Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Throughput Finite Field Multipliers Using Redundant Basis for FPGA and ASIC Implementations

Redundant basis (RB) multipliers over Galois Field ( GF(2m)) have gained huge popularity in elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) mainly because of their negligible hardware cost for squaring and modular reduction. In this paper, we have proposed a novel recursive decomposition algorithm for RB multiplication to obtain high-throughput digit-serial implementation. Through efficient projection of signal-flow graph (SFG) of the proposed algorithm, a highly regular processor-space flow-graph (PSFG) is derived. By identifying suitable cut-sets, we have modified the PSFG suitably and performed efficient feed-forward cut-set retiming to derive three novel multipliers which not only involve significantly less time-complexity than the existing ones but also require less area and less power consumption compared with the others. Both theoretical analysis and synthesis results confirm the efficiency of proposed multipliers over the existing ones. The synthesis results for field programmable gate array (FPGA) and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) realization of the proposed designs and competing existing designs are compared. It is shown that the proposed high-throughput structures are the best among the corresponding designs, for FPGA and ASIC implementation. It is shown that the proposed designs can achieve up to 94% and 60% savings of area-delay-power product (ADPP) on FPGA and ASIC implementation over the best of the existing designs, respectively.
Measuring IS System Service Quality with SERVQUAL: Users' Perceptions of Relative Importance of the Five SERVPERF Dimensions

Using a library information system in an engineering research environment, this paper investigates the service quality perceptions of professional information system users. This paper also examines the relationship between the relative importance allocated by the system’s users to each of the five SERVPERF dimensions (dimensions that are shared with the SERVQUAL instrument) as measured by the points allocated to that dimension and the ratings provided for the individual items of the dimension. Findings suggest that users rate system responsiveness and reliability above other service quality dimensions. Moderating influences in SERVPERF include gender and pressure to perform. We conclude that (1) companies that provide client services and (2) designers of information systems that interface with users should emphasize responsiveness and reliability; in cases of limited user resources, responsiveness and reliability should be emphasized over other SERVPERF performance dimensions. We also conclude that the use of SERVPERF is nuanced and that moderating influences may affect measurement results.
Controlling Dynamic Gaits for Quadrupedal Robots

Bridging the gap between the skill sets of legged robotic systems and that of real animals is one of the major challenges in the field of robotics. Our long-term goal is to develop and control quadrupedal robots that are able to operate semiautonomously, i.e. they are only guided by users through highlevel velocity commands, such as move forward at 1 m/s, or turn with 0.5 rad/s. To achieve this, the robots should have a large repertoire of gaits and the ability of selecting them based on desired speed, energy efficiency considerations, or the upcoming terrain. At the Autonomous Systems Lab we recently developed StarlETH (Springy Tetrapod with Articulated Robotic Legs), an electrically driven quadruped robot [1]. StarlETH’s weight of 23kg and leg length of 0.4m correspond to the dimensions of a medium sized dog, and it uses an actuation scheme based on highly compliant series-elastic actuators that enable torque control. Our aim is to increase StarlETH’s repertoire of motions to include faster, more lifelike dynamic gaits.
Genetic Influences on the Response to Dietary Salt Reduction, Acute Salt Loading, or Salt Depletion in Humans

Summary: The effect of heredity on blood pressure is established. However not all genetically predisposed individuals develop an elevated blood pressure. Thus, an environmental factor may also he required for expression of this genetic predisposition. To elucidate this effect further, as well as to examine the relationship between inherited factors and the influence of salt intake. we conducted acute and chronic investigations in normal subjects. We present evidence that renal function, the rennin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, and sympathetic nervous system are all influenced by genetic variance. We found that the blood pressure response to both acute changes in volume and changes in salt intake is normally distributed. Supporting the notion of salt sensitivity and resistance of blood pressure. We identified phenotypes of haptoglobin as possibly useful indicators of salt sensitivity and resistance. We documented a parent-offspring resemblance in blood pressure and also a maternal–offspring resemblance in the Changer in blood pressure with salt reduction. We present evidence that suggests that salt reduction. We present exhibit differences in renin–aldostcrone relationships and natriuretic responses consistent with volume expansion compared to salt-resistant individuals. Finally, we identified a potential role for altered adrenoreceptors in the development of salt sensitivity. Our observations speak to the inherited nature of salt sensitivity and resistance of blood pressure. They may have mechanistic implications as well.
Oxidative capacity of muscle and mitochondria: correlation of physiological, biochemical, and morphometric characteristics.

The oxidative capacity of cat skeletal muscles (soleus, gracilis, and gracilis chronically stimulated for 28 days) was derived from the total mitochondrial content in the muscle, the surface area of mitochondrial inner membranes, and respiratory activities of isolated mitochondria. Mitochondrial content was estimated by standard morphometry. The surface area of mitochondrial inner membranes per unit volume of mitochondria was estimated by a stereological method. The respiratory activities of isolated mitochondria were measured biochemically, using pyruvate/malate, glutamate/malate, succinate, or cytochrome c as substrate. Structurally and functionally, mitochondria from the three muscle types showed nearly identical characteristics. Oxidative activity was dependent on substrate; with succinate, 5.8 ml of O2 per min per ml of mitochondria was the rate most likely to represent physiological conditions. Oxidative activities of 3.1 ml.min-1.ml-1 with pyruvate/malate and 14.5 ml.min-1.ml-1 with cytochrome c as substrates were theoretical lower and upper bounds. The oxidative capacity of each of the three muscles was thus in direct proportion to the total volume of mitochondria in the muscle. The respiratory capacity of isolated mitochondria was very near to the maximal oxygen uptake rate of mitochondria that is commonly estimated in intact muscles of a wide variety of animals.
Distributed-memory parallel algorithms for distance-2 coloring and their application to derivative computation.

The distance-2 graph coloring problem aims at partitioning the vertex set of a graph into the fewest sets consisting of vertices pairwise at distance greater than two from each other. Its applications include derivative computation in numerical optimization and channel assignment in radio networks. We present efficient, distributed-memory, parallel heuristic algorithms for this NPhard problem as well as for two related problems used in the computation of Jacobians and Hessians. Parallel speedup is achieved through graph partitioning, speculative (iterative) coloring, and a BSPlike organization of parallel computation. Results from experiments conducted on a PC cluster employing up to 96 processors and using large-size real-world as well as synthetically generated test graphs show that the algorithms are scalable. In terms of quality of solution, the algorithms perform remarkably well—the number of colors used by the parallel algorithms was observed to be very close to the number used by the sequential counterparts, which in turn are quite often near optimal. Moreover, the experimental results show that the parallel distance-2 coloring algorithm compares favorably with the alternative approach of solving the distance-2 coloring problem on a graph G by first constructing the square graph G2 and then applying a parallel distance-1 coloring algorithm on G2 . Implementations of the algorithms are made available via the Zoltan load-balancing library.
Effects of Country-of-Origin and Product-Attribute Information on Product Evaluation: An Information Processing Perspective

Four hypotheses were raised concerning the cognitive processes underlying the effects of country-of-origin and specific attribute information on product evaluation. The country of origin not only had a direct influence on product evaluations, but also appeared to stimulate subjects to think more extensively about other product attribute information, augmenting the latter's effect. Hypotheses concerning the influence of country of origin on the interpretation of other product information, the use of country of origin as a heuristic basis for judgments, and the influence of information presentation order were less able to account for the phenomena observed.
A Comprehensive Review of Male Reproductive Toxic Effects of Aflatoxin

Aflatoxins, highly oxygenated, heterocyclic, difuranocoumarin compounds that could be present in human foods and animal feedstuffs, are an important group of mycotoxins produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius (Diaz et al., 2008). Other species of Aspergillus such as A. bombycis, A. ochraceoroseus and A. pseudotamari may also produce aflatoxins (Bennett & Klich, 2003; Klich et al., 2000; Mishra & Das, 2003). On a worldwide scale, the aflatoxins are found in stored food commodities and oil seeds such as corn, peanuts, cottonseed, rice, wheat, oats, barley, sorghum, millet, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sesame, cacao beans, almonds, etc., which on consumption pose health hazards to animals, including aquaculture species of fish, and humans (Abdel-Wahab et al., 2008; Hussein & Brassel, 2001). Health effects occur in fish, companion animals, livestock, poultry and humans because aflatoxins are potent hepatotoxins, immunosuppressants, mutagens, carcinogens and teratogens. Public health concerns center on both primary poisoning from aflatoxins in commodities, food and feedstuffs, and relay poisoning from aflatoxins in milk (Coppock & Christian, 2007). There are four major natural aflatoxins (AFs), AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2. The hierarchy of toxicity of different aflatoxins is in the order AFB1>AFG1>AFB2>AFG2. There are two additional metabolic products of aflatoxins B1 and B2, viz., M1 and M2. More than 5 billion people in developing countries worldwide are at risk of chronic exposure to naturally occurring aflatoxins through contaminated foods (Shephard, 2003; Williams et al., 2004) and more so in the tropical regions, where the climatic conditions favour luxurious growth of Aspergillus spp, and people rely on commodities such as cereals, oilseeds, spices, tree nuts, milk, meat and dried fruits that are potentially contaminated by aflatoxins (Strosnider et al., 2006). Symptoms of aflatoxicosis include feed refusal, decreased feed efficiency, stunted growth, decreased milk production and impaired reproductive efficiency (Diekman & Green, 1992; Oguz & Kurtoglu, 2000; Pier, 1992; Raju & Devegowda, 2000). Aflatoxins in general, and AFB1 in particular, can induce DNA damage, gene mutation, sister-chromatid exchanges and other chromosomal anomalies, which account for their genotoxic, teratogenic and carcinogenic properties (Batt et al., 1980; International Agency for Research on Cancer
A Fast Method for Combining/Generating Synthetic Traffic Traces Exhibiting Short- and Long-Range Dependence

Abstract : We consider a heuristic approach for combining short traffic traces of various degrees of self-similarity to produce a longer trace that has the following desirable properties. The mixed trace is capable of modeling computer networking traffic that exhibits both short- and long-range dependence in a unified model. Synthetic traces of self-similar characteristics can be generated quickly due to the simplicity of our method, which is faster than the traditional approach of generating/approximating traffic traces from nothing.
Teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development: A review of the evidence

Should parents be encouraged to teach their hearing infants to communicate using gestural signs? Does signing in infancy advance child behaviour and development as claimed by many commercially available products for parents? To answer these questions, a review was undertaken to evaluate currently available research studies that examined the effectiveness of prelingual signing for normally developing, hearing infants. Databases, reference lists and the Internet were searched for relevant documents using a pre-determined search protocol. Seventeen reports met the review’s inclusion criteria and were retrieved and evaluated. The review failed to support claims that signing facilitates language development, due to insufficiencies in scientific methods and to equivocal results.
Expectation-Based Versus Potential-Aware Automated Abstraction in Imperfect Information Games: An Experimental Comparison Using Poker

Automated abstraction algorithms for sequential imperfect information games have recently emerged as a key component in developing competitive game theory-based agents. The existing literature has not investigated the relative performance of different abstraction algorithms. Instead, agents whose construction has used automated abstraction have only been compared under confounding effects: different granularities of abstraction and equilibrium-finding algorithms that yield different accuracies when solving the abstracted game. This paper provides the first systematic evaluation of abstraction algorithms. Two families of algorithms have been proposed. The distinguishing feature is the measure used to evaluate the strategic similarity between game states. One algorithm uses the probability of winning as the similarity measure. The other uses a potential-aware similarity measure based on probability distributions over future states. We conduct experiments on Rhode Island Hold'em poker. We compare the algorithms against each other, against optimal play, and against each agent's nemesis. We also compare them based on the resulting game's value. Interestingly, for very coarse abstractions the expectation-based algorithm is better, but for moderately coarse and fine abstractions the potential-aware approach is superior. Furthermore, agents constructed using the expectation-based approach are highly exploitable beyond what their performance against the game's optimal strategy would suggest.
Tipps für Eltern traumatisierter Kinder und ihre empirischen Grundlagen

Zusammenfassung Die Tipps für Familien zum Umgang mit einem Kind, bei dem akut ein Trauma geschehen ist oder aufgedeckt wurde, beziehen sich auf den inner- und außerfamiliären Umgang und werden in dieser Übersicht auf ihre empirischen Grundlagen aus dem Feld der Entwicklungspsychiatrie, Psychodynamik, Neurobiologie und Sozialwissenschaften rückbezogen. Die Zusammenstellung kann in Gänze oder in Teilen zur Psychoedukation eingesetzt werden und hilft Eltern eine optimale Haltefunktion zu entwickeln.
Using Classroom Management to Improve Preschoolers’ Social and Emotional Skills: Final Impact and Implementation Findings from the Foundations of Learning Demonstration in Newark and Chicago

Intensive professional development and in-class support for preschool teachers produced more positive teacher-student interactions, more effective management of challenging behaviors, less problem behavior, higher engagement in learning, and more instruction time. However, there was no clear effect on short-term academic achievement, and the long-term effects on children remain uncertain.
Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States.

This study was undertaken to update and revise the estimate of the economic impact of obesity in the United States. A prevalence-based approach to the cost of illness was used to estimate the economic costs in 1995 dollars attributable to obesity for type 2 diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, gallbladder disease, breast, endometrial and colon cancer, and osteoarthritis. Additionally and independently, excess physician visits, work-lost days, restricted activity, and bed-days attributable to obesity were analyzed cross-sectionally using the 1988 and 1994 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Direct (personal health care, hospital care, physician services, allied health services, and medications) and indirect costs (lost output as a result of a reduction or cessation of productivity due to morbidity or mortality) are from published reports and inflated to 1995 dollars using the medical component of the consumer price index (CPI) for direct cost and the all-items CPI for indirect cost. Population-attributable risk percents (PAR%) are estimated from large prospective studies. Excess work-lost days, restricted activity, bed-days, and physician visits are estimated from 88,262 U.S. citizens who participated in the 1988 NHIS and 80,261 who participated in the 1994 NHIS. Sample weights have been incorporated into the NHIS analyses, making these data generalizable to the U.S. population. The total cost attributable to obesity amounted to $99.2 billion dollars in 1995. Approximately $51.64 billion of those dollars were direct medical costs. Using the 1994 NHIS data, cost of lost productivity attributed to obesity (BMI> or =30) was $3.9 billion and reflected 39.2 million days of lost work. In addition, 239 million restricted-activity days, 89.5 million bed-days, and 62.6 million physician visits were attributable to obesity in 1994. Compared with 1988 NHIS data, in 1994 the number of restricted-activity days (36%), bed-days (28%), and work-lost days (50%) increased substantially. The number of physician visits attributed to obesity increased 88% from 1988 to 1994. The economic and personal health costs of overweight and obesity are enormous and compromise the health of the United States. The direct costs associated with obesity represent 5.7% of our National Health Expenditure in the United States.
Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies Generated from Full Length Human Cereblon: Detection of Cereblon Protein in Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are profoundly active compounds in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, despite the fact that treatment with IMiDs has dramatically improved survival for patients with MM, the majority of MM patients develop IMiDs resistance over time. We have found that expression of functional cereblon is required for IMiDs′ action. In addition, it has been reported that cells expressing high levels of cereblon are resistant to proteasome inhibitor, implying that patients with high levels of cereblon should be resistant to proteasome inhibitor. If the above conclusions are correct, cereblon could be considered as a biomarker to determine which standard regimens should be used to treat patients with MM. Unfortunately, the conclusions mentioned above have not been clinically confirmed. In order to confirm these conclusions, we have generated three highly specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against full-length human cereblon. These mAbs can be used to do western blot, immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry staining. In addition, their epitopes have been precisely determined and the peptides covering their epitopes completely blocked the antibody binding to cereblon in western blot analysis or in immunohistochemistry staining of MM patients′ specimens.
Performance Characteristics of Volleyball Players with Patellar Tendinopathy

Background Patellar tendinopathy is assumed to result from chronic tendon overload. There may be a relationship between tendon pain and jumping ability. Hypothesis There is no difference in performance characteristics between volleyball players with patellar tendinopathy and those without. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Method We examined the performance of the leg extensor apparatus in high-level male volleyball players with patellar tendinopathy (N = 24) compared with a control group (N = 23) without knee symptoms. The testing program consisted of different jump tests with and without added load, and a composite jump score was calculated to reflect overall performance. Results The groups were similar in age, height, and playing experience, but the patellar tendinopathy group did more specific strength training and had greater body weight. They scored significantly higher than the control group on the composite jump score (50.3 versus 39.2), and significant differences were also observed for work done in the drop-jump and average force and power in the standing jumps with half- and full-body weight loads. Conclusions Greater body weight, more weight training, and better jumping performance may increase susceptibility to patellar tendinopathy in volleyball players.
Pharmacist-Managed International Normalized Ratio Patient Self-Testing Is Associated with Increased Time in Therapeutic Range in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices at an Academic Medical Center

Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are at increased risk of bleeding and thrombotic complications making warfarin therapy particularly challenging. Patient self-testing (PST) using point-of-care international normalized ratio (INR) devices has shown favorable outcomes in other populations, but the use of PST in LVAD patients has not been well described. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-managed INR PST versus usual care (UC) in patients with LVADs at a single center. We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients (in a 1:4 ratio PST versus UC) implanted with an LVAD (HeartMate II or HVAD) treated with warfarin from January 1, 2007, to January 31, 2013. We reviewed all INRs and bleeding/thrombotic events in LVAD patients whose anticoagulation was managed by clinical pharmacists via INR PST versus UC and calculated a percent time in therapeutic range (%TTR) by Rosendaal method. Fifty-five patients were studied. Demographic data were generally similar between the cohorts. Mean %TTR was higher in the PST cohort versus UC (44.4% vs. 30.6%, p = 0.026). There was no difference in the rate per patient-year of bleeding (0.23 vs. 0.33, p = 0.55) or thrombotic events (0.12 vs. 0.13, p = 0.88). Pharmacist-managed INR PST is associated with an increased %TTR in patients with LVADs.
Breaking the Bounds of Organization in Strategic Decision Making

This paper examines the exercise of power in organizational decision making. Four case studies are presented in the text and are analyzed in terms of the power plays of senior managers who were centrally involved in the decision-making process. In particular, the analysis distinguishes between bounded and unbounded decisions. In the former case the power plays of interests are constrained by preestablished organizational rules and procedures, while in the latter case unbounded decisions are relatively free from such organizational parameters and allow actors to exercise power selectively to secure their own interests. The data suggest that decisions may become unbounded in four ways: through unaccustomed forms of data, individual conflict, and novel topics for decision and where the problem is initiated from an unexpected or unusual source. Where decisions become unbounded the data suggest that those actors who are existing power holders through the control of critical contingencies are also able to take advantage of the rules and procedures of the institution to further their own interests.