy write-efficient memories

For nonvolatile memories such as flash memories and phase-change memories, endurance and reliability are both important challenges. Write-Efficient Memory (WEM) is an important rewriting model to solve the endurance problem. An optimal rewriting code has been proposed to approach the rewriting capacity of WEM. Aiming at jointly solving the endurance and the data reliability problem, this work focuses on a combined error correction and rewriting code for WEM. To that end, a new coding model, noisy WEM, is proposed here. Its noisy rewriting capacity is explored. An efficient coding scheme is constructed for a special case of noisy WEM. Its decoding and rewriting operations can be done in time O(N logN), with N as the length of the codeword, and it provides a lower bound to the noisy WEM's capacity.
Optimization-based Wideband Basis Functions for Efficient Interconnect Extraction

This paper introduces a technique for the numerical generation of basis functions that are capable of parameterizing the frequency-variant nature of cross-sectional conductor current distributions. Hence skin and proximity effects can be captured utilizing much fewer basis functions in comparison to the prevalently-used piecewise-constant basis functions. One important characteristic of these basis functions is that they only need to be pre-computed once for a frequency range of interest per unique conductor cross-sectional geometry, and they can be stored off-line with a minimal associated cost. In addition, the robustness of these frequency-independent basis functions is enforced using an optimization routine. It has been demonstrated that the cost of solving a complex interconnect system can be reduced by a factor of 170 when compared to the use of piecewise-constant basis functions over a wide range of operating frequencies
Candida bracarensis Detected among Isolates of Candida glabrata by Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization: Susceptibility Data and Documentation of Presumed Infection

ABSTRACT Molecular taxonomic studies have revealed new Candida species among phenotypically delineated species, the best example being Candida dubliniensis. This study was designed to determine the occurrence of two new molecularly defined species, Candida bracarensis and Candida nivariensis, which are closely related to and identified as Candida glabrata by phenotypic assays. A total of 137 recent clinical isolates of C. glabrata identified by phenotypic characteristics was tested with C. bracarensis and C. nivariensis species-specific peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization probes. Three of 137 (2.2%) isolates were positive with the C. bracarensis probe, whereas the control strain, but none of the clinical isolates, was positive with the C. nivariensis probe. D1/D2 sequencing confirmed the identification of the three isolates as representing C. bracarensis. Clinically, one C. bracarensis isolate was recovered from a presumed infection, a polymicrobial pelvic abscess in a patient with perforated diverticulitis. The other two isolates were recovered from two adult oncology patients who were only colonized. C. bracarensis was white on CHROMagar Candida, had variable API-20C patterns that overlapped with C. nivariensis and some C. glabrata isolates, and had variable results with a rapid trehalose assay. Interestingly, an isolate from one of the colonized oncology patients was resistant to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole in vitro. In summary, C. bracarensis was detected among clinical isolates of C. glabrata, while C. nivariensis was not. One C. bracarensis isolate causing a presumed deep infection was recovered, and another isolate was azole resistant. Whether clinical laboratories should identify C. bracarensis will require more data.
Damage Spectra for Performance Assessment of RC Bridges Subjected to Earthquakes

In this research, damage spectra to quantify the damage of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges under earthquakes are proposed. The spectra are computed for hundreds of horizontal ground motions recorded during past several earthquakes. The damage spectra proposed are promising for performance-based seismic assessment of existing RC bridges as well as performance-based design of new systems.
Modular arrangement of regulatory RNA elements

ABSTRACT Due to their simple architecture and control mechanism, regulatory RNA modules are attractive building blocks in synthetic biology. This is especially true for riboswitches, which are natural ligand-binding regulators of gene expression. The discovery of various tandem riboswitches inspired the design of combined RNA modules with activities not yet found in nature. Riboswitches were placed in tandem or in combination with a ribozyme or temperature-responsive RNA thermometer resulting in new functionalities. Here, we compare natural examples of tandem riboswitches with recently designed artificial RNA regulators suggesting substantial modularity of regulatory RNA elements. Challenges associated with modular RNA design are discussed.
Interaction of the Macrophage and Primitive Erythroid Lineages in the Mammalian Embryo

Two distinct forms of erythropoiesis, primitive and definitive, are found in mammals. Definitive erythroid precursors in the bone marrow mature in the physical context of macrophage cells in “erythroblastic islands. ” In the murine embryo, overlapping waves of primitive hematopoietic progenitors and definitive erythro-myeloid progenitors, each containing macrophage potential, arise in the yolk sac prior to the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells. Primitive erythroblasts mature in the bloodstream as a semi-synchronous cohort while macrophage cells derived from the yolk sac seed the fetal liver. Late-stage primitive erythroblasts associate with macrophage cells in erythroblastic islands in the fetal liver, indicating that primitive erythroblasts can interact with macrophage cells extravascularly. Like definitive erythroblasts, primitive erythroblasts physically associate with macrophages through α4 integrin–vascular adhesion molecule 1-mediated interactions and α4 integrin is redistributed onto the plasma membrane of primitive pyrenocytes. Both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that fetal liver macrophage cells engulf primitive pyrenocytes. Taken together, these studies indicate that several aspects of the interplay between macrophage cells and maturing erythroid precursor cells are conserved during the ontogeny of mammalian organisms.
Bazooka/PAR3 is dispensable for polarity in Drosophila follicular epithelial cells

Apico-basal polarity is the defining characteristic of epithelial cells. In Drosophila, apical membrane identity is established and regulated through interactions between the highly conserved Par complex (Bazooka/Par3, atypical protein kinase C and Par6), and the Crumbs complex (Crumbs, Stardust and PATJ). It has been proposed that Bazooka operates at the top of a genetic hierarchy in the establishment and maintenance of apico-basal polarity. However, there is still ambiguity over the correct sequence of events and cross-talk with other pathways during this process. In this study, we reassess this issue by comparing the phenotypes of the commonly used baz4 and baz815-8 alleles with those of the so far uncharacterized bazXR11 and bazEH747 null alleles in different Drosophila epithelia. While all these baz alleles display identical phenotypes during embryonic epithelial development, we observe strong discrepancies in the severity and penetrance of polarity defects in the follicular epithelium: polarity is mostly normal in bazEH747 and bazXR11 while baz4 and baz815-8 show loss of polarity, severe multilayering and loss of epithelial integrity throughout the clones. Further analysis reveals that the chromosomes carrying the baz4 and baz815-8 alleles may contain additional mutations that enhance the true baz loss-of-function phenotype in the follicular epithelium. This study clearly shows that Baz is dispensable for the regulation of polarity in the follicular epithelium, and that the requirement for key regulators of cell polarity is highly dependent on developmental context and cell type.
Idiotype variant cell populations in patients with B cell lymphoma

Using isolated idiotype (Id) protein we generated panels of antibodies in two patients with follicular lymphoma, one of whom had never received prior chemo-or radiotherapy. Flow cytometry and frozen section tissue staining of tumor with these monoclonal antibodies (mAb) revealed multiple subpopulations within each tumor. Individual mAb stained between 7% and 83% of surface Ig+ cells in the tumor samples. These subpopulations were overlapping and no single antibody recognized all the tumor cells. However, combinations of antibodies seemed to capture total tumor in both cases. In some instances, the percentage of tumor stained by a single mAb varied over time, and differed between lymph nodes sampled at the same time. Because a single species of Id protein was used to generate mAb in each case, it appears that the antibodies were directed against idiotopes variably shared by different populations within each tumor, and this was confirmed by crossblocking studies. Tumor cells from one patient were fused to a nonsecreting heteromyeloma line K6H6/B5, and most of the resulting hybrids secreted Id protein. Four mAb were used to screen the Id proteins secreted by these hybrids, and 11 different variants (16 maximal) were found. Southern blot analysis of rearranged Ig genes was done in two hybrids and biopsy material. Identically rearranged light-chain genes were seen but it appeared as though extensive somatic variation had occurred in heavy chain genes. These studies indicate that: striking Id variation can exist at diagnosis in untreated patients, the percentage of tumor represented by an individual variant may change with time and may differ between tumor sampled from different anatomical locations, and somatic variation appears to be responsible for the observed heterogeneity. Although this degree of variation makes anti-Id antibody therapy more difficult, appropriate combinations of mAb should be more efficacious than single antibodies in such cases.
Plasmonic properties of silver-based alloy thin films

The plasmonic properties of silver-based alloy thin films were studied. Silver-ytterbium (Ag-Yb) and silver-magnesium (Ag-Mg) prepared by thermal co-evaporation were investigated extensively for various thin film properties. The optical properties were intensively analyzed and discussed because the dielectric response of a material is particularly significant in terms of its plasmonic properties. The study of silver-based alloy thin films has been mostly about Ag alloying with other transition metals, but the results of Ag-Yb and Ag-Mg in this work showed that the intensity of plasma resonance is tunable, in which the idea may also apply to other silver-rich binary alloy thin films regardless of the kind of second metal components. In our research, the Ag plasma resonance was weakened with respect to the concentration of Yb and Mg in the alloy thin films. The change in the optical characteristics around Ag plasma resonance frequency was attributed to an increase in “resonance damping”. This is confirmed from modeling using classical free-electron theory. The increase in the damping was experimentally corroborated by the concentration dependence of electrical conductivity and estimated average crystallite size of Ag-Yb and Ag-Mg thin films. The reduction in electrical conductivity was not only caused by introducing less conductive Yb or Mg but also through disturbing the Ag lattice structure to promote additional electron scattering at grain boundaries. The Ag-Yb and Ag-Mg alloys carried intermediate properties between their pure components despite the presence of Yb or Mg oxides. Besides optical and electrical properties, changes in the electronic work function were also assessed since it is also important in applications. Plasmonic nanostructures and transparent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated to demonstrate their potential applications. Two-dimensional disc-arrays nanostructures composed of pure Ag and Ag-Yb were implemented to evaluate the plasmonic properties. The damping loss in Ag-Yb caused weakened coupling of incident photons and surface plasmons when compared to pure Ag without altering the coupling wavelengths, suggesting potential plasmonic materials for tuning the coupling strength of surface plasmons by controlling the concentration of Yb which may also apply to Ag-Mg. Ultrathin Ag-Yb and Ag-Mg films were used as cathodes in transparent OLEDs for demonstration, which was beneficial by virtue of overall device transmittance though sacrificing electrical conduction leading to poor light emission unless inserting additional ultrathin lithium fluoride to modify the ultrathin cathodes.
Improved adaptive output feedback controller for flexible-joint robot manipulators

This paper presents an improved adaptive output feedback tracking controller for the flexible-joint manipulators with parametric uncertainties. Based on the singular perturbation theory and integral manifold theory, the dynamic system of flexible-joint robot manipulators is decoupled into a slow subsystem and a fast subsystem. An improved adaptive control law is designed for the slow subsystem, and a general class of saturation functions is invoked to design the fast sub-controller. Furthermore, to carry out the whole control system with only position measurements, an approximate differential filter is involved to generate pseudo velocity signals for both links and motors. In addition, an explicit but strict stability proof of the control system is presented. Finally, simulation results verify the superior tracking performance of the proposed controller.
Discrete Fourier Transform on Multicores

This paper gives an overview on the techniques needed to implement the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) efficiently on current multicore systems. The focus is on Intel compatible multicores but we also discuss the IBM Cell, and briefly, graphics processing units (GPUs). The performance optimization is broken down into three key challenges: parallelization, vectorization, and memory hierarchy optimization. In each case, we use the Kronecker product formalism to formally derive the necessary algorithmic transformations based on a few hardware parameters. Further code level optimizations are discussed. The rigorous nature of this framework enables the complete automation of the implementation task as shown by the program generator Spiral. Finally, we show and analyze DFT benchmarks of the fastest libraries available for the considered platforms.
Association Between Stroke and Metabolic Syndrome in a Japanese Population: Jichi Medical School (JMS) Cohort Study

Background Metabolic syndrome increases the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have examined the association between the incidence of stroke and metabolic syndrome, as defined by Japanese criteria. The aim of this study was to identify the association between stroke and metabolic syndrome, as defined by criteria used in Japan. Methods A total of 2205 subjects (920 men and 1285 women) were examined between 1992 and 1995 as part of the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the Japanese criteria. Medical records, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging were used to diagnose stroke. The Cox proportional-hazards model was used to analyze the association between metabolic syndrome and incident stroke. Results The prevalence of metabolic syndrome at baseline was 9.0% in men and 1.7% in women. There were 96 incident strokes during an 11.2-year follow-up period, 14 of which occurred in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Among subjects with metabolic syndrome, the age-adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for stroke was 1.93 (0.94–3.96) in men and 6.85 (2.68–17.47) in women. After adjusting for age, smoking status, and alcohol drinking status, the hazard ratio was 1.89 (0.88–4.08) in men and 7.24 (2.82–18.58) in women. Age-adjusted hazard ratios associated with having 2 or more components of metabolic syndrome, with and without central obesity, were 2.93 (1.21–7.08) and 3.20 (1.23–8.31) in men and 1.75 (0.69–4.44) and 8.64 (2.82–28.03) in women, respectively. Conclusions The presence of metabolic syndrome, as defined by Japanese criteria, increases the risk of stroke; this effect was highly significant among women.