Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Staffing and shift-scheduling of call centers under call arrival rate uncertainty

In the past few years, call centers have been introduced with great success by many service-oriented companies such as banks and insurance companies. They become the main point of contact with the customers, and an integral part of the majority of corporations. The large-scale emergence of call centers has created a fertile source of management issues. In this thesis, we focus on the issue of staffing and scheduling of call centers. The objective of our work is to derive both qualitative and quantitative results for practical management.We specifically address the analysis of four problems that take into account the important feature of uncertainty in the call arrival parameters. The call arrival process is assumed to follow a doubly non-stationary stochastic process with a random mean arrival rate.In the first model, we consider a single-shift call center blending inbound calls and back-office jobs. By allowing the possibility of real-time changes in the capacity dealing with inbound calls, we analyze the impact of the flexibility offered by back-office jobs.In the second model, we consider a multi-shift call center with single type of inbound calls, in which the scheduling update is allowed. We propose a two-stage stochastic programming approach and an adjustable robust programming approach to efficiently solve the problem. We also analyze the benefits of using dynamic adjustment on scheduling.In the third model, we consider an additional type of uncertainty, namely the uncertainty on the probability distribution of a random parameter. We propose an approach combining stochastic programming and distributionally robust programming, and evaluate its performance.The last model deals with a call center optimization under a global service level constraint instead of period by period constraints. We again allow scheduling decisions to be updated during the middle of the day. We show the advantages of adding the update flexibility, and point out the impact of having a global service level constraint on performance
Factors Influencing Intersection Crash Severity

The objective of this paper is to develop intersection crash severity prediction model using ordered probit model. Motor vehicle fatalities is reported the major cause of death for people aging from 15 to 44. Moreover, intersections are recognized as the most hazardous locations on the roads. It is estimated that approximately 2.4 million intersection-related crashes occurred, representing 40 percent of all reported crashes and 21.5 percent of traffic fatalities in 2007. Furthermore, study shows that comprehensive cost of crash increases sharply with the aggregation of crash severity. Thus there is an urgent need to explore the significant factors influencing intersection crash severity. The explanatory factors in the paper include the characteristics of the environment, vehicle, and the driver. The estimated model captures the marginal effects of all important explanatory factors simultaneously. For example, the model indicates the impacts of geometry elements, alcohol/drug use, and etc on the severity of intersection crashes. Thus the results can assist engineers and government officials to have better understanding and find solutions to eliminate fatal crashes at intersections.
Vaginal and oral use of probiotics as adjunctive therapy to fluconazole in patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis: A clinical trial on Iranian women

Background and Purpose: Vulvovaginal candidiasis is considered the second most prevalent gynecologic infection among women and one of the main reasons for referring to a gynecologist. During recent decades, probiotic usage has been defined as one of the therapeutic regimens for vaginal candidiasis management, but these findings were controversial. The current study was conducted to determine the effect of fluconazole plus vaginal and oral probiotics supplementation on clinical and mycological improvement of vaginal candidiasis concomitant with antifungal susceptibility of Candida species to fluconazole. Materials and Methods: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 76 women with vaginal candidiasis admitted to Naghavi and Imam Reza Gynecology Clinics in Kashan, Central Iran, from July 2017 to March 2020. Patients were diagnosed according to vaginal candidiasis symptoms and positive culture for Candida species. The patients were divided into two groups; one of them received fluconazole plus vaginal and oral probiotics, while the other one received fluconazole with placebo. The clinical and mycological findings were recorded before and after the treatment. In vitro, the fluconazole susceptibility test was determined by the microdilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (M27-A3) for the baseline Candida isolates. Conclusion: Based on the findings, 35 days after the intervention, a significant reduction was reported in vaginal candidiasis symptoms in the probiotics supplementation group. Although probiotics supplementation therapy was a better mycological cure, compared to the fluconazole with the placebo group, this difference was not significant (68.4% vs. 46.9%, P=0.184). Exclusion of resistant and susceptible dose-dependent strain in the regression model demonstrated a significant reduction in positive culture probiotics in the supplementation group. Results: Oral and vaginal supplementation with probiotics for 4 weeks played a significant role in the elimination of vaginal candidiasis symptoms. Adjustment of clinical and mycological responses with drug resistance patterns of patients could open a promising horizon for probiotics consumption as a complementary treatment.
Growth Failure in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Preliminary Analysis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing disease, characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The incidence of IBD has been increasing over the last two decades, for example, from 1999- 2008 incidence increased from 21.3 to 26.2 per 100,000. Inflammatory bowel disease is mainly classified into two types: Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both types can be identified and distinguished through laboratory tests such as ESR, CRP, and fecal calprotectin, radiographic imaging, and direct visualization via colonoscopy. The etiology of growth failure in IBD, BMI z-score of less than -2.5, is poorly understood; however, chronic inflammation, low-calorie intake, and consequential steroid treatment are the most important factors. This study aims to determine the incidence of growth failure and associated factors in pediatric patients with IBD. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of children aged 15 years and below, with the diagnosis of IBD. Data were obtained from the pediatric gastroenterology department pediatric inflammatory bowel disease database from 2007 to 2017. Our study identifies the prevalence of growth failure via a calculated BMI z-score of less than -2.5 among the pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) population. The Chi-square test is used for categorical data and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous data. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were carried out with Stata IC/15.1 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Results: A total of 36 patients were included. The mean age of children with growth failure at the time of IBD diagnosis was 8 (±4), and more than half of them (58.3%) were boys. The incidence of growth failure at the time of diagnosis was 22.2% and declined to 11.1% over 26 months. Furthermore, the mean BMI z-score gradually improved from -0.741 to -0.1 over the same period of follow-up after proper management and multidisciplinary involvement. Conclusion: Growth failure in IBD patients according to our data is uncommon, however, it was reduced by 50% over 26 months. This could be attributed to nutritional status improvement over the management period. We recommend following the stepwise approach according to the severity of the disease and managing IBD patients by a multidisciplinary team. However, due to the relatively small sample size and low growth failure incidence, a large-scale study is recommended to determine any causal relations.
Accounting for local temperature effect substantially alters afforestation patterns

Human intervention in forested ecosystems is hoped to perform a fundamental shift within the next decade by reverting current forest loss—a major source of CO2 emissions—to net forest gain taking up carbon and thus aiding climate change mitigation. The demanded extensive establishment of forests will change the local surface energy fluxes, and with it the local climate, in addition to competing with food and fiber production for land and water. Scenario building models encompass this competition for resources but have turned a blind eye to the biogeophysical (BGP) local surface energy flux disturbance so far. We combine the benefit of CO2 sequestration of afforestation/reforestation (A/R) with the additional incentive or penalty of local BGP induced cooling or warming by translating the local BGP induced temperature change to a CO2 equivalent. We then include this new aspect in the land-use model Model for Agricultural Production and their Impact on the Environment (MAgPIE) via modifying the application of the price on greenhouse gases (GHGs). This enables us to use MAgPIE to produce A/R scenarios that are optimized for both their potential CO2 sequestration and the CO2 equivalent local BGP effect, as well as the socio-economic trade-offs of A/R. Here we show that optimal A/R patterns are substantially altered by taking the local BGP effects into account. Considering local cooling benefits of establishing forests triples (+203.4%) the viable global A/R area in 2100 from 116 to 351 Mha under the conditions of the shared socioeconomic pathway 2 (SSP2) scenario driven by the same GHG price. Three quarters (76.0%, +179 Mha) of the additionally forested area is established in tropical climates alone. Therefore, a further neglect of BGP effects in scenario building models undervalues the benefit of tropical forests while simultaneously running the risk of proposing counterproductive measures at high latitudes. However, the induced focus on tropical forestation intensifies the competition with food production where forests contribute most to mitigation. A/R related trade-offs need to be considered alongside their climate benefit to inhibit unintentional harm of mitigation efforts.
Anterior Cervical Corpectomy with Cage Fixation for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Objective: This study aimed to report the clinical outcome of anterior cervical corpectomy with cage fixation in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Material and Methods: This observational retrospective study included 36 patients from the Neurosurgery department of Lady Ready Hospital MTI, Peshawar from 2014 January to 2015 December. After performing surgery, the patients were followed up for six months for neurological outcome and various post-operative complications such as infection, transient recurrent laryngeal palsy, screw displacement and improvements in paresthesias and gait ataxia. Results: Most of the patients have no post-operative complications. Seventy-five percent (n = 27) of patients reported an immediate improvement in paresthesia and fine hand movements and gait. The major reported complications were implant failure (5.55%) and recurrent laryngeal nerve transient palsy in two patients (5.55%) each. Conclusion: In patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, with anterior compression, cervical corpectomy with cage fixation is less invasive and an effective procedure with acceptable outcomes.
ASSOCIATION OF NUTRITION STATUS AT DIALYSIS START WITH LONG TERM SURVIVAL: A 10-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

OBJECTIVE The objectives of the study were to explore the association between nutritional status at the initiation of dialysis, and the improvement or worsening of nutrition status during first 3 months of dialysis and first five years survival on dialysis. METHODS Two hundred ninety-seven patients who started dialysis between March 2009 and March 2019 were enrolled in the study. The nutritional status of the patients at dialysis commencement was evaluated by the method of The Integrative Clinical Nutrition Dialysis Score (ICNDS). Improvement or worsening of nutrition status was monitored by calculating the ICNDS slope for each patient enrolled in the study from three ICNDS values from the first three months on dialysis. The baseline ICNDS and the slope of 3 subsequent monthly ICNDS values, were tested for correlation with the odds of all-cause mortality for each of the first five years on dialysis. RESULTS There was a significant difference between the survival odds of patients who started dialysis with an ICNDS at least 75, and those who started dialysis with an ICNDS lower than 75, (HR=2.505, Cl 1.235-5.079, P=0.011 after 1 year on dialysis, HR=1.543, Cl 1.083-2.198, P=0.016 after 5 years). Deterioration of nutritional status (a negative ICNDS slope) during the first three months of dialysis was associated with increased mortality during 1-3 years after dialysis start, compared to a positive ICNDS slope indicating a stable or improved nutritional status (HR=1.732, Cl 1.151-2.607, P=0.008 after 3 years on dialysis). CONCLUSION Nutritional status at initiation of dialysis is associated with long term (5 year) survival. Deterioration of nutritional status during the first three months on dialysis significantly increases the risk of death during the first three years on dialysis.
Glass children: The lived experiences of siblings of people with a disability or chronic illness

Siblings of disabled or chronically ill children are often hidden family members and their needs for support might not be met. Current research however is limited in its understanding of siblings' lived experiences. This study uses semi-structured interviews to explore the lived experiences of 16 individuals (referred to as siblings) who grew up with a disabled or chronically ill brother or sister. Participants reflected on their childhood and adolescent experiences as siblings, focusing on their social interactions and relationships, social support, and wellbeing. Using thematic analysis, we identified four distinct but theoretically related themes; participants experienced (a) feelings of invisibility during social interactions, (b) psychological difficulties due to the internalisation of family roles or life conditions, and (c) feelings of guilt and self-blame. Finally, (d) social support was central as siblings were sometimes unable to understand their own needs, and support from family and peer groups helped them have their negative experiences validated. Our findings suggest greater support for siblings is required with a focus on addressing negative feelings and the availability of social support from people with similar experiences. we constructed four independent but theoretically related themes that capture participants' experiences of growing up with a brother or sister with a disability or chronic illness. The themes reported below comprise participants' (a) feelings of invisibility during social interactions, (b) psychological difficulties due to the internalisation of family roles or life conditions, (c) experiencing guilt and self-blame for not being able to offer constant support to their brothers or sisters or due to leading independent lives, and (d) issues related to social support such as siblings' inability to understand their own needs and the importance of support from family and peer groups in helping them to have their experiences validated.
Epstein–Barr Virus Infection in Lung Cancer: Insights and Perspectives

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Tobacco smoke is the most frequent risk factor etiologically associated with LC, although exposures to other environmental factors such as arsenic, radon or asbestos are also involved. Additionally, the involvement of some viral infections such as high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs), Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus (JSRV), John Cunningham Virus (JCV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) has been suggested in LC, though an etiological relationship has not yet been established. EBV is a ubiquitous gamma herpesvirus causing persistent infections and some lymphoid and epithelial tumors. Since EBV is heterogeneously detected in LCs from different parts of the world, in this review we address the epidemiological and experimental evidence of a potential role of EBV. Considering this evidence, we propose mechanisms potentially involved in EBV-associated lung carcinogenesis. Additional studies are warranted to dissect the role of EBV in this very frequent malignancy.
Tracing the Pig and Cattle Origin in Processed Food and Feed Products Targeting Mitochondrial 12S rRNA Gene

Background: Species identification in commercially processed food and feed products is one of the important issues. This study was conducted to develop a genetic method for the detection of pig and cattle species in processed food and feed products using newly designed species-specific primers targeting mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene fragments. Methods: Two sets of specific primers were designed based on the 12S rRNA gene sequences of pig and cattle species from GenBank. The primers were validated by using the DNA extracted from nine different chordates, including pig, cattle, chicken, bata fish, bat, toad, African parrot, rat, and human origin. Annealing temperature ranging from 46-54°C for 30 seconds and template DNA 1:10 serial dilutions ranging from 10 to 0.00001 ng/µl were employed for primer annealing and sensitivity analysis. Samples were analyzed using optimized Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) conditions. Results: The most intense expected DNA bands of pig and cattle were produced at 50°C. Under that optimized annealing temperature pig and cattle-specific primers did not anneal with the DNA of other chordates. Total extracted DNA 0.001 ng and 0.01 ng of pig and cattle respectively containing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was successfully detected. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the newly designed primer pairs can be used to detect pig and cattle derivatives in various processed food and feed products.
Estimating the alliance effect: a synthetic control approach

ABSTRACT In a time of rising threat, recurring discussions about burden sharing within NATO and twenty years after the start of the “war on terrorism,” I explore a novel idea in the field of alliance and defense spending: the effect of alliance membership on defense spending in response to a threat. Instead of estimating the determinants of defense spending or burden sharing among members, this paper focuses on two types of states (small and large) and how alliance membership shapes their response to threat. Using the synthetic control method, I create a comparison unit for each type consisting of a weighted average of non-NATO, European countries. 2001 is considered as the starting year of widespread threat, caused by a sudden increase in transnational terrorism. This way, I can estimate the “alliance effect. ” I find that both types of states have stronger (positive) response to threat as NATO members, compared to if they would not have been part of the alliance.
Army adventurous training and the internalisation of core values : how leadership behaviours affect the internalisation of motivational regulations

Adventurous Training (AT) within Army Phase One organisations is used to assist in the development of British Army recruit core values . This study measured the internalisation of British Army recruit core values during the AT week at two separate Phase One training organisations. A pre-test, post-test design was used to evaluate recruit (n = 302) motivational internalisation of core values during a structured 5-day training week, where recruits undertook a mixture of rock climbing, caving, canoeing, kayaking, and hill walking activities, and were required to complete tasks in unfamiliar and challenging environmental conditions. Reflecting the influence of the training, Bonferroni corrected, pair-samples, ttests conducted on the Relative Autonomy Index were significant for the motivational internalisation of All core values and four of the six independent core values (Selfless Commitment, Courage, Loyalty and Respect for Others). Further examination at external, introjected and integrated regulations additionally revealed significant results for all core values with the AT week appearing to have the most robust effect on introjected regulation. A second hypothesis was concerned with the effects of the leadership of AT instructors in developing recruit core values and asked specifically whether high levels of transformational leadership behaviours were associated with an enhanced internalisation of core values. Fifty nine instructors took part in the study and four transformational leadership behaviours were hypothesised to be associated with greater gains in the internalisation of all core values. Analyses revealed mixed results regarding individual transformational leadership behaviours; however, individual consideration was found to be the most significant behaviour. The implications for training developments are discussed.
Residential load and rooftop PV generation: an Australian distribution network dataset

ABSTRACT Despite the rapid uptake of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in recent years, public availability of generation and load data at the household level remains very limited. Moreover, such data are typically measured using bi-directional meters recording only PV generation in excess of residential load rather than recording generation and load separately. In this paper, we report a publicly available dataset consisting of load and rooftop PV generation for 300 de-identified residential customers in an Australian distribution network, with load centres covering metropolitan Sydney and surrounding regional areas. The dataset spans a 3-year period, with separately reported measurements of load and PV generation at 30-min intervals. Following a detailed description of the dataset, we identify several means by which anomalous records (e.g. due to inverter failure) are identified and excised. With the resulting ‘clean’ dataset, we identify key customer-specific and aggregated characteristics of rooftop PV generation and residential load.
Randomisation can do many things – but it cannot “fail”

Although randomisation has long been seen as crucial to reaching reliable insights from data, it is still falling victim to some peculiar – and troublesome – misconceptions. By Arthur H. Owora, John Dawson, Gary Gadbury, Luis M. Mestre, Greg Pavela, Tapan Mehta, Colby J. Vorland, Pengcheng Xun and David B. Allison