Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Size, Speed, and Power Analysis for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits Using Synthesis

An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) must not only provide the required functionality at the desired speed but it must also be economical. In the past, minimizing the size of the ASIC was sufficient to accomplish this goal. Today it is increasingly necessary that the ASIC also achieve minimum power dissipation or an optimal combination of speed, size and power, especially in communication and portable electronic devices. The research reported in this thesis describes the implementation of a Huffman encoder and a finite impulse response (FIR) filter using a hardware description language (HDL) and the testing of the corresponding register transfer level (RTL) for functionality. The RTL was targeted for two different libraries, TSMC-0.18 CMOS and the Xilinx Virtex V1000EHQ240-6. The RTL was synthesized and optimized for different sizes, speeds, and power by using the Synopsys Design Compiler, FPGA Compiler II, and Mentor Graphics Spectrum. Cadence place and route tools optimized area, delay, and power of post-layout stages for TSMC-0.18. Xilinx place and route tools were used for the Virtex V1000EHQ240-6. The various ASICs were produced and compared over a range of speed, area, and power.
OSTα‐OSTβ: A major basolateral bile acid and steroid transporter in human intestinal, renal, and biliary epithelia

The cellular and subcellular localization and mechanism of transport of the heteromeric organic solute transporter (OST) OSTα‐OSTβ was examined in human and rodent epithelia. The two subunits of the transporter were expressed together in human small intestine, kidney, and liver, tissues that also express the apical sodium‐dependent bile acid uptake transporter ASBT (SLC10A2). Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy localized OSTα and OSTβ to the basolateral membrane of mouse, rat, and human ileal enterocytes, renal proximal tubular cells, and cholangiocytes. Transport in OSTα‐OSTβ–expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes was unaffected by depletion of intracellular adenosine triphosphate, or by changes in transmembrane Na+, K+, H+, or Cl− concentration gradients. However, the oocytes demonstrated robust substrate efflux and trans‐stimulation, indicating that transport occurs by facilitated diffusion. Madin Darby canine kidney cells coexpressing mouse Ostα and Ostβ exhibited enhanced apical to basolateral transport of the major glycine and taurine conjugated bile acid species. In conclusion, the selective localization of OSTα and OSTβ to the basolateral plasma membrane of epithelial cells responsible for bile acid and sterol reabsorption, the substrate selectivity of the transporter, and the facilitated diffusion transport mode collectively indicate that OSTα‐OSTβ is a key basolateral transporter for the reabsorption of these important steroid‐derived molecules. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;42:1270–1279.)
Does statin pre-treatment affect right atrial myocyte apoptosis in coronary artery bypass graft patients? an in-vivo pilot study

Amac: Bu calismada koroner arter baypas greftleme yapilan hastalarda statin on tedavisinin sag atriyal miyositlerin apoptozisine karsi olasi koruyucu etkileri arastirildi. Ca­lis­ma­ pla­ni:­Calismaya 29 ardisik hasta dahil edildi. Grup 1’deki hastalara (n=12; erkek: 83.3%) hastaneye yatis gununden itibaren atorvastatin 40 mg/gun tedavisi uygulandi, grup 2’deki hastalara (n=17; erkek: 82.3%) ise statin tedavisi uygulanmadi. Sag atriyal ornekler kardiyopulmoner baypasa girilmeden once alindi ve %10’luk notral formalin ile fikse edildi. Apoptotik hucrelerin tespiti icin immunoperoksidaz boyama ve TUNEL yontemi kullanildi. Immun boyamali aktif kaspas-3 ve proliferatif hucre nukleer antijen (PCNA) hucrelerinin sayimi isik mikroskopu kullanilarak yapildi. Bul gu lar: Grup 1’deki hastalarin endokardiyal (p=0.04) ve epikardiyal (p=0.01) katmanlarindaki ortalama apoptotik indeks degerleri grup 2’dekilere kiyasla, anlamli duzeyde dusuk bulundu. Miyokardiyal katmanlardaki degerler arasinda fark olmadigi goruldu (p=0.35). Katmanlar arasinda ortalama PCNA indeksi acisindan anlamli fark yoktu. So­nuc:­ Koroner arter baypas greftleme oncesi statin on tedavisinin kardiyak miyosit kaybini azaltabilecegi gorunmekte olup, acik kalp cerrahisi sonrasi yararli etkilere isaret edebilir.
Resistant starch content, molecular structure and physicochemical properties of starches in Virginia-grown corn, potato and mungbean

Starches were isolated from Virginia-grown corn, potato, and mungbean, and their resistant starch content, molecular structure and physicochemical properties were investigated for potential applications. All starches, extracted with combination of chemical and physically method exhibited high purity with low protein, fat and ash, and high carbohydrate. Potato starches had the highest resistant starch content, while mungbean starches showed the highest amylose content. Amylose content as well as the starch granule size and structure were responsible for resistance to digestibility. Compared to their mungbean and corn counterparts, potato starches had the highest amylopectin molecular weights and largest granular size. A typical A-and B-type crystalline structure was assigned to corn and potato starches, respectively, while mungbean starches had a CA-type crystalline pattern. Both potato and mungbean starch granules were smooth, oval and irregular ellipsoids, while corn starches had polyhedral granules. The gelatinization transition temperatures (To, Tp, and Tc) of the starches were significantly different, with the order of corn> mungbean> potato. Water absorption capacity of corn starches was lower than that of potato and mungbean starches. The results would assist food scientists in determining the potential end-uses of starches. Key words: Resistant starch, molecular structure, physicochemical properties, starch, Virginia.
Interaction of sex with age at diagnosis and radiation therapy in the survival of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Sex is a significant prognostic factor in the survival of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with girls having superior outcome. This phenomenon could be partly due to the intrinsic relationship between sex and other prognostic factors. The present study aimed to assess the effect of sex on ALL survival after accounting for interactions of sex with age at diagnosis and radiation, in addition to known prognostic factors. We utilized 1973 to 2009 surveillance epidemiology and end results data. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, stratified by the year of diagnosis, the prognostic value of sex diminished (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93, 1.57). The difference in mortality between girls and boys was the lowest in the irradiated children diagnosed between ages 10 and 19 years. In this subgroup, boys’ risk of mortality was not substantially different from that of girls (AHR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.70, 1.33). In the large population based study, after accounting for the aforementioned interaction effects, the prognostic value of sex in ALL survival diminished, and it is eliminated in the irradiated children diagnosed between ages 10 to 19 years. Key words: Sex, lymphoblastic leukemia, prognostic factors.
Consequences of Beliefs about the Malleability of Creativity

Attempts to maximize creativity pervade corporate, artistic, and scientific domains. This research investigated how individual's lay beliefs about the malleability of creativity affect several measures of creative potential. Two correlational and 1 experimental study examined the relationship between malleability beliefs about creativity and creative problem-solving and prior creative achievement. In Study 1, incremental beliefs in creativity were associated with interest in creative thinking, self-reported creativity, and creative problem-solving. In Study 2, incremental beliefs were associated with prior creative achievement in a cross-cultural, professional sample. In Study 3, incremental primes of creativity led to improved creative problem-solving. All studies provide discriminant validity and domain-specificity for malleability beliefs in creativity. Specifically, Studies 1 and 2 controlled for individual differences in beliefs about the malleability of intelligence, suggesting that malleability beliefs of creativity and intelligence are meaningfully distinct. Meanwhile, Study 3 found that incremental beliefs of creativity enhance creative problem-solving but not problem-solving more generally.
Food Habits and Reproductive Biology of Tail-Luring Snakes of the Genus Tropidodryas (Dipsadidae, Xenodontinae) from Brazil

Abstract The dipsadid snake genus Tropidodryas consists of two species that occur in the Atlantic Forest along Brazil’s eastern coast, a conservation hot spot. Life-history information on pairs of sister species might allow insights into the evolutionary transitions that have occurred since the cladogenesis that putatively gave rise to them. We provide information on distribution, morphology, diet, reproduction, and seasonal activity of these species based on the examination of 624 specimens. The genus Tropidodryas occurs along a large extent of the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, with T. striaticeps occurring at higher elevations, on average, than T. serra. These snakes forage by day either on the ground or in vegetation, consuming a wide variety of vertebrates, mainly mammals. Higher proportions of birds in the diet of T. serra and certain mammals in the diet of T. striaticeps probably reflect elevational differences in prey availability. An ontogenetic diet shift occurs in both species, with juveniles consuming mainly ectothermic prey (lizards and anurans), and adults preying predominantly on mammals. Caudal luring has been documented in juveniles, but the pale color and high frequency of injuries on the tail of larger individuals indicate that adult T. striaticeps also employ this technique to attract prey. Sexual dimorphism occurs in body size, tail size, and diameter of the eye. Female reproductive cycles are seasonal in both species, with egg laying occurring in warmer periods of the year. However, T. striaticeps seems to have a more extended reproductive cycle, with some females being able to lay eggs 1 or 2 mo earlier. Environmental differences between high and low altitudes in the Atlantic Forest are likely responsible for the slight ecological divergence between these two closely related snakes.
How Does Physical Space Influence the Novices' and Experts' Algebraic Reasoning?

The embodied mathematics paradigm shows that our mathematical conceptual system is not pure and abstract, but it is grounded in our bodily functioning and experiences. As found by Goldstone & Landy (2007a), symbols placed physically closer together tend to be evaluated as synthetically bound and are solved first, even if in some cases that practice is an error from the perspective of the formal rules of mathematics. Based on this finding, we asked if these results would remain the same if we introduce a new variable — the level of expertise. The results show that experts do not have a better performance than novices, but that the former integrate more the spatial indices in their mathematical reasoning. Results, implications and future research directions are discussed.
A Sharper Ratio: A General Measure for Correctly Ranking Non-Normal Investment Risks

While the Sharpe ratio is still the dominant measure for ranking risky assets, a substantial effort has been made over the past three decades to find a way to account for non-Normally distributed risks. This paper derives a generalized ranking measure which, under a regularity condition, correctly ranks risks relative to the original investor problem for a broad probability space. Moreover, like the Sharpe ratio, the generalized measure maintains wealth separation for the broad HARA utility class. Besides being effective in the presence of "fat tails," the generalized measure is also a foundation for multi-asset class portfolio optimization due to its ability to pairwise rank two risks following two different probability distributions. This paper also explores the theoretical foundations of risk ranking, including proving a key impossibility theorem: any ranking measure that is valid for non-Normal distributions cannot generically be free from investor preferences. Finally, this paper shows that the generalized ratio provides substantially more ranking power than simpler approximation measures that have sometimes been used in the past to account for non-Normal higher moments, even if those approximations are extended to include an infinite number of higher moments.
Luppino, Ricky, Hosseini, M. Reza and Rameezdeen, Raufdeen 2014, Risk management in research and development (R&D) projects: the case of South Australia, Asian academy of management

A definition of the effective methods of risk management in R&D projects has remained elusive. Similarly, there have been calls to devise effective risk management methods in R&D projects. To develop this area further, the purpose of this study is twofold. First, it validates the veracity of claims about the urgency of introducing effective methods of risk management to R&D projects in South Australia based on nine unstructured interviews with experts. Second, the study presents the outcomes of two case studies that deployed the extended version of the failure mode and effect analysis, namely, the RFMEA method in a South Australian organisation, to investigate how the method can facilitate the identification of effective contingency plans to mitigate high-priority risks. The findings showed that the RFMEA method would be effective for project managers in dealing with risk management issues in R&D projects. The discussions presented will provide guidelines for practitioners in the industry.
Equity for sustained growth : Pernambuco state equity assessment

Starting from the aggregate, this report first describes how Pernambuco has fared with respect to the rest of Brazil, both in terms of economic and social welfare performance, over the last decade (2001-2012). In a context of widespread economic growth, Pernambuco has done particularly well in recent years, similar to or above the national average. A key challenge concerns the longer-term, where – notwithstanding the positive performance of recent years-the same level of growth may not be as easily sustained. The solid economic performance has been reflected in an improvement of social indicators, also associated with the government's interiorizacao strategy, a policy developed explicitly to increase the coverage of public services in underserved areas, with a focus on the interior of the state. The decline in poverty rates displays a trajectory towards convergence with Brazil and recently, a faster than national decline of the Gini has brought Pernambuco's income inequality below the national and Northeast level.
PRICE LEVEL CHANGES AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING MEASUREMENT: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCES FROM NIGERIA

This study discusses the impact of price level changes on financial accounting numbers. Previous studies on the subject have merely reproduced historical financial statements alongside ‘inflation-adjusted’ financial statements without any scientific methodology and empirical analyses to allow for reliable conclusions. It is this major gap that this study seeks to fill. A sample of ten firms was drawn for period between2001-2010. The OLS regression estimated at nominal and adjusted levels in two separate models showed that both models have a high goodness of fit (R 2 ). However, the adjusted estimate exhibited a higher explanatory power and thus shows a better fit. This suggested that adjusted accounting estimates may after all be able to provide better and more realistic insight into a firm’s state of affairs. The study recommends that historical financial accounting information should be presented side-by-side with their corresponding adjusted financial statement to disclose the effect of price level changes. Additionally, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and other regulatory agencies should as a matter of necessity set up a system of accounting for price level changes to enhance the value relevance of accounting information.
The Structure and the Resources of Entrepreneurial Network - Esential Factors to Survival and Performance. The Case of Study Romania

The level of entrepreneurial activity has a statistically significant association with economic growth. Only a few companies manage to grow or even to survive. Also, numerous studies reveal that the benefits provided by entrepreneurial network is part of the explanation for entrepreneurial success. Romania needs more entrepreneurs. In Romania the SMEs sector represents 99% of the total number of enterprises, contributing to 65% of GDP and 67% of the total workforce. Compared EU average density to SMEs, in Romania (number SMEs per 1000 inhabitants) is extremely low, standing at almost half the European average. If the European Union are currently assessed approximately 42 SMEs per 1000 inhabitants, in Romania the average density of business enterprises is 22 SMEs per 1000 inhabitants. And with strong regional disparities. This paper presents an analysis of the SME sector in Romania by region and comparing the performance of SMEs in the EU macroeconomic indicators, and an experimental study that attempts to examine regional differences in entrepreneurial netowork. Questionnaires were administered to entrepreneurs in three development regions of Romania, such as: București-Ilfov with a density of 50, 56 SMEs which represents 229% of the average Romanian, Nord-Vest region with a density of 24, 22 SMEs per 1000 / inhabitants, which one ranks very close to the average density of the SMEs in Romania (109%) and the Nord-Est region that has the lowest density of SMEs in Romania, namely 13,56 SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants. The study results suggest that while certain factors are common to the three regions, there are significant differences both in terms of entrepreneurial structure and benefits, being a direct relationship between the economic development and they.
Genetic variation among Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Malvaceae) of different flower colors using ISSR and isozymes.

Germplasm identification and characterization is an important link between the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources. Traditionally, species or cultivars identification has relied on morphological characters like growth habit or floral morphology like flower color and other characteristics of the plant. Studies were undertaken for identification and determination of genetic variation between four cultivars of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. with different colors (red, pink, orange and white) through inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and isozymes pattern. ISSR result produced scorable banding patterns with nine primers out of ten. A total number of 89 DNA fragments were amplified with different lengths over all the four cultivars with the nine primers. The result showed that 39 DNA amplified fragments were polymorphic in the four cultivars. Eighteen DNA amplified fragments were considered as cultivarspecific markers. Isozymes results indicated that Peroxidase and esterase isozymes revealed extensive polymorphism among four cultivars. PX6 were positive specific marker detected in the yellow flowers while EST3 was unique marker with pink flower color cultivar. The similarity indices and the consensus trees of the four cultivars were developed based on the banding that pink flower contrasting cultivars were distantly related cultivars.
Restricted movements and high site fidelity in three East African cloud-forest birds

Abstract: Species with specific habitat requirements often remain within their habitat and are characterized by a very sedentary behaviour. We used radio-tracking during a 3-wk campaign to investigate the home ranges and movements of three East African passerine bird species, all adapted to cloud-forest habitats: montane white-eye Zosterops poliogaster mbuluensis, stripe-cheeked greenbul Andropadus milanjensis and white-starred robin Pogonocichla stellata macarthuri. Individuals were observed in a forest-grassland mosaic on top of Chyulu Hills, south Kenya. Based on 15 individuals with a total of 1041 fixes, we found (1) that all three species show a sedentary behaviour restricted to their home forest patch; (2) least activity during the afternoon; and (3) re-colonization into its home patch after translocation into a nearby forest patch. Our findings underline that forest-specialist bird species of the tropics show high site fidelity despite their potential movement ability.
Foraging tactics of Baikal seals differ between day and night

Some pinniped species appear to forage during both daylight and darkness. To deter- mine any differences in the foraging tactics between day and night, we attached data loggers with a newly developed time-scheduled release system to 2 free-ranging female Baikal seals Phoca sibirica. The system released the loggers from the seals 24 h after deployment, and allowed us to retrieve the loggers via VHF radio signals. We obtained the first time-series diving data on Baikal seals. The seals dived almost continuously, to an average of 68.9 m, with dives deeper than this (>150 m) being con- centrated around dusk and dawn. They showed distinctly different diving patterns between day and night in terms of swimming speed profile and the sequential pattern in maximum dive depth . In the daytime, dives were characterized by higher swimming speeds (mean 1.2 m s -1 ) and upward-directed acceleration events. At night, dives were shallower around midnight and characterized by lower speeds (mean 0.9 m s -1 ) and undirectional deceleration events. We suggest that these differences reflect predation on pelagic fishes by seals using visual cues during the day and predation on swarm- ing crustaceans by seals using tactile cues at night.
Power Dimensions of School Reform: The Limitations of Governance Systems

Post to: Lea Hubbard, University of San Diego, USA 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110 Email: lhubbard@sandiego.edu An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the International Congress of School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Chile, January 2013. We are grateful to the participants in this study for their willingness to share their perspectives on reform and issues related to power.
The potential of marine biotechnology for the development of new antifouling solutions

Biofouling is the undesirable colonisation of man-made surfaces by microorganisms, macroalgae and invertebrates, leading to subsequent biodeterioration costing the shipping industry millions of Euros every year worldwide. Since the ban of TBT-based paints due to high level of toxicity, new environmentally friendly formulations are under development. Many research teams focus now on a promising line of research inspired by biomimetic solutions and marine biotechnology: marine natural antifoulants and microtexturing of surfaces.