Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How preprocessor annotations (do not) affect maintainability: a case study on change-proneness

Preprocessor annotations (e.g., #ifdef in C) enable the development of similar, but distinct software variants from a common code base. One particularly popular preprocessor is the C preprocessor, cpp. But the cpp is also widely criticized for impeding software maintenance by making code hard to understand and change. Yet, evidence to support this criticism is scarce. In this paper, we investigate the relation between cpp usage and maintenance effort, which we approximate with the frequency and extent of source code changes. To this end, we mined the version control repositories of eight open- source systems written in C. For each system, we measured if and how individual functions use cpp annotations and how they were changed. We found that functions containing cpp annotations are generally changed more frequently and more profoundly than other functions. However, when accounting for function size, the differences disappear or are greatly diminished. In summary, with respect to the frequency and extent of changes, our findings do not support the criticism of the cpp regarding maintainability.
Super-resolution based on fast linear kernel regression

This paper aims at how to reconstruct a super-resolution image in a fast speed based on linear kernel regression. We use linear kernel regression to learn a map between the space of high-resolution images and the space of blurred high-resolution images that are the interpolation results obtained from the corresponding low-resolution images, because linear kernel regression is simple and has low computational complexity compared with nonlinear kernel regression. In a computational viewpoint, the super-resolution image reconstruction can be transformed to solve linear equations whose size depends on the number of the training data. When the amount of the training data is large, it is time-consuming to solve the regression problem. In order to solve this problem quickly, we select part of the pairwise patches from the training dataset by K-means method instead of all the training data and use these patches to construct a moderate scale regression problem. Furthermore, we implement orthogonal matching pursuit to improve the speed of solving linear equations obtaining from the moderate linear regression problem. The experimental results show that it achieves good performance and it is superior to other super-resolution methods in terms of PSNR.
Expression of secreted frizzled related protein 1, a Wnt antagonist, in brain, kidney, and skeleton is dispensable for normal embryonic development

Secreted frizzled related protein‐1 (sFRP1), an antagonist of Wnt signaling, regulates cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis and negatively regulates bone formation. The spatial and temporal pattern of endogenous sFRP1 expression and loss‐of‐function were examined in the sFRP1‐LacZ knock‐in mouse (sFRP1−/−) during embryonic development and post‐natal growth. β‐gal activity representing sFRP1 expression is robust in brain, skeleton, kidney, eye, spleen, abdomen, heart and somites in early embryos, but sFRP1 gene inactivation in these tissues did not compromise normal embryonic and post‐natal development. Kidney histology revealed increased numbers of glomeruli in KO mice, observed after 5 years of breeding. In the skeleton, we show sFRP1 expression is found in relation to the mineralizing front of bone tissue during skeletal development from E15.5 to birth. Trabecular bone volume and bone mineral density in the sFRP1−/− mouse compared to WT was slightly increased during post‐natal growth. Calvarial osteoblasts from newborn sFRP1−/− mice exhibited a 20% increase in cell proliferation and differentiation at the early stages of osteoblast maturation. sFRP1 expression was observed in osteoclasts, but this did not affect osteoclast number or activity. These findings have identified functions for sFRP1 in kidney and bone that are not redundant with other sFRPs. In summary, the absence of major organ abnormalities, the enhanced bone formation and a normal life span with no detection of spontaneous tumors suggests that targeting sFRP1 can be used as a therapeutic strategy for increasing bone mass in metabolic bone disorders or promoting fracture healing by modulating Wnt signaling. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 113–126, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A randomized controlled trial of etilevodopa in patients with Parkinson disease who have motor fluctuations.

BACKGROUND Motor fluctuations are a common complication in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) receiving long-term levodopa therapy. Slowed gastric emptying and poor solubility of levodopa in the gastrointestinal tract may delay the onset of drug benefit after dosing. Etilevodopa is an ethyl-ester prodrug of levodopa that has greater gastric solubility, passes quickly into the small intestine, is rapidly hydrolyzed to levodopa, and has a shortened time to maximum levodopa concentration. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of etilevodopa in patients with PD who have motor fluctuations. DESIGN A double-blind, randomized, comparative clinical trial. SETTING Forty-four sites in the United States and Canada. PATIENTS Three hundred twenty-seven patients with PD who had a latency of at least 90 minutes total daily time to "on" (TTON) after levodopa dosing. INTERVENTION Treatment with either etilevodopa-carbidopa or levodopa-carbidopa for 18 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Change from baseline in total daily TTON as measured using home diaries. RESULTS The reduction in mean total daily TTON from baseline to treatment was 0.58 hour in the etilevodopa-carbidopa group and 0.79 hour in the levodopa-carbidopa group (P = .24). There was no significant difference between the etilevodopa-carbidopa and levodopa-carbidopa groups in the reduction of response failures (-6.82% vs -4.69%; P = .20). Total daily "off" time improved in the etilevodopa-carbidopa (-0.85 hour) and levodopa-carbidopa (-0.87 hour) groups without an increase in on time with troublesome dyskinesias. CONCLUSION Despite the theoretical pharmacokinetic advantage of etilevodopa, there was no improvement in TTON, response failures, or off time compared with levodopa.
Environmental Awareness: The Case of Climate Change

The extent of provision of a public good often relies on social awareness and public support for it. This applies, in particular, to global reduction of greenhouse gases and its relevance for mitigating climate change. We examine the concept of “public awareness” by introducing a formal model that analyzes efforts to mitigate climate change in a setting with heterogeneous countries. In the theoretical part we examine the Nash equilibrium of the contribution game. The effects of awareness and economic parameters on mitigation efforts can be disentangled, raising the possibility of linking awareness of climate change with economic wealth. The second part provides some empirical observations and offers the rankings of countries regarding awareness for climate change, as well as an empirical relationship between awareness and economic wealth.
Stimulant dosing for children with ADHD: a medical claims analysis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate stimulant dosing patterns in the community treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD Claims data from U.S. managed care organizations (2000-2004) were analyzed for patients ages 6 to 12 years treated for ADHD with osmotically released oral system (OROS) methylphenidate (MPH; n = 3,815), immediate-release (IR) MPH (n = 1,960), mixed amphetamine salts extended-release (MAS XR; n = 1,847), or IR MAS (n = 1,937), and who filled prescriptions covering at least 72 of the first 90 days of treatment. RESULTS The mean initial and maximum dosages were 23.8 and 33.4 mg/day for OROS MPH, 14.8 and 21.8 mg/day for IR MPH, 12.7 and 17.4 mg/day for MAS XR, and 11.2 and 16.5 mg/day for IR MAS. Dose titration occurred in 51.8% (MAS XR) to 61.6% (IR MPH) of patients. Lower initial dose and three or more visits for the treatment of ADHD during the first 90 days of treatment were associated with dose titration. Maximum dose was significantly related to higher initial dose and titration for all four stimulants. For children treated with OROS MPH or IR MAS, treatment by a psychiatrist was significantly related to higher maximum dose. CONCLUSIONS Among children with ADHD who continue stimulants through the first 3 months of treatment, dosing in the community treatment of ADHD tends to be lower than doses used in clinical trials. When titration does occur, it is linked to lower initial dosing, clinical monitoring, higher final stimulant doses, and treatment by a psychiatrist.
For-Profit Alternative Programs and Schools of Choice: Structuring Safety and College-for-All in an Era of Market-Based School Reform

Market-based school reform incentivizes schools to invest in the academic preparation and well-being of students. These imperatives, often articulated in terms of safety and the college preparation of students, are seen as issues traditional public schools have been unable to address adequately. In turn, alternative programs and schools of choice are positioned as viable solutions. Using critical ethnography methodology, this dissertation is based on a case study analysis of one such schooling site, and investigates to what extent this method of “new schooling” might, in fact, offer something different from traditional public schools. Further, my analysis asks to what extent this case of market-based school reform schooling counters deficit paradigms so often associated with the education of low-income youth of color, as this remains unclear in the literature. Drawing from sociopolitical and organizational behavior theory, I use a proactive versus reactive institutional framework in this analysis, finding that this case of alternative programs and schools of choice reflects a reactive position in which communities and schools are seen as the problem. I argue that this suggests a failure of market-based schooling to offer a unique counter-solution to traditional schooling for low-income youth of color. Through this analysis, I also identify missed opportunities to take a more proactive position in relation to both students and communities, which would likely better assure the well-being of youth of color as well as offer a clearer solution to the failure of traditional schools to advance safety and college-readiness for all.
Prevalence of cancer screening in older, racially diverse adults: still screening after all these years.

BACKGROUND While a great deal is known about cancer screening behaviors and trends in young and middle-aged adults, little is known about screening behaviors in older adults from different racial backgrounds. Our goal was to establish prevalence estimates and correlates of cancer screening, including physician recommendation in older (≥75 years), racially diverse adults. METHODS Data were analyzed from the National Health Interview Survey--an annual, in-person, nationwide survey used to track health trends in US civilians. The analytic sample included 49,575 individuals, of whom 1697 were 75 to 79 years old and 2376 were 80 years or older. Screening behaviors were examined according to the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening. RESULTS Among adults aged 75 to 79 years, the percentage screened for cancer was as follows: colorectal, 57%; breast, 62%; cervical, 53%; and prostate, 56%. Among those 80 years or older, rates of screening ranged from a low of 38% for cervical cancer to a high of 50% for breast cancer. Although unadjusted screening prevalence rates differed by race/ethnicity, these differences were accounted for by low education attainment in the multivariate logistic regression model. Physician recommendation for a specific test was the largest predictor of screening. Over 50% of men and women older than 75 years report that their physicians continue to recommend screening. CONCLUSION A high percentage of older adults continue to be screened in the face of ambiguity of recommendations for this group.
Relation between social order and use of resources in small and large furnished cages for laying hens

1. The objective was to determine the relation between social rank and use of resources in a small furnished cage with sufficient resources per hen (SF) and a commercial large one with less adequate allowance of facilities per hen (LF). 2. Ninety-two cross layers were used. At the age of 16 weeks, the hens were divided at random into two groups. There were 4 furnished cages with 5 birds per cage and 4 large furnished cages with 18 birds per cage. The dominance hierarchy was determined, in which highest, medium and lowest ranking hens in each cage were identified. Behaviour, use of facilities and physical conditions of these hens were measured (one in each rank category in SF, two in each in LF). 3. Dustbathing and litter scratching were more frequent in the high ranking hens than the medium and low ranked hens in LF, while no significant difference was found between them in SF. 4. No significant difference between SF and LF was found in use of nest boxes. However, pre-laying sitting tended to be less frequent in low ranking than medium and high ranking hens in LF (Social order × Cage design). In the nest box most of time was spent in pre-laying sitting by SF hens, LF high and medium ranked hens (average 94·9%). However, LF low ranking hens spent their time escaping (33·1%), pre-laying sitting (27·7%) standing (25·7%) and moving (13·5%) in the nest. 5. In the large furnished cages with less facilities per hen, high ranking hens may be expected to have priority using the dust bath. In contrast, low ranking hens rarely performed nesting behaviour fully, and spend more time using the nest box as a refuge than for laying.
Antecedents of human resources outsourcing decision in Vietnam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of the decision of whether to outsource human resources (HR). Two moderators are considered: the lack of in-house HR expertise and positive HR outcome. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data collected from 85 Vietnamese firms of different sizes. Regression analysis is used to examine the research hypotheses. Findings The strategic involvement of HR management is positively related to the decision to outsource HR. As expected, a positive significant relationship exists between cost reduction and the decision to outsource HR for non-core HR activities. For core HR activities, demand uncertainty relates positively to the decision to outsource HR, and the lack of HR expertise moderates the process of HR outsourcing (HRO). Research limitations/implications Although the focus on firms in Vietnam may help to control for cultural factors, it may also limit generalizability. Because of the limited number of samples, this study cannot compare results across different industries. Future research should focus on the cross-cultural aspects of this issue or compare differences across industries. Practical implications This study provides HR managers with guidelines for making appropriate decisions regarding HRO. Vendors can exploit aspects of core vs non-core activities to provide professional services that satisfy the demands of firms. Originality/value Based on a theoretical approach, this work analyzes the decision to outsource HR in developing countries, an area that heretofore has received scant research attention.
Universal Mass Vaccination Against Rotavirus: Indirect Effects on Rotavirus Infections in Neonates and Unvaccinated Young Infants Not Eligible for Vaccination.

BACKGROUND Rotavirus (RV)-associated infections account for high numbers of hospitalizations in neonates and young infants. Universal mass vaccination (UMV) has been shown to prevent the burden of disease in vaccinated children. METHODS The present study investigated the long-term effects of UMV on RV-associated hospitalizations in children with particular focus on neonates and young infants (≤42 days old) not eligible for vaccination. Ten years of Austrian surveillance data were compared, including 10 960 laboratory-confirmed RV cases before (prevaccination period [PreVP]) and after (postvaccination period [PostVP]) introduction of UMV. RESULTS A postvaccination decrease in hospitalized community-acquired RV infections by 89.3% was seen in all age groups, including unvaccinated neonates and young infants. Of the latter, 27.6% had a nosocomial RV infection in PreVP, and 19.3% in PostVP. Overall, the proportion of nosocomial RV infections increased from 5.5% in PreVP to 13.0% in PostVP. Breakthrough infections, usually after incomplete RV vaccination, could be identified in 6.2% of patients. CONCLUSIONS Unvaccinated neonates and infants ≤42 days old may indirectly benefit from UMV by reduction of RV infections. Breakthrough infections underline the importance of early and complete protection by the vaccine. In older patients, heightened awareness of nosocomial RV infections is warranted. Identification of RV reservoirs is also needed.
Age‐specific effect of heterozygosity on survival in alpine marmots, Marmota marmota

The fitness consequences of heterozygosity and the mechanisms underpinning them are still highly controversial. Using capture–mark–recapture models, we investigated the effects of individual heterozygosity, measured at 16 microsatellite markers, on age‐dependent survival and access to dominance in a socially monogamous mammalian species, the alpine marmot. We found a positive correlation between standardized multilocus heterozygosity and juvenile survival. However, there was no correlation between standardized multilocus heterozygosity and either survival of older individuals or access to dominance. The disappearance of a significant heterozygosity fitness correlation when individuals older than juveniles are considered is consistent with the prediction that differences in survival among individuals are maximal early in life. The lack of a correlation between heterozygosity and access to dominance may be a consequence of few homozygous individuals attaining the age at which they might reach dominance. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain heterozygosity‐fitness correlations: genome‐wide effects reflected by all markers or local effects of specific markers linked to genes that determine fitness. In accordance with genome‐wide effects of heterozygosity, we found significant correlations between heterozygosities calculated across single locus or across two sets of eight loci. Thus, the genome‐wide heterozygosity effect seems to explain the observed heterozygosity‐fitness correlation in the alpine marmot.
BER Performance of Coherent Optical Communications Systems Employing Monolithic Tunable Lasers With Excess Phase Noise

We analyze the bit error rate (BER) performance of optical coherent communication systems employing multi-section monolithic tunable lasers with large excess phase noise. The BER of the coherent system utilizing a second-order decision-directed digital phase-locked loop (DD-PLL) for phase tracking was computed numerically. Experimental results have also been demonstrated with a 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation coherent system deploying a sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector laser at 16 Gbaud that confirms the performance of the second-order DD-PLL in tracking the excess phase noise.
Terrorism and FDI Flows: Cross-Country Dynamic Panel Estimation

The huge cost associated with terrorist incidents and the related significant redistribution of economic resources motivate a better understanding of the economic consequences of terrorism. By using crosscountry panel data on FDI flows and terrorism for 1980-2000, this paper examines the effect of terrorism as well as some economic and institution factors on the FDI flows. In order to allow for possible endogeneity of terrorism, we use dynamic panel system GMM estimation. The estimation results confirm our hypothesis that terrorism deters FDI inflows. Depending on definition of terrorism variables, an increase of terrorism decreases FDI stock by 0.3-0.6%. It is shown that the FDI determinants of economic and institution factors play significant role as well.
Challenges in non‐invasive prenatal screening for sub‐chromosomal copy number variations using cell‐free DNA

Non‐invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) has revolutionized the approach to prenatal fetal aneuploidy screening. Many commercial providers now offer analyses for sub‐chromosomal copy number variations (CNVs). Here, we review the use of NIPS in the context of screening for microdeletions and microduplications, issues surrounding the choice of disorders tested for, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with the inclusion of microdeletions to current NIPS. Several studies have claimed benefits; however, we suggest that microdeletions have not demonstrated a low enough false positive rate to be deemed practical or ethically acceptable, especially considering their low positive predictive values. Because a positive NIPS result should be confirmed using diagnostic techniques, and false positive rates are as high as 90% for some microdeletions, diagnostic testing seems preferable when the goal is to maximize the detection of microdeletion or microduplication syndromes.
THE VARIATION OF ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM OF Streptomyces sp. M4018 WITH RESPECT TO CARBON SOURCES

The effect of glycerol, glucose, and starch as carbon sources on the antioxidant defense system such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, pyruvate levels, and membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels of Streptomyces sp. M4018, after isolation from the rhizosphere samples of Colutea arborescens and identification as a strain of S. hiroshimensis based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, were investigated. As an antioxidant defense enzyme, SOD activities increased up to 20 g/L of glycerol and 15 g/L of starch, while they showed negative correlation with glucose concentration. CAT activity variations of glycerol- and glucose-supplemented mediums showed significant positive correlations with the trend of SOD activities. However, CAT activity, in contrast to SOD, in Streptomyces sp. M4018 tended to decrease as the starch concentration increased. The production of pyruvate increased with respect to glycerol and starch up to 15 g/L, while it was positively correlated with glucose concentration. The highest pyruvate production was seen at 20 g/L glucose. Membrane LPO levels were negatively correlated with the activities of SOD and CAT enzymes, and the minimum LPO level was determined at 5 g/L of glucose, where SOD and CAT activities reached their maximum levels. Nevertheless, the higher SOD and CAT activities in a wider range of incubation period compared to the beginning by resulting in insignificant increases in membrane LPO levels showed the unusual antioxidant response capacities of the in Streptomyces sp. M4018 against the potentially deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for glycerol, glucose, and starch as carbon sources.