LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Similarities and differences between TQM , six sigma and lean

Purpose – During the last decades, different quality management concepts, including total quality management (TQM), six sigma and lean, have been applied by many different organisations. Although much important work has been documented regarding TQM, six sigma and lean, a number of questions remain concerning the applicability of these concepts in various organisations and contexts. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to describe the similarities and differences between the concepts, including an evaluation and criticism of each concept. Design/methodology/approach – Within a case study, a literature review and face-to-face interviews in typical TQM, six sigma and lean organisations have been carried out. Findings – While TQM, six sigma and lean have many similarities, especially concerning origin, methodologies, tools and effects, they differ in some areas, in particular concerning the main theory, approach and the main criticism. The lean concept is slightly different from TQM and six sigma. However, there is a lot to gain if organisations are able to combine these three concepts, as they are complementary. Six sigma and lean are excellent road-maps, which could be used one by one or combined, together with the values in TQM. Originality/value – The paper provides guidance to organisations regarding the applicability and properties of quality concepts. Organisations need to work continuously with customer-orientated activities in order to survive; irrespective of how these activities are labelled. The paper will also serve as a basis for further research in this area, focusing on practical experience of these concepts.
Maternal Satisfaction on Delivery Service and Its Associated Factors among Mothers Who Gave Birth in Public Health Facilities of Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION
The existence of maternal health service does not guarantee its use by women; neither does the use of maternal health service guarantee optimal outcomes for women. The World Health Organization recommends monitoring and evaluation of maternal satisfaction to improve the quality and efficiency of health care during childbirth. Thus, this study aimed at assessing maternal satisfaction on delivery service and factors associated with it.


METHODS
Community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Debre Markos town from March to April 2014. Systematic random sampling technique were used to select 398 mothers who gave birth within one year. The satisfaction of mothers was measured using 19 questions which were adopted from Donabedian quality assessment framework. Binary logistic regression was fitted to identify independent predictors.


RESULT
Among mothers, the overall satisfaction on delivery service was found to be 318 (81.7%). Having plan to deliver at health institution (AOR = 3.30, 95% CI: 1.38-7.9) and laboring time of less than six hours (AOR = 4.03, 95% CI: 1.66-9.79) were positively associated with maternal satisfaction on delivery service. Those mothers who gave birth using spontaneous vaginal delivery (AOR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.023-0.51) were inversely related to maternal satisfaction on delivery service.


CONCLUSION
This study revealed that the overall satisfaction of mothers on delivery service was found to be suboptimal. Reasons for delivery visit, duration of labor, and mode of delivery are independent predictors of maternal satisfaction. Thus, there is a need of an intervention on the independent predictors.
RERUM: Building a reliable IoT upon privacy- and security- enabled smart objects

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides a platform for the interconnection of a plethora of smart objects. It has been widely accepted for providing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications in many “smart” environments, such as cities, buildings, metering, and even agriculture. For several reasons though such applications have yet to achieve wide adoption; a major hurdle is the lack of user trust in the IoT and its role in everyday activities. RERUM, a recently started FP7 European Union project. aims to develop a framework which will allow IoT applications to consider security and privacy mechanisms early in their design phase, ensuring a configurable balance between reliability (requiring secure, trustworthy and precise data) and privacy (requiring data minimization for private information, like location). The RERUM framework will comprise an architecture, built upon novel network protocols and interfaces as well as the design of smart objects hardware. To highlight the challenges and evaluate the framework, RERUM will employ several Smart City application scenarios, which will be deployed and evaluated in real-world testbeds in two Smart Cities participating in the project. Here we detail the key technologies RERUM will investigate over the coming three years to reach its vision for IoT security, privacy and trust.
Phoneme awareness and pathways into literacy: A comparison of German and American children

Where American kindergartners are taught letters and letter sounds, German kindergartners are not; where American first and second graders receive an eclectic blend of whole language, whole word and phonics-based approaches, their German counterparts are taught by an intensive synthetic phonics approach. As a probe to the consequences of these pedagogical differences on the emergence of phoneme awareness, this study administered two tests of phoneme awareness to kindergarten-, firstand second-grade children in Germany and America, along with reading tests, the digit span test and a test of RAN color naming ability. The American kindergarten children excelled on a phoneme identity judgement and a phoneme deletion task that the German kindergartners found difficult. Their advantage held equally whether the manipulated sound was a syllable onset or the initial part of a consonant cluster. The first and second graders surpassed the kindergartners in both countries; however, the German first and second graders equaled their American peers on both tasks and both types of units. In addition, the German children were more accurate decoders of pseudowords by the end of second grade, and the association between phoneme awareness and German decoding ability was weaker. An increased emphasis on phonics and the greater transparency of the German alphabet are discussed as possible factors in the decoding excellence of the German second graders and its decreased association with phoneme awareness. The contrast between the American and German kindergartners and the equivalence of the first and second graders in the two countries are consistent with a view that phoneme awareness develops primarily as a product of literacy exposure.
Seismic anisotropy beneath Cascadia and the Mendocino triple junction: Interaction of the subducting slab with mantle flow

a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Cascadia subduction Mendocino Triple Junction Gorda-Juan de Fuca plate slab edge shear wave splitting Mantle flow associated with the Cascadia subduction zone and the Mendocino Triple Junction is poorly characterized due to a lack of shear wave splitting studies compared to other subduction zones. To fill this gap data was obtained from the Mendocino and FACES seismic networks that cover the region with dense station spacing. Over a period of 11–18 months, 50 suitable events were identified from which shear wave splitting parameters were calculated. Here we present stacked splitting results at 63 of the stations. The splitting pattern is uniform trench normal (N67°E) throughout Cascadia with an average delay time of 1.25 s. This is consistent with subduction and our preferred interpretation is entrained mantle flow beneath the slab. The observed pattern and interpretation have implications for mantle dynamics that are unique to Cascadia compared to other subduction zones worldwide. The uniform splitting pattern seen throughout Cascadia ends at the triple junction where the fast directions rotate almost 90°. Immediately south of the triple junction the fast direction rotates from NW–SE near the coast to NE–SW in northeastern California. This rotation beneath northern California is consistent with flow around the southern edge of the subducting Gorda slab. The Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ) is located on the coast of northern California and marks the intersection of the North American, Pacific and Gorda-Juan de Fuca (G-JdF) plates (see Fig. 1). To the north is the Cascadia subduction zone where the Juan de Fuca plate, a fragment of the ancient Farallon plate, is subducting beneath North America. To the south and west are the San Andreas and Mendocino transform faults respectively. The subducting G-JdF slab is young (7–10 Ma) and therefore thin (b50 km) due to the proximity of the ridge to the west (Severinghaus and Atwater, 1990; Wilson, 1993). The slab has been previously imaged to a depth of 400 km in the southern section of the subduction zone with an approximate dip of 50° towards the east (Xue and Allen, 2007). The slab is undergoing rollback, i.e. the trench is moving progressively towards the oceanic plate (Zandt and Humphreys, 2008). North America has an absolute motion of 27 mm/yr towards the southwest (Gripp and Gordon, 2002) and is therefore overriding the G-JdF plate at a faster rate than …
Realistic Simulation of Network Protocols in VANET Scenarios

Simulation of network protocol behavior in Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) scenarios is the predominant basis for evaluating the applicability of particular protocols developed in the Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) domain. As the selection of a mobility model influences the outcome of simulations to a great deal, the use of a representative model is necessary for producing meaningful evaluation results. In this work, we discuss and motivate the needs for coupling traffic micro simulation with standard network simulation. In particular, we developed such an integrated traffic/network simulation tool for evaluating network protocols in realistic VANET environments. In our work, we employed well-studied microsimulation models and wireless ad hoc network models from the domain of transportation and traffic science and the networking community, respectively. It could be shown that network simulations that make use of realistic traffic models produce vastly different results than those relying on commonly used simplistic models, while their adoption incurs only negligible performance penalties.
Child-sized 3D printed igus humanoid open platform

The use of standard platforms in the field of humanoid robotics can accelerate research, and lower the entry barrier for new research groups. While many affordable humanoid standard platforms exist in the lower size ranges of up to 60 cm, beyond this the few available standard platforms quickly become significantly more expensive, and difficult to operate and maintain. In this paper, the igus® Humanoid Open Platform is presented - a new, affordable, versatile and easily customisable standard platform for humanoid robots in the child-sized range. At 90 cm, the robot is large enough to interact with a human-scale environment in a meaningful way, and is equipped with enough torque and computing power to foster research in many possible directions. The structure of the robot is entirely 3D printed, allowing for a lightweight and appealing design. The electrical and mechanical designs of the robot are presented, and the main features of the corresponding open-source ROS software are discussed. The 3D CAD files for all of the robot parts have been released open-source in conjunction with this paper.
Seismic vulnerability assessment to slight damage based on experimental modal parameters

The aim of this paper is to adjust behaviour models for each class of structure for vulnerability assessment by using ambient vibration. A simple model based on frequencies, mode shapes and damping, taken from ambient vibrations, allows computation of the response of the structures and comparison of inter-storey drifts with the limits found in the literature for the slight damage grade, considered here as the limit of elastic behaviour. Two complete methodologies for building fragility curves are proposed: (1) using a multi-degree of freedom system including higher modes and full seismic ground motion, (2) using a single-degree of freedom model considering the fundamental mode f0 of the structure and ground motion displacement response spectra SD(f0). These two methods were applied to the city of Grenoble, where 60 buildings were studied. Fragility curves for slight damage were derived for the various masonry and reinforced concrete classes of buildings. A site-specific earthquake scenario, taking into account local site conditions, was considered, corresponding to an ML=5.5 earthquake at a distance of 15km. The results show the benefits of using experimental models to reduce variability of the slight damage fragility curve. Moreover, by introducing the experimental modal model of the buildings, it is possible to improve seismic risk assessment at an overall scale (the city) or a local scale (the building) for the first damage grade (slight damage). This level of damage, of great interest for moderate seismic prone
Treatment with vaginal progesterone in women with low-grade cervical dysplasia: a phase II trial.

BACKGROUND
The development of low-grade cervical dysplasia (CIN I) has been linked to a decrease of apoptosis and Langerhans cell (LC) count in the cervical epithelium and to an increase in the expression of various adhesion molecules. Vaginally administered progesterone locally increases apoptosis and the number of LCs, and reduces the expression of various adhesion molecules. We hypothesized that vaginal progesterone would increase the regression rate in women with CIN I.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
A non-randomized, open phase II trial with vaginal progesterone as treatment of CIN I was performed. Forty women were treated with vaginal micronized progesterone at 400 mg daily for 10 days/month from menstrual cycle day 16-25 for 6 months. The control group consisted of 96 consecutive women with CIN I treated prior and after the study period. After 3 and 6 months, all women were examined for regression, persistence, or progression of disease. Women were treated according to standard clinical protocols. In cases of progressive disease, a large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) was performed.


RESULTS
The mean (standard deviation) age of women in the treatment and control groups was 32.0 (7.6) and 32.6 (8.5) years, respectively. A total of 30% and 38.3% of CIN I regressed in the treatment and control group, respectively. In a multivariate model, a higher number of children, a higher lifetime number of sexual partners, a lower age at first intercourse, non-use of condoms as contraception, current smoking, and treatment with vaginal progesterone were associated with a higher probability of having persistent or progressive CIN. Current smoking and treatment with vaginal progesterone were associated with a higher probability of undergoing LLETZ.


CONCLUSION
Treatment with vaginal progesterone is associated with a lower rate of disease regression and a higher rate of surgical interventions in women with CIN I. We suggest that vaginal progesterone treatment should not be applied in women with known dysplasia.
OFDMA: A Broadband Wireless Access Technology

In this note, we review the design philosophies for uplink and downlink of OFDMA systems and demonstrate that OFDMA is a superior access technology for broadband wireless data network compared with traditional access technologies such as TDMA and CDMA. The main advantages of OFDMA over TDMA/CDMA stem from the scalability of OFDMA, the uplink orthogonality of OFDMA and the ability of OFDMA to take advantage of the frequency selectivity of the channel. Other advantages of OFDMA include its MIMO-friendliness and ability to provide superior quality of service (QoS).
Automatic 3D Video Summarization: Key Frame Extraction from Self-Similarity

In this paper we present an automatic key frame selection method to summarise 3D video sequences. Key-frame selection is based on optimisation for the set of frames which give the best representation of the sequence according to a rate-distortion trade-off. Distortion of the summarization from the original sequence is based on measurement of self-similarity using volume histograms. The method evaluates the globally optimal set of key-frames to represent the entire sequence without requiring pre-segmentation of the sequence into shots or temporal correspondence. Results demonstrate that for 3D video sequences of people wearing a variety of clothing the summarization automatically selects a set of key-frames which represent the dynamics. Comparative evaluation of rate-distortion characteristics with previous 3D video summarization demonstrates improved performance.
Positive selection and ancient duplications in the evolution of class B floral homeotic genes of orchids and grasses

Positive selection is recognized as the prevalence of nonsynonymous over synonymous substitutions in a gene. Models of the functional evolution of duplicated genes consider neofunctionalization as key to the retention of paralogues. For instance, duplicate transcription factors are specifically retained in plant and animal genomes and both positive selection and transcriptional divergence appear to have played a role in their diversification. However, the relative impact of these two factors has not been systematically evaluated. Class B MADS-box genes, comprising DEF-like and GLO-like genes, encode developmental transcription factors essential for establishment of perianth and male organ identity in the flowers of angiosperms. Here, we contrast the role of positive selection and the known divergence in expression patterns of genes encoding class B-like MADS-box transcription factors from monocots, with emphasis on the family Orchidaceae and the order Poales. Although in the monocots these two groups are highly diverse and have a strongly canalized floral morphology, there is no information on the role of positive selection in the evolution of their distinctive flower morphologies. Published research shows that in Poales, class B-like genes are expressed in stamens and in lodicules, the perianth organs whose identity might also be specified by class B-like genes, like the identity of the inner tepals of their lily-like relatives. In orchids, however, the number and pattern of expression of class B-like genes have greatly diverged. The DEF-like genes from Orchidaceae form four well-supported, ancient clades of orthologues. In contrast, orchid GLO-like genes form a single clade of ancient orthologues and recent paralogues. DEF-like genes from orchid clade 2 (OMADS3-like genes) are under less stringent purifying selection than the other orchid DEF-like and GLO-like genes. In comparison with orchids, purifying selection was less stringent in DEF-like and GLO-like genes from Poales. Most importantly, positive selection took place before the major organ reduction and losses in the floral axis that eventually yielded the zygomorphic grass floret. In DEF-like genes of Poales, positive selection on the region mediating interactions with other proteins or DNA could have triggered the evolution of the regulatory mechanisms behind the development of grass-specific reproductive structures. Orchidaceae show a different trend, where gene duplication and transcriptional divergence appear to have played a major role in the canalization and modularization of perianth development.
The importance of straw for pig and cattle welfare: A review

The provision of straw in animal production systems is widely presumed to be beneficial for the welfare of the animals. The aim of this paper is to review the scientific basis of this assumption for pigs and cattle. As there are important disadvantages (cost, labour, hygiene and incompatibility with manure drainage systems) associated with the use of straw, studies investigating whether there are suitable alternatives to straw that fulfil the same welfare functions are also reviewed. It is concluded that straw has many positive effects on the welfare of pigs. Bedding improves the physical comfort of the floor, and—unless temperatures are high—straw enables pigs to somewhat control their microclimate thereby increasing thermal comfort. Straw also functions as an important stimulus and outlet for exploration, foraging, rooting and chewing behaviours. Pigs that are feed restricted or housed in barren environments, in particular, can be strongly motivated to express these behaviours and the inability to do so may result in behavioural problems or anomalies. In addition, it has been demonstrated that preparturient sows are highly motivated to obtain nesting material and that straw can have a beneficial effect on maternal behaviour after farrowing. Although there may be superior alternatives for each of these functions of straw separately, it remains unlikely that these alternatives can adequately replace the total combination of these functions and also offer advantages regarding hygiene, environment, labour and economics. The importance of straw for the welfare of cattle mainly concerns floor-comfort. However, it appears that the provisioning of (high quality) synthetic lying mats, perhaps in combination with soft walking floors, may provide floor-comfort equal to that of straw. Although the consumption of straw reduces feeding motivation, and hence, the development of oral stereotypies, the behavioural function of straw is less for cattle compared to pigs. Moreover, it is possible to compose more appropriate roughage-feeds that better fulfil the behavioural as well as the dietary needs of cattle. www.elsevier.com/locate/applanim Applied Animal Behaviour Science 92 (2005) 261–282 * Tel.: +32 9 2722752; fax: +23 9 2722801. E-mail address: frank.tuyttens@clo.fgov.be. 0168-1591/$ – see front matter # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2005.05.007 For both pigs and cattle, there is weak evidence that concrete flooring rather than straw is a risk factor for increased overall morbidity and mortality. However, the relation between straw and health is complex, equivocal and disease specific. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effects of depression on reward-based decision making and variability of action in probabilistic learning.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Depression is characterized by low reward sensitivity in behavioral studies applying signal detection theory. We examined deficits in reward-based decision making in depressed participants during a probabilistic learning task, and used a reinforcement learning model to examine learning parameters during the task.


METHODS
Thirty-six nonclinical undergraduates completed a probabilistic selection task. Participants were divided into depressed and non-depressed groups based on Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) cut scores. We then applied a reinforcement learning model to every participant's behavioral data.


RESULTS
Depressed participants showed a reward-based decision making deficit and higher levels of the learning parameter τ, which modulates variability of action selection, as compared to non-depressed participants. Highly variable action selection is more random and characterized by difficulties with selecting a specific course of action.


CONCLUSION
These results suggest that depression is characterized by deficits in reward-based decision making as well as high variability in terms of action selection.