Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
State assignment for PAL-based CPLDs

In the paper, the state assignment methods of the finite state machines for PAL-based structures are presented. A main feature of the PAL-cell is a limited number of product terms (k-AND-gates) that are connected to a single sum (OR-gate). Function, which is the sum of p-implicants, when p/spl ne/k, does not take full advantage of the cell. When p>k, implementation is multi-cell (so multi-level). The main idea of solving this problem is to count the number of product terms during the process of state assignment. First algorithm leads to automata which take advantage of the number of PAL-cell terms. Second approach is dedicated to state assignment of fast automata. Methods based on primary and secondary merging conditions are presented. In one of the most basic states of the logic synthesis of sequential devices, the elements referring to restrictions of PAL-based CPLDs are taken into account.
Performance prediction using program similarity

- Modern computer applications are developed at a very fast rate and new features are being added to the current ones everyday. A computer architect is always looking for quicker ways to evaluate performance of the design on these applications in a relatively shorter time. Simulation is a very popular tool used in the early design phase of a microprocessor. But applications run for a long time and microprocessors are getting complex which leads to very high simulation times. With a reasonably quick workload characterization we should be able to predict performance of the new application on the system(s). This paper proposes two simple techniques to predict performance based on the similarity of the new application with already characterized benchmarks whose performance numbers are available. Each of these techniques is then used to show how speedup and cache miss-rates can be predicted for a given program .
DLSI-Volvam at RepLab 2013: Polarity Classification on Twitter Data

This paper describes our participation in the proling (po- larity classication) task of the RepLab 2013 workshop. This task is fo- cused on determining whether a given text from Twitter contains a pos- itive or a negative statement related to the reputation of a given entity. We cover three dierent approaches, one unsupervised and two unsuper- vised. They combine machine learning and lexicon-based techniques with an emotional concept model. These approaches were properly adapted to English and Spanish depending on the resources available for each lan- guage. We obtained promising results in the overall evaluations, reaching a F-score of 34% and a sensitivity of 40% in the best cases. The reason- able level of performance compared to other methods encourages us to continue working on the improvement of the proposed approaches.
Disruptions in Golgi structure and membrane traffic in a conditional lethal mammalian cell mutant are corrected by epsilon-COP

The CHO cell temperature-sensitive mutant ldlF exhibits two defects in membrane traffic at the nonpermissive temperature (39.5 degrees C): rapid degradation of LDL receptors, possibly caused by endocytic missorting, and disruption of ER-through-Golgi transport. Here, we show that at 39.5 degrees C, the Golgi in ldlF cells dissociated into vesicles and tubules. This dissociation was inhibited by AlF4-, suggesting trimeric G proteins are involved in the dissociation mechanism. This resembled the effects of brefeldin A on wild-type cells. We isolated a hamster cDNA that specifically corrected the ts defects of ldlF cells, but not those of other similar ts mutants (ldlE, ldlG, ldlH, and End4). Its predicted protein sequence is conserved in humans, rice, Arabidopsis, and Caenorhabditis elegans, and is virtually identical to that of bovine epsilon-COP, a component of the coatomer complex implicated in membrane transport. This provides the first genetic evidence that coatomers in animal cells can play a role both in maintaining Golgi structure and in mediating ER-through-Golgi transport, and can influence normal endocytic recycling of LDL receptors. Thus, along with biochemical and yeast genetics methods, mammalian somatic cell mutants can provide powerful tools for the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying intracellular membrane traffic.
HER1-4 protein concentrations in normal breast tissue from breast cancer patients are expressed by the same profile as in the malignant tissue

Abstract Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor HER2 is overexpressed or amplified in 25%–30% of patients with breast cancer. The mechanism behind HER2 amplification is unknown, but may be a patho-physiological phenomenon caused by continuous stimulation and activation of the HER1-4 system. We have mapped the protein concentrations of HER1-4 in breast cancer tissue, autologous reference tissue, normal breast tissue and serum samples, to see whether non-cancer cells from these patients express a protein profile indicating general activation. Methods: Tissue samples from malignant and adjacent normal breast tissue (autologous reference tissue) were collected from 118 women consecutively admitted for surgical treatment of breast cancer. In addition, 26 samples of normal breast tissue were collected from healthy women having breast reduction surgery. The tissue samples were homogenized and the proteins extracted. The tissue and serum concentrations of HER1-4 were determined quantitatively using a commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: HER1 was down regulated in cancer tissue when compared to autologous reference tissue (p=8×10−6), while HER2 (p<10−7) and HER3 (p=3×10−5) were up regulated. Comparing autologous reference tissue with normal tissue showed down regulation of HER1 (p=0.122) and up regulation of HER2 (p=10−6), HER3 (p<10−7) and HER4 (p<10−7). Furthermore, we observed that correlations between the receptor combinations HER1-2, HER1-3 and HER1-4 were maintained from normal breast tissue to autologous reference breast tissue, but were lost in cancer tissue. Conclusions: We suggest that these findings indicate that breast cancer is a systemic disease where the HER1-4 system in autologous reference tissue is continuously activated, thus favoring the subsequent development of cancer. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:977–84.
TnToolkit: a design and analysis tool for ambiguous, QWERTY, and on-screen keypads

The pervasive use of ambiguous keypads for mobile text entry necessitates examination of their performance characteristics. This paper presents TnToolkit--a self contained tool to calculate performance measurements for ambiguous keypads. While TnToolkit's focus is ambiguous keypads, it also works with QWERTY and on screen keypads. By default, TnToolkit predicts words per minute performance based on a traditional Fitts' law model, and calculates KSPC, the average keystrokes required to enter each character of text. Existing modules are extensible to implement custom metrics. An experiment reveals that using TnToolkit to gather performance metrics is 69% faster than existing techniques, without compromising accuracy.
Decoding the spectra of SDSS early-type galaxies : New indicators of age and recent star formation

We apply Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to a sample of early-type galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in order to infer differences in their star formation histories from their unresolved stellar populations. We select a z < 0.1 volume-limited sample comprising � 7000 early-type galaxies from SDSS/Data Release 4. Out of the firs t few principal components (PC), we study four which give information about stellar populations and velocity dispersion. We construct two parameters (η and ζ) as linear combinations of PC1 and PC2. The four components can be presented as “optimal filt ers” to explore in detail the properties of the underlying stellar populations. By comparing various photo-spectroscopic observables ‐ including NUV photometry from GALEX ‐ we find ζ to be most sensitive to recent episodes of star formation, and η to be strongly dependent on the average age of the stellar populations. Both η and ζ also depend on metallicity. We apply these optimal filters to composite spectra assembled by Bernardi et al. The distribution of the η component of the composites appear to be indistinguishable between high and low density regions, whereas the distribution of ζ parameters have a significant skew towards lower values for g alaxies in low density regions. This result suggests that galaxies in l ower density environments are less likely to present weak episodes of recent star formation. In contrast, a significant number of galaxies from our high density subsample ‐ which includes clusters (both outer regions and centres) and groups ‐ underwent small but detectable recent star formation at high metallicity, in agreement with recent estimates targeting elliptical ga laxies in Hickson Compact Groups and in the field (Ferreras et al.).
Reliability of a measurement of neck flexor muscle endurance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neck flexor muscle endurance has been negatively correlated with cervical pain and dysfunction. The purposes of this study were to determine rater reliability in subjects both with and without neck pain and to determine whether there was a difference in neck flexor muscle endurance between the 2 groups. SUBJECTS Forty-one subjects with and without neck pain were enrolled in this repeated-measures reliability study. METHODS Two raters used an isometric neck retraction test to assess neck flexor muscle endurance for all subjects during an initial session, and subjects without neck pain returned for testing 1 week later. RESULTS For the group without neck pain, intrarater reliability was good to excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC(3,1)]=. 82-. 91), and interrater reliability was moderate to good (ICC[2,1]=.67-.78). The associated standard error of measurement (SEM) ranged from 8.0 to 11.0 seconds and from 12.6 to 15.3 seconds, respectively. For the group with neck pain, interrater reliability was moderate (ICC[2,1]=.67, SEM=11.5). Neck flexor muscle endurance test results for the group without neck pain (mean=38.95 seconds, SD=26.4) and the group with neck pain (mean=24.1 seconds, SD=12.8) were significantly different. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Reliability coefficients differed between the 2 groups and ranged from moderate to excellent and improved after the first test session. The interrater reliability of data obtained with the neck flexor muscle endurance test in people with neck pain must be improved in order for clinicians to distinguish a clinically meaningful change from measurement error. Neck flexor muscle endurance was both statistically and clinically greater for subjects without neck pain than for those with neck pain.
Processing Speed and Visuospatial Executive Function Predict Visual Working Memory Ability in Older Adults

Background/Study Context: Visual working memory (VWM) has been shown to be particularly age sensitive. Determining which measures share variance with this cognitive ability in older adults may help to elucidate the key factors underlying the effects of aging. Methods: Predictors of VWM (measured by a modified Visual Patterns Test) were investigated in a subsample (N = 44, mean age = 73) of older adults from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936; Deary et al., 2007, BMC Geriatrics, 7, 28). Childhood intelligence (Moray House Test) and contemporaneous measures of processing speed (four-choice reaction time), executive function (verbal fluency; block design), and spatial working memory (backward spatial span), were assessed as potential predictors. Results: All contemporaneous measures except verbal fluency were significantly associated with VWM, and processing speed had the largest effect size (r = −.53, p < .001). In linear regression analysis, even after adjusting for childhood intelligence, processing speed and the executive measure associated with visuospatial organization accounted for 35% of the variance in VWM. Conclusion: Processing speed may affect VWM performance in older adults via speed of encoding and/or rate of rehearsal, while executive resources specifically associated with visuospatial material are also important.
Epigenetic modulation upon exposure of lung fibroblasts to TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles: alterations in DNA methylation

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) are promising candidates for numerous applications in consumer products. This will lead to increased human exposure, thus posing a threat to human health. Both these types of NPs have been studied for their cell toxicity, immunotoxicity, and genotoxicity. However, effects of these NPs on epigenetic modulations have not been studied. Epigenetics is an important link in the genotype and phenotype modulation and misregulation can often lead to lifestyle diseases. In this study, we have evaluated the DNA methylation-based epigenetic changes upon exposure to various concentrations of NPs. The investigation was designed to evaluate global DNA methylation, estimating the corresponding methyltransferase activity and expression of Dnmt gene using lung fibroblast (MRC5) cell line as lungs are the primary route of entry and target of occupational exposure to TiO2 and ZnO NPs. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based immunochemical assay revealed dose-related decrease in global DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase activity. We also found direct correlation between the concentration of NPs, global methylation levels, and expression levels of Dnmt1, 3A, and 3B genes upon exposure. This is the first study to investigate effect of exposure to TiO2 and ZnO on DNA methylation levels in MRC5 cells. Epigenetic processes are known to play an important role in reprogramming and adaptation ability of an organism and can have long-term consequences. We suggest that changes in DNA methylation can serve as good biomarkers for early exposure to NPs since they occur at concentrations well below the sublethal levels. Our results demonstrate a clear epigenetic alteration in response to metal oxide NPs and that this effect was dose-dependent.
National incidence of autoimmune liver diseases and its relationship with the human development index

Objective Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and immunoglobulin G4 related cholangitis represent the major autoimmune liver diseases (AILD). However, the relationship between AILD incidence and socioeconomic development levels is yet to be explored. Results A total of 43 studies were included. There was a positive but not significant correlation between the PBC incidence and HDI on a global level (r=0.348, P=0.082). However, in Europe, a significantly positive correlation existed between the PBC incidence and HDI (r=0.455, P=0.044). No statistical correlation between PSC incidence and HDI was observed (r=0.116, P=0.706). The incidence of AIH revealed a positive correlation with the national HDI both globally (r=0.638, P=0.014) and in Europe (r=0.644, P=0.045). Moreover, the PBC incidence demonstrated a positive correlation with the health index (r=0.422, P=0.036), but a negative correlation with the education index (r= −0.650, P<0.01). Moreover, the income index presented a positive correlation with both the PSC incidence (r=0.599, P=0.031) and the AIH incidence (r=0.649, P=0.012). Methods PubMed was searched to identify relevant epidemiological studies on AILD. The human development index (HDI) was applied as an indicator for socioeconomic development. HDI data were obtained and calculated based on the 2014 Human Development Report. Pearson coefficient and linear regression analysis were conducted to estimate the correlation between incidence and HDI. Conclusions There is positive association between the national incidence of AILD and the socioeconomic status, as measured by HDI. In less-developed countries, the incidence of AILD, especially PBC and AIH, might be less common.
Freight Demand Characteristics and Mode Choice: An Analysis of the Results of Modeling with Disaggregate Revealed Preference Data

Considerably less research has been done on modeling freight demand with disaggregate discrete models than on modeling passenger demand. The principal reason for this imbalance is the lack of freight demand data. Freight demand characteristics are expensive to obtain and are sometimes confidential. This paper analyzes the freight demand characteristics that drive modal choice by means of a large-scale, national, disaggregate revealed preference database for shippers in France in 1988, using a nested logit. Particular attention is given to private transportation (own account transportation) and combined public and private transportation. After aggregation and validation of discrete choice models, the influence of demand characteristics on freight modal choice is analyzed. The maximum probability of choosing public road transportation takes place at approximately 700 kilometers, while that of choosing rail transportation take place at 1,300 kilometers. Freight Demand Characteristics and Mode Choice: An Analysis of the Results of Modeling with Disaggregate Revealed Preference Data
Different Learning Curves for Axillary Brachial Plexus Block: Ultrasound Guidance versus Nerve Stimulation

Little is known about the learning of the skills needed to perform ultrasound- or nerve stimulator-guided peripheral nerve blocks. The aim of this study was to compare the learning curves of residents trained in ultrasound guidance versus residents trained in nerve stimulation for axillary brachial plexus block. Ten residents with no previous experience with using ultrasound received ultrasound training and another ten residents with no previous experience with using nerve stimulation received nerve stimulation training. The novices' learning curves were generated by retrospective data analysis out of our electronic anaesthesia database. Individual success rates were pooled, and the institutional learning curve was calculated using a bootstrapping technique in combination with a Monte Carlo simulation procedure. The skills required to perform successful ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block can be learnt faster and lead to a higher final success rate compared to nerve stimulator-guided axillary brachial plexus block.
A Guest Facility for Unicos *

The COS system for Cray’s X-MP series supports a guest facility, under which Unicos, their version of Unix® System V, can run as a subsystem in a fixed partition of the machine. The guest facility is unavailable when Unicos acts as a stand-alone system. This paper reports an experiment in which the author and David Slowinski added a limited version of the guest facility to Unicos, so that it can run itself as a subsystem.
Hermes: a scalable event-based middleware

Large-scale distributed systems require new middleware paradigms that do not suffer from the limitations of traditional request/reply middleware. These limitations include tight coupling between components, a lack of information filtering capabilities, and support for one-to-one communication semantics only. We argue that event-based middleware is a scalable and powerful new type of middleware for building large-scale distributed systems. However, it is important that an event-based middleware platform includes all the standard functionality that an application programmer expects from middleware. In this thesis we describe the design and implementation of Hermes, a distributed, eventbased middleware platform. The power and flexibility of Hermes is illustrated throughout for two application domains: Internet-wide news distribution and a sensor-rich, active building. Hermes follows a typeand attribute-based publish/subscribe model that places particular emphasis on programming language integration by supporting type-checking of event data and event type inheritance. To handle dynamic, large-scale environments, Hermes uses peer-to-peer techniques for autonomic management of its overlay network of event brokers and for scalable event dissemination. Its routing algorithms, implemented on top of a distributed hash table, use rendezvous nodes to reduce routing state in the system, and include fault-tolerance features for repairing event dissemination trees. All this is achieved without compromising scalability and efficiency, as is shown by a simulational evaluation of Hermes routing. The core functionality of an event-based middleware is extended with three higher-level middleware services that address different requirements in a distributed computing environment. We introduce a novel congestion control service that avoids congestion in the overlay broker network during normal operation and recovery after failure, and therefore enables a resource-efficient deployment of the middleware. The expressiveness of subscriptions in the event-based middleware is enhanced with a composite event service that performs the distributed detection of complex event patterns, thus taking the burden away from clients. Finally, a security service adds access control to Hermes according to a secure publish/subscribe model. This model supports fine-grained access control decisions so that separate trust domains can share the same overlay broker network.
Degradation of Anthraquinone Dye Reactive Blue 4 in Pyrite Ash Catalyzed Fenton Reaction

Pyrite ash (PA) is created by burning pyrite in the chemical production of sulphuric acid. The high concentration of iron oxide, mostly hematite, present in pyrite ash, gives the basis for its application as a source of catalytic iron in a modified Fenton process for anthraquinone dye reactive blue 4 (RB4) degradation. The effect of various operating variables such as catalyst and oxidant concentration, initial pH and RB4 concentration on the abatement of total organic carbon, and dye has been assessed in this study. Here we show that degradation of RB4 in the modified Fenton reaction was efficient under the following conditions: pH = 2.5; [PA]0 = 0.2 g L−1; [H2O2]0 = 5 mM and initial RB4 concentration up to 100 mg L−1. The pyrite ash Fenton reaction can overcome limitations observed from the classic Fenton reaction, such as the early termination of the Fenton reaction. Metal (Pb, Zn, and Cu) content of the solution after the process suggests that an additional treatment step is necessary to remove the remaining metals from the water. These results provide basic knowledge to better understand the modified, heterogeneous Fenton process and apply the PA Fenton reaction for the treatment of wastewaters which contains anthraquinone dyes.