Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The PROMIS compiler prototype

Source-code parallelizers and instruction-level parallelizers each have specific advantages. Usually, a compiler is designed to be one or the other, based on the target architecture and/or algorithms. A compiler that is designed to generate near-optimal code for modern, multi-level machines must have the capabilities of both. This paper describes the prototype of the PROMIS compiler. The prototype was designed to show that loop-level and instruction-level parallelization can be combined to produce results better than either one alone. In addition, it shows how communication between the levels can produce additional speedup.
srcSlice: very efficient and scalable forward static slicing

A highly efficient lightweight forward static slicing approach is presented and evaluated. The approach does not compute the program/system dependence graph but instead dependence and control information is computed as needed while computing the slice on a variable. The result is a list of line numbers, dependent variables, aliases, and function calls that are part of the slice for all variables (both local and global) for the entire system. The method is implemented as a tool, called srcSlice, on top of srcML, an XML representation of source code. The approach is highly scalable and can generate the slices for all variables of the Linux kernel in approximately 20 min on a typical desktop. Benchmark results are compared with the CodeSurfer slicing tool from GrammaTech Inc., and the approach compares well with regard to accuracy of slices. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High-Quality Prosody Generation in Mandarin Text-to-Speech System

A text-to-speech (TTS) synthesizer is a computer-based system that can automatically read text aloud. Fujitsu is developing a Mandarin TTS system using state-of-the-art technologies. The prosodic structure of synthesized text provides important information for making synthetic speech produced by a TTS system more natural and understandable. This paper describes a global probability estimation method for predicting prosodic words, which are the lowest constituent of the prosodic structure. Experimental results for this method are very promising. They are better than those for our previous binary prosodic tree method in terms of both accuracy and memory cost.
Integrating Radarsat-2, Lidar, and Worldview-3 Imagery to Maximize Detection of Forested Inundation Extent in the Delmarva Peninsula, USA

Natural variability in surface-water extent and associated characteristics presents a challenge to gathering timely, accurate information, particularly in environments that are dominated by small and/or forested wetlands. This study mapped inundation extent across the Upper Choptank River Watershed on the Delmarva Peninsula, occurring within both Maryland and Delaware. We integrated six quad-polarized Radarsat-2 images, Worldview-3 imagery, and an enhanced topographic wetness index in a random forest model. Output maps were filtered using light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived depressions to maximize the accuracy of forested inundation extent. Overall accuracy within the integrated and filtered model was 94.3%, with 5.5% and 6.0% errors of omission and commission for inundation, respectively. Accuracy of inundation maps obtained using Radarsat-2 alone were likely detrimentally affected by less than ideal angles of incidence and recent precipitation, but were likely improved by targeting the period between snowmelt and leaf-out for imagery collection. Across the six Radarsat-2 dates, filtering inundation outputs by lidar-derived depressions slightly elevated errors of omission for water (+1.0%), but decreased errors of commission (−7.8%), resulting in an average increase of 5.4% in overall accuracy. Depressions were derived from lidar datasets collected under both dry and average wetness conditions. Although antecedent wetness conditions influenced the abundance and total area mapped as depression, the two versions of the depression datasets showed a similar ability to reduce error in the inundation maps. Accurate mapping of surface water is critical to predicting and monitoring the effect of human-induced change and interannual variability on water quantity and quality.
Characterizing Activity and Muscle Atrophy Changes in Rats With Neuropathic Pain

The study of neuropathic pain has focused on changes within the nervous system, but little research has described systemic changes that may accompany neuropathic pain. Objective: As part of a larger project characterizing the metabolic, activity, and musculoskeletal changes associated with neuropathic pain, the objective of the current study was to characterize changes in spontaneous activity and skeletal muscle mass using an established animal model of neuropathic pain, the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model. Method: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this pre- and posttest quasi-experimental study. The experimental group (n = 13) received CCI surgery, while age- and weight-matched rats received sham surgery (SHAM; n = 5). Thermal testing verified the presence of neuropathic pain. Spontaneous cage activity was measured gravimetrically prior to and following CCI (n = 4). Animals were euthanized and skeletal muscle was dissected and weighed to determine muscle atrophy. Results: Shorter foot withdrawal latency of the ipsilateral hind limb confirmed the presence of thermal hyperalgesia in CCI rats, a sign of neuropathic pain. Weight increased in both CCI and SHAM rats. Spontaneous activity decreased following CCI ligation. Muscles of the ipsilateral hind limb weighed significantly less than contralateral hind limb muscles in CCI rats 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. In addition, CCI rats had smaller ipsilateral hind limb muscles than SHAM rats. Conclusion: Neuropathic pain contributes to skeletal muscle atrophy and decreases in activity in rats.
Conventional arms control and European security : conventional arms-control agreements and their role in the emerging European security architecture

Colonel Jeffrey McCausland argues that arms control is a political activity and cannot be divorced from other aspects of a nation's security and foreign policy. The key to exploiting good arms-control procedures and building on the successes of the 1992 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) and the November 1995 Dayton Agreement is cooperation. To that end, the West should: * forge an effective working relationship with Russia * design a European security architecture that both resolves and prevents conflict * maintain NATO unity at all cost. Now is an ideal time for the West to reconsider the roles of existing conventional arms-control arrangements, as its security orientation shifts from collective defence towards collective security. As the nature of security relationships in Europe changes, so arms-control policy must adapt to become more concerned with qualitative aspects of conflict prevention. Conventional Arms Control and European Security stresses that any new proposals should encourage frank discussions with Russia; and that they should use the CFE and existing confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) as their main building blocks. Although not the complete answer to the problems of security in post-Cold War Europe, McCausland concludes that conventional arms control provides a flexible, powerful set of tools with which to confront them.
Improved design of IIR-type digital fractional-order differentiators using continuous fraction expansion

In this paper, a digital fractional-order differentiator is designed by using continuous fraction expansion method. In that, transfer function is realized for IIR-type fractional order differentiator (FOD) of three kinds (based on Euler, Tustin and Al-Alaoui operators respectively). Further, time domain analysis of these FODs has been performed and then compared with each other. In our analysis, we found that IIR-type digital FOD based on Al-Alaoui operator provide faster convergence among others. The FOD system based on Al-Alaoui operator exhibit 70.67% and 23.52% lesser convergence time as compared to system based on Tustin and Euler operator respectively.
Crystallographic Studies of Prion Protein (PrP) Segments Suggest How Structural Changes Encoded by Polymorphism at Residue 129 Modulate Susceptibility to Human Prion Disease*

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in codon 129 of the human prion gene, leading to a change from methionine to valine at residue 129 of prion protein (PrP), has been shown to be a determinant in the susceptibility to prion disease. However, the molecular basis of this effect remains unexplained. In the current study, we determined crystal structures of prion segments having either Met or Val at residue 129. These 6-residue segments of PrP centered on residue 129 are “steric zippers,” pairs of interacting β-sheets. Both structures of these “homozygous steric zippers” reveal direct intermolecular interactions between Met or Val in one sheet and the identical residue in the mating sheet. These two structures, plus a structure-based model of the heterozygous Met-Val steric zipper, suggest an explanation for the previously observed effects of this locus on prion disease susceptibility and progression.
Market-Driven Development in Frontier Ecologies

ii Acknowledgments iii List of Tables v List of Figures vii 1. Market-Driven Development in the Drylands: Policy, Institutions, Politics 1 2. Ethnographic Setting, Field Site and Methods 23 3. Parties, Panchayats and the Political Economy of Development 67 4. Democratic Decentralization, Electoral Politics and Distribution in the Community . 91 5. Neoliberal Governmentality and the Locus of Micro-Credit at the Margins 135 6. The Politics of Markets and of Value in High-Value Commodity Production 177 7. Conclusion: The Mangle of Market-Driven Development and Democratic Politics . 214 Appendix A: Household Questionnaire 225 Appendix B: Lineage Leaders‘ Interview Schedule 231 Appendix C: Micro-Credit Group Leaders‘ Interview Schedule 232 Appendix D: Micro-Credit Group Members‘ Interview Schedule 233 Appendix E: Archival Documents 234 Appendix F: Buffalo-loan Repayment at Two Percent Interest Compounded Monthly . 239 References 241
A Deep-Learning Approach for Operation of an Automated Realtime Flare Forecast

Automated forecasts serve important role in space weather science, by providing statistical insights to flare-trigger mechanisms, and by enabling tailor-made forecasts and high-frequency forecasts. Only by realtime forecast we can experimentally measure the performance of flare-forecasting methods while confidently avoiding overlearning. We have been operating unmanned flare forecast service since August, 2015 that provides 24-hour-ahead forecast of solar flares, every 12 minutes. We report the method and prediction results of the system.
A Color Transfer Algorithm Based on Neighborhood Correlation and Optimization Techniques

The traditional Welsh's grayscale image colorization method for color transferring is based on pixel's luminance information only. The method generally cannot ensure the continuity of image transferring effect in space. This paper presents a color transfer algorithm based on neighborhood correlation and optimization techniques, which not only considers neighborhood's luminance information but also makes full use of colored pixel's color information. The algorithm automatically produces the initial colorized image via a color transfer method, removes the color information of pixel that is completely different from neighborhood pixels to form the regions of color seed and then use some optimization techniques to complete the colorization process by diffusing the distribution of color seed to the corresponding regions of image. Experimental results show that the new algorithm improves the drawback of the Welsh's algorithm, and the color of the result image is more natural and delicate.
Phase Distribution near Focus in an Aberration-free Diffraction Image

A satisfactory picture of the three-dimensional intensity distribution near focus in the aberration-free diffraction image of a monochromatic point object was first given by Zernike and Nijboer in 1949. No corresponding general picture of the phase relations between different parts of the image seems to have been worked out, although Gouy's discovery in 1890 of the so-called phase anomaly at focus aroused an interest in this topic which, as a succession of publications shows, has not decreased in the intervening 66 years. In the present paper a sharpened version of Lommel's classical analysis is applied to obtain a general picture of the phase distribution near focus and to examine in detail, in the special case of an F/3.5 pencil, its peculiarities near the geometrical focal point, the Airy dark rings and the axial nodes (points of zero intensity) of the diffraction image. The `phase anomaly' near focus and the singular behaviour of the phase along the axis of the pencil become more readily intelligible when they are considered against the background of this general picture.
A new approach to power supply for robots

A cableless, power supply system for multiaxis robots is described. This system avoids the use of movable cables by using rotatable transformers placed in the joints of the robot. The transformer consists of two halves of a ferrite pot core containing the primary and secondary windings, respectively. The energy is transferred to the movable parts of the robot through this transformer at a frequency of 25 kHz. This frequency allows a compact transformer design. Results were obtained from an experimental set-up with a 20 kVA, 650 V insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power converter. <<ETX>>
Worming forward: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis toxicity mechanisms and genetic interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans

Neurodegenerative diseases share pathogenic mechanisms at the cellular level including protein misfolding, excitotoxicity and altered RNA homeostasis among others. Recent advances have shown that the genetic causes underlying these pathologies overlap, hinting at the existence of a genetic network for neurodegeneration. This is perhaps best illustrated by the recent discoveries of causative mutations for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). Once thought to be distinct entities, it is now recognized that these diseases exist along a genetic spectrum. With this wealth of discoveries comes the need to develop new genetic models of ALS and FTD to investigate not only pathogenic mechanisms linked to causative mutations, but to uncover potential genetic interactions that may point to new therapeutic targets. Given the conservation of many disease genes across evolution, Caenorhabditis elegans is an ideal system to investigate genetic interactions amongst these genes. Here we review the use of C. elegans to model ALS and investigate a putative genetic network for ALS/FTD that may extend to other neurological disorders.
Cell Penetrable Human scFv Specific to Middle Domain of Matrix Protein-1 Protects Mice from Lethal Influenza

A new anti-influenza remedy that can tolerate the virus antigenic variation is needed. Influenza virus matrix protein-1 (M1) is highly conserved and pivotal for the virus replication cycle: virus uncoating, assembly and budding. An agent that blocks the M1 functions should be an effective anti-influenza agent. In this study, human scFv that bound to recombinant M1 middle domain (MD) and native M1 of A/H5N1 was produced. Phage mimotope search and computerized molecular docking revealed that the scFv bound to the MD conformational epitope formed by juxtaposed helices 7 and 9 of the M1. The scFv was linked molecularly to a cell penetrable peptide, penetratin (PEN). The PEN-scFv (transbody), when used to treat the cells pre-infected with the heterologous clade/subclade A/H5N1 reduced the viral mRNA intracellularly and in the cell culture fluids. The transbody mitigated symptom severity and lung histopathology of the H5N1 infected mice and caused reduction of virus antigen in the tissues as well as extricated the animals from the lethal challenge in a dose dependent manner. The transbody specific to the M1 MD, either alone or in combination with the cognate human scFvs specific to other influenza virus proteins, should be an effective, safe and mutation tolerable anti-influenza agent.
Locally Linear Minimum Spanning Trees for Manifold Learning

Graph-based manifold learning techniques have become of paramount importance when researchers have been faced to nonlinear data. These techniques have allowed them to discover relations that usual approaches such as PCA and MDS were incapable of. However, properties such as non-uniform sampling, varied topological substructures and highly curved manifolds still represent a challenge to these methods. We propose a graph building framework that strives at capturing the topological structures hidden in the data by means of a locality linear characterization combined with a MST-based noise model. We propose two algorithms under such framework that show improved performance over usual approaches.
SUEX Dry Film Resist – A new Material for High Aspect Ratio Lithography

SUEX epoxy Thick Dry Film Sheets (TDFS) are a promising material for a wide range of MEMS applications. They contain a cationically cured modified epoxy formulation utilizing an antimony-free photo acid generator (PAG). A highly controlled solvent-less process provides uniform resist coatings between two throw-away layers of protective polyester (PET) film in varying thicknesses ranging from 100 μm to 1 mm. Patterning is possible with both UV and Xray lithography as well as a combination of lithography and hot embossing. This enables the fabrication of multi-level, complex designs as well as high aspect ratio MEMS (HARMS) components. Joint efforts between DJ DevCorp and CAMD are focused on optimizing process parameters and demonstrate the possibilities for MEMS applications including plating molds for metal microparts, polymer MEMS, multilayer microfluidics structures, BioMEMS, medical devices, wafer level packaging processes, and displays. This report briefly summarizes the activities and refers to the literature or other contributions in the CAMD annual report for more details.
The Negative Side Of ICT-Enabled Communication: The Case Of Social Interaction Overload In Online Social Networks

This research aims to explain the negative side of ICT-enabled communications. Therefore, the perception of users that social interactions on online social networks (OSN) are threatening is suggested as a new variable called social interaction overload. The paper theorizes that individual, OSN-specific, and OSN-specific communication characteristics manifest the extent to which social interaction overload is perceived and how users response to it in a psychological and behavioral manner. Results of an empirical survey with 246 OSN users validate the assumed effects, so that we identify age, number of friends, and communication content as contribution factors of social interaction overload, which in turn has a direct effect on the two outcome variables satisfaction and continuous usage intention. Moreover, results reveal that social interaction overload has higher effects on OSN users’ satisfaction than perceived usefulness or perceived enjoyment.
Scatter modelling and correction strategies in fully 3-D PET

PET offers the possibility of quantitative measurements of tracer concentration in vivo. However, there are several issues that must be considered in order to fully realise this potential. Whilst, a correction for a number of background and physical phenomena need to be performed, the two most significant effects are the photon attenuation in the patient and the contribution in the images of events arising from photons scattered in the patient and the gantry. The non-homogeneous distribution of attenuation within the thoracic cavity complicates the interpretation of PET images and precludes the application of simple scatter correction methods developed for homogeneous media. The development of more sophisticated techniques for quantification of PET images are still required. Recent progress in 3D PET instrumentation and image reconstructions has created a need for a concise review of the relevance and accuracy of scatter correction strategies. Improved quantification of PET images remains an area of considerable research interest and several research groups are concentrating their efforts towards the development of more accurate scatter modelling and correction algorithms.
Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows, Part I: Route Construction and Local Search Algorithms

This paper presents a survey of the research on the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW). The VRPTW can be described as the problem of designing least cost routes from one depot to a set of geographically scattered points. The routes must be designed in such a way that each point is visited only once by exactly one vehicle within a given time interval, all routes start and end at the depot, and the total demands of all points on one particular route must not exceed the capacity of the vehicle. Both traditional heuristic route construction methods and recent local search algorithms are examined. The basic features of each method are described, and experimental results for Solomon's benchmark test problems are presented and analyzed. Moreover, we discuss how heuristic methods should be evaluated and propose using the concept of Pareto optimality in the comparison of different heuristic approaches. The metaheuristic methods are described in the second part of this article.
Spatial and Transportation Mismatch in Los Angeles Spatial and Transportation Mismatch in Los Angeles

We wish to thank the members of the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies who aided our research in this study. In particular, we would like to thank: authors alone are responsible for any errors Disclaimer: Neither the University of California nor the School of Public Policy and Social Research either support or disavow the findings in any project, report, paper, or research listed herein. University affiliations are for identification only; the University is not involved in or responsible for the project
Load Shedding Application within a Microgrid to Secure its Islanded Mode of Operation

This paper presents the simulation results and analysis related to the response of a microgrid system, specifically the generators inside the microgrid, towards an accidental overload condition that will require some load shedding action. A microgrid overload can occur due to various reasons ranging from poor load schedule, inadequate switching of circuits within the microgrid, outage of one or more generators inside the microgrid, illegal load connections by some low voltage consumers, etc. It was observed that among the main factors that determine the survival of the microgrid during its transition from the grid connected mode to the islanded mode of operation are the size and type of the load connected (passive or dynamic load), the length of time that the unexpected load is connected as well as the provision of speed and voltage regulators to the generators.
Reduction of IPTV channel zapping time by utilizing the key input latency

With IPTV, channel zapping time is one of the significant problems. It occurs when the user wants to change the channel but needs to wait until the target channel is available. Various schemes reducing the time have been suggested, which download the candidate channels of the future use in advance. In this paper we propose a new method which further reduces the channel zapping time by pre-downloading the candidate channels during the time latency between two successive push operations of the buttons of remote controller made by the user. Computer simulation verifies its effectiveness in various operational conditions. More importantly, it can be employed together with other scheme of reducing channel zapping time without any additional overhead.