Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-path routing in time-division-multiplexed networks on chip

The exponential increase in transistor count due to technological progress has resulted in an increase in complexity and processing power of on-chip elements. Recently a stage has been reached where it is not practical anymore to increase the core size, and as a consequence the number of cores, processing elements or peripherals is being increased instead. In this study we focus on improving the efficiency of a network between those processing elements using alternative routing strategies. We focus on a multi-path slot allocation method in networks with static resource reservations, in particular networks on chip (NoC) employing time-division multiplexing (TDM). The simplicity of these networks makes it possible to implement this routing scheme without significant hardware overhead. Our proposed method, although displaying large variations between test cases, provides significant overall gains in terms of allocated bandwidth, with an average gain across all tests of 29% against an exhaustive search of single-path routes, and gains of 47% when compared to other single-path routing algorithms.
Altering Transplantation Time to Avoid Periods of High Temperature Can Efficiently Reduce Bacterial Wilt Disease Incidence with Tomato

Tomato bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum bacterium is a severe problem in Southern China, where relatively high environmental temperatures commonly prevails during the crop seasons. Previous research has indicated that bacterial wilt disease incidence generally increases during the warm months of summer leading to reduced tomato yield. Moreover, the efficacy of bio-organic fertilizers (BOFs)–organic compost fortified with pathogen-suppressive bacteria—is often lost during the periods of high environmental temperatures. Here we studied if the disease incidence could be reduced and the BOF performance enhanced by simply preponing and postponing the traditional seedling transplantation times to avoid tomato plant development during periods of high environmental temperature. To this end, a continuous, two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of BOF in two traditional (late-spring [LS] and early-autumn [EA]) and two alternative (early-spring [ES] and late-autumn [LA]) crop seasons. We found that changing the transplantation times reduced the mean disease incidence from 33.9% (LS) and 54.7% (EA) to 11.1% (ES) and 7.1% (LA), respectively. Reduction in disease incidence correlated with the reduction in R. Solanacearum pathogen density in the tomato plant rhizosphere and stem base. Applying BOF during alternative transplantation treatments improved biocontrol efficiency from 43.4% (LS) and 3.1% (EA) to 67.4% (ES) and 64.8% (LA). On average, the mean maximum air temperatures were positively correlated with the disease incidence, and negatively correlated with the BOF biocontrol efficacy over the crop seasons. Crucially, even though preponing the transplantation time reduced the tomato yield in general, it was still economically more profitable compared to LS season due to reduced crop losses and relatively higher market prices. Preponing and postponing traditional tomato transplantation times to cooler periods could thus offer simple but effective way to control R. solanacearum disease outbreaks.
An All-Software Thread-Level Data Dependence Speculation System for Multiprocessors

We present a software approach to design a thread-level data dependence speculation system targeting multiprocessors. Highly-tuned checking codes are associated with loads and stores whose addresses cannot be disambiguated by parallel compilers and that can potentially cause dependence violations at run-time. Besides resolving many name and true data dependencies through dynamic renaming and forwarding, respectively, our method supports parallel commit operations. Performance results collected on an architectural simulator and validated on a commercial multi-processor show that the overhead can be reduced to less than ten instructions per speculative memory operation. Moreover, we demonstrate that a ten-fold speedup is possible on some of the difficult-to-parallelize loops in the Perfect Club benchmark suite on a 16-way multiprocessor.
Linear Fuzzy Clustering for Mixed Databases Based on Optimal Scaling

Fuzzy c-Varieties (FCV) is a tool for linear fuzzy clustering and is also applicable to local principal component analysis, in which each low-dimensional subspace is estimated considering data partition. In real applications, it is often the case that a database to be analyzed includes not only numerical variables but also nominal variables. Optimal scaling is a useful approach to multivariate analysis for mixed databases and has been applied to linear model estimation. This paper proposes a new algorithm for linear fuzzy clustering that can handle nominal variables using the optimal scaling approach. The iterative algorithm includes an additional step of calculating numerical scores of categorical variables.
"Direction" Forward Routing for Highly Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Popular ad hoc routing protocols such as DSDV and AODV use “predecessor” based forwarding, namely, the packet is forwarded to the “predecessor” that advertised the shortest path to destination during the last update. However, if the “predecessor” moves, the routing table entry becomes invalid and “predecessor” based forwarding fails! To overcome the stale forward table problem, in this paper we propose a novel packet forwarding scheme called “direction” forwarding (DFR). When an update is received, a node records the “geographical direction” to where the update came from. When “predecessor” forwarding fails, the packet is forwarded to the “most promising” neighbor in the recorded direction. If the network is sufficiently dense and the routing algorithm includes periodic refresh from destination, direction forwarding will recover from most “predecessor” failures due to motion. We evaluate DFR in a LANMAR routing scenario where the direction to each Landmark is periodically refreshed. Through simulation we show that DFR considerably enhances LANMAR performance in large, mobile network scenarios.
The Responses of People to Virtual Humans in an Immersive Virtual Environment

This paper presents an experiment investigating the impact of behavior and responsiveness on social responses to virtual humans in an immersive virtual environment (IVE). A number of responses are investigated, including presence, copresence, and two physiological responsesheart rate and electrodermal activity (EDA). Our findings suggest that increasing agents' responsiveness even on a simple level can have a significant impact on certain aspects of people's social responses to human-oid agents. Despite being aware that the agents were computer-generated, participants with higher levels of social anxiety were significantly more likely to avoid disturbing them. This suggests that on some level people can respond to virtual humans as social actors even in the absence of complex interaction. Responses appear to be shaped both by the agents' behaviors and by people's expectations of the technology. Participants experienced a significantly higher sense of personal contact when the agents were visually responsive to them, as opposed to static or simply moving. However, this effect diminished with experienced computer users. Our preliminary analysis of objective heart-rate data reveals an identical pattern of responses.
Association of Polymorphisms in Interferon Regulatory Factor 5 Gene with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Metaanalysis

Objective. We investigated potential associations between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) polymorphisms in a metaanalysis. Methods. This metaanalysis included 5 case-control studies, which provided a total of 6582 RA cases and 5375 controls. Odds ratios (OR) were employed to evaluate the risk of RA according to the 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in IRF5 (rs729302, rs2004640, rs752637, and rs2280714) and data were analyzed in respect to association between alleles. Results. Among 4 candidate SNP, rs729302, rs2004640, and rs2280714 were statistically significant; both allele C of rs729302 and allele G of rs2004640 within the promoter region of IRF5 were associated with a protective effect [random-effects (RE) OR 0.889, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.803–0.977, p = 0.015 for rs729302; and RE OR 0.905, 95% CI 0.848–0.965, p = 0.002 for rs2004640]. Similar results were also obtained in T allele of rs2280714 in the 3’-untranslated region (RE OR 0.927, 95% CI 0.866–0.992, p = 0.029). There was no evidence of publication bias from funnel-plot asymmetry and Egger’s regression test. Conclusion. Our metaanalysis supported the evidence of the significant role of IRF5 polymorphisms in RA.
Mentoring Parents: Support for Families of Early Adolescents.

A qualitative study was conducted, guided by the following research questions: (1) What are the perceptions of parents mentored through community-initiated parent-to-parent exchanges? and (2) Does semi-formal support for parents through mentoring relationships with other parents mediate their early adolescents' risk-taking behavior, influence their early adolescents' student development, improve their families' well-being, and improve parents' personal well-being? Structured telephone interviews were conducted with two comparison groups participating in parent-to-parent exchanges at 19 geographically diverse North American sites. One group was comprised of the program directors and other administrators of a community-initiated program, Parent Share. The other group was comprised of the parents of early adolescents mentored through the program. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the support and strength available to parents of adolescents through mentoring, though useful to them in their role as parents, had much broader implications for their lives. Themes of isolation, hesitation, growth, responsibility, communication, transformation, sharing, and friendship emerged. These themes corresponded by pairs to four parent roles: needful parent; decisive, determined parent; empowered parent; and involved parent. These eight developmental themes defining four functional roles conceptualize the experience of mentored parents. The findings expand Epstein's overlapping spheres of influence model by conceptualizing the experiences of families, which can help schools develop more comprehensive programs of partnership. (Contains 17 references.) (EV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Wellbeing: The five essential elements

This book is inspired by Gallup’s research in 150 countries into the factors that ‘make life worthwhile’. The book is twinned with a website which allows the reader to measure their current state of Wellbeing. Software on the website enables people to track progress in terms of goal achievement designed to improve Wellbeing. The Gallup research revealed ‘five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives’: Career Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Financial Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing and Community Wellbeing. The authors suggest that much of what we think will improve our Wellbeing is either misguided or just plain wrong. It seems that most people believe Wellbeing is just about being happy, wealthy and healthy. An intense focus on one or two of these areas may actually lead to deterioration in our state of Wellbeing. According to the authors ‘Wellbeing is about the combination of our love for what we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health, and the pride we take in our contribution to our communities’. In ‘post Celtic Tiger’ Ireland this is an interesting perspective. The ‘Tiger era’ will probably be remembered as the most hedonic period in our short history. During the Celtic Tiger era it seemed that Financial Wellbeing was our ‘Holy Grail’. The approach advocated by Rath and Harter is balanced across five key elements and is a more eudaimonic approach to Wellbeing. Unlike Hedonism (the pursuit of happiness through pleasure alone), eudaimonia is defined as the pursuit of happiness through striving to achieve ones full potential (Carr, 2004). The book is a short and easy read. The first 100 pages are dedicated to description of each of the five elements of Wellbeing as defined by the Gallup research. The final chapter of the first section gives some concluding thoughts on measuring what makes life worthwhile. This is followed by short sections giving practical tips on:
Semi-automated image analysis of gel electrophoresis of cerebrospinal fluid for oligoclonal band detection

Detection of oligoclonal electrophoretic bands in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is an important diagnostic tool for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Electrophoretic profiles are difficult to interpret due to low contrast and artefacts. A semi-automated method to ease analysis and to reduce subjectivity is presented. The method sequentially converts color images to grayscale, realigns bands, removes artifacts, then converts 2D images to a signal, before detecting, thresholding and editing peaks to optimize profiles. Such treated profiles (21 positive and 15 negative) are compared to ground truth analysis of an expert biologist. 16 profiles over 21 are well detected positive and 12 profiles over 15 are detected negative, results seem similar to inter-experts variability reported in literature.
Detection of Surface Brightness Fluctuations in Elliptical Galaxies Imaged with the Advanced Camera for Surveys: B- and I-Band Measurements

Taking advantage of the exceptional capabilities of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we derive surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) measurements in the B and I bands from images of six elliptical galaxies with 1500 ≤ cz ≤ 3500. Given the low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the SBF signal in the blue-band images, the reliability of the measurements is verified both with numerical simulations and with experimental data tests. This paper presents the first published B- and I-band SBF measurements for distant (≥20 Mpc) galaxies, which are essential for comparisons of models to observations of normal ellipticals. By comparing I-band data with our new simple stellar population (SSP) models, we find an excellent agreement, and we confirm that I-band SBF magnitudes are mainly sensitive to the metallicity of the dominant stellar components in the galaxies and are not strongly affected by the contribution of possible secondary stellar components. As a consequence, I-band fluctuation magnitudes are ideal for distance studies. On the other hand, we show that standard SSP models do not reproduce the B-band SBF magnitudes of red [(B - I)0 ≳ 2.1] galaxies in our sample. We explore the capability of two noncanonical models in properly reproducing the high sensitivity of B SBFs to the presence of even small fractions of bright, hot stars (metal-poor stars, hot evolved stars, etc.). The disagreement is solved both by taking into account hot (post-asymptotic giant branch [AGB]) stars in SSP models and/or by adopting composite stellar population models. Finally, we suggest a limit value of the S/N for the B-band SBF signal required to carry out a detailed study of stellar population properties based on this technique.
Diagnosis and subtyping of de novo and relapsed mediastinal lymphomas by endobronchial ultrasound needle aspiration.

RATIONALE The current management of lymphoma requires accurate diagnosis and subtyping of de novo lymphoma and of relapsed or refractory lymphoma in known cases. The role of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in the clinical management of lymphomas is unclear. OBJECTIVES To investigate the use of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis of de novo and relapsed mediastinal lymphomas. METHODS A total of 2,256 consecutive patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA in a tertiary center between February 2008 and April 2013 were prospectively evaluated. The diagnostic accuracy and clinical use of EBUS-TBNA in 100 cases of de novo or suspected relapsed mediastinal lymphoma was investigated by comparing EBUS-TBNA diagnosis with the final diagnosis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS De novo mediastinal lymphoma was correctly diagnosed by EBUS-TBNA in 45 (88%) of 51 and relapsed lymphoma in 15 (100%) of 15 lymphoma cases. EBUS-TBNA accurately established a diagnosis other than lymphoma in 32 (97%) of 33 patients with suspected lymphoma relapse. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphoma were 89%, 97%, 98%, 83%, and 91%, respectively. Sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA in subtyping lymphomas into high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma, low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma was 90%, 100%, and 79%, respectively. EBUS-TBNA diagnosis was adequate for clinical management in 84 (84%) of 100 cases. CONCLUSIONS Multimodality evaluation of EBUS-TBNA can be successful in the diagnosis of de novo mediastinal lymphomas and is ideally suited in distinguishing lymphoma relapse from alternative pathologies; it is least sensitive in subtyping Hodgkin lymphoma.
Obsolescence Driven Design Refresh Planning for Sustainment-Dominated Systems

Many technologies have life cycles that are shorter than the life cycle of the product they are in. Life cycle mismatches caused by the obsolescence of technology (and particularly the obsolescence of electronic parts) results in high sustainment costs for long field life systems, e.g., avionics and military systems. This article presents a methodology for performing optimum design refresh planning for sustainment-dominated electronic systems based on forecasted technology obsolescence and a mix of obsolescence mitigation approaches ranging from lifetime buys to part substitution. The methodology minimizes the life cycle cost by determining the optimum combination of design refresh schedule for the system (i.e., when to design refresh) and the design refresh content for each of the scheduled design refreshes. The analysis methodology can be used to generate application-specific economic justifications for design refresh approaches to obsolescence management.
The non glycanated endocan polypeptide slows tumor growth by inducing stromal inflammatory reaction

Endocan expression is increasingly studied in various human cancers. Experimental evidence showed that human endocan, through its glycan chain, is implicated in various processes of tumor growth. We functionally characterize mouse endocan which is also a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan but much less glycanated than human endocan. Distant domains from the O-glycanation site, located within exons 1 and 2 determine the glycanation pattern of endocan. In opposite to the human homologue, overexpression of mouse endocan in HT-29 cells delayed the tumor appearance and reduced the tumor growth rate. This tumor growth inhibition is supported by non glycanated form of mouse endocan. Non glycanated human endocan overexpressed in HT-29, A549 or K1000 cells also exhibited an anti-tumor effect. Moreover, systemic delivery of non glycanated human endocan also results in HT-29 tumor growth delay. In vitro, endocan polypeptide did not affect HT-29 cell proliferation, nor cell viability. In tumor tissue sections, a stromal inflammatory reaction was observed only in tumors overexpressing endocan polypeptide, and depletion of CD122+ cells was able to delete partially the anti-tumor effect of endocan polypeptide. These results reveal a novel pathway for endocan in the control of tumor growth, which involves inflammatory cells of the innate immunity.
Pavlovian Conditioning in Hermissenda: A Circuit Analysis

An understanding of associative learning requires (1) an adequate description of the experimental conditions under which learning is produced, (2) a knowledge of what is learned or the determination of the content of learning, and (3) an explanation of how learning generates changes in behavior (Rescorla, 1980). These basic issues are being addressed at both the behavioral and cellular/molecular levels by the analysis of associative learning in animals with relatively uncomplex nervous systems. Use of Pavlovian conditioning of invertebrates as a model for associative learning has led to the identification of cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying the formation of basic associations. However, an understanding of the associative processes that form the basis for Pavlovian conditioning requires an explanation not only of the mechanisms of temporal contiguity or predictability between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US), but also of how changes produced in the nervous system by conditioning are expressed in behavior. Studies with invertebrates have provided the opportunity to examine how associative learning is expressed in the neural circuitry that supports the generation of learned behavior.
Wo steht die Risikosoziologie?

Zusammenfassung In der soziologischen Risikoforschung gibt es eine Kluft zwischen theoretischen und empirischen Analysen. Während sich empirische Ansätze vor allem mit Aspekten der Risikowahrnehmung und sozialen Bewegungen beschäftigt haben, versuchten theoretische Ansätze das Problem in bestehende Großtheorien einzubauen oder auf normativ-politische Aussagen zu verkürzen. Dominante Analysen wie die von Beck und Luhmann zeigen ein Defizit an empirischem Gehalt. In jüngerer Zeit sind einige Arbeiten entstanden (vor allem im Bereich globaler Umweltprobleme), die theoretische Fragen mit empirischen Untersuchungen kombinieren. Dabei wird insbesondere die Frage nach dem Zusammenhang zwischen kognitiver Unsicherheit und politischen Entscheidungen berührt. Auf Basis dieser Arbeiten können drei Themenkomplexe identifiziert werden, die bislang nicht stark genug beachtet wurden: Erstens, daß Entscheidungen unter Unsicherheit besonders gravierende Probleme aufwerfen. Zweitens, daß die Rolle von Wissenschaftlern als gesellschaftspolitischen Akteuren als besonders wichtig eingestuft werden muß. Drittens schließlich wird argumentiert, daß die Sachdimension eine nicht zu vernachlässigende Größe darstellt.
Knowledge Acquisition with Natural Language Processing in the Food Domain : Potential and Challenges

In this paper, we present an outlook on the effectiveness of natural language processing (NLP) in extracting knowled ge for the food domain. We identify potential scenarios that we thi nk are particularly suitable for NLP techniques. As a source for ex t acting knowledge we will highlight the benefits of textual content f rom social media. Typical methods that we think would be suitable w ill be discussed. We will also address potential problems and limi ts that the application of NLP methods may yield.
A New Ceramide and Biflavonoid from the Leaves of Parinari hypochrysea (Chrysobalanaceae)

A new ceramide and a new biflavonoid named parinaramide (1) and sparinaritin (2), respectively, have been isolated along with ten known compounds, kaempferol, quercetin, taxifolin, taxifolin-3-O-rhamnoside, lupeol, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, 2α-hydroxy-ursolic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone, and sucrose, from the leaves of Parinari hypochrysea (Chrysobalanaceae). Structures were determined using 1D- and 2D-NMR, MS and by chemical analysis. The methanol extract of leaves, stem bark and roots of P. hypochrysea were screened for their antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibition potential and found to be inactive.