Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Memory Management: Compile-Time Techniques and Run-Time Mechanisms that Enable the Use of Caches in Real-Time Systems

This paper demonstrates the intractability of achieving statically predictable performance behavior with traditional cache organizations (i.e., the real-time cache problem) and describes a non-traditional organization—combined hardware and software techniques—that can solve the real-time cache problem. We show that the task of placing code and data in the memory system so as to eliminate conflicts in traditional direct-mapped and set-associative caches is NP-complete. We discuss alternatives in both software and hardware that can address the problem: using address translation with software support can eliminate non-predicted conflict misses, and explicit management of the cache contents can eliminate non-predicted capacity misses. We present a theoretical analysis of the performance benefits of managing the cache contents to extend the effective size of the cache.
Screening in Alternative Credit Markets Can Individual Lenders Infer Borrower Creditworthiness in Peer-to-Peer Lending ?

The past few years have seen a large growth in online peer-to-peer credit markets. Yet the sustainability of these alternate credit markets crucially depends on the ability of lenders to infer borrowers’ credit-worthiness. We examine this ability using a methodology that takes advantage of lenders not observing a borrowers’ true credit score but only seeing an aggregate credit category in the particular market considered. We find that lenders are able to utilize information available to infer up to a third of the relevant content in a borrower’s credit score. This is economically significant and allows them to lend at a 200 basis points lower rate for borrowers with (unobserved to them) better credit scores within a category. While lenders infer the most from standard “hard” information that is traditionally used by banks for screening, they also use non-standard (subjective) information for inference. Our methodology shows, without needing to code information contained in pictures or personal descriptions a borrower posts, that lenders learn even from such “softer” information, particularly when it is likely to provide credible/costly signals regarding borrower credit worthiness. Our findings highlight that peer-to-peer markets do show a degree of efficiency and suggest they may even provide advantages over traditional lending markets by extracting information from non-traditional sources. JEL codes: D53, D8, G21, L81
Loss of Sparc in p 53‐null Astrocytes Promotes Macrophage Activation and Phagocytosis Resulting in Decreased Tumor Size and Tumor Cell Survival

Both the induction of SPARC expression and the loss of the p53 tumor suppressor gene are changes that occur early in glioma development. Both SPARC and p53 regulate glioma cell survival by inverse effects on apoptotic signaling. Therefore, during glioma formation, the upregulation of SPARC may cooperate with the loss of p53 to enhance cell survival. This study determined whether the loss of Sparc in astrocytes that are null for p53 would result in reduced cell survival and tumor formation and increased tumor immunogenicity in an in vivo xenograft brain tumor model. In vitro, the loss of Sparc in p53‐null astrocytes resulted in an increase in cell proliferation, but a loss of tumorigenicity. At 7 days after intracranial implantation, Sparc‐null tumors had decreased tumor cell survival, proliferation and reduced tumor size. The loss of Sparc promoted microglia/macrophage activation and phagocytosis of tumor cells. Our results indicate that the loss of p53 by deletion/mutation in the early stages of glioma formation may cooperate with the induction of SPARC to potentiate cancer cell survival and escape from immune surveillance.
Some Open Issues and New Progress in the Research of Router Buffer Sizing

In the year of 2004, the small buffer rule presented by the Stanford research group caused great repercussions in research of router buffer sizing. Although the Stanford model has significant limitations, it is still a great breakthrough compared to the rule of thumb which is widely used in router buffer sizing. After 2004, although there was no consensus in research of router buffer sizing, a lot of valuable research results still appeared. In this paper, we discuss and analyze the previous recommendations on router buffer sizing including the rule-of-thumb, the Stanford model, BSCL, Tiny Buffer Rule, dynamic router buffer sizing and raise some concerns at some new angles and indicate some open issues in the direction of future research. Then introduce some new progress in our research, including revisiting the anomalous loss performance in routers with very small buffers and the impact of router buffer unit.
NuSTAR Detection Of A Cyclotron Line In The Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient IGR J17544 2619

We present NuSTAR spectral and timing studies of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) IGR J17544-2619. The spectrum is well-described by a ~ 1 keV blackbody and a hard continuum component, as expected from an accreting X-ray pulsar. We detect a cyclotron line at 17 keV, confirming that the compact object in IGR J17544-2619 is indeed a neutron star. This is the first measurement of the magnetic field in a SFXT. The inferred magnetic field strength, B = (1.45 ± 0.03) x 10^(12)G • (1 + z) is typical of neutron stars in X-ray binaries, and rules out a magnetar nature for the compact object. We do not find any significant pulsations in the source on time scales of 1–2000 s.
Self-rated health changes and oldest-old mortality.

OBJECTIVES This study explores how 2 measures of self-rated health (SRH) change are related to mortality among oldest-old adults. In doing so, it also considers how associations between SRH and mortality may depend on prior SRH. METHOD Data come from the Asset and Health Dynamics survey--the oldest-old portion of the Health and Retirement Study-and follow 6,233 individuals across 13 years. I use parametric hazard models to examine relationships between death and 2 measures of short-term SRH change--a computed measure comparing SRH at time t-1 and t, and a respondent-provided retrospectively reported change. RESULTS Respondents who demonstrate or report any SRH change between survey waves died at a greater rate than those with consistent SRH. After controlling for morbidity, individual characteristics, and SRH, those who changed SRH categories between survey waves and those who retrospectively reported an improvement in health continue to have a greater risk of death, when compared with those with no change. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that the well-established associations between SRH status and mortality may understate the risk of death for oldest-old individuals with recent subjective health improvements.
Dorsal anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex have inverse roles in both foraging and economic choice

Recent research has highlighted a distinction between sequential foraging choices and traditional economic choices between simultaneously presented options. This was partly motivated by observations in Kolling, Behrens, Mars, and Rushworth, Science, 336(6077), 95–98 (2012) (hereafter, KBMR) that these choice types are subserved by different circuits, with dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) preferentially involved in foraging and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) preferentially involved in economic choice. To support this account, KBMR used fMRI to scan human subjects making either a foraging choice (between exploiting a current offer or swapping for potentially better rewards) or an economic choice (between two reward-probability pairs). This study found that dACC better tracked values pertaining to foraging, whereas vmPFC better tracked values pertaining to economic choice. We recently showed that dACC’s role in these foraging choices is better described by the difficulty of choosing than by foraging value, when correcting for choice biases and testing a sufficiently broad set of foraging values (Shenhav, Straccia, Cohen, & Botvinick Nature Neuroscience, 17(9), 1249–1254, 2014). Here, we extend these findings in 3 ways. First, we replicate our original finding with a larger sample and a task modified to address remaining methodological gaps between our previous experiments and that of KBMR. Second, we show that dACC activity is best accounted for by choice difficulty alone (rather than in combination with foraging value) during both foraging and economic choices. Third, we show that patterns of vmPFC activity, inverted relative to dACC, also suggest a common function across both choice types. Overall, we conclude that both regions are similarly engaged by foraging-like and economic choice.
Constraining Population Synthesis Models via Empirical Binary Compact Object Merger and Supernova Rates

The observed samples of supernovae (SNe) and double compact objects (DCOs) provide several critical constraints on population synthesis models. The parameters of these models must be carefully chosen to reproduce, among other factors, (1) the formation rates of double neutron star (NS-NS) binaries and white dwarf-neutron star (WD-NS) binaries, estimated from binary samples, and (2) the Type II and Ib/c SN rates. Even allowing for extremely conservative accounting of the uncertainties in observational and theoretical predictions, we find that only a few plausible population synthesis models (roughly 9%) are consistent with DCO and SN rates empirically determined from observations. As a proof of concept, we describe the information that can be extracted about population synthesis models given these observational tests, including surprisingly good agreement with the neutron star kick distributions inferred from pulsar proper-motion measurements. In the present study, we find that the current observational constraints favor kicks described by a single Maxwellian with a characteristic velocity of about 350 km s−1 (i.e., at maximum likelihood; kick velocities between 100 and 700 km s−1 remain within the 90% confidence interval of unimodal distributions), mass-loss fractions during nonconservative but stable mass transfer episodes of about 90%, and common envelope parameters of about 0.15-0.5. Finally, we use the subset of astrophysically consistent models to predict the rates at which black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) and NS-NS binaries merge in the Milky Way and the nearby universe, assuming that Milky Way-like galaxies dominate. Inevitably, the resulting probability distributions for merger rates depend on our assumed priors for the population model input parameters. In this study we adopt relatively conservative priors (flat) for all model parameters covering a rather wide range of values. However, as we gain confidence in our knowledge of these inputs, the range of merger rates consistent with our knowledge should shift and narrow.
A Test of the Extended Functional Fixation Hypothesis

SYNOPSIS: The traditional functional fixation view states that investors are always unsophisticated and, therefore, fail to unscramble the true cash flow implications of accounting data. At the other extreme, the efficient market hypothesis states that investors are always sophisticated and very accurately unscramble the true cash flow implications of accounting data. This article proposes and tests a middle ground between these opposite views. The extended functional fixation view proposes that when responding to accounting data, sometimes a firm's stock price is set by a sophisticated marginal investor, and sometimes it is set by an unsophisticated marginal investor. The likelihood that the stock price will be set by the latter type is conjectured to be measured by the relative proportion of a firm's stock held by unsophisticated investors as a whole. The extended functional fixation view is tested by examining the stock price reaction to quarterly earnings announcements of firms that undertook debt-equity swaps. Swaps produced an immediate accounting gain that amounted to about 20 percent of earnings for the quarter in which the swap was undertaken. Because sophisticated investors would have seen this gain at the initial swap announcement, the efficient market view predicts that there will be no stock price reaction to the re-announcement of the gain as part of the swap quarter's earnings. However, the extended functional fixation view predicts that there will be a reaction to the reannouncement of the gain because unsophisticated investors would not have known about the gain until the earnings announcement, at which time they would have misinterpreted it as a real gain, rather as just a realization of a previously unrealized capital gain. The larger the likelihood that a
Correlation of anchorage-independent growth with tumorigenicity of chemically transformed mouse epidermal cells.

Abstract The BALB/c mouse primary epidermal cell culture system is currently being developed as a model system for chemical carcinogenesis studies with the immediate aims of achieving a high incidence of chemically induced transformation and developing rapid assays for tumorigenicity. Primary cultures treated with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (1 to 2 µg/ml) at 0 to 3 days postplating, followed in some cases by phorbol ester treatment, yielded after 3 to 4 months six morphologically altered long-term cell strains of which three were tumorigenic, as determined by injection into syngeneic newborns. One phorbol ester control yielded a tumorigenic strain while two solvent controls gave rise to long-term strains that were nonmalignant. All strains examined showed the presence of intercellular intermediate junctions, an epithelial marker. No morphological feature distinguished tumorigenic from nontumorigenic strains. Growth rate in monolayer culture and growth in semisolid medium were investigated as potential correlates of tumorigenicity in 16 morphologically altered epidermal cell strains. Although the tumorigenic cell strains showed a trend toward shorter doubling times, rapid growth in monolayer culture was not a consistent correlate of tumorigenicity. In contrast, colony formation in 0.33% agar medium consistently correlated with tumorigenicity, with all tumorigenic strains positive and all nontumorigenic strains negative. Colonyforming efficiency in soft agar, a parameter that was influenced by initial cell density and serum concentration, did not consistently parallel the degree of tumorigenicity.
Attentional bias for threat: Evidence for delayed disengagement from emotional faces

The present paper reports three new experiments suggesting that the valence of a face cue can influence attentional effects in a cueing paradigm. Moreover, heightened trait anxiety resulted in increased attentional dwell-time on emotional facial stimuli, relative to neutral faces. Experiment 1 presented a cueing task, in which the cue was either an “angry”, “happy”, or “neutral” facial expression. Targets could appear either in the same location as the face (valid trials) or in a different location to the face (invalid trials). Participants did not show significant variations across the different cue types (angry, happy, neutral) in responding to a target on valid trials. However, the valence of the face did affect response times on invalid trials. Specifically, participants took longer to respond to a target when the face cue was “angry” or “happy” relative to neutral. In Experiment 2, the cuetarget stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was increased and an overall inhibition of return (IOR) effect was found (i.e., slower responses on valid trials). However, the “angry” face cue eliminated the IOR effect for both high and low trait anxious groups. In Experiment 3, threat-related and jumbled facial stimuli reduced the magnitude of IOR for high, but not for low, trait-anxious participants. These results suggest that: (i) attentional bias in anxiety may reflect a difficulty in disengaging from threat-related and emotional stimuli, and (ii) threat-related and ambiguous cues can influence the magnitude of the IOR effect.
Using a modified version of SIMSOC to promote active learning in crime causation and response in an unjust society

ABSTRACT This article assesses how an interactive simulation game, a modified version of Simulated Society (hereinafter ‘SIMSOC-modified’), was used for teaching a theoretical criminology course in a Hong Kong university. Its use was intended to enable students to experience inequalities, in terms of wealth and power. The primary focus was to observe how participating in SIMSOC-modified impacted students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward crime causation and their intentions to engage in activism and radicalism. The findings showed that SIMSOC-modified promoted students’ active learning, resulting in cognitive and attitudinal changes toward the social causes of crime and increased intention to radically support the social groups they closely identified with. Rather than solely relying on didactic lectures and tutorials, we found strong support for the use of SIMSOC-modified in teaching crime causation and responses.
A mechanistic account of value computation in the human brain

To make decisions based on the value of different options, we often have to combine different sources of probabilistic evidence. For example, when shopping for strawberries on a fruit stand, one uses their color and size to infer—with some uncertainty—which strawberries taste best. Despite much progress in understanding the neural underpinnings of value-based decision making in humans, it remains unclear how the brain represents different sources of probabilistic evidence and how they are used to compute value signals needed to drive the decision. Here, we use a visual probabilistic categorization task to show that regions in ventral temporal cortex encode probabilistic evidence for different decision alternatives, while ventromedial prefrontal cortex integrates information from these regions into a value signal using a difference-based comparator operation.
Best Practice of Ethical Leadership among the Academic Administrators in Islamic Tertiary Education Institution: Academic Staff's Perceptions

The purpose of the study is to investigate the best practice of Ethical Leadership among the academic administrators in Islamic Tertiary Education Institution as perceived by academic staff. This study is using a validated questionnaire that was developed by Kalshoven, Den Hartog & De Hoogh known as “Ethical Leadership at Work Questionnaire” (ELW). It is to measure the seven dimensions of ethical leader behaviour which comprises of ethical leadership scale, namely, fairness, integrity, ethical guidance, people orientation, power sharing, role clarification and concern for sustainability (Kalshoven, et al., 2011). The study involved 262 academic staffs from several kulliyyahs and centres of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur. The data collected from the survey were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. The result of the study shows that ‘role clarification’ has the highest mean score of 3.73, followed by ‘integrity’ with mean score 3.60, and, third highest scored practiced by the academic administrators was ‘concern for sustainability’ with mean 3.42. It is hoped that the findings in this study will contribute and encourage the tertiary education institution to improve further in its organization especially which is related to the academic administrators’ practice on ethical leadership behaviour. The impact will be huge throughout the world as can be seen as a world class university striving towards the vision and mission in enhancing the quality ummah in the era of globalization.
Assessment of the impact of breast cancer on women in Gombe State, Northeastern Nigeria

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the physical, financial, emotional and social impact of breast cancer on women in North east Nigeria.Methods: A qualitative transcendental phenomenological study design was adopted, using face-to face unstructured interview to collect data from 22 respondents who were recruited via purposive non-probability sampling technique. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and further analyzed using thematic analysis method into themes and sub-themes.Results: The result revealed excruciating pains that does not abate completely as the main physical impact, expensive cost of treatment as the major financial impact and crying as the major emotional impact of breast cancer on women. However, been diagnosed with breast cancer had no any consequences on participants’ relationship with spouse or family members.Conclusion: Breast cancer causes pain, makes women to cry and the treatment is very expensive but it does not cause relationship problems. There is therefore the need for Government and Non-governmental policies to be geared towards supporting women with breast cancer to overcome these challenges.
X-Ray Emission from the Hot Interstellar Medium and Southwest Radio Lobe of the Nearby Radio Galaxy Centaurus A

We present results from two Chandra/ACIS-I observations and one XMM-Newton observation of X-ray emission from the interstellar medium (ISM) and the inner radio lobes of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A. The ISM has an average radial surface brightness profile that is well described by a β-model profile with index β = 0.40 ± 0.04 and a temperature of kBTISM ~ 0.29 keV beyond 2 kpc from the nucleus. We find that diffuse X-ray emission is coincident with the outer half of the southwest radio lobe, and a bright X-ray enhancement is detected along the edge of the lobe. On the basis of energetic and lifetime arguments, we reject a nonthermal explanation for this emission. We model this emission as a thin, hot shell or cap of X-ray-emitting plasma surrounding the radio lobe that was created by the supersonic inflation of the lobe. This plasma shell is both hotter than (kBTSH ~ 2.9 keV) and greatly overpressurized relative to the ambient ISM, indicating supersonic expansion. We estimate that the lobe is expanding into the ISM at approximately Mach 8.5, or 2400 km s-1. We are not directly observing the bow shock, but rather the cooler, denser material that is accumulating ahead of the contact discontinuity. The thermal energy in the shell is a significant fraction of the thermal energy of the hot ISM, demonstrating the possibility that the hot ISM of early galaxies can be reenergized by outflows from nuclear activity. Interestingly, no similarly bright X-ray emission is detected in or along the edge of the northeast lobe, implying that there are differences in the dynamics and evolution of the kiloparsec-scale radio components.
Optimization of Quadfree Segmentation and Hybrid Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Motion Estimation in a Rate-Distortion Framework

A rate-distortion framework is used to define a very low bit-rate coding scheme based on quadtree segmentation and optimized selection of motion estimators. This technique achieves maximum reconstructed image quality under the constraint of a target bit rate for the coding of the vector field and segmentation information. First, a complete scheme is proposed for hybrid two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) motion estimation and compensation. The quadtree object segmentation is optimized for hybrid motion estimation in the rate-distortion sense. This scheme adapts to the depth of the quadtree and the technique used for motion estimation for each leaf of the tree. A more sophisticated technique, adapted to the requirements of a very low bit-rate coder, is also proposed which also considers the transmission of the prediction error corresponding to the particular choice of the motion estimator. Based on these coding schemes, two versions of a very low bit-rate image sequence coder are developed. Experimental results illustrating the performance of the proposed techniques in very low bit-rate image sequence coding application areas are presented and evaluated.