Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An optimal warning-zone-length assignment algorithm for real-time and multiple-QoS on-chip bus arbitration

In an advanced System-on-Chip (SoC) for real-time applications, the arbiter of its on-chip communication subsystem needs to support multiple QoS criteria while providing a hard real-time guarantee. To fulfill both objectives, the arbitration algorithm must dynamically switch between NonReal-Time (NRT) and Real-Time (RT) modes such that use of the RT mode is minimized to best accommodate the overall QoS criteria. In this article, we define a model for this problem, and propose optimal solutions to its associated problems with static and dynamic warning-zone-length assignment. Compared with previous works, the proposed approach enables a bus arbiter to use much less RT mode in providing a Real-Time (RT) guarantee and, therefore, gives the arbiter more opportunity to employ non-RT modes to achieve better overall QoS. Experimental results show that the proposed approach reduces RT mode usage by as much as 37.1%. Moreover, that reduction in RT mode usage helps cut the execution time by 27.0% when applying our approach to an industrial DRAM controller. Another case study on an AMBA-compliant ultra-high-resolution H.264 decoder IP shows that the proposed approach reduces RT mode usage by 26.4%, which leads to an average reduction of 10.4% in decoding time. Finally, when implementing a 16 master arbiter, it costs only 6.9K and 9.5K gates of overhead using the proposed static and dynamic approach, respectively. Therefore, the proposed approach is suitable for real-time SoC applications.
Chlorhexidine mouthwash as an anticaries agent:  A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of chlorhexidine mouthwashes on the reduction of cariogenic bacteria on patients with moderate to high risk for dental caries. DATA SOURCES A systematic review of the literature was performed using Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The search was limited to articles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, published until January 2017. The research question was formulated following the PICO strategy. The risk of bias was evaluated using the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. CONCLUSION All the authors found statistically significant differences in Streptococcus mutans levels during and after the use of a chlorhexidine mouthwash. Although the results are suggestive, there is a clear need for the development of new studies with higher quality and with longer follow-ups, in order to assess whether the results translate into less development of dental caries and, consequently, whether or not these products should be incorporated into prevention protocols.
The Relative Risk Perception of Travel Hazards

Travelers have to take into consideration a variety of hazards when deciding on a destination. Although some research has considered the deterrent effect of specific hazards such as terrorism, the context in relation to other hazards has not been investigated. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relative importance of a number of travel hazards that may influence people's travel decisions. A sample of 160 British university students, 37 nonstudent scuba divers, and 102 members of the public rated the risk of various travel hazards and whether these would deter them from traveling. Three types of travel hazards were identified using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA): political, social, and physical hazards. These were moderately correlated, but the greatest deterrence was reported for political hazards. It is concluded that although research should take account of the full context influencing travel decisions, some hazards, such as terrorism, are likely to have a dominant effect.
Video streaming using a location-based bandwidth-lookup service for bitrate planning

A lot of people around the world commute using public transportation and would like to spend this time viewing streamed video content such as news or sports updates. However, mobile wireless networks typically suffer from severe bandwidth fluctuations, and the networks are often completely unresponsive for several seconds, sometimes minutes. Today, there are several ways of adapting the video bitrate and thus the video quality to such fluctuations, for example, using scalable video codecs or segmented adaptive HTTP streaming that switches between nonscalable video streams encoded in different bitrates. Still, for a better long-term video playout experience that avoids disruptions and frequent quality changes while using existing video adaptation technology, it is desirable to perform bandwidth prediction and planned quality adaptation. This article describes a video streaming system for receivers equipped with a GPS. A receiver's download rate is constantly monitored, and periodically reported back to a central database along with associated GPS positional data. Thus, based on the current location, a streaming device can use a GPS-based bandwidth-lookup service in order to better predict the near-future bandwidth availability and create a schedule for the video playout that takes likely future availability into account. To create a prototype and perform initial tests, we conducted several field trials while commuting using public transportation. We show how our database has been used to predict bandwidth fluctuations and network outages, and how this information helps maintain uninterrupted playback with less compromise on video quality than possible without prediction.
Prosody in Two Natural Language Modalities *

L'A. souligne le caractere central de la prosodie dans le langage humain. Les langages signes possedent des structures linguistiques comparables a celles des langues parlees, c'est ce que de nombreux travaux ont montre en ce qui concerne les domaines de la phonologie, de la morphologie et de la syntaxe. Il est donc important de se demander s'ils possedent egalement un systeme analogue a la prosodie du discours oral
Sleep quality and motor vehicle crashes in adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep-related complaints are common in adolescents, but their impact on the rate of motor vehicle crashes accidents is poorly known. We studied subjective sleep quality, driving habits, and self-reported car crashes in high-school adolescents. METHODS Self-administered questionnaires (with items exploring driving habits) were distributed to 339 students who had a driver's license and attended 1 of 7 high schools in Bologna, Italy. Statistical analysis were performed to describe lifestyle habits, sleep quality, sleepiness, and their relationship with the binary dependent variable (presence or absence of car crashes) to identify the factors significantly affecting the probability of car crashes in a multivariate binary logistic regression model. RESULTS Nineteen percent of the sample reported bad sleep, 64% complained of daytime sleepiness, and 40% reported sleepiness while driving. Eighty students (24%), 76% of which were males, reported that they had already crashed at least once, and 15% considered sleepiness to have been the main cause of their crash. As compared with adolescents who had not had a crash, those who had at least 1 previous crash reported that they more frequently used to drive (79% vs 62%), drove at night (25% vs 9%), drove while sleepy (56% vs 35%), had bad sleep (29% vs 16%), and used stimulants such as caffeinated soft drinks (32% vs 19%), tobacco (54% vs 27%), and drugs (21% vs 7%). The logistic procedure established a significant predictive role of male sex (p < 0.0001; odds ratio = 3.3), tobacco use (p < 0.0001; odds ratio = 3.2), sleepiness while driving (p = 0.010; odds ratio = 2.1), and bad sleep (p = 0.047; odds ratio = 1.9) for the crash risk. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm the high prevalence of sleep-related complaints among adolescents and highlight their independent role on self-reported crash risk.
THE BLACK-BOX DECIPHERED: A META-ANALYSIS OF TEAM DIVERSITY, CONFLICT, AND TEAM PERFORMANCE.

Using a sample of over 20,000 teams across 178 studies we meta-analyze the relationships between team diversity, conflict, and team outcomes (performance and morale). Notwithstanding a consistent negative association between conflict and outcomes, we find positive associations between informational-diversity and task conflict, and under certain conditions, task conflict and performance.
Asymmetric Association of Liking and Disliking Judgments: So What’s Not to Like?

We find that liking and disliking judgments appear asymmetrically linked in memory. In experiment 1 liking queries about objects were answered faster than disliking queries, irrespective of instructions to (1) simply examine the objects, (2) consider one's liking for the objects, (3) consider one's disliking for the objects, or (4) make an irrelevant judgment. Moreover, liking judgments appeared to be made spontaneously, while disliking judgments appeared to result from a more controlled process. Experiment 2 replicated these results with extremely dislikable and extremely likable stimuli. Experiment 3 revealed that disliking judgments prime liking judgments more than liking judgments prime disliking. Copyright 2004 by the University of Chicago.
Genetically Engineered Excitable Cardiac Myofibroblasts Coupled to Cardiomyocytes Rescue Normal Propagation and Reduce Arrhythmia Complexity in Heterocellular Monolayers

Rationale and Objective The use of genetic engineering of unexcitable cells to enable expression of gap junctions and inward rectifier potassium channels has suggested that cell therapies aimed at establishing electrical coupling of unexcitable donor cells to host cardiomyocytes may be arrhythmogenic. Whether similar considerations apply when the donor cells are electrically excitable has not been investigated. Here we tested the hypothesis that adenoviral transfer of genes coding Kir2.1 (IK1), NaV1.5 (INa) and connexin-43 (Cx43) proteins into neonatal rat ventricular myofibroblasts (NRVF) will convert them into fully excitable cells, rescue rapid conduction velocity (CV) and reduce the incidence of complex reentry arrhythmias in an in vitro model. Methods and Results We used adenoviral (Ad-) constructs encoding Kir2.1, NaV1.5 and Cx43 in NRVF. In single NRVF, Ad-Kir2.1 or Ad-NaV1.5 infection enabled us to regulate the densities of IK1 and INa, respectively. At varying MOI ratios of 10/10, 5/10 and 5/20, NRVF co-infected with Ad-Kir2.1+ NaV1.5 were hyperpolarized and generated action potentials (APs) with upstroke velocities >100 V/s. However, when forming monolayers only the addition of Ad-Cx43 made the excitable NRVF capable of conducting electrical impulses (CV = 20.71±0.79 cm/s). When genetically engineered excitable NRVF overexpressing Kir2.1, NaV1.5 and Cx43 were used to replace normal NRVF in heterocellular monolayers that included neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM), CV was significantly increased (27.59±0.76 cm/s vs. 21.18±0.65 cm/s, p<0.05), reaching values similar to those of pure myocytes monolayers (27.27±0.72 cm/s). Moreover, during reentry, propagation was faster and more organized, with a significantly lower number of wavebreaks in heterocellular monolayers formed by excitable compared with unexcitable NRVF. Conclusion Viral transfer of genes coding Kir2.1, NaV1.5 and Cx43 to cardiac myofibroblasts endows them with the ability to generate and propagate APs. The results provide proof of concept that cell therapies with excitable donor cells increase safety and reduce arrhythmogenic potential.
Compassionate and Self-Image Goals in the United States and Japan

In American samples, compassionate goals to support others enhance relationships, whereas self-image goals to construct and defend desired self-images undermine relationships. But do these goals exist as separate factors, and do they predict similar outcome variables in Japan? How much do compassionate goals overlap with having an interdependent self-construal? We examined the factor structure of compassionate and self-image goals scale among American undergraduates, Japanese undergraduates, and Japanese adults and obtained similar correlated two-factor solutions in all three samples. In all three samples, compassionate goals were associated with non-zero-sum belief, growth-seeking, and self-compassion, whereas self-image goals were associated with validation-seeking and defensive responses to conflicts. Although compassionate goals correlated with interdependence in Japan, controlling for interdependence did not affect the above associations.
The Olympic brand, ambush marketing and clutter

A qualitative research methodology of 10 in-depth interviews with worldwide Olympic The Olympic Program (TOP) sponsors and senior executives of the Olympic marketing programmes, this research provides a unique investigation into one of the sport world's most powerful brand. Specifically, this research examines ambush marketing and advertising clutter from a corporate point of view. Results suggest that these issues remain a threat to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its corporate partners. Some essential elements that the IOC must address include: (a) brand management; (b) brand protection; (c) protection of sponsors' rights; (d) consumer education; (e) fully integrated marketing communications programme and (f) National Organising Committees (NOCs)' education in marketing and brand management. Corporate partners must activate their sponsorship rights and work, in close collaboration with the IOC and NOCs, to truly understand the Olympic brand and integrate it into their own marketing communications programme aimed at consumers.
A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF YOUTH SPORT PARTICIPATION AND ADHERENCE TO SPORT IN ADULTHOOD

Youth sport programmes are often legitimized on their assumed contribution to continued sport involvement in adulthood. A longitudinal analysis was made of the sport involvement pattern of a sample (N = 236) of male subjects from 13 to 35 years of age, from a perspective of continued socialization into sport. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the continuation of sport participation from youth into adulthood is different according to the type of youth sport career. Tracking of sport participation patterns is moderate to high during youth, and low to moderate from youth to adulthood. Methodological issues are raised. It is concluded that youth sport programmes should be critically examined with regard to their contribution to continued sport participation in adulthood.
Accusations and denials of racism: Managing moral accountability in public discourse

As Van Dijk (1992) has documented, one of the pervasive features of contemporary race discourse is the denial of prejudice. During the last 50 years, social norms against openly expressing racist sentiments has led to the development of ways of talking that present negative views of out-groups as reasonable and justified, while at the same time protecting speakers from charges of racism and prejudice. It goes without saying that a ‘prejudiced’ or ‘racist’ identity is no longer a valued identity. Negative representations and evaluations of minorities are commonly preceded by ubiquitous disclaimers such as ‘I’m not racist but . ’ or ‘I have nothing against migrants but . ’. Contemporary race talk, therefore, is strategically organized to deny racism. A closely related but largely ignored phenomenon associated with the denial of prejudice is a political climate that creates what is tantamount to a social taboo against making accusations of racism in the first place (Augoustinos and Every, 2007). Such charges and accusations are invariably met with not only strong denials, but also moral outrage and are often treated as more extreme than racism itself. This Special Edition publishes new discursive work on the delicate discursive and argumentative management of accusations of racism and their accompanying denials.
Dietary ganglioside and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids increase ganglioside GD3 content and alter the phospholipid profile in neonatal rat retina.

PURPOSE During early development, the ganglioside composition of the retina changes significantly, in that GD3 becomes the primary ganglioside in the mammalian retina. Because gangliosides play an important role in neuronal cell differentiation and proliferation, this change in ganglioside profile may indicate retinal maturation. Dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) such as 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 improve visual acuity in infants. Dietary LCPs stimulate neonatal retinal development by altering membrane phospholipids, which in turn affect cell signaling pathways. It is unknown whether dietary ganglioside and LCPs affect the metabolism of phospholipids and gangliosides during retinal development. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats (18 days old) were fed semipurified diets consisting of 20% fat (control diet) for 2 weeks containing either 0.1% ganglioside enriched in GD3 (GG diet) or 1% 20:4n-6 and 0.5% 22:6n-3 (LCP diet) in the control diet. The profile of ganglioside and phospholipid was measured. RESULTS The GG diet increased the ganglioside content by 39% in the retina, with a relative increase in GD3 (by 13%). Dietary LCPs significantly increased the relative levels of GD3 (by 19%, P < 0.01). Total phospholipid was decreased by the LCP-supplemented diet (by 28%). Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine increased with concomitant decreases in phosphatidylinositol and lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine when animals were fed either the LCP or the GG diet. CONCLUSIONS Animals fed dietary ganglioside increased in total retinal ganglioside and GD3 content during retinal development, with a concomitant alteration of phospholipid metabolism. Feeding animals dietary LCPs also affected ganglioside metabolism in the developing retina, suggesting a new mechanism by which these dietary lipids may promote maturation of photoreceptor cells.
Functional MRI with magnetization transfer effects: Determination of BOLD and arterial blood volume changes

The primarily intravascular magnetization transfer (MT)‐independent changes in functional MRI (fMRI) can be separated from MT‐dependent changes. This intravascular component is dominated by an arterial blood volume change (ΔCBVa) term whenever venous contributions are minimized. Stimulation‐induced ΔCBVa can therefore be measured by a fit of signal changes to MT ratio. MT‐varied fMRI data were acquired in 13 isoflurane‐anesthetized rats during forepaw stimulation at 9.4T to simultaneously measure blood‐oxygenation‐level–dependent (BOLD) and ΔCBVa response in somatosensory cortical regions. Transverse relaxation rate change (ΔR2) without MT was –0.43 ± 0.15 s−1, and MT ratio decreased during stimulation. ΔCBVa was 0.46 ± 0.15 ml/100 g, which agrees with our previously‐presented MT‐varied arterial‐spin‐labeled data (0.42 ± 0.18 ml/100 g) in the same animals and also correlates with ΔR2 without MT. Simulations show that ΔCBVa quantification errors due to potential venous contributions are small for our conditions. Magn Reson Med 60:1518–1523, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A comparison of male attendees and nonattendees at a familial cancer clinic

Purpose: This retrospective descriptive Australian study aimed to determine predictors of nonattendance at a familial cancer clinic by men from high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families.Methods: Two hundred twenty-six men from families with a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation were recruited through an epidemiological database of high-risk breast cancer families and completed a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Multivariate analyses using binary logistic regression showed that nonattendance at a familial cancer clinic by men from high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families was associated with younger age (51 vs. 55 years) (odds ratio = 1.03, P = 0.04) and lower cancer burden (one relative diagnosed versus two relatives diagnosed) (odds ratio = 2.6, P = 0.04). Conclusion: Compared with men who attended a familial cancer clinic, nonattendees were younger and had fewer relatives diagnosed with breast/ovarian cancer. Unlike previous findings, cancer-specific worry, in particular avoidance was not associated with nonattendance. The number, age, and sex of biological children were not associated with attendance or nonattendance. Hence, some of the assumptions about what makes information on BRCA1 or BRCA2 status salient to men and may therefore influence their attendance at a cancer genetic clinic are not borne out in this study.
Meta-analysis of biochemical and patient-level effects of calcimimetic therapy.

BACKGROUND Many randomized trials have now evaluated the effects of calcimimetics in patients with chronic kidney disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) on standard therapy with vitamin D and/or phosphate binders. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate outcomes of therapy with these novel agents. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and conference proceedings were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating any calcimimetic against placebo or another agent in predialysis or dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease. Data were extracted for all relevant patient-centered and surrogate outcomes. Analysis was by means of a random-effects model, and results are expressed as relative risk or weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS Eight trials (1,429 patients) were identified that compared a calcimimetic agent plus standard therapy with placebo plus standard therapy. End-of-treatment values for parathyroid hormone (4 trials; 1,278 patients; WMD, -290.49 pg/mL; 95% CI, -359.91 to -221.07), serum calcium (3 trials; 1,201 patients; WMD, -0.85 mg/dL; 95% CI, -1.14 to -0.56), serum phosphorus (3 trials; 1,195 patients; WMD, -0.29 mg/dL; 95% CI, -0.50 to -0.08), and calcium x phosphorus product (3 trials; 1,194 patients; WMD, -7.90 mg2/dL2; 95% CI, -10.25 to -5.54) were significantly lower with calcimimetic therapy compared with placebo. No significant effects on patient-based end points were shown. CONCLUSION Calcimimetic treatment of patients with SHPT leads to significant improvements in biochemical parameters that observational studies have associated with increased mortality, cardiovascular risk, and osteitis fibrosa, but patient-based benefits have not yet been shown. For patients with SHPT, the benefits of calcimimetics over standard therapy remain uncertain until additional randomized trials become available.
CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS METABOLISM IN OSTEOMALACIA

Osteomalacia is a diet deficiency disease of the same category as rickets. The deficiency is principally in the fat-soluble vitamine content of the diet, though there may be a calcium deficiency at the same time. The disease may be prevented by providing a diet rich in the fat-soluble vitamine content, and may be cured by adding the same to the diet.
Comparison of E and 1/E TDDB models for SiO/sub 2/ under long-term/low-field test conditions

A low-field three-year TDDB study was undertaken to clearly understand which TDDB model, E or 1/E, describes the observed time-to-failure data better. The results are unambiguous and strongly suggest that the physics of failure is described much better by the E-model. This has important design-limit implications for thin gate oxides relative to the maximum electric field which can be allowed for reliable operation.