Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forwarding and positioning problems in ad hoc networks

Availability of node positions in ad hoc networks is of a twofold interest. First, it enables the use of position centric methods of addressing and routing. Second, node positions are a goal in themselves for applications such as tracking, sensing and reporting. This thesis makes contributions in both these directions. Trajectory based forwarding (TBF) is a novel method to forward packets in a dense ad hoc network that makes it possible to route packets along a predefined curve. The fundamental aspect of TBF is that it makes the transition from a discrete to a continuous view of the network. TBF's main advantages are that it provides cheap path diversity, it trades off computation for communication, and it decouples path naming from the actual path. Trajectories are a natural namespace for describing route paths when the topology of the network mirrors the topography of the physical surroundings in which it is deployed. I show how simple trajectories can be used to implement important networking protocols such as unicast, broadcast, multicast, multipath routing, and discovery in a quick and approximate way, as it needs only one support service: positioning. TBF requires that nodes know their position relative to a common coordinate system. Ad hoc positioning system (APS) is a family of methods that extends the self positioning capabilities of a fraction of landmark nodes to the rest of the network. It makes use of other node capabilities, such as angle of arrival, range estimations, and compasses. I characterize APS's performance by proving a Cramer-Rao bound for position error, and by simulating tracking and routing on top of obtained positions. Localized positioning system is a method that positions only the nodes along a trajectory, allowing TBF to function without landmarks, and even without a global coordinate system.
The neurodevelopmental progress of infants less than 33 weeks into adolescence

Background: Several studies have shown an increased incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment in very preterm survivors at school age compared with controls. Aim: To compare findings in the same cohort at 8 years and 15 years. Methods: A total of 151 of the 224 eligible infants born before 33 weeks of gestation from 1979 to 1982, and who were living in the UK, were assessed at 8 and 15 years. Items common to both assessments were compared to evaluate changes in neurodevelopmental function. The assessment included a structured neurological examination, psychometric tests using the WISC-R (in subjects born in 1981–82), a test of visuomotor integration (Beery), and a school questionnaire. Results: There was a significant increase in the proportion of subjects classified as impaired with disability from 11% at 8 to 22% at 14–15 years of age. The proportion of subjects classified as impaired without disability increased from 16% at 8 to 26% at 14–15 years of age. Full scale IQ decreased from 104 to 95 from childhood to adolescence, and more adolescents (24%) were requiring extra educational provision than they had at the age of 8 years (15%). Conclusion: Results indicate that between the ages of 8 and 15 years in this cohort of very preterm survivors there is an apparent deterioration in neurodevelopmental outcome category, cognitive function, and extra educational support. It is not clear whether this represents a genuine deterioration in neurocognitive function or whether it represents the expression of pre-existing cerebral pathology in an increasingly complex environment.
The Current State of Knowledge of Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Based on Its Study in Experimental Models

The present review focuses on the numerous experimental models used to study the complexity of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Although experimental models of hepatic I/R injury represent a compromise between the clinical reality and experimental simplification, the clinical transfer of experimental results is problematic because of anatomical and physiological differences and the inevitable simplification of experimental work. In this review, the strengths and limitations of the various models of hepatic I/R are discussed. Several strategies to protect the liver from I/R injury have been developed in animal models and, some of these, might find their way into clinical practice. We also attempt to highlight the fact that the mechanisms responsible for hepatic I/R injury depend on the experimental model used, and therefore the therapeutic strategies also differ according to the model used. Thus, the choice of model must therefore be adapted to the clinical question being answered.
Environmental disclosure in the Libyan oil and gas sector

Since 1990, interest in environmental disclosure (ED) has grown, and it is now seen as one of the most important types of social disclosure (Islam et al., 2005). This attention has not come out of the blue; as environmental costs rise year on year, it has become increasingly important to disclose these costs, as they can significantly impact upon the decisions made by the users of financial statements. This is especially important in light of the fierce competition between local and global companies. Concerned investors have therefore started to press for environmental information to be disclosed in companies’ annual reports.
Multiple-person alternation

We generalize the alternation machines of Chandra, Kozen and Stockmeyer [1] and the private alternation machines of Reif [14] to model multiple person (team) games of incomplete information. The resulting classes of machines are "multiple person alternation machines". The characterization of certain time and space bounded versions of these machines demonstrate interesting relationships between ordinary time and space hierarchies (Table 1). Our results are applied to relative succintness and power questions of finite state machines and to complexity questions of parallel finite state machines. Other machine variants, including private alternating pushdown store automata and Markovian alternation machines, are discussed.
Autonomous Control of Multiple UAVs for the Passive Location of Radars

This paper describes an algorithm that has been used for the autonomous control of multiple UAVs tasked with the high level objective of locating a radar subject to a number of real world constraints. The distributed, fully autonomous, cooperative control of the multiple UAV system was executed using sensor input from a heterogenous network of miniaturised Electronic Surveillance (ES) payloads. An ES sensor onboard one UAV detected a radar target and cross-cued ES receivers onboard two other UAVs. Based on the information shared between these UAVs the target radar was approximately located by each UAV Once the UAVs had coarsely located the target they autonomously, dynamically, and continuously adapted their flight trajectories to progressively improve the accuracy with which they were able to co-operatively locate the radar target. The UAVs were able to accurately locate the radar while simultaneously avoiding no-fly zones, one another and remaining within communication range.
Corneal Endothelial Morphology in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Aim. To investigate corneal endothelial cell morphological in children with type 1 diabetes and to determine the systemic and local factors that contribute to these changes. Methods. One hundred sixty eyes of 80 children with type 1 diabetes and 80 eyes of 40 normal children as a control during the period from July 2015 to February 2016 underwent full clinical and ophthalmologic examination. We measured the central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), ploymegathism, and pleomorphism using a noncontact specular microscope. Results. The mean age of the diabetic children was 8.22 ± 3.11 years. The mean duration of type 1 diabetes was 3.51 ± 2.23 years. The mean CCT was significantly higher: 537 ± 33.41 microns (right eye), in the diabetic group compared to the control group. The mean ECD in patients with type 1 diabetes was 3149.84 ± 343.75 cells/mm2 (right eye), and it was significantly lower than in the control group. Furthermore, pleomorphism was significantly lower 48.73 ± 5.43% (right eye), in the diabetic group compared to the control group. The mean polymegathism was significantly higher 37.96 ± 5.61% (right eye), in the diabetic group compared to the control group. All of these changes are significantly correlated only with the duration of diabetes. Conclusions. Diabetic children have thicker corneas, lower ECD, an increased polymegathism, and a decreased pleomorphism. The duration of diabetes is the factor that affects all of these changes. To what extent these changes affect visional function on long term needs to be investigated in further studies.
Predictors of hypoxaemia in hospital admissions with acute lower respiratory tract infection in a developing country

Since oxygen has to be given to most children in developing countries on the basis of clinical signs without performing blood gas analyses, possible clinical predictors of hypoxaemia were studied. Sixty nine children between the ages of 2 months and 5 years admitted to hospital with acute lower respiratory tract infection and an oxygen saturation (Sao 2) < 90% were compared with 67 children matched for age and diagnosis from the same referral hospital with an Sao 2 of 90% or above (control group 1), and 44 unreferred children admitted to a secondary care hospital with acute lower respiratory infection (control group 2). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, sleepiness, arousal, quality of cry, cyanosis, head nodding, decreased air entry, nasal flaring, and upper arm circumference were found to be independent predictors of hypoxaemia on comparison of the cases with control group 1. Using a simple model of cyanosis or head nodding or not crying, the sensitivity to predict hypoxaemia was 59%, and the specificity 94% and 93% compared to control groups 1 and 2, respectively; 80% of the children with an Sao 2 < 80% were identified by the combination of these signs. Over half of the children with hypoxaemia could be identified with a combination of three signs: extreme respiratory distress, cyanosis, and severely compromised general status. Further prospective validation of this model with other datasets is warranted. No other signs improved the sensitivity without compromising specificity. If a higher sensitivity is required, pulse oximetry has to be used.
Sound and fury: McCloskey and significance testing in economics

For more than 20 years, Deidre McCloskey has campaigned to convince the economics profession that it is hopelessly confused about statistical significance. She argues that many practices associated with significance testing are bad science and that most economists routinely employ these bad practices: ‘Though to a child they look like science, with all that really hard math, no science is being done in these and 96 percent of the best empirical economics …’ (McCloskey 1999). McCloskey's charges are analyzed and rejected. That statistical significance is not economic significance is a jejune and uncontroversial claim, and there is no convincing evidence that economists systematically mistake the two. Other elements of McCloskey's analysis of statistical significance are shown to be ill‐founded, and her criticisms of practices of economists are found to be based in inaccurate readings and tendentious interpretations of those economists' work. Properly used, significance tests are a valuable tool for assessing signal strength, for assisting in model specification, and for determining causal structure.
Why does obesity promote cancer? Epidemiology, biology, and open questions

The association between obesity and/or metabolic syndrome and an elevated mortality from cancer has been confirmed by an astonishing number of studies across nations and ethnicities, such that obesity is now recognised to be among the most prominent cancer risk factors worldwide. Despite this overwhelming evidence and the societal impact of obesity, we know surprisingly little about the underlying molecular mechanisms. This knowledge gap is a major obstacle to the implementation of effective lifestyle change policies. As the scientific community is insecure on what messages it should deliver, administrators are uncertain as to what exactly to recommend, and consumers are confused about whom to believe. This leaves the field flooded with pseudo-scientific recommendations that are hard to eradicate. In this review, I will provide a summary of the existing epidemiological and mechanistic evidence on the relationship between systemic metabolism and cancer, highlighting debated issues and ongoing investigations.
Life science experiments performed in space in the ISS/Kibo facility and future research plans

Over the past several years, current techniques in molecular biology have been used to perform experiments in space, focusing on the nature and effects of space radiation. In the Japanese ‘Kibo’ facility in the International Space Station (ISS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has performed five life science experiments since 2009, and two additional experiments are currently in progress. The first life science experiment in space was the ‘Rad Gene’ project, which utilized two human cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines containing a mutated p53 gene (mp53) and a parental wild-type p53 gene (wtp53) respectively. Four parameters were examined: (i) detecting space radiation–induced DSBs by observing γH2AX foci; (ii) observing p53-dependent gene expression during space flight; (iii) observing p53-dependent gene expression after space flight; and (iv) observing the adaptive response in the two cell lines containing the mutated and wild type p53 genes after exposure to space radiation. These observations were completed and have been reported, and this paper is a review of these experiments. In addition, recent new information from space-based experiments involving radiation biology is presented here. These experiments involve human cultured cells, silkworm eggs, mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse eggs in various experiments designed by other principal investigators in the ISS/Kibo. The progress of Japanese science groups involved in these space experiments together with JAXA are also discussed here. The Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space (JSBSS), the Utilization Committee of Space Environment Science (UCSES) and the Science Council of Japan (ACJ) have supported these new projects and new experimental facilities in ISS/Kibo. Currently, these organizations are proposing new experiments for the ISS through 2024.
An exploratory study of the personal health records adoption model in the older adult with chronic illness.

BACKGROUND Despite international efforts moving toward integrated care using health information technologies and the potential of electronic PHRs to help us better coordinate patient-centered care, PHR adoption in the United States remains low among patients who have been offered free access to them from private-sector companies. If older adult stand to benefit from the use of PHRs for its usefulness in self-managing chronic illness, why have they not been more readily adopted? Since the chronically ill older adult has unique circumstances that impact their decision to participate in self-directed care, a theoretical framework to help understand factors that influence the adoption of PHRs is important. Here we describe the results of an exploratory study that provided an initial test of such a framework. METHODS The study used a descriptive survey methodology with 38 older adults. The survey questionnaire asked about the personal barriers and facilitators associated with personal health record adoption and included items measuring each of the PHRAM's four interacting factors (environmental factors, personal factors, technology factors, and self-management), and the resulting behavioral outcome. RESULTS Younger seniors had a more positive attitude toward computers, knew what health resources were available on the internet, agreed that they had the resources in place to use PHRs, and would be more influenced by a family member than a healthcare provider to use them. Conversely, older seniors reported less confidence in their ability to use Internet-based PHRs and did not perceive that they had the resources in place to use them. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicated that personal, environmental, technology, chronic illness, and behavioral factors operated concurrently as personal barriers and/or facilitators to the adoption of PHRs among the older adult with chronic illness. These factors cannot be isolated because the person commonly weighs risk with benefit and determines the personal value of adopting PHRs.
The Random Walk Hypothesis and the Evidence from the Amman (Jordan) Stock Exchange

This study investigates the validity of the random walk model for an emerging stock market (Amman Stock Exchange, ASE). The study examines for all assumptions implied by the random walk model using aggregate daily data. The results suggest that the behaviour of the ASE return series is inconsistent with the random walk model, which implies informationally inefficient.
Visualizing Globalization: A Self-Organizing Maps Approach to Customer Profiling

This research demonstrates the usefulness of self-organizing maps (SOM) as an intuitive visual rendering of a globalization phenomenon. We propose a systematic neural-network-based segmentation scheme for identifying and subsequently profiling transnational segments based on consumers’ desired benefits. In the study, SOMs are used in grouping survey respondents from 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, South America, and North America on the basis of their expressed preference toward certain car features such as styling, sportiness, fuel economy, and safety in accidents. These car features had been shown to form four major groupings: symbolic, utilitarian, sensory, and economic. The SOM-based clustering of the data yielded these same groupings of car features, but the economic and utilitarian clusters have been further subdivided into more specific benefits clusters. These benefits clusters have been used to identify a mixture of cultural and geographic factors that would segment the world market in such a way that countries within a market segment are homogeneous in terms of distribution of benefits sought. These market segments are subsequently analyzed for their socio-demographic profile. The paper concludes that SOM is not only an effective clustering method, it also provides an insightful visual depiction of the interrelationships of the clusters by positioning them in such a way that clusters that are spatially near each other resemble each other more.
Pituitary Stalk Interruption Syndrome in 53 Postpubertal Patients: Factors Influencing the Heterogeneity of Its Presentation

Background Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) may induce an isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency or multiple hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) deficiencies. Patients with multiple HP deficiencies, primarily those with adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) deficiency, are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to identify the factors influencing each symptom and the MRI features of the syndrome to enhance its diagnosis and genetic analysis. Methods This study was a retrospective, single-center, case-cohort study of 53 patients with PSIS who had reached pubertal age. Results Patients were classified as having an isolated GH deficiency (n = 24, Group 1) or HP deficiencies (n = 29, Group 2); of these, 19 had complete HP deficiency, and 10 had GH deficiency associated with TSH (n = 4), TSH and ACTH (n = 3), TSH and gonadotropin (n = 1) deficiencies or amenorrhea (n = 2). The following features were less frequent in Group 1 than in Group 2: breech presentation (4% vs 35%, P = 0.008), hypoglycemia (0% vs 59%, P<0.00001), micropenis (13% vs 69%, P<0.003), hypothalamic origin (0% vs 52%, P<0.000001), ophthalmic malformation (8% vs 38%, P<0.02) and psychomotor delay (0% vs 31%, P<0.004). The frequencies of all other malformations were similar in both groups (37% vs 59%). A visible pituitary stalk was characteristic of patients belonging to Group 1 (P<0.0002). The GH peak was greater in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P<0.0003), as was the anterior pituitary height (P = 0.01). Conclusion The factors that best discriminate patients with multiple HP deficiencies from those with an isolated GH deficiency are breech presentation, hypoglycemia, and micropenis. No patient with an isolated GH deficiency had psychomotor delay, but associated malformations and/or syndromes, with the exception of ophthalmic disorders, occurred with similar frequencies in both groups. We have also shown that each of the above characteristics is associated with a given HP deficiency and/or malformation/syndrome in the majority of cases.
Hickson Compact Groups: The Cores of Elongated Loose Groups

Evidence is presented which indicates that almost all HCGs are dynamically associated with generally elongated loose groups of galaxies, and are compact cores of the latter. Most of those loose groups, the direction of elongation of which lies at angles close to 45 with the line of sight, were revealed by previous investigations. Hence, HCGs have, probably, longer life-times than it has been deduced from N-body simulations, and thus are more stable congurations. The remote members of HCGs (the members of loose groups) are gravitationally bound with them.
miRNAs: biological and clinical determinants in epilepsy

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) are reported to be crucial modulators in the pathogenesis and potential treatment of epilepsies. To date, several miRNAs have been demonstrated to be significantly expressed in the epileptic tissues and strongly associated with the development of epilepsy. Specifically, miRNAs regulate synaptic strength, inflammation, neuronal and glial function, ion channels, and apoptosis. Furthermore, peripheral blood miRNAs can also be utilized as diagnostic biomarkers to assess disease risk and treatment responses. Here, we will summarize the recent available literature regarding the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis and treatment of epilepsy. Moreover, we will provide brief insight into the potential of miRNA as diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of epilepsy.
GP's Adherence to Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease among Elderly: A Quality Development Study

Background. Evidence-based guidelines should in most cases be followed also in the treatment of elderly. Older people are often suboptimally treated with the recommended drugs. Objectives. To describe how well general practitioners adhere to current guidelines in the treatment of elderly with cardiovascular disease and evaluate local education as a tool for improvement. Method. Data was collected from the medical records of patients aged ≥65, who visited a primary health care center in Sweden 2006 and had one or more of the following diagnoses: hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, chronic atrial fibrillation, or prior stroke. Local education was organized and included feed-back to the patient's doctor and discussion about regional guidelines. Repeated measurements were performed in 2008. Results and Conclusion. The adherence to guidelines was low. Approximately one-third of the patients with hypertension reached target blood pressure, stroke patients more often. More patients with heart failure were treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor than in other European countries, but still only 60%. Half of the patients with chronic atrial fibrillation were treated with Warfarin, although more than two-thirds had a CHADS2 score indicating the need. Educational efforts appeared to increase the adherence and hence should be encouraged.