Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heavy-Ion Micro Beam and Simulation Study of a Flash-Based FPGA Microcontroller Implementation

Flash-based FPGAs are frequently used in space applications and it is now common for such designs to include a small microcontroller. In this paper, we present the results of a detailed study of two implementations of an ARM® Cortex®-M0+ processor. The first implementation uses a standard design flow while the second implementation is protected with RHBD techniques including TMR flip-flops. Both designs were tested using a heavy-ion micro-beam using a methodology which enables individual ions to be localized both in space and time. The rate of silent data corruption (SDC) was only reduced by 5x in the protected version. Many, but not all, of the error scenarios were reproduced using simulation based fault injection. Overall, the results suggest that the contribution of single event transients (SETs) can not be neglected and the results show the limitations of flip-flop based TMR.
Increasing prevalence of emergency department visits for pediatric dental care, 1997-2001.

BACKGROUND Hospital emergency department (ED) visits for non-urgent care have been increasing since the late 1950s. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric ED visits for dental problems during a five-year period. METHODS This retrospective study included newborns through 17-year-olds with dental complaints identified from the electronic register of the ED of Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, between January 1997 and December 2001. The authors described patient characteristics, diagnoses, factors associated with ED use for nontraumatic problems and annual changes in ED visits for dental and nondental complaints. RESULTS Of the 1,102 subjects, 809 (73.4 percent) had nontraumatic and 293 (26.6 percent) had traumatic dental complaints. The study revealed a 121 percent increase in ED visits for dental complaints and a 66-fold increase in admissions between 1997 and 2001. Of the inpatient admissions, 68 percent were the result of caries and its sequelae. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed a substantial increase in ED visits and hospital admissions for dental problems during the study period. The majority of dental problems were nontraumatic in nature. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Dental care experts should be available in ED settings in which increases in such visits are seen. Studies must be conducted to explore ways of keeping patients from seeking care in EDs inappropriately.
A 44.9% PAE digitally-assisted linear power amplifier in 40 nm CMOS

This paper presents a 1.9 GHz linear power amplifier (PA) architecture that improves its power efficiency in the power back-off (PBO) region. The combination of power transistor segmentation and digital gain compensation effectively enhances its power efficiency. A fast switching scheme is proposed, such that PA segments are switched on and off according to signal power, i.e. the proposed scheme makes the PA power consumption correlate with the power of the input signal. Binary power gain variations due to segmentation are dynamically compensated in the digital domain. The proposed solution overcomes the trade-off between efficiency and linearity by employing the digital predistortion technique. The PA is implemented in 40 nm CMOS process, it delivers a saturated output power of 35 dBm with 44.9% power-added efficiency (PAE) and linear gain of 38 dB. The adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) at ±5 MHz at a maximum linear output power of 31 dBm for a baseband WCDMA signal is -35.8 dBc.
Processus de construction d’une communauté de pratique : l’expérience d’une formation continue en milieu scolaire

Cet article presente les resultats d’une recherche sur le processus de construction de communautes de pratique menee dans une ecole francophone du Nouveau-Brunswick, dans le contexte de la reforme du secondaire renouvele qui s’appuie sur les fondements du cognitivisme et du socioconstructivisme. L’experimentation, d’une duree totale de 30 heures, a permis de recueillir des donnees aupres de deux communautes de pratique qui regroupaient huit enseignantes du secondaire et une directrice adjointe. Le cadre conceptuel choisi pour analyser les processus de changement et les mecanismes qui entrent en jeu dans les communautes de pratique est celui de la construction du collectif decrite par Latour (2004). La methodologie de collecte et d’analyse des donnees est qualitative et l’analyse s’inspire de l’approche narrative (Clandinin et Connelly, 2000). L’analyse des donnees a permis de distinguer trois phases de la creation des communautes de pratique : la mise en place de la diversite, la narration des experiences et la negociation du changement. Cet article precise en conclusion les defis du developpement d’une culture de collaboration dans un contexte de reforme.
Energy-Aware Hybrid Data Aggregation Mechanism Considering the Energy Hole Problem in Asynchronous MAC-Based WSNs

The energy hole problem is caused by earlier turning off of sensor nodes nearer the sink due to more frequent data transmission, particularly in asynchronous MAC-based Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). To resolve this issue, this letter proposes an Energy-aware Hybrid Data Aggregation Mechanism (EHDAM) that is designed to adaptively control the number of data transmission with burst length based and time-out based transmissions. Especially, EHDAM adjusts the burst length threshold value in reciprocal proportion to the remaining energy state of the node so that reducing the number of data transmission; hence, EHDAM extends lifetimes of the nodes affected by the energy hole problem.
Expression of defective measles virus genes in brain tissues of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

The persistence of measles virus in selected areas of the brains of four patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) was characterized by immunohistological and biochemical techniques. The five measles virus structural proteins were never simultaneously detectable in any of the brain sections. Nucleocapsid proteins and phosphoproteins were found in every diseased brain area, whereas hemagglutinin protein was detected in two cases, fusion protein was detected in three cases, and matrix protein was detected in only one case. Also, it could be shown that the amounts of measles virus RNA in the brains differed from patient to patient and in the different regions investigated. In all patients, plus-strand RNAs specific for these five viral genes could be detected. However, the amounts of fusion and hemagglutinin mRNAs were low compared with the amounts in lytically infected cells. The presence of particular measles virus RNAs in SSPE-infected brains did not always correlate with mRNA activity. In in vitro translations, the matrix protein was produced in only one case, and the hemagglutinin protein was produced in none. These results indicate that measles virus persistence in SSPE is correlated with different defects of several genes which probably prevent assembly of viral particles in SSPE-infected brain tissue.
Psychopathy and selective attention during performance of a complex perceptual-motor task.

Autonomic and electrocortical activity were recorded while prison inmates with high (H) and low (L) ratings of psychopathy were presented with a series of binaural tone pips, either by themselves (passive attention) or while video games were being played (selective attention). During selective attention the subjects were told that the tone pips were irrelevant to the primary task, the video games. The N100 component of the auditory evoked potential was used as an index of attention paid to the tone pips, while performance on the video games was considered to be a reflection of attentiveness to the primary task. There were no group differences in N100 amplitude or latency during passive attention, supporting the results from several previous studies. During selective attention Group H gave small N100 responses to the tone pips during each video game trial, including the first one, while Group L gave large N100 responses to the tone pips during the first trial, and small responses during later trials. Both groups performed equally well during the first few trials, but while the performance of Group L continued to improve, that of Group H deteriorated over the last few trials. The results were interpreted in terms of limited capacity models of attention, and provided some support for the hypothesis that psychopaths allocate a relatively large proportion of their attentional resources to things of immediate interest, effectively ignoring other stimuli.
One size does not fit all: HIV testing preferences differ among high-risk groups in Northern Tanzania

In order to maximize the effectiveness of “Seek, Test, and Treat” strategies for curbing the HIV epidemic, new approaches are needed to increase the uptake of HIV testing services, particularly among high-risk groups. Low HIV testing rates among such groups suggest that current testing services may not align well with the testing preferences of these populations. Female bar workers and male mountain porters have been identified as two important high-risk groups in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. We used conventional survey methods and a discrete choice experiment (DCE), a preference elicitation method increasingly applied by economists and policy-makers to inform health policy and services, to analyze trade-offs made by individuals and quantify preferences for HIV testing services. Bivariate descriptive statistics were used to analyze differences in survey responses across groups. Compared to 486 randomly selected community members, 162 female bar workers and 194 male Kilimanjaro porters reported 2–3 times as many lifetime sexual partners (p < 0.001), but similar numbers of lifetime HIV tests (median 1–2 across all groups). For the DCE, participants' stated choices across 12,978 hypothetical HIV testing scenarios (422 female and 299 male participants × 9 choice tasks × 2 alternatives) were analyzed using gender-specific mixed logit models. Direct assessments and the DCE data demonstrated that barworkers were less likely to prefer home testing and were more concerned about disclosure issues compared with their community counterparts. Male porters preferred testing in venues where antiretroviral therapy was readily available. Both high-risk groups were less averse to traveling longer distances to test compared to their community counterparts. These results expose systematic differences in HIV testing preferences across high-risk populations compared to their community peers. Tailoring testing options to the preferences of high-risk populations should be evaluated as a means of improving uptake of testing in these populations.
A REGION-BASED ALGORITHM FOR IMAGE SEGMENTATION AND PARAMETRIC MOTION ESTIMATION*

This paper describes an approach for integrating region-based motion estimation and region merging techniques with the purpose of obtaining precise parametric motion description and image segmentation. Segmentation is achieved with a region merging scheme based initially on color homogeneity and extended to include motion parameters in successive steps. Motion vectors are first estimated with a multiresolution gradient-based method applied directly over the input images and then refined by incorporating segmentation results into a region-based block matching scheme. The complete algorithm presents motion boundaries that coincide with color boundaries. The resulting region-based, affine motion models respect motion boundaries and provide accurate motion description even over small support regions. The method is illustrated with experimental results for an image sequence.
Exogenous Induction of Cerebral ß-Amyloidogenesis Is Governed by Agent and Host

Protein aggregation is an established pathogenic mechanism in Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about the initiation of this process in vivo. Intracerebral injection of dilute, amyloid-β (Aβ)–containing brain extracts from humans with Alzheimer's disease or β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice induced cerebral β-amyloidosis and associated pathology in APP transgenic mice in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The seeding activity of brain extracts was reduced or abolished by Aβ immunodepletion, protein denaturation, or by Aβ immunization of the host. The phenotype of the exogenously induced amyloidosis depended on both the host and the source of the agent, suggesting the existence of polymorphic Aβ strains with varying biological activities reminiscent of prion strains.
Power Amplifier Switching (PAS) for Energy Efficient Systems

We propose a power amplifier (PA) switching/selection (PAS) method to improve the energy efficiency (EE) of a transmit antenna selection and maximum ratio combining (TAS-MRC) system. A PAS transmitter has a PA bank consisting of multiple dissimilar PAs, which operate with different output power levels, and selects the most efficient PA and its power level that satisfies a target rate. If there is no PA supporting the target rate, the transmitter is set to an off-mode (i.e., all PAs are turned off). The receiver feeds back the choice of PA and its power level to the transmitter, similar to the feedback in a conventional power control system with a single PA. Numerical results show that the system EE can be improved by using the PAS. This letter is the first study to investigate and verify the potential capability of PAS for the system EE improvement in wireless communications.
Locate potential Support Vectors for faster Sequential Minimal Optimization

Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) is one of the state-of-the-art solutions for Support Vector Machines (SVM) training. SMO sequentially picks a pair of training samples for joint optimization, which minimizes the usage of memory. However, to find such two samples, SMO uses one outer loop through the entire training set looking for a sample which violates the KKT conditions, and one inner loop to look for a sample which heuristically maximizes the increase of the SVM objective function. While there is limited room for improvement in the inner loop, the outer loop can be reduced significantly if we can locate a small subset of training samples which potentially contains the Support Vectors (SVs). We present a Fisher Discriminant Analysis(FDA) based approach to locate potential SVs in a small core subset, which enables the SVM training to be focused effectively on a promising small region instead of the entire SV-sparse training set. Nevertheless, the training points outside the subset can not be blindly ignored. The method iteratively trains the classifier on the core subset and tune it using the remainder subset. Experimental results show that the approach significantly speeds up SMO training by reducing kernel evaluations, which dominates the training time. It converges much faster to optimal solution with much fewer iterations than standard SMO.
Changes in lactoferrin, immunoglobulin G, bovine serum albumin, and alpha-lactalbumin during acute experimental and natural coliform mastitis in cows

An experimentally induced Escherichia coli infection of a bovine mammary gland resulted in a 30-fold increase in lactoferrin (Lf) concentration in the mammary secretion by 90 h postinoculation and a 4-fold increase in total daily production of Lf by 264 h postinoculation in the infected quarter. A simultaneous rise and fall of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations occurred during the acute phase of the infection. Peak BSA and IgG levels were reached 36 h before peak Lf levels. BSA concentrations declined rapidly after the acute phase, whereas IgG and Lf levels remained elevated and decreased slowly as the infection subsided. A decline in alpha-lactalbumin concentration by 48 h postinoculation indicated decreased synthetic capability. The increased Lf production may be a result of a specific response of secretory tissue to inflammatory agents and thus the infectious process. Analogous changes in Lf, IgG, and BSA were observed during a natural coliform infection. Sephadex G-200 chromatography of mastitis skim milk showed that Lf approximated the monomer (molecular weight 77,100) early in infections progressed and abated, the apparent molecular weight of Lf increased to approximately that of the trimer and subsequently decreased to about 1.5 times that of the monomer.
Digital Single Event Transient Trends With Technology Node Scaling

We have measured the single-event-transient (SET) width as a function of cross-section over three CMOS bulk/epitaxial technology nodes (0.25, 0.18 and 0.13 mum) using an identically scaled programmable-delay temporal-latch technique. Both the maximum width of the SET pulse and the cross-section are shown to depend primarily on the supply voltage, with a substantial increase in transient width and cross-section with lower operating potentials
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) and its adaptor, NOS1AP, as a genetic risk factors for psychiatric disorders

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous transmitter produced by nitric oxide synthases (NOSs). The neuronal isoform (NOS‐I, encoded by NOS1) is the main source of NO in the central nervous system (CNS). Animal studies suggest that nitrinergic dysregulation may lead to behavioral abnormalities. Unfortunately, the large number of animal studies is not adequately reflected by publications concerning humans. These include post‐mortem studies, determination of biomarkers, and genetic association studies. Here, we review the evidence for the role of NO in psychiatric disorders by focusing on the human NOS1 gene as well as biomarker studies. Owing to the complex regulation of NOS1 and the varying function of NOS‐I in different brain regions, no simple, unidirectional association is expected. Rather, the ‘where, when and how much’ of NO formation is decisive. Present data, although still preliminary and partially conflicting, suggest that genetically driven reduced NO signaling in the prefrontal cortex is associated with schizophrenia and cognition. Both NOS1 and its interaction partner NOS1AP have a role therein. Also, reduced NOS1 expression in the striatum determined by a length polymorphism in a NOS1 promoter (NOS1 ex1f‐VNTR) goes along with a variety of impulsive behaviors. An association of NOS1 with mood disorders, suggested by animal models, is less clear on the genetic level; however, NO metabolites in blood may serve as biomarkers for major depression and bipolar disorder. As the nitrinergic system comprises a relevant target for pharmacological interventions, further studies are warranted not only to elucidate the pathophysiology of mental disorders, but also to evaluate NO function as a biomarker.
An effect-size analysis of pharmacologic treatments for generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and impairing disorder, associated with extensive psychiatric and medical comorbidity and usually characterized by a chronic course. Different drugs have been investigated in GAD; among them are the following: 1) SSRIS: paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine and escitalopram; 2) SNRI1S: venlafaxine; 3) benzodiazepines (BZS): alprazolam, diazepam and lorazepam; 4) azapirones (AZAS): buspirone; 5) antihistamines (AHS): hydroxyzine; 6) pregabalin (PGB); and 7) complementary/alternative medicine (CAM): kava-kava and homeopathic preparation. We conducted an effect size (ES) analysis of 21 double-blind placebo-controlled trials of medications treating DSM-III-R, DSM-IV or ICD-10 GAD using HAM-A change in score from baseline or endpoint score as the main efficacy measure. Literature search was performed using MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases including articles published between 1987 and 2003 and personal communications with investigators and sponsors. comparing all drugs versus placebo, the Es was 0.39. Mean Ess, excluding children, were PGB: 0.50, AH: 0.45, SNRI: 0.42, BZ: 0.38, SSRI: 0.36, AZA: 0.17 and CAM: -0.31. comparing ES for adults versus children/adolescents (excluding CAM) and conventional drugs versus CAM (excluding children/adolescents) we found significantly higher ES for children/adolescents and for conventional drugs (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). No significant differences were found when comparing date of publication, location of site (i.e. US versus other), fixed versus flexible dosing, number of study arms, or number of outcome measures used. Medications varied in the magnitude of their Es, ranging from moderate to poor. AdolesCents and Children showed a muCh greater ES Compared with adultS. SubjeCts taking CAM had worse outComes than plaCebo.
SchedTask: A Hardware-Assisted Task Scheduler

The execution of workloads such as web servers and database servers typically switches back and forth between different tasks such as user applications, system call handlers, and interrupt handlers. The combined size of the instruction footprints of such tasks typically exceeds that of the i-cache (16-32 KB). This causes a lot of i-cache misses and thereby reduces the application’s performance. Hence, we propose SchedTask, a hardware-assisted task scheduler that improves the performance of such workloads by executing tasks with similar instruction footprints on the same core. We start by decomposing the combined execution of the OS and the applications into sequences of instructions calledSuperFunctions. We propose a scheme to determine the amount of overlap between the instruction footprints of different SuperFunctions by using Bloom filters. We then use a hierarchical scheduler to execute SuperFunctions with similar instruction footprints on the same core. For a suite of 8 popular OS-intensive workloads, we report an increase in the application’s performance of up to 29 percentage points (mean: 11.4 percentage points) over state of the art scheduling techniques. CCS CONCEPTS • Software and its engineering $\rightarrow$ Scheduling; Virtual memory; • Computer systems organization $\rightarrow$ Multicore architectures; Cloud computing;
Análise da vulnerabilidade da biodiversidade brasileira frente às mudanças climáticas globais

Existe hoje um amplo consenso cientifico e politico de que estamos entrando num periodo de mudancas climaticas sem precedentes, e os impactos dessas mudancas na biodiversidade, assim como em outras areas, ja sao mensuraveis. As mudancas climaticas em curso tem o potencial de contrapor aos esforcos de conservacao e uso sustentavel da biodiversidade nas proximas decadas. Cortes substanciais na emissao de gases de efeito estufa sao necessarios para mitigar a ameaca de longo prazo sobre a biodiversidade, visando limitar o aumento da temperatura media global anual em nao mais que 2 graus Celsius acima dos niveis pre-industriais. Por outro lado, a protecao a biodiversidade pode auxiliar a limitar a concentracao de gases atmosfericos porque florestas e outros habitats naturais armazenam carbono. Sao necessarios, o estabelecimento de politicas e o desenvolvimento de estrategias para auxiliar na definicao de medidas de adaptacao as mudancas de temperatura e regimes hidricos. Apesar dos esforcos realizados para inventariar a biodiversidade do pais, ainda existem enormes lacunas de conhecimento taxonomico e biogeografico. Por ser o Brasil um pais megadiverso de dimensoes continentais, e necessario encontrar meios para direcionar a pesquisa de campo, cobrindo essas lacunas, e visando a identificacao de areas de diversidade prioritarias para a conservacao de especies. Dessa forma, o uso de ferramentas computacionais na abordagem de lacunas de conhecimento torna-se imperativo.