Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asynchronous Design For Ubiquitous Computing

Computing on the 21 st century is rapidly moving from the personal computer model, into a ubiquitous configuration, where technology will weave into the fabric of everyday life. These ubiquitous or pervasive computing is enabled by Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Engineers deploy WSNs in a myriad applications ranging from implanted medical monitoring devices to industrial control systems. Node lifetime and throughput are crucial metrics in the design space. Previously , energy reduction at the cost of performance is a common engineering trade-off for mote microcontrollers. However, the increased application complexity requires greater computational power, while retaining a low-power envelope. In this thesis, we study the use of Quasi Delay-Insensitive (QDI) circuits to design a microcontroller that fits the WSN application space. All our architectural and circuit decisions keep the focal point on maximizing the sensor node lifetime and performance of a WSN node system. The reduced energy consumption and increased processing power enables more complex operations on collected data to be performed locally. However, even with the reduction of the use of energy-hungry communication systems, any data or computed results must be eventually transmitted wirelessly for remote collation. We study two of the main processing challenges a design engineering faces while transmitting data: serial interfaces to peripherals, and encryption of the data over an insecure link. Carlos Tadeo Ortega Otero was born in México City, México where he grew up. Carlos is the son of Rodolfo Ortega Mendoza, and Myrna Otero Berdon. His dad is a retired Electrical Engineer that worked for more than 35 years at the Mexican state-owned petroleum company: PEMEX. Carlos' mom is a homemaker. Carlos completed his primary and high school education at the Instituto Juventud del Estado de México. He received his first computer as a gift in the summer of 1992. Since then, he became passionate about the software and hardware of computer systems. The summer after the end of elementary school, he enrolled in a program to learn Basic, Visual Basic, databases and basic command line scripting using MS-DOS batch files. In the year 2000, he bought and installed Corel Linux. He graduated high school with honors in 2001. He began his undergraduate studies in Computer Engineering in 2006. Carlos' first contact with research was an invitation from Prof. Marcos de Alba Rosano to augment a cycle-accurate architectural simulator to give detailed power estimations of each pipeline stage of a superscalar Alpha microprocessor.sult …
New evolutionary approaches to high-dimensional data

High-dimensional data often threatens the performance of classification algorithms. We propose a two-step approach for dealing with high-dimensional data. In the first step, features are arranged into bins, where each bin corresponds to a much smaller sub-space of features. In the second step, classifiers are independently applied to the set of features within each sub-space, and their results are then aggregated. We consider slicing a space Rd into smaller subspaces as a multi-objective search problem, which can be solved by evolutionary algorithms. We performed a systematic evaluation using three classification algorithms on high-dimensional data.
Interactive and descriptor-based deployment of object-oriented grid applications

Increasing complexity of distributed applications and commodity of resources through grids are making the tasks of deploying those applications harder. There is a clear need for standard tools allowing versatile deployment and analysis of distributed applications. We present here a solution for the deployment and monitoring of applications written using ProActive, an experimental Java-based library for concurrent, distributed and mobile computing. We describe the use of XML-based descriptor for the deployment part of a distributed application and the use of IC2D (Interactive Control and Debugging of Distribution), for the monitoring and steering of the running application. Those ideas, concepts, and experiments are a contribution towards the construction of integrated environments for component-based grid programming.
A child with ALL and ETV6/AML1 fusion on a chromosome 12 due to an insertion of AML1 and loss of ETV6 from the homolog involved in a t(12;15)(p13;q15)

A 4‐year‐old boy was found to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia characterized by a t(12;15)(p13;q15). FISH investigation using a TEL(ETV6)/AML1 probe detected a fusion signal in 98% of the interphase cells. Sequential FISH on a G‐banded slide showed a fusion signal on an apparently normal chromosome 12 and AML1 signals on chromosomes 21. The ETV6 was deleted from the chromosome 12 involved in the t(12;15). These results are best explained as an insertion of AML1 into TEL on one chromosome arm 12p and loss of ETV6 from the chromosome 12 involved in the t(12;15). © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lesion Detection in Retinal Images using Back Propagation Neural Network

Exudates are one of the chief signs of diabetic retinopathy, which is a main root of blindness and can be prevented with an early screening process. In this article, authors have attempted to detect exudates using back propagation neural network. The publicly available diabetic retinopathy dataset DIARETDB1 has been used in the evaluation process. To prevent the optic disk from interfering with exudates detection, the optic disk is eliminated. Significant features are notorious from the similes after preprocessing by using two methods: Decision tree and GA-CFS method are used as input to the BPN model to detect the exudates and non-exudates at pixel level. The results attest that, BPN recital with features identified by Decision tree and GA_CFS loom has out performed the performance of BPN with all inputs. The BPN classifier best recital was found with Sensitivity of 96.97 %, Specificity of 100% and classification accuracy of 98.45%.
A survey of programmable networks

In this paper we present a programmable networking model that provides a common framework for understanding the state-of-the-art in programmable networks. A number of projects are reviewed and discussed against a set of programmable network characteristics. We believe that a number of important innovations are creating a paradigm shift in networking leading to higher levels of network programmability. These innovations include the separation between transmission hardware and control software, availability of open programmable network interfaces, accelerated virtualization of networking infrastructure, rapid creation and deployment of new network services and environments for resource partitioning and coexistence of multiple distinct network architectures. We present a simple qualitative comparison of the surveyed work and make a number of observations about the direction of the field.
Development of a Carbon-14 Labeling Approach to Support Disposition Studies with a Pegylated Biologic

Although it is widely accepted that one can extend the pharmacokinetic half-life of a therapeutic protein by covalent conjugation with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the disposition properties of such biologics have not yet been fully evaluated. Therefore, a novel [14C]-labeling method was developed that can be applied to a biologic conjugated with PEG through a maleimide-cysteine reaction. The method was used to study the tissue and tumor distribution of a PEGylated Adnectin, a recombinant protein derived from the 10th type III domain of fibronectin, in nude mice bearing human xenograft tumors. The PEGylated Adnectin contained a 40-kDa branched PEG (P40B) that was labeled with [14C] at the linker region between the PEG and Adnectin, without compromising cellular activity and plasma half-life in mice. After a single intravenous or intraperitoneal dose (33 mg/kg, 1.7 μCi per mouse) of [14C]-P40B-Adnectin, quantitative whole-body autoradiography analysis revealed that the liver had the highest uptake of the radioactivity among nontumor tissues, followed by the kidneys and lung. The muscle and brain showed the least penetration of the radioactivity among all tissues examined. In addition, the [14C]-P40B-EI-tandem penetrated into the tumor tissue, although the extent of accumulation was largely dependent on tumor type. Therefore, it was possible to assess the tissue distribution of a PEGylated biologic after it had been [14C] labeled using the novel method described herein.
Evaluation of Six Proton Pump Inhibitors As Inhibitors of Various Human Cytochromes P450: Focus on Cytochrome P450 2C19

Six proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, dexlansoprazole, pantoprazole, and rabeprazole, were shown to be weak inhibitors of cytochromes P450 (CYP3A4, -2B6, -2D6, -2C9, -2C8, and -1A2) in human liver microsomes. In most cases, IC50 values were greater than 40 μM, except for dexlansoprazole and lansoprazole with CYP1A2 (IC50 = ∼8 μM) and esomeprazole with CYP2C8 (IC50 = 31 μM). With the exception of CYP2C19 inhibition by omeprazole and esomeprazole (IC50 ratio, 2.5 to 5.9), there was no evidence for a marked time-dependent shift in IC50 (IC50 ratio, ≤2) after a 30-min preincubation with NADPH. In the absence of preincubation, lansoprazole (IC50 = 0.73 μM) and esomeprazole (IC50 = 3.7 μM) were the most potent CYP2C19 inhibitors, followed by dexlansoprazole and omeprazole (IC50 = ∼7.0 μM). Rabeprazole and pantoprazole (IC50 = ≥25 μM) were the weakest. A similar ranking was obtained with recombinant CYP2C19. Despite the IC50 ranking, after consideration of plasma levels (static and dynamic), protein binding, and metabolism-dependent inhibition, it is concluded that omeprazole and esomeprazole are the most potent CYP2C19 inhibitors. This was confirmed after the incubation of the individual PPIs with human primary hepatocytes (in the presence of human serum) and by monitoring their impact on diazepam N-demethylase activity at a low concentration of diazepam (2 μM). Data described herein are consistent with reports that PPIs are mostly weak inhibitors of cytochromes P450 in vivo. However, two members of the PPI class (esomeprazole and omeprazole) are more likely to serve as clinically relevant inhibitors of CYP2C19.
Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system: just DLBCL or not?

Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL), defined as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) confined to the central nervous system (CNS), has recently gained attention due to its increased incidence, which is mainly due to the AIDS epidemic and has been observed in some but not all
Dual-band circularly polarized monopole antenna for WLAN applications

A novel planar dual-band monopole antenna with circular polarization (CP) operation is proposed. By appropriately introducing dual strip-sleeves shorted at the ground plane, the proposed dual-band CP design can easily be achieved with the impedance bandwidth (RL □10 dB) of about 266 / 980 MHz and the 3 dB axial-ratio (AR) bandwidth of about 103 / 700 MHz for 2.4 / 5.2 GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) applications. The measured peak gain and radiation efficiency are about 4.1 / 3.3 dBic and 94 / 84 % across the operating bands, respectively, with nearly bidirectional patterns in the XZ- and YZ-planes.
Seminar in Corporate Strategy CSIB 899 Fall B 2002 Professor

This is a doctoral level seminar on major issues in corporate strategy. The basic purpose of the course is to familiarize students with the basic assumptions, concepts, theories, empirical approaches and their limitations in contemporary research. Because strategy is an evolving subject area and undergoing continual change, the boundaries of the field are fuzzy, subjective and open to interpretation and reinterpretation. The idea of the course is to provide an exposure to the major ‘lenses’ underpinning the field. However, further exploration on the part of students, particularly in their focal area of interest is necessary. In this sense, the course is an important building block for the major milestones that lie ahead in the Ph.D. program: comprehensive exams and dissertation.
Development of the indirect ring tension fracture test for hot-mix asphalt

Almost all of the current hot-mix asphalt (HMA) fracture tests are considered to be research tools. This paper describes the development of the indirect ring tension (IRT) fracture test for HMA, which was designed to be an effective and user-friendly test that could be used at the Department of Transportation level. Numerical modelling was utilised to calibrate the stress intensity factor formula of the IRT fracture test for various specimen dimensions. The results of this extensive analysis were encapsulated in a single equation. An experimental plan was developed to optimise the test parameters for HMA specimens. The experiment results revealed that the test is highly repeatable, and capable of capturing the variations in the fracture properties of HMA. Moreover, the data from laboratory tests were utilised to estimate the maximum allowable crack lengths for the pavements based on a viscoelastic model.
Fired Porcelain Microstructures Revisited

The microstructure of standard commercial porcelain consists of α-quartz grains held in a complex matrix. Quartz grains are surrounded by amorphous silica-rich solution rims while the matrix contains clay relicts of small (∼200 nm × 40 nm × 40 nm) primary (2Al 2 O 3 :1SiO 2 ) mullite crystals in aluminosilicate glass and feldspar relicts of acicular (>1 μm long) secondary (3Al 2 O 3 :2SiO 2 ) mullite in potassium aluminosilicate glass. A continuous increase in mullite crystal size from the clay-feldspar relict interface to the feldspar relict center and their compositions indicate a transformation from primary to secondary mullite. In aluminous porcelain, corundum grains are observed in addition to α-quartz and regions of clay and feldspar relicts. Small (∼50 nm × 10 nm × 10 nm) tertiary mullite crystals (formed by precipitation from Al 2 O 3 -rich glass) were detected adjacent to these corundum grains.
Dynamic and static stability in hexapedal runners.

Stability is fundamental to the performance of terrestrial locomotion. Running cockroaches met the criteria for static stability over a wide range of speeds, yet several locomotor variables changed in a way that revealed an increase in the importance of dynamic stability as speed increased. Duty factors (the fraction of time that a leg spends on the ground relative to the stride period) decreased to 0.5 and below with an increase in speed. The duration of double support (i.e. when both tripods, or all six legs, were on the ground) decreased significantly with an increase in speed. All legs had similar touch-down phases in the tripod, but the shortest leg, the front one, lifted off before the middle and the rear leg, so that only two legs of the tripod were in contact with the ground at the highest speeds. Per cent stability margin (the shortest distance from the center of gravity to the boundaries of support, normalized to the maximum possible stability margin) decreased with increasing speed from 60% at 10 cms-1 to values less than zero at speeds faster than 50 cms-1, indicating instances of static instability at fast speeds. The center of mass moved rearward or posteriorly with respect to the base of support as speed increased. Moments about the center of mass, as shown by the center of pressure (the equivalent of a single 'effective' leg), were variable, but were balanced by opposing moments over a stride. Thus, hexapods can exploit the advantages of both static and dynamic stability. Static or quasi-static assumptions alone were insufficient to explain straight-ahead, constant-speed locomotion and may hinder discovery of behaviors that are dynamic, where kinetic energy and momentum can act as a bridge from one step to the next.
A concurrent error detection based fault-tolerant 32 nm XOR-XNOR circuit implementation

As modern processors and semiconductor circuits move into 32 nm technologies and below, designers face the major problem of process variations. This problem makes designing VLSI circuits harder and harder, affects t he circuit performance and introduces faults that can cause critical failures. Therefore, fault-tolerant design is requir ed to obtain the necessary level of reliability and availability especially for safety-critical systems. Since XOR-XNOR circuits are basic building blocks in various digital and mixed systems, especially in arithmetic circuits, these gates should be desig ned such that they indicate any malfunction during normal operation. In fact, this property of verifying the results delivered by a circuit during its normal operation is called Concurrent Error Detection (CED). In this paper, we propose a CED based fault- tolerant XOR-XNOR circuit implementation. The proposed design is performed using the 32 nm process technology.
Social machines: a unified paradigm to describe social web-oriented systems

Blending computational and social elements into software has gained significant attention in key conferences and journals. In this context, "Social Machines" appears as a promising model for unifying both computational and social processes. However, it is a fresh topic, with concepts and definitions coming from different research fields, making a unified understanding of the concept a somewhat challenging endeavor. This paper aims to investigate efforts related to this topic and build a preliminary classification scheme to structure the science of Social Machines. We provide a preliminary overview of this research area through the identification of the main visions, concepts, and approaches; we additionally examine the result of the convergence of existing contributions. With the field still in its early stage, we believe that this work can collaborate to the process of providing a more common and coherent conceptual basis for understanding Social Machines as a paradigm. Furthermore, this study helps detect important research issues and gaps in the area.
Chickenpox pneumonia: an association with pregnancy.

We read with interest the article by Dr T F Esmonde and colleagues (October 1989;44: 812-5) on the relation between chickenpox pneumonia and pregnancy. We agree with their overall conclusions, though our own observations and those ofothers' suggest that pregnancy may not have been the only risk factor in their patients. Dr Esmonde and colleagues do not record details of their patients' smoking histories, a crucial risk factor.2 Over the last two years we have cared for 32 adult inpatients with chickenpox (mean age 24 7 (SD 6-3) years), of whom seven had symptoms and radiological evidence of pneumonia. Of the patients with pneumonia, two were pregnant, and both were smokers. Smoking was the only risk factor in four patients, and one patient was diabetic. We also treated six pregnant or puerperal women without pneumonia (three in the last trimester), of whom only one smoked. Although only four of the 14 smokers with no other risk factor had pneumonia, lung function abnormalities are often found in smokers with chickenpox, despite a normal chest radiograph. ' Immunological changes of pregnancy may be responsible for some of the increased risks ofpneumonia. Attending to infected children may carry a risk of severe disease in some patients, and pregnancy may be a marker for the presence of infectious children at hoite. We found that three of seven patients with pneumonia had apparently contracted chickenpox from a child they were caring for, compared with only one of 25 without pneumonia (p < 0-05, Fisher's exact test). Measles mortality is associated with overcrowding, close contact, and (by implication) a large infectious dose. ' A case-control study of the association between exposure to the source case of chickenpox and the severity of the resultant illness would be most interesting. Finally, although acyclovir is not ofproved benefit in chickenpox pneumonia, we would advise its use in the patient with evidence of early or established pneumonitis due to varicella zoster, at a dose of 10-15 mg/kg three times a day. STEPHEN J ROGERSON F J NYE Infectious Disease Unit, Fazakerley Hospital, Liverpool NICHOLAS J BEECHING Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool
Automated concurrency re-assignment in high level system models for efficient system-level simulation

Simple and powerful modeling of concurrency and reactivity along with their efficient implementation in the simulation kernel are crucial to the overall usefulness of system level models using the C++-based modeling frameworks. However the concurrency alignment in most modeling frameworks is naturally expressed along hardware units, being supported by the various language constructs, and the system designers express concurrency in their system models by providing threads for some modules/units of the model. Our experimental analysis shows that this concurrency model leads to inefficient simulation performance, and a concurrency alignment along dataflow gives much better simulation performance, but changes the conceptual model of hardware structures. As a result, we propose an algorithmic transformation of designs written in these C++-based environments with concurrency alignment along units/modules. This transformation, provided as a compiler front-end, will re-assign the concurrency along the dataflow, as opposed to threading along concurrent hardware/software modules, keeping the functionality of the model unchanged. Such a front-end transformation strategy will relieve hardware system designers from concerns about software engineering issues such as, threading architecture, and simulation performance, while allowing them to design in the most natural manner whereas, the simulation performance can be enhanced up to almost two times as shown in our experiments.
THE BLOCHMANN BODIES: HEREDITARY INTRACELLULAR SYMBIONTS OF INSECTS

The term ‘Blochmann body’ was originated by Wheeler in 1889 for bacteria‐like particles in the cytoplasm of cockroach eggs. These particles can be traced during embryonic development to definitive somatic cells, the mycetocytes. These and similar particles of other insects have so far not been cultivated in bacteriological media nor injected into host animals to produce either pathological or benign infections. Their structure and composition indicate them to be evolutionary descendants of free‐living micro‐organisms; operationally, they appear to belong to the class of cell particles designated by Lederberg (1952) as plasmids.
Cognitive performance in long-term abstinent alcoholic individuals.

BACKGROUND There are few investigations of the potential recovery of neurocognitive function in chronic alcoholic samples after very-long-term abstinence. The current study examined cognitive abilities in middle-aged (mean age 46.8 years), long-term abstinent alcoholic individuals (LTAA). Twenty-five LTAA men and 23 LTAA women abstinent for an average of 6.7 years were compared with an equal number of gender and age-comparable normal controls (NC). We examined the association of neurocognitive variables with age, duration of abstinence, alcohol use measures, and the density of a family history of problem drinking. METHODS Long-term abstinent alcoholic individuals and NC underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Performance was measured in the following 9 domains: abstraction/cognitive flexibility, attention, auditory working memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, psychomotor function, reaction time, spatial processing, and verbal skills. RESULTS Long-term abstinent alcoholic individuals performed similarly to NC, except for deficits in the spatial processing domain. The spatial processing results must be interpreted with caution because of multiple comparison issues; however, spatial processing deficits are among the impairments most often reported in abstinent alcoholic individuals. None of the cognitive measures were associated with length of abstinence, any alcohol use variable, or family history measure. CONCLUSIONS Very-long-term abstinence resolves most neurocognitive deficits associated with alcoholism, except for the suggestion of lingering deficits in spatial processing.