Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beaconing in Wireless Mobile Networks

One of the intrinsic problems posed by mobility in wireless networks is the discovery of other nodes in the vicinity of a node to establish new links with them as well as detecting a link breakage. A widely used solution for this problem is to use different variations of beaconing. Here, we study the effect of the beacon settings on the link reliability and probability of link establishment. A poorly adjusted rate of beacon transmissions may lead to vast resource usage (power and bandwidth) on one side, or may lead to poor throughput on the other side. We use a general model without assuming a particular mobility model. The model is instantiated for periodic and exponential beaconing and it is then applied to compare two-way beaconing with one-way beaconing. Then, it is used to analyze the effect of connection setup time. Moreover, it is analytically proven that widely used periodic beaconing is not only the simplest beaconing scheme but also the optimal one in terms of beacon hit efficiency. Finally, the model is applied to a case study in delay-tolerant networks to study the effect of beacon interval on the capacity and the energy consumption of the network. Finally, a practical thumb of rule for beacon rate adjustment is suggested to bypass heavy computations.
DLR-Hand II: next generation of a dextrous robot hand

This paper outlines the 2nd generation of multisensory hand design at DLR, based on the results of the DLR Hand I we analysed. An open skeleton structure for better maintenance with semi-shell housing and the new automatically reconfigurable palm have been equipped with more powerful actuators to reach 30 N on the fingertip. The newly designed sensors as the 6-DOF fingertip force torque sensor, the integrated electronics and the new communication architecture with a reduction of cabling to the hand to only 12 lines, are outlined. The Cartesian impedance control of all the fingers completes the new 13-DOF hand.
Variations between Countries in Values of Statistical Life

Estimated values of statistical life exist from 68 reasonably credible studies spread across 13 countries. The income-elasticity of values across countries ranges from 0.85 to 1.00 in models at different levels of aggregation. The values are typically about 120 times GDP per capita. Regression-based value estimates for most developed and developing countries are presented.
On the possible influence of radon and aerosol injection on the atmosphere and ionosphere before earthquakes

Abstract. A model of the generation of pulses of local electric fields with characteristic time scales of 1–10 min is considered for atmospheric conditions above fracture regions of earthquakes. In the model, it is proposed that aerosols, increased ionization velocity and upstreaming air flows occur at night-time conditions. The pulses of local electric fields cause respective pulses of infrared emissions. But infrared emissions with time scales of 1–10 min were not observed up to now experimentally. The authors think, that the considered non-stationary field and radiation effects might be a new-type of applicable earthquake indicators and ask to perform special earth-based and satellite observations of the night-time atmosphere in seismoactive fracture regions.
Use of an electronic medical record improves the quality of urban pediatric primary care.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of pediatric primary care, including preventive services, before and after the introduction of an electronic medical record (EMR) developed for use in an urban pediatric primary care center. METHODS A pre-postintervention analysis was used in the study. The intervention was a pediatric EMR. Routine health care maintenance visits for children <5 years old were reviewed, and documentation during preintervention (paper-based, 1998) and postintervention visits (computer-based, 2000) was compared. RESULTS A total of 235 paper-based visits and 986 computer-based visits met study criteria. Twelve clinicians (all attendings or nurse practitioners) contributed an average of 19.4 paper-based visits (range: 5-39) and 7 of these clinicians contributed an average of 141 computer-based visits each (range: 61-213). Computer-based clinicians were significantly more likely to address a variety of routine health care maintenance topics including: diet (relative risk [RR]: 1.09), sleep (RR: 1.46), at least 1 psychosocial issue (RR: 1.42), smoking in the home (RR: 15.68), lead risk assessment (RR: 106.54), exposure to domestic or community violence (RR: 35.19), guns in the home (RR: 58.11), behavioral or social developmental milestones (RR: 2.49), infant sleep position (RR: 9.29), breastfeeding (RR: 1.99), poison control (RR: 3.82), and child safety (RR: 1.29). Trends toward improved lead exposure, vision, and hearing screening were seen; however, differences were not significant. Users of the system reported that its use had improved the overall quality of care delivered, was well-accepted by families, and improved guidance quality; however, 5 of 7 users reported that eye-to-eye contact with patients was reduced, and 4 of 7 reported that use of the system increased the duration of visits (mean: 9.3 minutes longer). All users recommended continued use of the system. CONCLUSION Use of the EMR in this study was associated with improved quality of care. This experience suggests that EMRs can be successfully used in busy urban pediatric primary care centers and, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine, must play a central role in the redesign of the US health care system.
Macular pigment optical density in the elderly: findings in a large biracial Midsouth population sample.

PURPOSE To report the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) findings at 0.5 degrees of eccentricity from the fovea in elderly subjects participating in ARMA, a study of aging and age-related maculopathy (ARM) ancillary to the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. METHODS MPOD was estimated with a heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP) method in a large biracial population sample of normal 79.1 +/- 3.2-year-old adults living in the Midsouth (n = 222; 52% female; 23% black, 34% users of lutein-containing supplements). Within a modified testing protocol, subjects identified the lowest and the highest target intensity at which the flicker sensation disappeared, and the exact middle of this "no-flicker zone" was interpolated by the examiner. RESULTS An MPOD estimate was obtained successfully in 82% of the participants. The mean MPOD in our sample was 0.34 +/- 0.21 (SD). The interocular correlation was high (Pearson's r = 0.82). Compared with lutein supplement users, mean MPOD was 21% lower in nonusers (P = 0.013). MPOD was also 41% lower in blacks than in whites (P = 0.0002), even after adjustment for lutein supplement use. There were no differences in MPOD by gender, iris color, or history of smoking. CONCLUSIONS Older adults in the Midsouth appear to have average MPOD and interocular correlation comparable to those in previous studies. Lutein supplement use and white race correlated with higher MPOD. No evidence of an age-related decline in MPOD was seen in the sample. The HFP method for the measurement of MPOD is feasible in epidemiologic investigations of the elderly, the group at highest risk of ARM.
The Consequences of Literacy

The accepted tripartite divisions of the formal study both of mankind's past and present are to a considerable extent based on man's development first of language and later of writing. Looked at in the perspective of time, man's biological evolution shades into prehistory when he becomes a language-using animal; add writing, and history proper begins. Looked at in a temporal perspective, man as animal is studied primarily by the zoologist, man as talking animal primarily by the anthropologist, and man as talking and writing animal primarily by the sociologist.
A SERVQUAL and QFD approach to total quality education

Educational institutions like other organizations are realizing the significance of customer‐centered philosophies and are turning to approaches such as total quality management to help manage their businesses. This paper starts with the background theory and then outlines the results of a study conducted on students within selected educational institutions in India to obtain a student perspective of the quality of those institutions. The SERVQUAL methodology was applied to identify the gap between customer expectations and perceptions of the actual service received. The quality function deployment technique was then used to identify the set of minimum design characteristics/quality components that meet the requirements of student as customers of the educational system.
Pupils' subject choice - higher grade physical education

INTRODUCTION While 1990 saw the general availability of 'A' level examinations in Physical Education and Sport Studies, it was not until 1993 that the Scottish 'equivalent', Higher Grade Physical Education (HGPE) , became available, with the first examinations taking place in 1994. Although 'A' level and Highe r Grade target the same age group (17 and 18 year olds) , Higher Grade study in Scotland has, until the recent introduction of the Higher Still development, normally been completed within one year compared to two years for 'A' level. HGPE aims to develop concepts that are introduced within Standard Grade Physical Education (SGPE) . SGPE became available in Scottish secondary schools in 1988 and is a two-year course primarily undertaken by pupils aged 15 and 16 years old. Since the introduction of 'A' level PE and Sport Studies , very little has been written regarding its uptake, beyond reporting the number of people entered for either 'A' level and the grades achieved. Apart from Carroll's (1995) research, no work has reported on pupils ' reasons for choosing to do 'A' level in either PE or Sport Studies. Sadly, there is a similar dearth of knowledge north of the border in relation to pupils' reasons for choosing to do HGPE. Although a number of authors (including Cooper, 1995 and the ILEA, 1988) have encouraged the PE profession to examine the reasons given by pupils which affect their decision to choose PE at certain levels, there have been no attempts to formally investigate pupils ' reasons for choosing or choosing not to do HGPE. This article reports from part of a larger research study pupils' reasons for choosing or choosing the more frequently mentioned reasons given by either group.
The Defense Policies of Nations: A Comparative Study

This comparative study of the security structures and defence policies of key nations in the international arena has become a valuable resource for policy makers and a useful text for courses on security studies. Now in its third edition, it has been thoroughly updated to take into account the developments of recent years: the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the resurgence of East Asian powers, the emergence of newly independent nations in Eastern Europe, the continuing instability of the Middle East, and the growing importance of third world nations in global security matters. New to the third edition are regional chapters that provide a useful context for the country studies.
Pregnancy Downregulates Actin Polymerization and Pressure-Dependent Myogenic Tone in Ovine Uterine Arteries

Pregnancy is associated with significantly decreased uterine vascular tone and increased uterine blood flow. The present study tested the hypothesis that the downregulation of actin polymerization plays a key role in reduced vascular tone of uterine arteries in the pregnant state. Uterine arteries were isolated from nonpregnant and near-term pregnant sheep. Activation of protein kinase C significantly increased the filamentous:globular actin ratio and contractions in the uterine arteries, which were inhibited by an actin polymerization inhibitor cytochalasin B. The basal levels of filamentous:globular actin were significantly higher in nonpregnant uterine arteries than those in near-term pregnant sheep. Prolonged treatment (48 hours) of nonpregnant sheep with 17&bgr;-estradiol (0.3 nmol/L) and progesterone (100.0 nmol/L) caused a significant decrease in the filamentous:globular actin. In accordance, the treatment of near-term pregnant sheep for 48 hours with an estrogen antagonist ICI 182 780 (10.0 &mgr;mol/L) and progesterone antagonist RU 486 (1.0 &mgr;mol/L) significantly increased the levels of filamentous:globular actin. Increased intraluminal pressure from 20 to 100 mm Hg resulted in an initial increase in uterine arterial diameter and vascular wall Ca2+ concentrations, followed by a decrease in the diameter at a constant steady-state level of Ca2+. Cytochalasin B blocked pressure-induced myogenic constrictions without effect on vascular wall Ca2+ levels and eliminated the differences in pressure-dependent myogenic tone between nonpregnant sheep and near-term pregnant sheep. The results indicate a key role of actin polymerization in protein kinase C–induced myogenic contractions and suggest a novel mechanism of sex steroid hormone–mediated downregulation of actin polymerization underlying the decreased myogenic tone of uterine arteries in pregnancy.
Auxin polar transport is essential for the development of zygote and embryo in Nicotiana tabacum L. and correlated with ABP1 and PM H+-ATPase activities

Auxin is an important plant growth regulator, and plays a key role in apical–basal axis formation and embryo differentiation, but the mechanism remains unclear. The level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) during zygote and embryo development of Nicotiana tabacum L. is investigated here using the techniques of GC-SIM-MS analysis, immunolocalization, and the GUS activity assay of DR5::GUS transgenic plants. The distribution of ABP1 and PM H+-ATPase was also detected by immunolocalization, and this is the first time that integral information has been obtained about their distribution in the zygote and in embryo development. The results showed an increase in IAA content in ovules and the polar distribution of IAA, ABP1, and PM H+-ATPase in the zygote and embryo, specifically in the top and basal parts of the embryo proper (EP) during proembryo development. For information about the regulation mechanism of auxin, an auxin transport inhibitor TIBA (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid) and exogenous IAA were, respectively, added to the medium for the culture of ovules at the zygote and early proembryo stages. Treatment with a suitable IAA concentration promoted zygote division and embryo differentiation, while TIBA treatment obviously suppressed these processes and caused the formation of abnormal embryos. The distribution patterns of IAA, ABP1, and PM H+-ATPase were also disturbed in the abnormal embryos. These results indicate that the polar distribution and transport of IAA begins at the zygote stage, and affects zygote division and embryo differentiation in tobacco. Moreover, ABP1 and PM H+-ATPase may play roles in zygote and embryo development and may also be involved in IAA signalling transduction.
Product Market Competition, Information and Earnings Management

We study theoretically the effect of product market competition on the incentives to engage in earnings manipulation, and we show how manipulating earnings is particularly rewarding in more competitive markets since the boost in market value of reporting good earnings is especially important. Using a panel dataset of about 70,000 observations spanning the period 1989–2011, we document that the competitive environment is an important determinant of Jones type discretionary accruals and it also affects real earnings management. In additional analysis, we find that the effect of competition on earnings manipulation is particularly important for companies that seem to be underperforming their competitors and that the competition-earnings management linkage is moderated by the degree of information visibility at the industry level.
Galaxy Clustering Evolution in the CNOC2 High-Luminosity Sample

The redshift evolution of the galaxy two-point correlation function is a fundamental cosmological statistic. To identify similar galaxy populations at different redshifts, we select a strict volume-limited sample culled from the 6100 cataloged Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology field galaxy redshift survey (CNOC2) galaxies. Our high-luminosity subsample selects galaxies having k-corrected and evolution-compensated R luminosities, M, above -20 mag (H0 = 100 km s-1 Mpc-1 ), where M(R) ≃ -20.3 mag. This subsample contains about 2300 galaxies distributed between redshifts 0.1 and 0.65 spread over a total of 1.55 deg2 of sky. A similarly defined low-redshift sample is drawn from the Las Campanas Redshift Survey. We find that the comoving two-point correlation function can be described as ξ(r|z) = (r00/r)γ(1 + z)-(3+ϵ-γ), with r00 = 5.03 ± 0.08 h-1 Mpc, ϵ = -0.17 ± 0.18, and γ = 1.87 ± 0.07 over the z = 0.03-0.65 redshift range, for ΩM = 0.2 and Λ = 0. The measured clustering amplitude and its evolution are dependent on the adopted cosmology. The measured evolution rates for ΩM = 1 and flat ΩM = 0.2 background cosmologies are ϵ = 0.80 ± 0.22 and ϵ = -0.81 ± 0.19, respectively, with r00 = 5.30 ± 0.1 and 4.85 ± 0.1 h-1 Mpc, respectively. The sensitivity of the derived correlations to the evolution corrections and details of the measurements is presented. The analytic prediction of biased clustering evolution for only the low-density, ΛCDM cosmology is readily consistent with the observations, with biased clustering in an open cosmology somewhat marginally excluded and a biased ΩM = 1 model predicting clustering evolution that is more than 6 standard deviations from the measured value.
Impact of Observation on Disposition of Elderly Patients Presenting to Emergency Departments with Non-Specific Complaints

Background Emergency Departments (EDs) have to cope with an increasing number of elderly patients, often presenting with non-specific complaints (NSC), such as generalized weakness. Acute morbidity requiring early intervention is present in the majority of patients with NSC. Therefore, an early and optimal disposition plan is crucial. The objective of this study was to prospectively study the disposition process of patients presenting to the ED with NSC. Methods For two years, all patients presenting with NSC presenting to an urban ED were screened and consecutively included. The initial disposition plan was compared to the effective transfer after observation. Optimal disposition was defined as a high accuracy regarding disposition of patients with acute morbidity to an internal medicine ward. Results The final study population consisted of 669 patients with NSC. Admission to internal medicine increased from 297 (44%) planned admissions to 388 (58%) effective admissions after observation. Conversely, transfers to geriatric community hospitals and discharges decreased from the initially planned 372 (56%) patients to 281 (42%) effectively transferred and discharged patients. The accuracy regarding disposition of patients with acute morbidity increased from 53% to 68% after observation. Conclusion Disposition planning in patients with NSC improves after observation, if defined by the accuracy regarding hospitalization of patients with acute morbidity. Further research should focus on risk stratification tools for timely disposition planning in order to reduce high admission rates for patients without acute morbidity and high readmission rates for discharged patients with non-specific complaints.
Autofluorescence bronchoscopy improves staging of radiographically occult lung cancer and has an impact on therapeutic strategy.

BACKGROUND The ability of conventional CT scans and fiberoptic bronchoscopy to localize and properly stage radiographically occult lung cancer (ROLC) in the major airways is limited. High-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning and autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB) may improve the assessment of ROLC before the most appropriate therapy can be considered. PATIENTS AND METHODS We prospectively studied 23 patients with ROLC, who were referred for intraluminal bronchoscopic treatment (IBT) with curative intent. Additional staging with HRCT and AFB was performed prior to treatment. Twenty patients were men, 9 patients had first primary cancers, and 14 patients had second primary cancers or synchronous cancers. RESULTS HRCT scanning showed that 19 patients (83%) had no visible tumor or enlarged lymph nodes. With AFB, only 6 of the 19 patients (32%) proved to have tumors < or = 1 cm(2) with visible distal margins. They were treated with IBT. In the remaining 13 patients, abnormal fluorescence indicated more extensive tumor infiltration than could be seen with conventional bronchoscopy alone. Six patients underwent radical surgery for stage T1-2N0 (n = 5) and stage T2N1 (n = 1) tumors. Specimens showed that tumors were indeed more invasive than initially expected. The remaining seven patients technically did not have operable conditions, so they were treated with external irradiation (n = 4) and IBT (n = 3). The range for the time of follow-up for all patients has been 4 to 58 months (median, 40 months). The follow-up data underscore the correlation between accurate tumor staging and survival. CONCLUSIONS Our data showed that 70% of patients presenting with ROLC had a more advanced cancer than that initially diagnosed, which precludes IBT with curative intent. Additional staging with HRCT and AFB enabled better classification of true occult cancers. Our approach enabled the choice of the most appropriate therapy for each individual patient with ROLC.
Determinants of growth in Italy. A time series analysis

This paper investigates the macro-determinants of growth in Italy in a time series framework, from 1950 till 2004. The analysis of economic growth, started with the Solows (1956) and Swans (1956) famous contributions, has developed rapidly since the mid 1980s. The empirical literature follows two main approaches: growth accounting and growth regressions. In this paper the empirical approach starts with a parsimonious specification of the growth equation and then it analyses extended models. The initial specification is consistent with the standard neoclassical model and includes human capital. The extensions involve the introduction of a set of policy and institutional factors potentially affecting the Italian economic performance. In relation to econometric techniques, we use the error correction model (ECM) representation: in a time series framework, it provides evidence on the existence of a stable long-run linear relationship between growth and its determinants. The main results are the following: investment is the key source of economic growth; time series properties of the variables of interest and regression analysis provide evidence in favour of endogenous growth models in Italy and the only variable that seems to be robustly correlated with growth, according to the Extreme Bound Analysis, is government consumption, which affects negatively the growth rate.