Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Boundedness of Heterogeneous TCP Flows with Multiple Bottlenecks

TCP has been the dominant congestion control protocol in the Internet. Although it is well known that TCP combined with intermediate systems with active queue management (AQM) schemes can not guarantee asymptotical stability when the feedback delay or the link capacity is large, the asymptotical stability may not be necessary for network achieving good performance in terms of resource utilization, flow throughput and queueing delay. Practical bounds are important performance index for congestion control protocols and AQM schemes. How to derive practical bounds for realistic systems with heterogeneous flows, various delays and multiple bottlenecks is an important and challenging open issue. In this paper, we study the boundedness of generalized TCP and AQM systems considering the heterogeneity of flows and the impact of multiple bottlenecks. We derive the uniform bounds and uniform ultimate bounds of flow window size, which reveal how the system and flow parameters affect the system performance. Extensive simulation results have been given to verify the correctness of the bounds.
Finite element model of the human head exposed to electrostatic field generated by Video Display Units

The goal of this paper is to investigate interaction between electrostatic field of video display units (VDU's) and human head in front of it. Special attention is given to the field at the surface of the face. The finite element model for assessment of the electrostatic field, by solving Laplace equation for the electric potential, is implemented. The electrostatic field is calculated for two different faces and for two different types of the domain and then compared with results obtained by the finite difference method. The advantage of the presented numerical method is a high resolution and a higher accuracy
CIEL: A Universal Execution Engine for Distributed Data-Flow Computing

This paper introduces CIEL, a universal execution engine for distributed data-flow programs. Like previous execution engines, CIEL masks the complexity of distributed programming. Unlike those systems, a CIEL job can make data-dependent control-flow decisions, which enables it to compute iterative and recursive algorithms. We have also developed Skywriting, a Turing-complete scripting language that runs directly on CIEL. The execution engine provides transparent fault tolerance and distribution to Skywriting scripts and high-performance code written in other programming languages. We have deployed CIEL on a cloud computing platform, and demonstrate that it achieves scalable performance for both iterative and non-iterative algorithms.
Use of culture and molecular analysis to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbation in patients with cystic fibrosis

Background Anaerobic bacteria are increasingly regarded as important in cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary infection. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of antibiotic treatment on aerobic and anaerobic microbial community diversity and abundance during exacerbations in patients with CF. Methods Sputum was collected at the start and completion of antibiotic treatment of exacerbations and when clinically stable. Bacteria were quantified and identified following culture, and community composition was also examined using culture-independent methods. Results Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Burkholderia cepacia complex were detected by culture in 24/26 samples at the start of treatment, 22/26 samples at completion of treatment and 11/13 stable samples. Anaerobic bacteria were detected in all start of treatment and stable samples and in 23/26 completion of treatment samples. Molecular analysis showed greater bacterial diversity within sputum samples than was detected by culture; there was reasonably good agreement between the methods for the presence or absence of aerobic bacteria such as P aeruginosa (κ=0.74) and B cepacia complex (κ=0.92), but agreement was poorer for anaerobes. Both methods showed that the composition of the bacterial community varied between patients but remained relatively stable in most individuals despite treatment. Bacterial abundance decreased transiently following treatment, with this effect more evident for aerobes (median decrease in total viable count 2.3×107 cfu/g, p=0.005) than for anaerobes (median decrease in total viable count 3×106 cfu/g, p=0.046). Conclusion Antibiotic treatment targeted against aerobes had a minimal effect on abundance of anaerobes and community composition, with both culture and molecular detection methods required for comprehensive characterisation of the microbial community in the CF lung. Further studies are required to determine the clinical significance of and optimal treatment for these newly identified bacteria.
Using Spreadsheets for Teaching Principles of On-line Checking of Logic Circuits

This paper examines the use of spreadsheets as a tool for learning theoretical principles of concurrent error detection. Basic concepts of concurrent checking are presented by using specific spreadsheet templates. A matrix representation of a system of logical functions is used for this aim. A specific technique is described for constructing a logic simulator implementing this matrix representation. After the logic simulator construction, students are able to solve practical tasks due to understanding its theoretical basis. The proposed spreadsheet simulation approach for teaching the subject achieves the theoretical goal of the lesson by making use of practical student activities.
1-State Error-Trellis Decoding of LDPC Convolutional Codes Based on Circulant Matrices

We consider the decoding of convolutional codes using an error trellis constructed based on a submatrix of a given check matrix. In the proposed method, the syndrome-subsequence computed using the remaining submatrix is utilized as auxiliary information for decoding. Then the ML error path is correctly decoded using the degenerate error trellis. We also show that the decoding complexity of the proposed method is basically identical with that of the conventional one based on the original error trellis. Next, we apply the method to check matrices with monomial entries proposed by Tanner et al. By choosing any row of the check matrix as the submatrix for error-trellis construction, a 1-state error trellis is obtained. Noting the fact that a likelihood-concentration on the all-zero state and the states with many 0's occurs in the error trellis, we present a simplified decoding method based on a 1-state error trellis, from which decoding-complexity reduction is realized.
Factors influencing outcomes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency department

BACKGROUND: The outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may depend on a variety of factors related to patient status or resuscitation management. To evaluate the factors influencing the outcome of CPR after cardiac arrest (CA) will be conducive to improve the effectiveness of resuscitation. Therefore, a study was designed to assess these factors in the emergency department (ED) of a city hospital. METHODS: A CPR registry conforming to the Utstein-style template was conducted in the ED of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College from January 2005 to December 2011. The outcomes of CPR were compared in various factors groups. The primary outcomes were rated to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 24-hour survival, survival to discharge and discharge with favorable neurological outcomes. Univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate factors associated with survival. RESULTS: A total of 725 patients were analyzed in the study. Of these patients, 187 (25.8%) had ROSC, 100 (13.8%) survived for 24 hours, 48 (6.6%) survived to discharge, and 23 (3.2%) survived to discharge with favorable neurologic outcomes. A logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the independent predictors of ROSC included traumatic etiology, first monitored rhythms, CPR duration, and total adrenaline dose. The independent predictors of 24-hour survival included traumatic etiology, cardiac etiology, first monitored rhythm and CPR duration. Previous status, cardiac etiology, first monitored rhythms and CPR duration were included in independent predictors of survival to discharge and neurologically favorable survival to discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Shockable rhythms, CPR duration ≤15 minutes and total adrenaline dose ≤5 mg were favorable predictors of ROSC, whereas traumatic etiology was unfavorable. Cardiac etiology, shockable rhythms and CPR duration ≤15 minutes were favorable predictors of 24-hour survival, whereas traumatic etiology was unfavorable. Cardiac etiology, shockable rhythms, CPR duration ≤15 minutes were favorable predictors of survival to discharge and neurologically favorable survival to discharge, but previous terminal illness or multiple organ failure (MOF) was unfavorable.
RTTOV-7 : A Satellite Radiance Simulator for the New Millennium

One of the essential tools to exploit satellite radiance data in an NWP model assimilation system is a fast radiative transfer (RT) model. This includes both the forward model, which computes satellite radiances for a given profile vector, and its jacobian which computes the change in radiances with respect to the input profile variables. The RTTOV fast RT model has been developed for many years now and recently this has been supported as part of the EUMETSAT NWP Satellite Application Facility (SAF) activities. The last version of RTTOV, RTTOV-6, was released in March 2000 and has been distributed to over 40 users worldwide. In February 2002 RTTOV-7 was released by the NWP-SAF and has several improvements that are described briefly in this paper and other papers in this proceedings (see references below). The main upgrades are: improved water vapour channel simulation, improved microwave surface emissivity model, support for AIRS, MODIS and SSM/I(S), additional RTTOV routines for simulating cloudy radiances, code rewritten in standard Fortran-90 and simpler coefficient ingest.
Acquisition Accounting Method and Bid Premia for Target Firms

Previous research suggests that certain benefits may derive from the method used to account for business combinations and may affect how bidding firms structure and classify corporate acquisitions. This paper investigates whether benefits derived from accounting method are reflected in bid premia for target firms. Three estimates of bid premia are examined in 95 stock-for-stock acquisitions, 59 accounted for as poolings, and 36 accounted for as purchases. Sampling restrictions, covariance analysis, and a nonparametric matched pair comparison control for potentially confounding variables identified from prior research on bid premia determinants. The results show an association between acquisition accounting method and bid premia for target firms. R ESEARCHERS have investigated the association of such factors as taxation, method of financing (cash vs. equity), and method of acquisition (tender vs. merger) with the premia paid for target shares. ' However, the association between method of accounting for an acquisition and the premium paid for target shares has not been explored.2 By analyzing bid premia in a sample of stock-forstock acquisitions, this study presents descriptive evidence of an association between the acquisition accounting method and premia paid for the common stock of target firms. The authors wish to acknowledge the helpful comments of the participants in the Northwest Accounting Research Group and the accounting workshops at Texas, Wyoming, Western Washington, and Illinois. Particularly helpful were the comments of Tim Bell, Chee Chow, Bob Harris, Joel Hasbrouck, Ray King, Bill Kinney, Kevin Nathan, Cathy Niden, Bob Thompson, and two anonymous referees. Support was provided to Shane by the University of Montana School of Business Research Fund. Manuscript received January 1989. Revision received May 1989. Accepted August 1989.
Software analysis for Agents of Things (AoT) applications

The Agents of Things is an extension of the Internet of Things concept in which objects or things are embedded with self-reasoning intelligent software agents to provide value-added services to humans. However, a particular difficulty in designing intelligent things for the Agents of Things implementation is to determine the level of reasoning ability that corresponds to the functions of the things. To achieve this goal, we need to find an optimal match of hardware configuration with the software abilities that intelligently perform the functions of the things. In this paper, we analyze different software to identify their spectrum in optimizing self-reasoning intelligent software for the things. The result of this analysis is a software spectrum that is organized in terms of complexity and sophistication. We discuss the analytical process to arrive at the spectrum.
Person identification at a distance via ocular biometrics

The performance of iris recognition reduces when the images are captured at a distance. However, such images generally contain periocular region which can be utilized for person recognition. In this research, we propose a novel context switching algorithm that dynamically selects the best descriptor for color iris and periocular regions. Using predefined protocols, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on UBIRIS V2 and FRGC datasets, and the results show improved performance compared to existing algorithms.
Transformational Leadership and Job Satisfaction

A vast literature describes transformational leadership in terms of leader having charismatic and inspiring personality, stimulating followers, and providing them with individualized consideration. A considerable empirical support exists for transformation leadership in terms of its positive effect on followers with respect to criteria like effectiveness, extra role behaviour and organizational learning. This study aims to explore the effect of transformational leadership characteristics on followers' job satisfaction. Survey method was utilized to collect the data from the respondents. The study reveals that individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation affect followers' job satisfaction. However, intellectual stimulation is positively related with job satisfaction and individualized consideration is negatively related with job satisfaction. Leader's charisma or inspiration was found to be having no affect on the job satisfaction. The three aspects of transformational leadership were tested against job satisfaction through structural equation modeling using Amos.
IS EXTREME RIGHT-WING POPULISM CONTAGIOUS ?

This article presents a new model for explaining the emergence of the party family of extreme right-wing populist parties in Western Europe. As the old master frame of the extreme right was rendered impotent by the outcome of the World War II, it took the innovation of a new, potent master frame before the extreme right was able to break electoral marginalization. Such a master frame—combining ethno-nationalist xenophobia, based on the doctrine of ethno-pluralism, with anti-political establishment populism—evolved in the 1970s, and was made known as a successful frame in connection with the electoral breakthrough of the French Front National in 1984. This event started a process of cross-national diffusion, where embryonic extreme right-wing groups and networks elsewhere adopted the new frame. Hence, the emergence of similar parties, clustered in time—i.e., the birth of a new party family—had less to do with structural factors influencing different political systems in similar ways, as with cross-national diffusion of frames. The innovation and diffusion of the new master frame was a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the emergence of the ERP parties. In order to complete the model, a short list of different political opportunity structures is added.
The Shape of Uterine Contractions and Labor Progress in the Spontaneous Active Labor

Background Dystocia is the most common indication of primary cesarean section. The most common cause of dystocia is uterine dysfunction. In prolonged labor, more attention is usually paid to the fetus and pelvis rather than to the role of uterine contractions in a delivery. Therefore, we decided to determine the relationship between the labor progress and uterine contractions shapes. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 200 primiparous women participated having a single pregnancy and cephalic presentation. Uterus contractions were recorded using electronic fetal monitoring at the beginning of the active phase of labor (dilatation 3-5 cm) for 30 min. Fall to rise (F:R) ratio was calculated by determining the duration of returning from a contraction peak to its baseline (fall) and the duration of the rise time from baseline to peak (rise) in two groups. The data were analyzed using t-test and Chi-square test. Results In this study, 162 women had a normal delivery and 38 women had a cesarean (CS) delivery due to the lack of labor progress. The average F:R ratio was 1.13±0.193 seconds in the vaginal delivery group and 1.64±0.301 seconds in the CS group. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The frequency of contractions in the vaginal delivery group was more than the CS group (P=0.008). Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that uterine contractions shapes change; and F:R ratio was higher in the group that lacked labor progress. Therefore, contraction shapes can be used to predict the labor progress.
Getting Neurorehabilitation Right

Animal models suggest that a month of heightened plasticity occurs in the brain after stroke, accompanied by most of the recovery from impairment. This period of peri-infarct and remote plasticity is associated with changes in excitatory/inhibitory balance and the spatial extent and activation of cortical maps and structural remodeling. The best time for experience and training to improve outcome is unclear. In animal models, very early (<5 days from onset) and intense training may lead to increased histological damage. Conversely, late rehabilitation (>30 days) is much less effective both in terms of outcome and morphological changes associated with plasticity. In clinical practice, rehabilitation after disabling stroke involves a relatively brief period of inpatient therapy that does not come close to matching intensity levels investigated in animal models and includes the training of compensatory strategies that have minimal impact on impairment. Current rehabilitation treatments have a disappointingly modest effect on impairment early or late after stroke. Translation from animal models will require the following: (1) substantial increases in the intensity and dosage of treatments offered in the first month after stroke with an emphasis on impairment; (2) combinational approaches such as noninvasive brain stimulation with robotics, based on current understanding of motor learning and brain plasticity; and (3) research that emphasizes mechanistic phase II studies over premature phase III clinical trials.
The role of pediatric nursing in the provision of quality care in humanitarian settings: a qualitative study in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone

Purpose: Evaluate nurses' and caretakers' perspectives of quality care, barriers to its delivery, and its study in a humanitarian setting. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and direct observation was conducted in the pediatric department of Magburaka Hospital, Tonkolili district, Sierra Leone. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and inductive coding was used to identify prevalent themes. The observation was used to compare and elaborate on interview findings. Results: Three themes emerged holistic care; the nursing community; and organization and systems of care. For caretakers, holistic care related to their child’s survival, with quality care described as the availability of free medication, provision for basic needs (food, water, shelter, sanitation), hospital cleanliness, and psychosocial support. For nurses, this involved medication administration, cleanliness, and carrying out nursing tasks (e.g., taking vital signs). Observation revealed caretakers, without nursing involvement, performed the majority of “activities of daily living” (e.g., bathing, toileting). The nursing community describes nursing employment types, attitudes, and how a lack of teamwork impacted quality nursing care. The third theme outlines the importance of organization and systems of care, in which training and a good salary were perceived as prerequisites for quality nursing care, whilst a lack of resources and inadequate operational systems were barriers. Conclusion: Caretakers play an integral role in the delivery of quality care. This and important quality care components outlined by nurses and caretakers identified a patient and family-centered approach could contribute to improving quality nursing care in humanitarian settings.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Darwin's Invisible Hand: Market Competition, Evolution and the Firm

Competition among firms has been suggested to reflect the ruthless logic of Darwinian selection: a free market is a struggle for survival, in which successful firms survive and unsuccessful ones die. This view appears to bolster three pillars of neoclassical economics: (1) that economic actors are self-interested; (2) that self-interest leads to public goods (Adam Smith's " invisible hand "); and (3) that together these lead to market optimization. However, this chain of reasoning leads to a paradox. We show that the application of Darwinian selection to competition among firms (as opposed to among individuals) invokes group selection, which leads to exactly the opposite predictions: notably altru-ism and the suppression of individual self-interest. We apply an alternative evolutionary model of economic competition, multi-level selection (MLS) theory, which integrates the effects of selection at both individual and group levels. This approach reveals that, while individuals may generally pursue their own self-interest (as in the standard evolutionary account), humans also have evolved traits that—as if led by an invisible hand—steer our self-interest to align with the good of the firm or wider society as well. But it is the hand of Darwin, not Smith.
Largescale Transcriptomics Analysis Suggests Over-Expression of BGH3, MMP9 and PDIA3 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been reported as the most prevalent cancer of the head and neck region, while early diagnosis remains challenging. Here we took a comprehensive bioinformatics study on microarray data of 326 OSCC clinical samples with control of 165 normal tissues. The cell interaction pathways of ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion were found to be significantly regulated in OSCC samples. Further analysis of the topological properties and expression consistency identified that three hub genes in the gene interaction network, MMP9, PDIA3 and BGH3, were consistently up-expressed in OSCC samples. When being validated on additional microarray datasets of 41 OSCC samples, the validation rate of over-expressed BGH3, MMP9, and PDIA3 reached 90%, 90% and 84% respectively. At last, immuno-histochemical assays were done to test the protein expression of the three genes on newly collected clinical samples of 35 OSCC, 20 samples of pre-OSCC stage, and 12 normal oral mucosa specimens. Their protein expression levels were also found to progressively increase from normal mucosa to pre-OSCC stage and further to OSCC (ANOVA p = 0.000), suggesting their key roles in OSCC pathogenesis. Based on above solid validation, we propose BGH3, MMP9 and PDIA3 might be further explored as potential biomarkers to aid OSCC diagnosis.