Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Power-performance trade-off using pipeline delays

We study the delays faced by instructions in the pipeline of a superscalar processor and its impact on power and performance. Instructions that are ready-on-dispatch (ROD) are normally delayed in the issue stage due to resource constraints even though their data dependencies are satisfied. Issuing ROD instructions earlier than normal and executing them on slow functional units to obtain power benefits reduce these delays. This scheme achieves around 6% to 8% power reduction with average performance degradation of about 2%. Alternatively, instead of reducing the delays faced by instructions in the pipeline, increasing them by deliberately stalling certain instructions at appropriate times minimizes the duration for which the processor is underutilized leading to 2.5-4% power savings with less than 0.3% performance degradation.
DL-Learner: Learning Concepts in Description Logics

In this paper, we introduce DL-Learner, a framework for learning in description logics and OWL. OWL is the official W3C standard ontology language for the Semantic Web. Concepts in this language can be learned for constructing and maintaining OWL ontologies or for solving problems similar to those in Inductive Logic Programming. DL-Learner includes several learning algorithms, support for different OWL formats, reasoner interfaces, and learning problems. It is a cross-platform framework implemented in Java. The framework allows easy programmatic access and provides a command line interface, a graphical interface as well as a WSDL-based web service.
Molecular Evolution and Functional Divergence of Soluble Starch Synthase Genes in Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz)

Soluble starch synthases (SSs) are major enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis in plants. Cassava starch has many remarkable characteristics, which should be influenced by the evolution of SS genes in this starchy root crop. In this work, we performed a comprehensive phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis of the soluble starch synthases in cassava. Genome-wide identification showed that there are 9 genes encoding soluble starch synthases in cassava. All of the soluble starch synthases encoded by these genes contain both Glyco_transf_5 and Glycos_transf_1 domains, and a correlation analysis showed evidence of coevolution between these 2 domains in cassava SS genes. The SS genes in land plants can be divided into 6 subfamilies that were formed before the origin of seed plants, and species-specific expansion has contributed to the evolution of this family in cassava. A functional divergence analysis for this family provided statistical evidence for shifted evolutionary rates between the subfamilies of land plant soluble starch synthases. Although the main selective pressure acting on land plant SS genes was purifying selection, our results also revealed that point mutation with positive selection contributed to the evolution of 2 SS genes in cassava. The remarkable cassava starch characteristics might be the result of both the duplication and adaptive selection of SS genes.
Projection-histograms for mean-shift tracking

This paper proposes an extension to the mean shift tracking by using XY projection-histograms to medel the object. More than providing statistical information about the target to track, they embed information about the spatial arrangement of pixels. This approach, without any complexity increase, provides a better robustness and quality of the tracking. That is asserted by the experiments performed on several sequences showing either vehicles or pedestrians in various contexts.
Cloud ice: A climate model challenge with signs and expectations of progress

[1] Present-day shortcomings in the representation of upper tropospheric ice clouds in general circulation models (GCMs) lead to errors in weather and climate forecasts as well as account for a source of uncertainty in climate change projections. An ongoing challenge in rectifying these shortcomings has been the availability of adequate, high-quality, global observations targeting ice clouds and related precipitating hydrometeors. In addition, the inadequacy of the modeled physics and the often disjointed nature between model representation and the characteristics of the retrieved/observed values have hampered GCM development and validation efforts from making effective use of the measurements that have been available. Thus, even though parameterizations in GCMs accounting for cloud ice processes have, in some cases, become more sophisticated in recent years, this development has largely occurred independently of the global-scale measurements. With the relatively recent addition of satellite-derived products from Aura/Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and CloudSat, there are now considerably more resources with new and unique capabilities to evaluate GCMs. In this article, we illustrate the shortcomings evident in model representations of cloud ice through a comparison of the simulations assessed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, briefly discuss the range of global observational resources that are available, and describe the essential components of the model parameterizations that characterize their "cloud" ice and related fields. Using this information as background, we (1) discuss some of the main considerations and cautions that must be taken into account in making model-data comparisons related to cloud ice, (2) illustrate present progress and uncertainties in applying satellite cloud ice (namely from MLS and CloudSat) to model diagnosis, (3) show some indications of model improvements, and finally (4) discuss a number of remaining questions and suggestions for pathways forward.
Sensibilité éthique : conceptualisation et proposition d’un instrument de mesure

Cet article présente une échelle de mesure originale de la sensibilité éthique des consommateurs (SEC). Habituellement mesurée de manière non consensuelle par l’intermédiaire de scénarios, la sensibilité éthique apparaît comme fondamentale pour comprendre les comportements éthiques du consommateur. Cet article redéfinit le concept et propose un nouvel instrument de mesure sur la base d’une série d’études qualitative et quantitatives. La fiabilité et les validités de contenu, convergente et discriminante sont ensuite vérifiées. Les résultats indiquent aussi que la sensibilité éthique, mesurée par la nouvelle échelle, prédit mieux les intentions comportementales que la mesure traditionnelle par les scénarios. Les implications académiques et managériales de cette recherche sont enfin proposées.
Molecular Chaperones in the Cytosol: from Nascent Chain to Folded Protein

Efficient folding of many newly synthesized proteins depends on assistance from molecular chaperones, which serve to prevent protein misfolding and aggregation in the crowded environment of the cell. Nascent chain–binding chaperones, including trigger factor, Hsp70, and prefoldin, stabilize elongating chains on ribosomes in a nonaggregated state. Folding in the cytosol is achieved either on controlled chain release from these factors or after transfer of newly synthesized proteins to downstream chaperones, such as the chaperonins. These are large, cylindrical complexes that provide a central compartment for a single protein chain to fold unimpaired by aggregation. Understanding how the thousands of different proteins synthesized in a cell use this chaperone machinery has profound implications for biotechnology and medicine.
Antiquity of postreproductive life: Are there modern impacts on hunter‐gatherer postreproductive life spans?

Female postreproductive life is a striking feature of human life history and there have been several recent attempts to account for its evolution. But archaeologists estimate that in the past, few individuals lived many postreproductive years. Is postreproductive life a phenotypic outcome of modern conditions, needing no evolutionary account? This article assesses effects of the modern world on hunter‐gatherer adult mortality, with special reference to the Hadza. Evidence suggests that such effects are not sufficient to deny the existence of substantial life expectancy at the end of the childbearing career. Data from contemporary hunter‐gatherers (Ache, ! Kung, Hadza) match longevity extrapolated from regressions of lifespan on body and brain weight. Twenty or so vigorous years between the end of reproduction and the onset of significant senescence does require an explanation. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 14:184–205, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Knowing in practice: Enacting a collective capability in distributed organizing

- In this paper, I outline a perspective on knowing in practice which highlights the essential role of human action In knowing how to get things done in complex organizational work. The perspective suggests that knowing is not a static embedded capability or stable disposition o\ actors, but rather an ongoing social accomplishment, constituted and reconstituted as actors engage the world in practice. In interpreting the findings of an empirical study conducted in a geographically dispersed hightech organization. I suggest that the competence to do global product development is both collective and distributed, grounded in the everyday practices of organizational members. I conclude by discussing some of the research implications of a perspective on organizational knowing in practice.
Congruence Properties for a Timed Extension of the π-Calculus

We propose equivalences and preorders with congruence properties for a timed extension of the π-calculus. We present a timed extension of syntax and basic operational semantics to the π-calculus. The derived timed bisimulation relations are shown to be non-input congruent. The timed bisimilarities equalize the bisimilar processes not only in actions but also in timing of the actions. For the purpose of modeling hard deadlines, we propose a more relaxed bisimulation, calleddelay time orderthat relates a process behaves ‘faster’ in action to a process with the same communication capability. We show that the delay time orders are non-input congruent as well where the ‘time-insensitive’ composition is allowed. We illustrate our timed extension by a simple example of a streaming server and a player client where the network configuration may change dynamically.
User measures of quality of experience: why being objective and quantitative is important

This article develops the concept of quality of user experience by focusing on requirements for its measurement and communication for use in industry. Whereas more typical work involves either modeling media quality based on technical measures or user subjective assessment of media quality, it is argued that QoE measurement should include objective measures of the process and outcomes of usage. Also, subjective measures should be collected as quantitative data rather than qualitative data as is currently common, because quantitative data enables combined analyses of objective and subjective measures for deriving global QoE ratings. Global ratings are important for optimizing the communicability of results to target audiences. Examples of measures and scales are provided. A structured approach to defining and measuring QoE in relation to QoS is explained and illustrated.
The development of CASC

Researchers who make theoretical advances also need some way to demonstrate that an advance really does have general, overall positive consequences for system performance. For this it is necessary to evaluate the system on a set of problems that is sufficiently large and diverse to be somehow representative of the intended application area as a whole. It is only a small step from system evaluation to a communal system competition. The CADE ATP System Competition (CASC) has been run annually since 1996. Any competition is difficult to design and organize in the first instance, and to then run over the years. In order to obtain the full benefits of a competition, a thoroughly organized event, with an unambiguous and motivated design, is necessary. For some issues relevant to the CASC design, inevitable constraints have emerged. For other issues there have been several choices, and decisions have had to be made. This paper describes the evolution of CASC, paying particular attention to its design, design changes, and organization.
Teaching Phonics to Adult Students Using Job Relevant Reading Materials

When adult students.make the decision to return to school after :being away a year or more, they· nray have forgotten many skills, rules and/or generalizations of reading that will be crucial for their success· in the work 'force. One of these is·phonics. Many students have forgotten basic phonics rules. This has prevented them from reading for pleasure, but more . importantly, it has kept them from being successful on the job . It keeps them from reading and . following simple instructions or understanding written men10s from their supervisors or fellow workers . Lack of following directions can lead to accidents and unproductivity, and may eventually cost them their job. This 'Study asked the question: Will teaching phonics to adult students help ·improve their comprehension skills so that they might better perform their responsibilities while on the job? • Phonics instruction was given daily to a study group of 13 women and 1 man from an inner city ABE/GED program. Prior to instruction, the study group was administered the pre­ test of the Bader Reading and Language Inventory phonics subtest and the T ABE comprehension sub test. Instruction lasted for a period of seven weeks. Job relevant materials such as tl}e classified ads in the local newspaper were used because it helped to·keep the students motivated. (Most of these students will be entering the job market in the next year or two). After seven weeks of phonics instruction, the study group was administered phonics and comprehension post-tests . A control group from another inner city ABE/GED program was selected consisting of 11 women. The same pre­ tests were administered. This group did not receive any phonics instruction. There was no statistical difference between the study and control groups on the pre-tests. When administered the post­ t�sts, both groups made gains, however, the control group performed somewhat better than the study group.
Factors Contributing to Police Attendance at Motor Vehicle Crash Scenes

Police attendance at a motor vehicle crash scene is important for investigating the causes of crashes, reducing secondary crashes, managing traffic, and reducing congestion. However, very little research has been conducted to examine the factors contributing to the likelihood of police attendance. This study hypothesizes that the policies of the police services concerned, convenience and comfort, and expectations of injuries or driver violations will increase the likelihood of police attendance at a crash scene. This conceptual framework is supported by the results from fitting a logistic regression model to crash data from the City of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
Retinoic acid-induced ventricular non-compacted cardiomyopathy in mice.

BACKGROUND Precise tissue concentration of retinoic acid (RA) is indispensable for proper interaction of second heart field cells with cardiac neural crest cells and induction of signalling pathways important for normal myocardial growth. AIM Since RA deficiency during embryogenesis induces noncompaction, we hypothesised that excess RA at the stage of heart tube elongation may cause thinning of the myocardial wall which leads to noncompaction. METHODS RA was administered at 70 mg/kg b.w. on 8.5 days post coitus (dpc) to pregnant mice to elicit cardiac malformations in foetuses. We studied noncompaction development in RA-treated mouse offspring. The cardiac noncompaction was evaluated in different stages of heart development as the quotient of the distance between the epicardial surface and trabecular tips(represented by a) and the distance between the epicardial surface and trabecular recesses (represented by b) in RA-treated hearts compared to control non-treated. RESULTS We demonstrated that apart from outflow tract defects such as double outlet right ventricle, transposition of the great arteries and tetralogy of Fallot in foetuses in mouse offspring, noncompaction occurs in about 42% of cases. At the stage of 13 dpc and later in development the ratio a/b was higher in RA-treated hearts exhibiting noncompaction compared to the control hearts. This cardiomyopathy was more evident in the right ventricle than in the left ventricle. CONCLUSIONS Noncompaction caused by RA overdose can be elicited in part of the mouse offspring by administering RA at the stage of cardiac tube elongation.
On structure complexity and behavior complexity of naval warfare

With an aim to master the development regulations of modern naval warfare, the author divides the complexity of modern naval warfare into the structure complexity and the behavior complexity for further measuring through analyzing the concept of naval warfare complexity. Firstly, the “distribution entropy of node strength” is brought forward to measure the complexity of static structure of naval warfare and the model is built by applying complex network. Secondly, the “behavior entropy” is addressed to measure the behavior complexity of movement and the model is built from the angle of information quality and decision-making capability. Lastly, the measuring equation of naval warfare complexity is given and various factors affecting the complexity of naval warfare are analyzed as well.
A Systems Model of the Eco-physiological Response of Plants to Environmental Heavy Metal Concentrations

The ecophysiological response of plants to environmental heavy metal stress is indicated by the profile of its tissue HM concentrations (Cp) versus the concentration of the HM in the substrate (Cs). We report a systems biology approach to the modelling of the Cp- Cs profile using as loose analogy, the Verhulst model of population dynamics but formulated in the concentration domain. The HM is conceptualized as an ecological organism that `colonizes' the resource zone of the plant cells driven by the potential supplied by the higher HM concentration in the substrate. The infinite occupation by the HM is limited by the eventual saturation of the cellular binding sites. The solution of the differential equation results in the logistic equation, the r-K model. The model is tested for 3 metalophillic plants T.erecta, S. vulgaris and E. splendens growing in different types of substrates, contaminated to varying extents by different copper compounds. The model fitted the experimental Cp- Cs profiles well. The r, K parameter values and secondary quantities derived from them, allowed a quantification of the number of Cu binding sites per cell at saturation, the sensitivities (affinities) of these sites for Cu in the 3 experimental systems as well as the extraction of information related to the substrate phyto-availability of the Cu. Thus even though the model operates at the systems level it permits useful insights into underlying processes that ultimately derive from the cumulative molecular processes of HM homeostasis. The chief advantages of the model are its simplicity, fewer arbitrary parameters, and the non-specification of constraints on substrate and plant type.
Classical Model Predictive Control of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

Abstract A model predictive control (MPC) scheme for a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is introduced. The torque controller optimizes a quadratic cost consisting of control error and machine losses repeatedly, accounting for the voltage and current limitations. The scheme extensively relies on online optimization. To meet the runtime limitation, a suboptimal algorithm based on differential flatness, continuous parameterization and linear programming is introduced. The multivariable controller exploits cross-coupling effects in the long-range constrained predictive control strategy. The optimization results in fast and smooth torque dynamics while inherently using field-weakening to improve the power efficiency and the current dynamics in high speed operation. As distinctive MPC feature, constraint handling is improved, instead of just saturating the control input, field weakening is applied dynamically to bypass the voltage limitation. The performance of the scheme is demonstrated by experimental and numerical results.
The impact of combined channel mismatch effects in time-interleaved ADCs

A time-interleaved multichannel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) achieves high sampling rates with the drawback of additional distortions caused by channel mismatches. In this paper, we consider the dependency of the signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SINAD) on the combination of several different channel mismatch effects. By using either explicitly given mismatch parameters or given parameter distributions, we derive closed-form equations for calculating the explicit or the expected SINAD for an arbitrary number of channels. Furthermore, we extend the explicit SINAD by the impact of timing jitter. We clarify how channel mismatches interact and perform a worst case analysis of the explicit SINAD for individual mismatch errors. We also show that equations describing the expected SINAD of individual mismatch errors are special cases of our general formulation. We indicate how to use the expected SINAD for finding efficient optimization priorities and demonstrate the importance of worst case analyses.
Teaching Introduction to Computing Through a Project-Based Collaborative Learning Approach

Teaching introduction to computing courses, especially to first year college students, is a challenging endeavor given the increasing difficulty of today’s students with programming and algorithmic thinking. In this paper the experience of introducing collaborative and project based approaches in a first year University course is reported. Both synchronous collaborative learning approaches and asynchronous collaboration through group project work have been introduced in the course using Python as a programming language. The effect of use of these approaches in students’ attitude towards Computer Science and their performance is discussed here.
Septin Organization and Functions in Budding Yeast

The septins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins present in all eukaryotic cells except plants. They were originally discovered in the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that serves until today as an important model organism for septin research. In yeast, the septins assemble into a highly ordered array of filaments at the mother bud neck. The septins are regulators of spatial compartmentalization in yeast and act as key players in cytokinesis. This minireview summarizes the recent findings about structural features and cell biology of the yeast septins.