Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parallel programming models for a multiprocessor SoC platform applied to networking and multimedia

The MultiFlex system is an application-to-platform mapping tool that integrates heterogeneous parallel components-H/W or S/W- into a homogeneous platform programming environment. This leads to higher quality designs through encapsulation and abstraction. Two high-level parallel programming models are supported by the following MultiFlex platform mapping tools: a distributed system object component (DSOC) object-oriented message passing model and a symmetrical multiprocessing (SMP) model using shared memory. We demonstrate the combined use of the MultiFlex multiprocessor mapping tools, supported by high-speed hardware-assisted messaging, context-switching, and dynamic scheduling using the StepNP demonstrator multiprocessor system-on-chip platform, for two representative applications: 1) an Internet traffic management application running at 2.5 Gb/s and 2) an MPEG4 video encoder (VGA resolution, at 30 frames/s). For these applications, a combination of the DSOC and SMP programming models were used in interoperable fashion. After optimization and mapping, processor utilization rates of 85%-91% were demonstrated for the traffic manager. For the MPEG4 decoder, the average processor utilization was 88%
Why some women do not breast feed: bottle feeding and fathers' role.

OBJECTIVE To explore women's experiences and perceptions of baby feeding and to explore the explanations offered by women who choose to either breast or bottle feed. DESIGN A qualitative study, which was prospective in design. Participants were interviewed three times: the first stage was between six and 14 weeks of pregnancy; the second stage was between 34 and 39 weeks; and the third stage was between six and 14 weeks after childbirth. PARTICIPANTS 19 participants were recruited to the study group via 12 antenatal clinics in Coventry, UK. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The data indicate that participants make baby-feeding decisions either prior to conception or early in the pregnancy. Findings also indicate that both breast and bottle feeders possessed knowledge of the benefits of breast feeding, but this did not seem to influence decision making. One of the most significant factors influencing the decision to bottle feed appears to be a desire for paternal involvement. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE To increase the incidence of breast feeding, health-care professionals should consider the need for preconceptual health promotion. The role of paternal involvement in baby-feeding decisions also needs to be acknowledged and men need to be included in breast-feeding promotion campaigns.
Workplace Homicides in Chicago

Using data from police records, this study examined risk factors related to 940 workplace homicides occurring in Chicago between 1965 and 1990. Black men were predominantly both victims (49%) and offenders (75%). The median age for victims was 42 years, but only 25 years for offenders. Women (40%) were more likely than men (6%) to be killed by intimates. Firearms were involved in 83% of all homicides, and robbery was the primary motive (62%). Workplace homicides occurred most frequently in taverns (22%). Alcohol use by tavern workers was involved in 48% of the homicides. Wide disparity in the number of workplace homicides occurred in Chicago's 77 community areas. Strategies to deter robbery and alcohol use, as well as to prevent domestic violence in the workplace, need to be implemented and evaluated. Occupational health nurses play a pivotal role in effective violence prevention.
Rab11 and Its Effector Rab Coupling Protein Contribute to the Trafficking of β1 Integrins during Axon Growth in Adult Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons and PC12 Cells

Integrins play an important part in axon growth, but integrin traffic in neurons is poorly understood. Expression of the tenascin-C-binding integrin α9 promotes axon regeneration. We have therefore studied the mechanism by which α9 integrin and its partner β1 are trafficked along axons and at the growth cone using adult DRG neurons and PC12 cells. We have focused on the small GTPase Rab11 and its effector Rab coupling protein (RCP), as they are involved in the long-range trafficking of β1 integrins in other cells. Rab11 colocalizes with α9 and other α integrins and with β1 integrin in growth cones and axons, and immunopurified Rab11 vesicles contain α9 and β1. Endocytosed β1 integrins traffic via Rab11. However, Rab11 vesicles in axons are generally static, and α9 integrins undergo bouts of movement during which they leave the Rab11 compartment. In growth cones, α9 and β1 overlap with RCP, particularly at the growth cone periphery. We show that β1 integrin trafficking during neurite outgrowth involves Rab11 and RCP, and that manipulation of these molecules alters surface integrin levels and axon growth, and can be used to enhance α9 integrin-dependent neurite outgrowth. Our data suggest that manipulation of trafficking via Rab11 and RCP could be a useful strategy for promoting integrin-dependent axonal regeneration.
[Control of intubator associated pneumonia in intensive care unit: results of the GISIO-SItI SPIN-UTI Project].

OBJECTIVE To document reported Intubator Associated Pneumonia (IAP) prevention practices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and attitudes towards the implementation of a measurement system. DESIGN In the framework of the SPIN-UTI project the «Italian Nosocomial Infections Surveillance in ICUs network», two questionnaires were made available online. The first was filled out by physicians working in ICUs in order to collect data on characteristics of physicians and ICUs, on clinical and measurement practices for IAP prevention, and attitudes towards the implementation of a measurement system. The second questionnaire was filled out for each intubated patient in order to collect data on prevention practices during ICU stay. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS ICUs participating to the fourth edition (2012-2013) of the SPIN-UTI project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Compliance to the component of the European bundle. RESULTS The components of the bundle for the prevention of IAP are implemented, although to a different level, in the 26 participating ICUs. Overall compliance to all five practices of the European bundle has been reported in 21.1% of the 768 included patients. CONCLUSIONS The present survey has documented a large potential for improvement in clinical and non-clinical practices aimed at preventing IAP in ICUs.
Investigating the Relevance of the Pecking Order Theory and the Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow Theory in the Eyes of Investors

Nowadays companies hold increased amounts of cash (Dittmar 2008; Schauten, van Dijk and Van der Waal 2008). Literature gives two contradictory theories that may influence the valuation of these cash holdings by investors in the market. The pecking order theory predicts that managers have more information about the state of the firm than outside investors and therefore outside investors require a premium on the money they invest in the firm (Myers and Majluf 1984). This premium is referred to as information costs because it reflects the additional amount of money firms are charged for by investors to compensate for the information gap that exists between investors and the managers of the firm. Contrary to the pecking order theory, the agency cost of free cash flow theory predicts that managers do not always have the intention to maximize shareholder value; they rather use the company’s cash to maximize their own utility (Jensen 1986). The costs that arise from agency problems are referred to as agency costs. Although the pecking order theory itself does not predict how the existence of information asymmetry may affect the market value of cash holdings, it can be argued that because firms have to pay a premium in case of external financing, investors will appraise the capital that is internally available to the firm. Therefore, information costs are likely to have a positive influence on the market value of cash holdings. On the other hand, based on the agency costs of free cash flow theory, it can be argued that when investors believe that a firm experiences agency problems they are likely to have a negative perception on the market value of cash holdings. This study aims to investigate the relevance of these contradicting theories in the eyes of the investor by analyzing the impact of information costs and agency costs on the market value of firms’ cash holdings. In an attempt to answer this issue, a longitudinal quantitative study is performed on a sample of firms traded at NYSE Amsterdam Euronext. We performed an extensive literature review to give a clear and logical presentation of the relevant research work done thus far. Based on literature findings we developed a conceptual model. The conceptual model showed the predicted relationships among variables. The operationalization of the variables was established after careful evaluation of suggestions given in the existing literature. Based on the predicted relationships in the conceptual model we developed seven hypotheses which were statistically tested by the performance of various cross sectional multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis.
New Deal Public Housing Projects and Their Impact on Local Communities

Out of the programs created during the Great Depression, the introduction of public housing has been one of the most controversial. A myriad of recent papers have found public housing is associated with higher crime rates and worse health outcomes in the modern era, lending to the belief that public housing was largely a failure. However, it is not clear that public housing projects prior to World War 2 were subject to the outcomes as the high-rise projects constructed after the war. Housing conditions for low-income families during the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries were generally poor. Edith Elmer Wood argued that as many as a third of all families across the United States resided in dimly lit, crowded housing with many dwellings dilapidated and prone to fire and disease. I explore the effect of public housing on surrounding property values and contract rents for six cities in the United States between 1934 and 1940 using a series of hedonic models incorporating “locational heterogeneity”, described in Páez, Uchida, and Miyamoto (2002). The data set was constructed from a set of public housing projects for each city and combine it with census tract-level data from the real property inventories and a special census of Chicago and matched them to the 1940 United States Census, the latter I had obtained from the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS). My findings suggest the median property values largely rose in census tracts within a mile radius as a result of public housing construction between 1934 and 1940. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that public housing increased property values on the periphery of the cities, perhaps as a result of citywide slum clearance and the increasing segregation of low-income families into public housing projects. However, the estimates of the effect of public housing projects on median contract rents are mixed, both within and between cities. ∗Contact: t.kollmann@latrobe.edu. au. I am grateful for the assistance of Jason Ernst and Pavand Kumar Reddy Dhani for assistance with data entry as well as the helpful suggestions and comments from participants at the NBER conference on the economics of the New Deal as well as seminars at La Trobe University and Deakin University. Lastly, I would like to personally thank Sandy Dall’erba, Price Fishback, Ronald Oaxaca, and Katherine Shester. All errors are my own.
MULTIFACTOR ASSET PRICING ANALYSIS OF THE BALTIC STOCK MARKET

This study investigates whether the Fama–French three-factor asset pricing model is applicable for explaining cross-sectional returns of stocks listed in the Baltic stock exchanges. Findings confirm the validity and economic significance of the three-factor model for the Baltic stock market: only investors who chose to invest in value stocks during the reference period achieved positive returns by matching or beating the returns of the stock market index. The monthly returns of 8 Latvian, 13 Estonian and 27 Lithuanian company stocks are analyzed for the time period from June 2002 till February 2010 by the methodology presented in Davis, Fama, and French (2000). Cross-sectional multivariate regression is calculated with stock portfolios representing the book-to-market and capitalization of companies as independent variables along with the stock market index. The study concludes that these three factors in the three-factor model are statistically significant, but, in line with earlier studies, regression intercepts are significantly different from zero and the model is not statistically confirmed. p>
'Genotypic shuffling' of sequential clones of Candida albicans in HIV-infected individuals with and without symptomatic oral candidiasis.

Although HIV-infected individuals harbour multiple strains of oral Candida albicans, little is known of their micro-evolution over time. Therefore, a prospective study was conducted with 16 HIV-infected ethnic Chinese individuals with and without symptoms of oropharyngeal candidiasis to evaluate the genotype distribution of oral C. albicans isolates during HIV disease progression. Oral-rinse samples were obtained from all individuals and up to five C. albicans colonies were selected for each visit, over a 12 month period of multiple visits. After identification of isolates using standard mycological criteria, the genetic similarities of yeast isolates within and between sequential clones of C. albicans were assessed by DNA fingerprinting through random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The results of RAPD gel profiles and the lineage of each isolate were further analysed using commercially available software. RAPD studies revealed the prevalence of up to 14 different genotypes per individual during the study period, with multiple genotypes isolated simultaneously from a single oral rinse. Computer analysis of RAPD profiles revealed that yeasts isolated over sequential visits from symptomatic individuals demonstrated a striking level of relatedness compared with isolates from asymptomatic individuals. Genetically identical C. albicans strains also formed 'loosely' connected subclusters that overlapped multiple visits, implying genetic 'shuffling' in these isolates during disease progression. These data point to varying evolutionary genetic trends in C. albicans associated with symptomatic oral candidiasis and asymptomatic carriage in HIV disease.
Analisis Faktor-Faktor yang Memengaruhi Tingkat Kepatuhan Wajib Pajak Orang Pribadi di Lingkungan Kantor Pelayanan Pajak Pratama, Tigaraksa Tangerang

Tax collection is not an easy matter. Active participation from the tax authorities also requires the willingness of the taxpayer. A public reaction can be seen from the taxpayer’s willingness to pay taxes. Willingness and awareness to pay taxes represent a value contributed by someone (which has been determined by regulation). Tax is used to finance public expenditures without any direct benefit. Taxpayer’s awareness about taxation functions as state funding is needed to improve tax compliance and to determine the level of tax compliance in implementing their tax obligations. Limitation of the scope of this study is the effect of the level of awareness of paying taxes, taxpayer’s understanding about tax benefits, tax penalties, and understanding of service quality to the tax authorities of individual taxpayer compliance in the fulfillment of tax obligations, as well as restricted to data obtained through questionnaires received and filled by the individual taxpayer of Tigaraksa Pratama Tax Office area. Data were obtained through questionnaire and processed and analyzed using parametric statistical tests and multiple linear regression with 4 independent variables and one dependent variable resulted in the conclusion that the factors that most influence taxpayer compliance in carrying out its tax liability is the use of sanctions against taxpayers who do not carry out its obligations under applicable legislation.
Recognition of AvrBs 3-Like Proteins Is Mediated by Specific Binding to Promoters of Matching Pepper Bs 3 Alleles 1 [ W ]

The pepper (Capsicum annuum) bacterial spot (Bs) resistance gene Bs3 and its allelic variant Bs3-E mediate recognition of the Xanthomonas campestris pv vesicatoria type III effector protein AvrBs3 and its deletion derivative AvrBs3Drep16. Recognition specificity resides in the Bs3 and Bs3-E promoters and is determined by a defined promoter region, the UPA (for up-regulated by AvrBs3) box. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we defined the exact boundaries of the UPAAvrBs3 box of the Bs3 promoter and theUPAAvrBs3Drep16 box of the Bs3-E promoter and show that both boxes overlap by at least 11 nucleotides. Despite partial sequence identity, the UPAAvrBs3 box and the UPAAvrBs3Drep16 box were bound specifically by the corresponding AvrBs3 and AvrBs3Drep16 proteins, respectively, suggesting that selective promoter binding of AvrBs3-like proteins is the basis for promoter activation specificity. We also demonstrate that the UPAAvrBs3 box retains its functionality at different positions within the pepper Bs3 promoter and confers AvrBs3 inducibility in a novel promoter context. Notably, the transfer of the UPAAvrBs3 box to different promoter locations is always correlated with a new transcriptional start site. The analysis of naturally occurring Bs3 alleles revealed many pepper accessions that encode a nonfunctional Bs3 variant. These accessions showed no apparent abnormalities, supporting the supposition that Bs3 functions only in disease resistance and not in other developmental or physiological processes.
Immobilization of Black Bears (Ursus americanus) with a Combination of Butorphanol, Azaperone, and Medetomidine

Sixteen captive and five free-ranging black bears (Ursus americanus) were immobilized with a combination of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine (BAM). The BAM drug combination was premixed using 0.5 ml butorphanol (30 mg/ml), 0.25 ml aza-perone (50 mg/ml), and 0.25 ml medetomidine (20 mg/ml) per milliliter to yield a final mix of (15 mg butorphanol + 12.5 mg azaperone + 5 mg medetomidine)/ml. This combination, dosed at 0.4 ml BAM/∼23 kg estimated body weight, provided a mean induction time of 10 min (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2 min), consistent anesthesia without apparent adverse effects, and smooth recovery (mean = 15 min, 95% CI = 4 min) after antagonism with atipamezole (5 mg/mg medetomidine) alone or in combination with naltrexone (5 mg/mg butorphanol). Based on our initial observations, BAM appears to be a reversible and accessible drug combination for immobilizing black bears that merits further evaluation for field use. Atipamezole, azaperone, black bear, butorphanol, chemical immobilization, medetomidine, naltrexone, Ursus americanus.
Analysis of WASp function during the wound inflammatory response – live-imaging studies in zebrafish larvae

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is haematopoietically restricted, and is the causative protein underlying a severe human disorder that can lead to death due to immunodeficiency and haemorrhaging. Much is known about the biochemistry of WASp and the migratory capacity of WASp-defective cells in vitro, but in vivo studies of immune-cell behaviour are more challenging. Using the translucency of zebrafish larvae, we live-imaged the effects of morpholino knockdown of WASp1 (also known as Was) on leukocyte migration in response to a wound. In embryos at 22 hours post-fertilisation, primitive macrophages were impaired in their migration towards laser wounds. Once a circulatory system had developed, at 3 days post-fertilisation, we observed significantly reduced recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages to ventral fin wounds. Cell-tracking studies indicated that fewer leukocytes leave the vessels adjacent to a wound and those that do exhibit impaired navigational capacity. Their cell morphology appears unaltered but their choice of leading-edge pseudopodia is more frequently incorrect, leading to impaired chemotaxis. We also identified two zebrafish mutants in WASp1 by TILLING, one of which was in the WIP-binding domain that is the hotspot for human lesions, and mutants exhibited the same deficiencies in wound inflammation and thrombus formation as WASp1 morphants.
Interleukin‐6 genotype and risk for cerebral palsy in term and near‐term infants

Chorioamnionitis is associated with increased risk for cerebral palsy (CP) in term infants. A functional polymorphism in the interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) gene has been implicated in newborn brain injury. We studied whether the IL‐6 ‐174 G/C polymorphism confers increased risk for CP in term infants.
T-NOVA: An Open-Source MANO Stack for NFV Infrastructures

One of the primary challenges associated with network functions virtualization (NFV) is the automated management of the service lifecycle. In this paper, we present a full software-based management and orchestration (MANO) stack which operates with OpenStack and OpenDaylight controllers and has the in-built functionality to automate the key phases of the NFV service lifecycle, namely resource discovery and matching, service mapping, service deployment, and monitoring. The MANO stack is being implemented by the EU FP7 project T-NOVA, with the components being released as open-source software. Service mapping and service deployment solutions developed in the scope of T-NOVA are presented in detail. As a proof-of-concept, we evaluate the performance of a virtualized traffic classifier network function, demonstrating the gains of virtualized hardware acceleration.
Sensory characteristics and carcass traits of boars, barrows, and gilts fed high- or adequate-protein diets and slaughtered at 100 or 110 kilograms.

The objective of this study was to determine consumer reaction to boar (BO), barrow (BA), and gilt (G) meat from pigs grown and finished on high- (HI) and low- (LO) protein diets and slaughtered at 100 and 110 kg BW. Within each of two trials, 54 BO, BA, and G were allotted within sexes to HI or LO protein sequences for growing and finishing: 19 and 17% (BOHI), 18 and 16% (BOLO), 17 and 15% (GHI), 16 and 14% (GLO), 15 and 13% (BAHI), and 14 and 12% (BALO). Backfat skatole and salivary gland 16-androstene concentrations were measured from samples taken at slaughter. Longissimus (LM) and semitendinosus (ST) chops from 24 pigs (with equal representation across diet and sex groups) were evaluated by trained panelists for tenderness, juiciness, and off-flavor. Consumer panelists evaluated acceptability of LM chops. In the 100-kg trial, HI diets improved (P < .05) carcass leanness in BO and BA but not in G. In both trials, BO were leaner (P < .05) than G, and both were leaner (P < .05) than BA. Skatole and 16-androstene concentrations were similar (P > .05) among sexes in both trials. In the 100-kg trial, trained panelists found BOLO chops had more (P < .05) off-flavor. In the 110-kg trial, all BO had more off-flavor (P < .05) than BAHI, BALO, and GHI but were similar (P > .05) to GLO. In both trials, BA chops were more tender (P < .05) than G and BO chops and LM chops had less off-flavor (P < .05) than ST chops. In the 110-kg trial, skatole was correlated (r = .28, P < .001) to off-flavor. A relationship may exist among diet, skatole deposition, and off-flavor. Untrained consumers reported all chops were equally acceptable (P > .05).