Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Social Capital Mitigate Collaboration Challenges in University-Industry Research Alliances : A Longitudinal Case Study

Universities and public research organizations (PROs) are valuable knowledge sources for firms in innovation development. However, differences in goals and approaches between firms and PROs create tensions and lead to challenges in achieving fruitful collaborations. This paper explores how the development of cognitive and social capital can mitigate such challenges between firms and PROs in research alliances and facilitate effective collaboration over time. By comparing one well-established and one emerging research alliance, I find that it take time to build successful collaboration between firms and PROs and that the success highly depends on cognitive and relational social capital. Common goals and understanding about the collaboration as well as creation of personal relations between firms and PROs mitigates collaboration challenges and thereby lead to better collaboration performance over time. Moreover, it appears necessary that at least one of the social capital dimensions is present when entering a research alliance for a fruitful collaboration to be developed.
Hybrid Sludge Modeling in Water Treatment Processes

Sludge occurs in many waste water and drinking water treatment processes. The numeric modeling of sludge is therefore crucial for developing and optimizing water treatment processes. Numeric single-phase sludge models mainly include settling and viscoplastic behavior. Even though many investigators emphasize the importance of modeling the rheology of sludge for good simulation results, it is difficult to measure, because of settling and the viscoplastic behavior. In this thesis, a new method is developed that combines rheological measurements with a process-viscometer and numeric simulations, in order to produce flow curves that most probably display the real viscoplastic behavior of sludge below a concentration of 10 g/l. The settling velocity is determined with a hybrid approach combining standard measurements and numeric simulations of the measurements. This is called the hybrid sludge model, which finally demonstrates its power by simulating a complex lamella clarifier. The results of the simulation fit the measurements and observations of the testing plant well. This demonstrates that the hybrid sludge model contributes to the development of a numerical model that requires a minimum of measurements and computational effort, in order to simulate water treatment plants. Finally, sludge properties (settling and viscoplastic behavior) from different waste water treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants are compared, with remarkable results. This thesis provides efficient tools for including numeric modeling in the design and optimization processes of water treatment plants.
Eruptive nevi in prostate cancer: is this a paraneoplastic phenomenon?

A 68-year old man presented with multiple new asymptomatic pigmented lesions on his forearms and thighs of three months duration. No change had been noted to the nevi prior to attending dermatology. Shortly after the onset of the eruption, he was diagnosed with prostatic adenocarcinoma (Gleason Grade 4+4). This was diagnosed following prostatic biopsy, performed because of an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 29.2 (0–4.5) and symptoms of poor urinary flow and urgency. He did not describe any nocturia, hematuria, or weight loss. Staging magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis demonstrated extracapsular extension of the tumor and no lymphadenopathy or bony metastases. Bone scan was normal (Stage T3A). He was treated with local radiotherapy treatment and goserelin injections once every three months, resulting in suppression of PSA within months. There was no history of sunbed use, excessive sun exposure, or personal or family history of atypical nevi or malignant melanoma. He had Fitzpatrick Type I skin. Physical examination revealed multiple light and dark brown macules and papules, with a regular outline on the forearms and thighs, measuring between 3 and 6 mm (Fig. 1). There were no atypical features on dermoscopic examination. A diagnostic punch excision of a representative lesion confirmed nests of melanocytes at the epidermal-dermal junction and upper dermis, in keeping with a compound nevus (Fig. 2). At 12-month follow-up, all nevi have remained clinically stable, and his PSA remains <0.1. Since the first description of eruptive nevi, numerous associations have been described, for example, following chemotherapy for hematological malignancies and after bullous eruptions, such as bullous erythema multiforme, epidermolysis bullosa, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Eruptive nevi have also been reported in patients on immunosuppressant medications, including azathioprine and biological agents, as well as in the renal transplant population and those with HIV. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, various mechanisms are postulated. In patients following bullous disease, the reports of nevi occurring at healing sites suggests that local growth factor release such as fibroblast growth factor has a role in triggering nevus formation. The observation that eruptive nevi have occurred in patients with underlying hematological malignancies prior to and whilst on chemotherapy also suggests a role of the underlying malignancy leading to immune suppression. In this setting, reduced immune surveillance may be pivotal to melanocyte proliferation and nevus formation, leading to failure of the normal growth factor suppression, including melanocyte-stimulating hormone. There is now an increasing body of literature linking alterations in the fibroblast growth factor system to the initiation and progression of malignancy, including prostate cancer. It would seem plausible, therefore, that 212
Addition of cetuximab to first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a cost-utility analysis.

BACKGROUND Adding cetuximab to standard chemotherapy results in a moderate increase of overall survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the cost-effectiveness is unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS A Markov model was constructed based on the results of the First-Line ErbituX in lung cancer randomized trial, adding cetuximab to cisplatin-vinorelbine first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of adding cetuximab, expressed as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, and relative to a willingness-to-pay threshold of €60 000/QALY. The impact of cetuximab intermittent dosing schedules on the ICER was also evaluated. RESULTS Adding cetuximab to standard chemotherapy leads to a gain of 0.07 QALYs per patient at an additional cost of €26 088. The ICER for adding cetuximab to chemotherapy was €376 205 per QALY gained. Intermittent cetuximab dosing schedules resulted in ICERs per QALY gained between €31 300 and €83 100, under the assumption of equal efficacy. CONCLUSIONS From a health economic perspective, the addition of cetuximab to standard first-line chemotherapy in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-expressing advanced NSCLC cannot be recommended to date, due to a high ICER compared with other health care interventions. Treatment schedules resulting in more favorable cost-utility ratios should be evaluated.
Absolute instabilities in eccentric Taylor–Couette–Poiseuille flow

Abstract The effect of eccentricity on absolute instabilities (AI) in the Taylor–Couette system with pressure-driven axial flow and fixed outer cylinder is investigated. Five modes of instability are considered, characterized by a pseudo-angular order $m$, with here $\vert m\vert \leq 2$. These modes correspond to toroidal ($m=0$) and helical structures ($m\neq 0$) deformed by the eccentricity. Throughout the parameter range, the mode with the largest absolute growth rate is always the Taylor-like vortex flow corresponding to $m=0$. Axial advection, characterized by a Reynolds number ${\mathit{Re}_z}$, carries perturbations downstream, and has a strong stabilizing effect on AI. On the other hand, the effect of the eccentricity $e$ is complex: increasing $e$ generally delays AI, except for a range of moderate eccentricites ${0.3\lesssim e \lesssim 0.6}$, where it favours AI for large enough ${\mathit{Re}_z}$. This striking behaviour is in contrast with temporal instability, always inhibited by eccentricity, and where left-handed helical modes of increasing $\vert m\vert $ dominate for larger ${\mathit{Re}_z}$. The instability mechanism of AI is clearly centrifugal, even for the larger values of ${\mathit{Re}_z}$ considered, as indicated by an energy analysis. For large enough ${\mathit{Re}_z}$, critical modes localize in the wide gap for low $e$, but their energy distribution is shifted towards the diverging section of the annulus for moderate $e$. For highly eccentric geometries, AI are controlled by the minimal annular clearance, and the critical modes are confined to the vicinity of the inner cylinder. Untangling the AI properties of each $m$ requires consideration of multiple pinch points.
Phase I/II trial of temsirolimus combined with interferon alfa for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE Temsirolimus, an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin, has single-agent activity against advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A recommended dose and safety profile for the combination of temsirolimus and interferon alfa (IFN) were determined in patients with advanced RCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients were enrolled onto a multicenter, ascending-dose study of temsirolimus (5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 mg) administered intravenously once a week combined with IFN (6 or 9 million units [MU]) administered subcutaneously three times per week. An expanded cohort was treated at the recommended dose to obtain additional safety and efficacy information. RESULTS Seventy-one patients were entered to receive one of six dose levels. The recommended dose was temsirolimus 15 mg/IFN 6 MU based on dose-limiting toxicities of stomatitis, fatigue, and nausea/vomiting, which were observed at higher doses of temsirolimus and IFN. The most frequent grade 3 or 4 toxicities occurring in any cycle included leukopenia, hypophosphatemia, asthenia, anemia, and hypertriglyceridemia for all patients and those who received the recommended dose. Among patients who received the recommended dose (n = 39), 8% achieved partial response and 36% had stable disease for at least 24 weeks. Median progression-free survival for all patients in the study was 9.1 months. CONCLUSION The combination of temsirolimus and IFN has an acceptable safety profile and displays antitumor activity in patients with advanced RCC. Temsirolimus 15 mg plus IFN 6 MU is the recommended dose for evaluation in a randomized phase III study.
Electrostatic steering and ionic tethering in enzyme-ligand binding: insights from simulations.

To bind at an enzyme's active site, a ligand must diffuse or be transported to the enzyme's surface, and, if the binding site is buried, the ligand must diffuse through the protein to reach it. Although the driving force for ligand binding is often ascribed to the hydrophobic effect, electrostatic interactions also influence the binding process of both charged and nonpolar ligands. First, electrostatic steering of charged substrates into enzyme active sites is discussed. This is of particular relevance for diffusion-influenced enzymes. By comparing the results of Brownian dynamics simulations and electrostatic potential similarity analysis for triose-phosphate isomerases, superoxide dismutases, and beta-lactamases from different species, we identify the conserved features responsible for the electrostatic substrate-steering fields. The conserved potentials are localized at the active sites and are the primary determinants of the bimolecular association rates. Then we focus on a more subtle effect, which we will refer to as "ionic tethering. " We explore, by means of molecular and Brownian dynamics simulations and electrostatic continuum calculations, how salt links can act as tethers between structural elements of an enzyme that undergo conformational change upon substrate binding, and thereby regulate or modulate substrate binding. This is illustrated for the lipase and cytochrome P450 enzymes. Ionic tethering can provide a control mechanism for substrate binding that is sensitive to the electrostatic properties of the enzyme's surroundings even when the substrate is nonpolar.
Clinical and nutritional status of surgical patients with and without malignant diseases: cross-sectional study.

CONTEXT Malnutrition is frequently observed in inpatients with malignant diseases and may contribute to longer hospital stays. OBJECTIVE To compare the nutritional status, lymphocyte count, hemoglobin values and length of hospital stay of patients with and without malignant diseases. METHODS This comparative study assessed indicators of nutritional status, namely body mass index, recent weight loss, lymphocyte count, hemoglobin and length of hospital stay, of 928 surgical patients with and without malignant diseases (50.2% females and 49.8% males). The chi-square test was used to compare proportions and the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare continuous measurements between two groups. The significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS Patients with malignant diseases had longer hospital stays (P<0.0001), furthermore, a higher percentage of patients with malignant diseases had body mass index <18.5 (P<0.0001) and experienced recent weight changes (P<0.0002). Lymphocyte count also differed statistically between the groups (P = 0.0131), which lower levels were identified among patients with malignant diseases. CONCLUSION The lymphocyte count, hemoglobin values and weight loss are important findings of nutritional depletion in patients with malignant diseases.
The Control of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS)

Abstract : Doubt continues that current theories and practices can produce agent or multiagent system (MAS) autonomy (Pynadath et al., 2001), imperiling future MAS missions (Lawless & Grayson, 2004). One possible reason is that from the view of methodological individualism (Nowak & Sigmund, 2004), reality is a stable phenomenon meaning that a single best view of reality is mathematically possible, a thesis that Benardete (2002) rejects. Alternatively, social reality is bistable (bistability occurs when a phenomena exists in one of two interdependent states; e.g., bistable interpretations refer to two stable, incommensurable interpretations of one data set, illustration, or phenomenon), and is best modeled by the quantum relations (Bohr, 1955). Given multiple interpretations of the same context or situation, to control an MAS, a group or decision maker can choose to avoid multiple interpretations as advised by Nash (1950) in order to converge mathematically to a consensus which we conclude is optimal to enact solutions for well-defined problems (wdp's), or to exploit these multiple interpretations which we conclude is the only way to solve ill-defined problems (idp's) (Lawless & Grayson, 2004).
Cochlear Implant Outcomes: A Comparison between Irradiated and Non-irradiated Ears

Objectives Radiotherapy for head and neck tumors is known to potentially induce sensorineural hearing loss, which is possibly due to damage to the cochlear and/or auditory pathways. Since the success of cochlear implantation depends on a functional auditory nerve, this paper aims to study the hearing outcomes of cochlear implantation in irradiated ears. Methods A retrospective study of cochlear implant recipients from our institution who had previously received radiotherapy for head and neck cancers was performed. A control group with cochlear implants who did not receive radiotherapy was recruited. A review of case records, speech discrimination scores (SDS), and a validated subjective questionnaire in the form of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) was administered to the study group who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Global and category scores in both groups were averaged and statistically compared via non-inferiority (NI) testing. Results With the control group (n=8) as the reference, the -ΔNI was defined, and a one-tailed lower 95% confidence interval was used for the irradiated group (n=8). The APHAB degree of improvement (%) results were as follows: global, 28.9% (19.32%, -ΔNI=16.3%); ease of communication, 67.0% (58.36%, -ΔNI=37.5%); background noise, 53.2% (44.14%, -ΔNI=26.8%); reverberation, 41.7% (28.85%, -ΔNI=32.7%); and aversiveness, -46.2% (-67.80%, -ΔNI=-56.9%). The SDS was 66.9% (56.02%, -ΔNI=51.0%). From the results, lower 95% confidence interval limits of global APHAB, SDS, ease of communication, and background noise scores of the irradiated group were within the defined -ΔNI boundary and hence are not inferior to the control. The categories of reverberation and aversiveness could not be proven, however. Conclusion This study demonstrated marked improvements in hearing measured both objectively and subjectively. The overall hearing outcomes after cochlear implantation for post-irradiated patients were not worse than patients who have had no prior irradiation to ear structures.
Census vs. effective population size in chinook salmon: large‐ and small‐scale environmental perturbation effects

Population viability has often been assessed by census of reproducing adults. Recently this method has been called into question and estimation of the effective population size (Ne) proposed as a complementary method to determine population health. We examined genetic diversity in five populations of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the upper Fraser River watershed (British Columbia, Canada) at 11 microsatellite loci over 20 years using DNA extracted from archived scale samples. We tested for changes in genetic diversity, calculated the ratio of the number of alleles to the range in allele size to give the statistic M, calculated Ne from the temporal change in allele frequency, used the maximum likelihood method to calculate effective population size (NeM), calculated the harmonic mean of population size, and compared these statistics to annual census estimates. Over the last two decades population size has increased in all five populations of chinook examined; however, Ne calculated for each population was low (81–691) and decreasing over the time interval measured. Values of NeM were low, but substantially higher than Ne calculated using the temporal method. The calculated values for M were generally low (M < 0.70), indicating recent population reductions for all five populations. Large‐scale historic barriers to migration and development activities do not appear to account for the low values of Ne; however, available spawning area is positively correlated with Ne. Both Ne and M estimates indicate that these populations are potentially susceptible to inbreeding effects and may lack the ability to respond adaptively to stochastic events. Our findings question the practice of relying exclusively on census estimates for interpreting population health and show the importance of determining genetic diversity within populations.
Circuit and microarchitectural techniques for reducing cache leakage power

On-chip caches represent a sizable fraction of the total power consumption of microprocessors. As feature sizes shrink, the dominant component of this power consumption will be leakage. However, during a fixed period of time, the activity in a data cache is only centered on a small subset of the lines. This behavior can be exploited to cut the leakage power of large data caches by putting the cold cache lines into a state preserving, low-power drowsey mode. In this paper, we investigate policies and circuit techniques for implementing drowsy data caches. We show that with simple microarchitectural techniques, about 80%-90% of the data cache lines can be maintained in a drowsy state without affecting performance by more than 0.6%, even though moving lines into and out of a drowsy state incurs a slight performance loss. According to our projections, in a 70-nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process, drowsy data caches will be able to reduce the total leakage energy consumed in the caches by 60%-75%. In addition, we extend the drowsy cache concept to reduce leakage power of instruction caches without significant impact on execution time. Our results show that data and instruction caches require different control strategies for efficient execution. In order to enable drowsy instruction caches, we propose a technique called cache subbank prediction, which is used to selectively wake up only the necessary parts of the instruction cache, while allowing most of the cache to stay in a low-leakage drowsy mode. This prediction technique reduces the negative performance impact by 78% compared with the no-prediction policy. Our technique works well even with small predictor sizes and enables a 75% reduction of leakage energy in a 32-kB instruction cache.
Going Deeper with Deep Knowledge Tracing

Over the last couple of decades, there have been a large variety of approaches towards modeling student knowledge within intelligent tutoring systems. With the booming development of deep learning and large-scale artificial neural networks, there have been empirical successes in a number of machine learning and data mining applications, including student knowledge modeling. Deep Knowledge Tracing (DKT), a pioneer algorithm that utilizes recurrent neural networks to model student learning, reports substantial improvements in prediction performance. To help the EDM community better understand the promising techniques of deep learning, we examine DKT alongside two well-studied models for knowledge modeling, PFA and BKT. In addition to sharing a primer on the internal computational structures of DKT, we also report on potential issues that arise from data formatting. We take steps to reproduce the experiments of Deep Knowledge Tracing by implementing a DKT algorithm using Google’s TensorFlow framework; we also reproduce similar results on new datasets. We determine that the DKT findings don't hold an overall edge when compared to the PFA model, when applied to properly prepared datasets that are limited to main (i.e. non-scaffolding) questions. More importantly, during the investigation of DKT, we not only discovered a data quality issue in a public available data set, but we also detected a vulnerability of DKT at how it handles multiple skill sequences.