Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of extended childbirth education by midwives on the childbirth fear of first‐time mothers: an RCT

OBJECTIVE This study evaluates how extended childbirth education intervention affects first-time mothers' fear of childbirth and its manifestation during pregnancy. METHOD A randomised controlled trial was conducted. A total of 659 first-time mothers were recruited before week 14 of gestation during the first ultrasound screening at the hospital's maternity outpatient clinic. The mothers were randomly assigned into an intervention group (n = 338) or a control group (n = 321). The control group received all available regular childbirth education. In addition, the intervention group received an enhanced 2-hour childbirth education at the maternity hospital. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS The objects of childbirth fears (childbirth-related fear, fear for the mother's and the child's well-being, fear related to Caesarean section) were the primary outcomes. The manifestations of childbirth fears (everyday life, stress symptoms and the wish to have a Caesarean section) were the secondary outcomes. These outcomes were measured over 34 weeks of gestation using two parts of the instrument 'Feelings of Fear and Security Associated with Pregnancy and Childbirth'. Logistic and ordinal linear regression models were used to model the effect of the intervention on the outcomes. FINDINGS The mothers in the intervention group had less childbirth-related fear than those in the control group [odds ratio (OR) 0.58, 95% confidence level (CL) 0.38-0.88]. Also, fear influenced the mothers in the intervention group less in everyday life than it did the mothers in the control group [OR 0.64, 95% CL 0.44-0.94]. CONCLUSION The effectiveness of the intervention can be considered moderate: one of three objects and one of three manifestations of fears were reduced. The intervention proved most efficient in alleviating relatively limited objects of fears.
Integrating people with disability into the workforce: the case of a retail chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into diversity management practices in the Baltic states and present experience of HRM practitioners' in initiating the integration of people with disability into the workforce at a multi national retail chain.Design/methodology/approach – An interview with HR managers of a retail chain on issues related to the integration of people with disability into the workforce, providing background for the relevance, motives, implementation difficulties and organisational benefits of such practices from a business perspective.Findings – Main challenges related with integration of people with disability into the workforce are as follows: attraction of people with disability, work adjustment to meet the abilities of employees with disability, and preparation of managers and co‐workers to work along with these people. Attraction of people with disability works best on the basis of references from their peers. These people make highly loyal employees. Besides t.
Motivating future interconnects: a differential measurement analysis of PCI latency

Local interconnect architectures are at a cusp in which advances in throughput have come at the expense of power and latency. Moreover, physical limits imposed on dissipation and packaging mean that further advances will require a new approach to interconnect design. Although latency in networks has been the focus of the High-Performance Computing architect and of concern across the computer community, we illustrate how an evolution in the common PCI interconnect architecture has worsened latency by a factor of between 3 and 25 over earlier incarnations.
Interorganizational imitation: The impact of interlocks on corporate acquisition activity

I would like to thank my dissertation committee: Mark Fichman, Gerald Salancik, Doug Wholey, and Steve Klepper for their generous support and assistance. Thanks also to Alison Davis-Blake, Anne Miner, Craig Olson, Jim Walsh, Marshall Meyer, and three anonymous reviewers for providing helpful comments and insights. Earlier versions of this paper were awarded the 1992 Academy of Management, OMT Division, Louis R. Pondy Award for the best paper based on a dissertation, and the 1991 TIMS College on Organization, Best Dissertation Proposal Award. In this study, I examine direct evidence for the influence of interorganizational imitation on a voluntary, substantive strategic action that affects the economic core of the firm: corporate acquisitions. I argue that firm managers are exposed to the acquisition activities of other firms when they sit on those firms' boards. The acquisition activities of the firms they are tied to serve as models to be imitated. Hypotheses are developed and tested on 1981-1990 acquisition data for a sample of 327 firms. Results show that firm managers are imitating the acquisition activities of those other firms to which they are tied through directorships. Competing rival interpretations of positive evidence for imitation are examined, and the imitation interpretation is found to hold. '
A new approach for finding optimal base stations configuration for CDMA systems jointly with uplink and downlink constraints

The problem of finding an optimal base station (BS) configuration for CDMA networks given a set of candidate BS sites is investigated. The design is first formulated as an optimization problem. Features which are unique to CDMA, such as power control, intra-cell and other cell interference, etc., are included in our consideration. In particular, the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) in both uplink and downlink of each MS is taken as the quality of measure. The solution to the problem is simplified by using a heuristic algorithm. The heuristic begins from all candidate BS sites being activated and assignment of each mobile station (MS) to BS is based on smallest path loss. It then proceeds to deactivate the sites one by one until the minimum number of sites needed to serve the traffic is obtained
Tracking and measuring a moving object with a binocular camera system

In this paper, new approaches to track and measure a moving object in 3D space are presented with a binocular camera system. As the moving object out of the field of view, one or two cameras of the pan-tilt binocular system are controlled to search the object, and compute its position in a world coordinate system. Tracking and measuring of a specified object can be done in real time as the cameras moving, without recalibrating the two cameras. Adaptive background model and CamShift algorithm are used respectively to identify moving objects. Experimental results are shown here to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Loxosceles gaucho spider venom and its sphingomyelinase fraction trigger the main functions of human and rabbit platelets

Loxosceles venoms can promote severe local and systemic damages. We have previously reported that Loxosceles gaucho spider venom causes a severe early thrombocytopenia in rabbits. Herein, we investigated the in vitro effects of this venom and its sphingomyelinase fraction on the main functions of platelets. Whole venom and its fraction induced aggregation of both human and rabbit platelets. Aggregation was dependent of plasma component(s) but independent of venom-induced lysophosphatidic acid generation. There was no increase in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase during platelet aggregation, ruling out the possibility of platelet lysis. The increased expression of ligand-induced binding site 1 (LIBS1) induced by L. gaucho venom and its sphingomyelinase fraction, as well as of P-selectin by the whole venom, evidenced the activation state of both human and rabbit platelets. Adhesion assays showed an irregular response when platelets were exposed to the whole venom, whereas the sphingomyelinase fraction induced a dose-dependent increase in the platelet adhesion to collagen. These findings evidence that L. gaucho venom and its sphingomyelinase fraction trigger adhesion, activation, and aggregation of both human and rabbit platelets. Thus, this work justifies the use of rabbits to investigate Loxosceles venom-induced platelet disturbances, and it also supports research on the role of platelets in the pathogenesis of loxoscelism.
Checkpointing alternatives for high performance, power-aware processors

High performance processors use checkpointing to rapidly recover from branch mispredictions and possibly other exceptions. We demonstrate that conventional checkpointing becomes unattractive in terms of resource and power requirements for future generation processors. We propose out-of-order checkpoint release and checkpoint prediction, two alternatives that require significantly less resources and power while maintaining high-performance. We demonstrate their utility at the register alias table (RAT). Our methods reduce the number of RAT checkpoints to 1/3 (from 48 down to 16) for an aggressive, 8-way superscalar processor with a 256-entry instruction window. Using a 0.18um process model we estimate that RAT power is reduced by 24%.
Should the Federal Ethics Counsellor Become an Independent Officer of Parliament

This paper tests the validity of arguments in favour, and against, the establishment of an independent ethics "watchdog" in Ottawa by comparing the experience of other jurisdictions with the regulation of ethics in politics. This suggests that neither the independent prosecutor model, nor the Auditor General, provide accurate examples to describe attempts at designing institutions for enforcing ethics in Westminster democracies. The Office of the Ethics Counsellor is a case of flawed institutional design, as is the new commissioner that the ethics bill tabled in October 2002 proposes to create.
Small slope implies low speed for McGeer's passive walking machines

We consider passive dynamic walking machines of the kind originally studied by McGeer. For passive walking on arbitrarily small slopes, we show that any existing gaits must be correspondingly slow. The argument is first presented for nonsingular mass distributions, where it is shown that small slopes preclude long steps and that small steps imply low speeds. The argument is then extended to singular walkers (viewed as physically meaningful limiting cases of nonsingular walkers). A design for a different passive machine that might walk on flat ground is discussed briefly. The discussion in this paper lends insight into biped walking theory and may help to inspire designs for efficient bipedal robots.
Community: Seeking Safety in an Insecure World

An Overture, or Welcome to Elusive Community. The Agony of Tantalus. Rerooting the Uprooted. Times of Disengagement, or the Great Transformation Mark Two. Secession of the Successful. Two Sources of Communalism. Right to Recognition, Right to Redistribution. From Equality to Multiculturalism. The Bottom Line: The Ghetto. Many Cultures, One Humanity? Afterword. Notes. Index
Population-based study of high plasma C-reactive protein concentrations among the Inuit of Nunavik

Background . The shift away from traditional lifestyle in the Inuit population over the past few decades has been associated with an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure (BP) and diabetes. However, the impact of this transition on the pro-inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has not been documented. Objectives . To examine the prevalence of elevated plasma hs-CRP concentrations in Inuit from Nunavik in the province of Quebec (Canada) and identify anthropometric, biochemical and lifestyle risk factors associated with elevated hs-CRP. Design . A population-representative sample of 801 Inuit residents from 14 villages of Nunavik, aged between 18 and 74 years, was included in the analyses. Subjects participated in a clinical session and completed questionnaires on lifestyle. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for elevated hs-CRP. Results . Elevated plasma hs-CRP concentrations (≥2 mg/L) were present in 32.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 29.5–35.8) of the Inuit adult population and were more prevalent among women than among men (36.7% vs. 29.0%, p=0.007). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that every 1 mmHg increase in systolic BP was associated with a 3% increase in the odds of having hs-CRP concentrations ≥2 mg/L in the Inuit population (95% CI 1.01–1.04). The combination of older age (≥50 vs. <30 years) and elevated waist circumference (gender-specific cut-off values) in a multivariate logistic model was also associated with a 13.3-fold increase in the odds of having plasma hs-CRP concentrations ≥2 mg/L (95% CI 5.8–30.9). Conclusions . These data indicate that elevated hs-CRP is relatively prevalent among Inuit with values that are similar to those seen in Canadian Caucasian populations. Sex, age, waist circumference and systolic BP are major factors that increase the risk of this inflammatory phenotype among Inuit from Nunavik, despite their different lifestyle background compared with Caucasians. To access the supplementary material to this article please see Supplementary files under Article Tools online
ENERGY-SAVING MODEL ON DISTRIBUTED RANDOM NODES IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

The purpose of our study is to try to extend the life of the sensor network, without affecting the uses functions in wireless sensor networks. As our method reduces the amount of data communications and reduces the energy consumption of wireless sensor networks significantly, the compression problem in the data transferring process is solved. From the experiments, we conclude that this algorithm improves the decoding accuracy and improves the survival time of the network. Therefore, it has a great potential in the wireless sensor networks applications
Development of the lymphatic system: new questions and paradigms

The lymphatic system is a blind-ended network of vessels that plays important roles in mediating tissue fluid homeostasis, intestinal lipid absorption and the immune response. A profound understanding of the development of lymphatic vessels, as well as of the molecular cues governing their formation and morphogenesis, might prove essential for our ability to treat lymphatic-related diseases. The embryonic origins of lymphatic vessels have been debated for over a century, with a model claiming a venous origin for the lymphatic endothelium being predominant. However, recent studies have provided new insights into the origins of lymphatic vessels. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms controlling lymphatic specification and sprouting, and we discuss exciting findings that shed new light on previously uncharacterized sources of lymphatic endothelial cells. Summary: This Review discusses the molecular mechanisms controlling lymphatic system development and highlights findings that shed light on previously uncharacterised sources of lymphatic endothelial cells.
Conservative open-page policy for mixed time-criticality memory controllers

Complex Systems-on-Chips (SoC) are mixed time-criticality systems that have to support firm real-time (FRT) and soft real-time (SRT) applications running in parallel. This is challenging for critical SoC components, such as memory controllers. Existing memory controllers focus on either firm real-time or soft real-time applications. FRT controllers use a close-page policy that maximizes worst-case performance and ignore opportunities to exploit locality, since it cannot be guaranteed. Conversely, SRT controllers try to reduce latency and consequently processor stalling by speculating on locality. They often use an open-page policy that sacrifices guaranteed performance, but is beneficial in the average case. This paper proposes a conservative open-page policy that improves average-case performance of a FRT controller in terms of bandwidth and latency without sacrificing real-time guarantees. As a result, the memory controller efficiently handles both FRT and SRT applications. The policy keeps pages open as long as possible without sacrificing guarantees and captures locality in this window. Experimental results show that on average 70% of the locality is captured for applications in the CHStone benchmark, reducing the execution time by 17% compared to a close-page policy. The effectiveness of the policy is also evaluated in a multi-application use-case, and we show that the overall average-case performance improves if there is at least one FRT or SRT application that exploits locality.
Protein Kinase A, Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II, and Calcineurin Regulate the Intracellular Trafficking of Myopodin between the Z-Disc and the Nucleus of Cardiac Myocytes

ABSTRACT Spatial and temporal resolution of intracellular signaling can be achieved by compartmentalizing transduction units. Myopodin is a dual-compartment, actin-bundling protein that shuttles between the nucleus and the Z-disc of myocytes in a differentiation- and stress-dependent fashion. Importin α binding and nuclear import of myopodin are regulated by serine/threonine phosphorylation-dependent binding of myopodin to 14-3-3. Here we show that in the heart myopodin forms a Z-disc signaling complex with α-actinin, calcineurin, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), muscle-specific A-kinase anchoring protein, and myomegalin. Phosphorylation of myopodin by protein kinase A (PKA) or CaMKII mediates 14-3-3 binding and nuclear import in myoblasts. Dephosphorylation of myopodin by calcineurin abrogates 14-3-3β binding. Activation of PKA or inhibition of calcineurin in adult cardiac myocytes releases myopodin from the Z-disc and induces its nuclear import. The identification of myopodin as a direct target of PKA, CaMKII, and calcineurin defines a novel intracellular signaling pathway whereby changes in Z-disc dynamics may translate into compartmentalized signal transduction in the heart.
Marginal Mean Models for Dynamic Regimes

A dynamic treatment regime is a list of rules for how the level of treatment will be tailored through time to an individual's changing severity. In general, individuals who receive the highest level of treatment are the individuals with the greatest severity and need for treatment. Thus, there is planned selection of the treatment dose. In addition to the planned selection mandated by the treatment rules, staff judgment results in unplanned selection of the treatment level. Given observational longitudinal data or data in which there is unplanned selection of the treatment level, the methodology proposed here allows the estimation of a mean response to a dynamic treatment regime under the assumption of sequential randomization.
Probabilistic Description Logics for Subjective Uncertainty

We propose a new family of probabilistic description logics (DLs) that, in contrast to most existing approaches, are derived in a principled way from Halpern's probabilistic first-order logic. The resulting probabilistic DLs have a two-dimensional semantics similar to certain popular combinations of DLs with temporal logic and are well-suited for capturing subjective probabilities. Our main contribution is a detailed study of the complexity of reasoning in the new family of probabilistic DLs, showing that it ranges from PTIME for weak variants based on the lightweight DL EL to undecidable for some expressive variants based on the DL ALC.
Mutagenic DNA repair in enterobacteria

Sixteen species of enterobacteria have been screened for mutagenic DNA repair activity. In Escherichia coli, mutagenic DNA repair is encoded by the umuDC operon. Synthesis of UmuD and UmuC proteins is induced as part of the SOS response to DNA damage, and after induction, the UmuD protein undergoes an autocatalytic cleavage to produce the carboxy-terminal UmuD' fragment needed for induced mutagenesis. The presence of a similar system in other species was examined by using a combined approach of inducible-mutagenesis assays, cross-reactivity to E. coli UmuD and UmuD' antibodies to test for induction and cleavage of UmuD-like proteins, and hybridization with E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium umu DNA probes to map umu-like genes. The results indicate a more widespread distribution of mutagenic DNA repair in other species than was previously thought. They also show that umu loci can be more complex in other species than in E. coli. Differences in UV-induced mutability of more than 200-fold were seen between different species of enteric bacteria and even between multiple natural isolates of E. coli, and yet some of the species which display a poorly mutable phenotype still have umu-like genes and proteins. It is suggested that umDC genes can be curtailed in their mutagenic activities but that they may still participate in some other, unknown process which provides the continued stimulus for their retention.
Heterotopic synaptic bodies in the auditory hair cells of adult lizards

The auditory hair cells of adults of eight species of lizards (three gekkonids: Coleonyx variegatus, Gekko gecko, and Cosymbotus platyurus; two teiids: Ameiva ameiva and Cnemidophorus tigris; one anguid: Celestus costatus; one lacertid: Podarcis (Lacerta) sicula; and one iguanid: Crotaphytus wislizeni) were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Heterotopic synaptic bodies were found in some of the auditory hair cells of all of the above species, occurring frequently in the gekkonids but infrequently in other species.
“You Don’t Have to Be a Teacher to Teach This Unit:” Teaching, Technology, and Gender in the Classroom

Given the increasing power of conservative movements in the larger society, there is considerable pressure currently not only to redefine the manner in which education is carried out, but to redefine what education is actually for This has had a major impact on teachers’ autonomy and the definition of what counts as a skill. We argue that teaching is a specific kind of labor process, one that is currently being subject to rationalization, deskilling and intensification. Since teaching has historically been seen as largely “women’s paid work,” the gender implications of such tendencies are crucial. By interpreting teaching in gender and labor process terms, we report data from an ethnographic study of the use of a computer literacy curriculum to illuminate the effects of these tendencies on teachers’ daily lives. In this context, teachers often employed a prepackaged curriculum that deskilled them and frequently left them bored and reliant on outside experts and purchased material. Yet they also employed the curriculum for their own purposes, using it to partly solve the problems caused by their intense schedule and work load. This pragmatic response cannot be understood unless the gendered realities of teachers’ work inside and outside of the school are recognized.
A. H. Halsey: Oxford as a base for social research and educational reform

A. H. Halsey has been a professorial fellow (now emeritus) at Nuffield College in Oxford University since his appointment in 1962 as Director of Oxford’s Department of Social and Administrative Studies. This paper explores his contribution to education throughout his career, as an academic and as a national and international policy advisor, and the interface between these two. Halsey worked in what he termed the ‘political arithmetic’ tradition throughout his career, with the dual tasks of documenting the state of society, and addressing social and political issues through ‘experimental social administration’, that is the field testing of social innovation and social policy in advance of national implementation. The paper focuses on Halsey’s ‘activist’ role in policy development in the UK and internationally, through his work on educational reform at the OECD and as research advisor to Crosland at the DES with the introduction of comprehensive schooling in the UK and in particular the Educational Priority Areas (EPA) programme, and traces through the impact of his work. His major contribution as one of the leading sociologists of education in the second half of the 20th century is also discussed, but the wider impact of this aspect of his work requires a much more extensive assessment than is possible in this paper.