Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Reliability Study of Parallelized VNF Chaining

In this paper, we study end-to-end service reliability in Data Center Networks (DCN) with flow and Service Function Chains (SFCs) parallelism. In our approach, we consider large flows to i) be split into multiple parallel smaller sub-flows; ii) SFC along with their VNFs are replicated into at least as many VNF instances as there are sub-flows, resulting in parallel sub-SFCs; and iii) all sub-flows are distributed over multiple shortest paths and processed in parallel by parallel sub-SFCs. We study service reliability as a function of flow and SFC parallelism and placement of parallel active and backup sub-SFCs within DCN. Based on the probability theory and by considering both server and VNF failures, we analytically derive for each studied VNF placement method the probability that all sub-flows can be successfully processed by the parallelized SFC without service interruption. We evaluate the amount of backup VNFs required to protect the parallelized SFC with a certain level of service reliability. The results show that the proposed flow and SFC parallelism in DCN can significantly increase end-to-end service reliability, while reducing the amount of backup VNFs required, as compared to traditional SFCs with serial traffic flows.
Factors influencing the arterial oxygen tension during anaesthesia with artificial ventilation.

Factors influencing oxygenation of the arterial blood were studied in 26 patients, during routine anaesthesia with artificial ventilation. The mean minute volume was 10 1. /min and the arterial Pco2 27 mm Hg. The mean oxygen consumption was 215 ml/min (STPD) and the physiological deadspace 36 per cent of tidal volume (no allowance being made for the volume of the air passages bypassed by the endotracheal tube). At high levels of inspired oxygen concentration, the mean alveolar-arterial Po2 gradient was 145 mm Hg, corresponding to a calculated shunt of 11 per cent. At an alveolar Po2, of 155 mm Hg the gradient was 52 mm Hg, corresponding to a calculated venous admixture of 9 per cent. There was no progressive increase in venous admixture during anaesthesia in patients under the age of 43 but most of the older patients showed falls and their mean change was significant. Attempts were made to reduce the venous admixture by hyperinflation of the lungs. This was successful in some patients, when a pressure of 40 cm H2O was maintained for 40 seconds. Lower pressures, and the use of a sustained expiratory pressure of 5 cm H2O were not effective. Indices of disordered respiratory function found in this study were not significantly different from those in a comparable study of anaesthetized patients breathing spontaneously.
Travel health insurance: indicator of serious travel health risks.

Background: Travel health risks documented by questionnaire surveys obtained (e.g., during homebound flights) are incomplete since they miss most patients who need to be repatriated. Methods: All patient claim files were reviewed from 1997 to 1998, of the largest Swiss travel insurance company. R e s u l t s : Among 242 claims, 69.4% were due to illness, 30.6% due to accidents; infections were the most frequent illnesses, the extremities were the most frequently traumatized part of the body. Although the illness-to-accident ratio was 1:5 in industrialized countries and the Caribbean, it exceeded 3:0 in some developing regions. Accident proneness was noted in the first week abroad. C o n c l u s i o n : Even if no denominator data are available, this analysis offers an insight in travel health risks, allowing comparison of the occurrences of very different, serious, health problems abroad.
Influence of Professional Expertise on Dividend Policy among Listed Firms in Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya

Management of corporations has been faced by challenges emerging from internal managers not being able to effectively offer stewardship. The organizations owners therefore have to improvise means of ensuring that their interests are protected. In modern corporation’s owners embrace mechanisms like board diversity to mitigate against managers failures to act in their interests. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence o professional expertise on Dividend Policy among listed firms in Nairobi Securities Exchange. In the recent past, most corporations in developing economies experience unstable dividend payment hence the need to determine whether professional expertise can remedy dividend payment situation prevailing. The study examined how professional expertise can influence dividend policy in companies listed on the NSE. The study was guided by agency, signaling, resource dependency and power circulation theories. The study used the explanatory research design. Document analysis was used to collect secondary data from annual reports of firms. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as the mean, median, and standard deviation and fixed effect multiple regression analysis was done to examine the effects between professional expertise and dividend policy in annual reports of firms. The study was also expected to contribute new knowledge on the relationship between professional expertise and dividend policy. The regression results showed that professional expertise (β = .226, p = .490) exhibit a strong direct relationship with dividend policy. The study recommends that policy makers to ensure development of regulations to enhance professional expertise among firms since professional expertise brings about overwhelming benefits to corporate owners by minimizing agency problems related to free cash flows hence enhance payout to shareholder and reduce risk of misallocation of excess resources by firm managers. The study also recommends further studies to be carried out on the relationship between professional expertise and dividend policy on privately owned, SME’s, both listed and unlisted firms using similar study variables and a longer period for the same study to determine whether optimal results would be achieved. Keywords: Professional Expertise, Dividend, Policy, Resource dependency, securities exchange
Industry 4.0 and the SME: a technology-focused review of the empirical literature

The concept of Industry 4.0 has many advantages for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) in relation to other industrial management methods such as Just-In-Time or MRPII. Its adoption can be achieved through the use of many technologies. However, these technologies are not well mastered by SMEs. In order to identify the difficulties encountered by SMEs, this article presents an analysis of the exploitation of the different means of realization of the industry 4.0. From a scientific literature review, we show disparities in the exploitation of different technological group. Among the important elements, we note a sub-consideration of the data generated as a source of added value for SMEs, an under-exploitation of certain means of realization and a lack of expertise in SMEs that slows penetration of certain technological groups. The exploitation of the different technologies is often approached individually and targeted, which leads us to conclude that the concept of industry 4.0 is not approached from the angle of industrial management strategy.
Review on Assortment Problems in Retailing Supply Chain Management

In this paper, we are aimed at reviewing assortment problems integrating pricing strategies, inventory levels and distribution network planning in retail. Through the literature study, we present a comprehensive and updated review and put forward the future directions for assortment study. The main methodology we used is literature study. We classified related papers and reviewed them by different themes. We find that a great number of existing papers related to assortment problems mostly combine the problem of pricing decision, inventory control and distribution design. However, those papers tend to study two or three points above. In other words, there is no literature studying all points simultaneously. Given our findings, we finally propose that it is innovative and valuable to put efforts to study assortment problems combined with pricing, inventory and distribution decisions.
The role of echocardiography in the differential diagnosis between training induced myocardial hypertrophy versus cardiomyopathy.

Increased myocardial mass due to regular high-volume intense exercise training (so-called athlete's heart) is not uncommon. Although directly correlated with the extent of training loads, myocardial hypertrophy is not present exclusively in well-trained or elite athletes. Athlete's heart is considered a physiological phenomenon with no known harmful consequences. However, extreme forms of myocardial hypertrophy due to endurance training resemble a structural heart disease such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition associated with substantially increased risk of cardiac event. Endurance sports such as rowing and road cycling, rather than strength/power training, are most commonly associated with left ventricular (LV) wall thickness compatible with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The differentiation between physiological and maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy in athletes is undoubtedly important, since untreated cardiac abnormality often possesses a real threat of premature death due to heart failure during intense physical exertion. Luckily, the distinction from pathological hypertrophy is usually straightforward using transthoracic echocardiography, as endurance athletes, in addition to moderately and proportionally thickened LV walls with normal acoustic density, tend to possess increased LV diameter. In more uncertain cases, a detailed evaluation of myocardial function using (tissue) Doppler and contrast echocardiography is effective. When a doubt still remains, knowledge of an athlete's working capacity may be useful in evaluating whether the insidious cardiac pathology is absent. In such cases cardiopulmonary exercise testing typically resolves the dilemma: indices of aerobic capacity are markedly higher in healthy endurance athletes compared to patients. Other characteristics such as a decrease of LV mass due to training cessation are also discussed in the article. Key pointsTransthoracic echocardiography is still the most common relevant differentiation technique applied to distinguish athlete's heart from the cardiomyopathy.Conventional echocardiographic criteria such as left ventricular chamber size and diastolic function parameters are to be regarded first when making differential diagnosis between substantially increased wall thickness in athlete's heart (i.e. physiological adaptation) versus a disease (usually hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). When conventional echocardiographic parameters fail to diagnose the nature of myocardial hypertrophy, other differentiation criteria such as aerobic fitness, cardiac performance in response to physical exertion, and changes in echocardiographic parameters due to detraining, must be taken into consideration.Tissue Doppler, contrast and three-dimensional imaging are state-of-the-art echocardiographic techniques which have recently appeared in the differential diagnostics.
Contracting with children and helmet distribution in the emergency department to improve bicycle helmet use.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether injury prevention counseling and behavioral counseling delivered in the emergency department (ED) could result in increases in self-reported bicycle helmet use. METHODS The authors undertook a trial of counseling in 222 children recruited in an urban ED between August 2000 and October 2001. All consenting patients in the ED aged 5 to 15 years who did not have life-threatening conditions were eligible. One hundred nine children were assigned to the control group on the basis of attendance on an odd-numbered day, and they received a photocopied photograph of the hospital. One hundred thirteen children were assigned to the intervention group, and they received a personal counseling session and signed a contract promising to wear their bicycle helmets. In addition, 57 of the intervention children were assigned (based on having an even-numbered birthday) to be fitted with helmets if they did not already own them. Parents were telephoned four weeks after the ED encounter for follow-up. RESULTS Follow-up data were obtained for 148 children (67% follow-up rate), of whom only 69 reported riding a bicycle in the four weeks after their ED visit. Of the final sample of 69 children, 38 belonged to one of the intervention groups, and 25 of these (66%) reported always wearing a helmet while cycling during the four weeks after their ED visit, versus 13 of 31 (42%) in the control group (odds ratio, 2.66; p < 0.05). The effect of the intervention was independent of whether the children owned a helmet at baseline. CONCLUSIONS Injury prevention counseling in the ED using "The Injury Prevention Program" (TIPP) sheet, behavioral contracting, and helmet distribution may have a significant effect on reports of subsequent bike helmet use.
Quantification of citrate concentration in the prostate by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Zonal and age‐related differences

A commercial phased‐array multicoil was used to acquire water‐suppressed localized proton spectra of the two major anatomical regions of the prostate. The signal‐to‐noise ratio and spectral resolution allowed identification of peaks from choline and creatine, as well as a major peak from citrate. Quantification of the citrate peak using experimentally determined relaxation parameters with tissue water as an internal concentration reference revealed a marked variability between different volunteers. Nevertheless, in each case, the citrate concentration was up to fourfold greater in the peripheral zone than in the central gland. Furthermore, the difference in citrate concentration between these two regions was positively correlated with the subjects age. The results indicate a consistent difference in cellular function between the major anatomical regions within the prostate and may have important consequences for the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the diagnosis of prostatic pathology.
Measurement equivalence of the brief comprehensive effects of alcohol scale in a multiethnic sample of college students.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the measurement equivalence of the Brief Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol scale (B-CEOA; Ham et al., 2005)--a measure that assesses alcohol outcome expectancies (AOE) and expectancy evaluations-across ethnic groups and genders among multiethnic college student samples. METHOD Undergraduates provided self-report data in two multisite studies (Study 1: N = 1,536, 75.5% women, Mage = 19.6 years old, 56.4% European American, 9.8% African American, 7.6% Asian American, and 26.2% Hispanic/Latino American; Study 2: N = 7,767, 72.6% women, Mage = 19.8 years old, 63.3% European American, 7.9% African American, 14.3% Asian American, and 14.5% Hispanic/Latino American). RESULTS Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a positive and negative 4-factor model. Positive and negative AOE and expectancy evaluations were positively associated with hazardous alcohol use. Measurement equivalence of the B-CEOA across ethnicities and genders was largely supported. CONCLUSIONS This study provides support for the utility of the B-CEOA in college students of different ethnicities and genders in assessment and prevention.
Activation of Neutrophils by Antigen‐Induced Lymphokine, With Emphasis on Antibody‐Independent Cytotoxicity

Incubation of bovine neutrophils with antigen‐stimulated mononuclear cell supernatant (lymphokine) caused an inhibition of neutrophil migration and an enhancement of the neutrophils' ability to adhere to plastic, reduce nitroblue tetrazolium, ingest Staphylococcus aureus, and mediate antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against chicken erythrocytes.
Profiling of construction disputes in private projects

Construction disputes often break out due to multiple causes and are attested by numerous court cases reported in law journals. While lessons could be learned from previous incidents, recurrence should be avoided. Profiling process comprised of studying patterns of conducts of particular data subjects and categorising such subjects in relation to exhibited conduct is found to be lacking in the subject of construction disputes. Hence, this research aims to develop a construction dispute profile based on legal cases to improve the contract management practice. The objectives of the research are to establish the attributes as well as the causes of disputes involved, to identify the legal issue(s) arising from construction dispute cases and finally to develop a validated dispute profiling framework. Doctrinal legal research and a review of the literature were adopted as the methodology of the research. This qualitative research approach used Issue, Rules, Analysis, Conclusion (IRAC) and content analysis techniques to analyse the data. Fifty four (54) Malaysian reported construction dispute cases related to contractual issues occurring in private construction projects between the years 2000 and 2013 were identified and used as the data. The three main attributes for identification were disputed projects, case and court process characteristics. Results indicated that there are six subgroups of causes of construction dispute emerging from the cases, namely contract law, law in tort, payment, determination, time, and site and execution of work. Under the payment subgroup, non-payment showed the highest frequency among others. Some legal issues pertaining to retention sum and winding up were also identified. The cases, attributes and causes of disputes established were used as a basis to develop a framework of the construction dispute profile. To validate the practicality of the proposed construction dispute profile framework, an online questionnaire survey validation process was carried out. Majority of the respondents concurred with the findings and agreed that the framework could be the basis for the development of construction disputes database system in the future.
Induction of Functional 3D Ciliary Epithelium-Like Structure From Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PURPOSE To generate ciliary epithelium (CE) from mouse induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. METHODS Recently, a protocol for self-organizing optic cup morphogenesis in three-dimensional culture was reported, and it was suggested that ocular tissue derived from neural ectoderm could be differentiated. We demonstrated that a CE-like double-layered structure could be induced in simple culture by using a modified Eiraku differentiation protocol. RESULTS Differentiation of a CE-like double-layered structure could be promoted by glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor. Connexin43 and aquaporin1 were expressed in both thin layers, and induced CE-like cells expressed ciliary marker genes, such as cyclinD2, zic1, tgfb2, aldh1a3, wfdc1, otx1, BMP4, and BMP7. Increases in cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin in aggregates of the CE-like double-layered structure were confirmed by Western blot analysis. In addition, tankyrase inhibitor prevented the induction of the CE-like double-layered structure by GSK-3β inhibitor. Dye movement from pigmented cells to nonpigmented cells in the mouse iPS cell-derived CE-like structure was observed in a fluid movement experiment, consistent with the physiological function of CE in vivo. CONCLUSIONS We could differentiate CE from mouse iPS cells in the present study. In the future, we hope that this CE-like complex will become useful as a graft for transplantation therapy in pathologic ocular hypotension due to CE dysfunction, and as a screening tool for the development of drugs for diseases associated with CE function.
The Integration of Ecological Risk Assessment and Structured Decision Making into Watershed Management

Abstract Watershed management processes continue to call for more science and improved decision making that take into account the full range of stakeholder perspectives. Increasingly, the core principles of ecological risk assessment (i.e., the development and use of assessment endpoints and conceptual models, conducting exposure and effects analysis) are being incorporated and adapted in innovative ways to meet the call for more science. Similarly, innovative approaches to adapting decision analysis tools and methods for incorporating stakeholder concerns in complex natural resource management decisions are being increasingly applied. Here, we present an example of the integration of ecological risk assessment with decision analysis in the development of a watershed management plan for the Greater Vancouver Water District in British Columbia, Canada. Assessment endpoints were developed, ecological inventory data were collected, and watershed models were developed to characterize the existing and future condition of 3 watersheds in terms of the potential risks to water quality. Stressors to water quality include sedimentation processes (landslides, streambank erosion) and forest disturbance (wildfire, major insect or disease outbreak). Three landscape-level risk management alternatives were developed to reflect different degrees of management intervention. Each alternative was evaluated under different scenarios and analyzed by explicitly examining value-based trade-offs among water quality, environmental, financial, and social endpoints. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the integration of ecological risk assessment and decision analysis approaches can support decision makers in watershed management.
The impact of dietary supplement form and dosage on perceived efficacy

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of supplement form and dosage level on consumers’ perceptions of dietary supplement efficacy. ,The authors draw upon literature on dietary supplements and accessibility–diagnosticity theory to derive their hypotheses. Hypotheses are tested through two experiments that use a 2 (supplement form: single-ingredient [SI] vs multi-ingredient [MI]) × 2 (dosage level: low vs high) factorial design. ,The findings show that consumers perceive that lower dose MI supplements are more effective than lower dose SI supplements, consistent with a “more is better” heuristic. In contrast, under high doses, the supplement form effect is insignificant; that is, MI and SI supplements are perceived to be comparable in terms of efficacy. ,Dietary supplements are not regulated the same way as prescription drugs. Consumers often draw inferences about supplement efficacy based on their perceptions rather than objective evidence. This may leave consumers vulnerable to potentially harmful consequences. This research has implications for designing supplement marketing efforts and public policy, which could help consumers to make informed choices when purchasing dietary supplements. ,A growing awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle has motivated consumers of all ages to consider alternative remedies, most notably using dietary supplements. Past research offers little insight into understanding consumer reactions to dietary supplement form such as SI and MI supplements and their dosage levels. The studies reported here address this gap in research. Public policy and marketing implications are also discussed.