Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Crosslayer Optimization from Physical Layer to Routing Layer on Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we propose a general framework for wireless network optimization across physical, medium access control (MAC), and routing layers, applicable to various multiaccess techniques and physical layer settings. The traffic on the entire network is specified by a sequence of routing matrices which together with crosslayer settings and network topology can determine the throughput for each node, each route, and the entire network. To illustrate the applicability, the framework is applied to a multihop ad hoc network based on CDMA, employing multiuser detection technique with retransmission diversity. It is also shown that the approach based on the proposed framework can improve the network throughput by exploiting retransmitted packets and interference cancellation.
Identification of a Key Residue Mediating Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-6 Resistance to Noggin Inhibition Allows for Engineered BMPs with Superior Agonist Activity*

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are used clinically to induce new bone formation in spinal fusions and long bone non-union fractures. However, large amounts of BMPs are needed to achieve these effects. BMPs were found to increase the expression of antagonists, which potentially limit their therapeutic efficacy. However, the relative susceptibility of osteoinductive BMPs to different antagonists is not well characterized. Here we show that BMP-6 is more resistant to noggin inhibition and more potent in promoting osteoblast differentiation in vitro and inducing bone regeneration in vivo when compared with its closely related BMP-7 paralog. Noggin was found to play a critical role as a negative feedback regulator of BMP-7 but not BMP-6-induced biological responses. Using BMP-6/7 chimeras, we identified lysine 60 as a key residue conferring noggin resistance within the BMP-6 protein. A remarkable correlation was found between the presence of a lysine at this position and noggin resistance among a panel of osteoinductive BMPs. Introduction of a lysine residue at the corresponding positions of BMP-2 and BMP-7 allowed for molecular engineering of recombinant BMPs with increased resistance to noggin antagonism.
The effects of an early intrahospital rehabilitation on weight bearing during lower extremity lengthening with Ilizarov method.

PURPOSE Exerting axial pressure on the affected lower limb remains one of the most crucial elements of Ilizarov method. The objective was to determine the effects of an early intrahospital rehabilitation on weight bearing during lower extremity lengthening with Ilizarov method. METHODS The study included 15 patients who underwent lower limb lengthening. The patients were tested on the third day after surgery using the pedobarographic platform. The tests were performed four times in the standing position: twice with the support of forearm crutches and twice without crutches. Patients were asked to either remain in the relaxed standing position (two tests) or use the lower limb equipped with Ilizarov apparatus to support the body weight (two tests). RESULTS In relaxed stance average pressure with forearm crutches was 24.1% for affected limb, as compared to 75.9% for the healthy limb. In test without forearm crutches average pressure for affected limb was 26.1%, as compared to 73.9% for the healthy limb. Patients shifted body weight to the affected limb with forearm crutches on average, at the rate of 53.6%. In test without forearm crutches the affected limb was supporting the body weight at the rate of 48.26%. None of the patients was able to fully support the body weight on the affected leg. CONCLUSIONS In spite of strict physiotherapy regimen, patients are neither able to equally distribute their body weight between the two lower limbs nor to shift their body weight to the limb equipped with Ilizarov apparatus.
E-Learning Status and Quality in Context of Arab Universities: Challenges and Threats

This chapter discusses the status and quality of e-learning in Arab Universities located in the Middle East. The first objective of the study was to provide an analytical overview of the use of e-learning and the quality of electronic courses and learning objects in these universities to fill the gap in the literature in this particular topic regarding the Middle East region, and also to draw into different solutions and recommendations in order to make a successful match that could result in a better adoption and serving of the e-learning technology. The study was based on two different approaches that included a survey to navigate the official websites of universities in the region plus a survey into e-learning courses to obtain the current stand of e-learning quality in the region. The results of each approach have been analyzed, and the outcomes and recommendations were presented to be used for future adoption and other related studies.
Requirements clinic: Third party inspection methodology and practice for improving the quality of software requirements specifications

We have been involved in a number of large-scale software development projects, which might lead to loss of millions of dollars if failed. The quality of SRS (Software Requirements Specification) is the key to success of the software development. Review and inspection are common practices for the verification and validation of SRS. However, verification techniques used in projects might be characterized as ad hoc. In this article, we propose requirements clinic, a third party inspection methodology for improving the quality of the SRS. In order to systematically inspect a SRS, we developed a perspective-based inspection methodology based on PQM (Pragmatic Quality Model) of SRS. PQM is derived from IEEE Std. 830 from the perspective of pragmatic quality. To inspect a SRS according to PQM, we identified 198 inspection points, which lead to a quality score between 0 and 100. The requirements clinic advises to the requirements engineering team by a comprehensive quality inspection report including quality score, benchmark and SRS patterns for improvement. Since 2010, we have been practicing the methodology to a variety of development projects, and revealed an average of 10.6 ROI in 12 projects. We also discuss the feasibility of the methodology and lessons learned from the practices.
Two Approaches for Arabic Script Recognition-Based Segmentation Using the Hough Transform

The recognition of the cursive writing requires generally a segmentation procedure. This operation constitutes one of the major difficulties of all OCR systems. The research of an ideal segmentation process of a word into letters is Utopian. In this paper we propose two segmentation-by-recognition techniques for cursive printed Arabic recognition based on Hough transform.
A Variable Neighborhood Immune Algorithm for Solving Complex Function Optimization Problems

In this paper, based on the immune network theory, a novel variable neighborhood immune algorithm is proposed for complex function optimization. In the algorithm, a two-level immune network mechanism is suggested to keep the large diversity of populations during the process of population evolutionary, and a variable neighborhood strategy is introduced to overcome the conflict of local search and global search. The algorithm is verified by several complex benchmark functions, and the experimental results demonstrate the algorithm is very effective
Overview of sample design issues for household surveys in developing and transition countries

The present chapter discusses the key issues involved in the design of national samples, primarily for household surveys, in developing and transition countries. It covers such topics as sampling frames, sample size, stratified multistage sampling, domain estimation, and survey analysis. In addition, this chapter provides an introduction to all phases of the survey process which are treated in detail throughout the publication, while highlighting the connection of each of these phases with the sample design process. Key terms: Complex sample design, sampling frame, target population, stratification, clustering, primary sampling unit. _______ *Former Chief, Methodology and Analysis Unit, DESA/UNSD. Household Sample Surveys in Developing and Transition Countries
Evaluation of the Hematologic Safety of Same Day Versus Standard Administration (24- to 72-Hour Delay) of Pegfilgrastim in Gynecology Oncology Patients Undergoing Cytotoxic Chemotherapy

Objective We assessed the safety and efficacy of administration of pegfilgrastim on the same day compared with standard administration 24 to 72 hours after chemotherapy in patients with gynecologic malignancies. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on patients undergoing pegfilgrastim to mitigate the myelosuppressive consequences of chemotherapy. The primary outcome was incidence of grade 3 to 4 neutropenia following pegfilgrastim for same-day administration (D1) versus standard administration (D2+). Secondary outcomes included dose delay, regimen change, hospitalization due to neutropenia, and incidence of febrile neutropenia. Results Four hundred twenty-one patients with 2071 administrations of pegfilgrastim were included. Five hundred six administrations of pegfilgrastim were given on D1 compared with 1565 administrations on D2+. The most common malignancy was ovarian cancer (79.1%), followed by endometrial (14.5%). Comparing the D1 and D2+ cohorts, noninferiority was not established for the incidence of grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (2.6% vs 1.8%, adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.6; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.87–3.2) or dose modification (6.5% vs 4.9%; aRR, 1.3; 90% CI, 0.9–1.8). However, the rate of treatment delays (7.3% vs 9.4%; aRR, 0.8; 90% CI, 0.6–1.1) in the D1 and D2+ groups suggested that delays in the D1 group were not more common than in the D2+ group. Conclusions The incidence of hematologic toxicities and dose modification in patients receiving same-day pegfilgrastim were not as low as in those undergoing standard administration. However, treatment delays were found to be no more frequent in those receiving same-day pegfilgrastim versus standard administration. Same-day administration of pegfilgrastim is a reasonable option.
Structural and functional dissection of Sec62p, a membrane-bound component of the yeast endoplasmic reticulum protein import machinery

SEC62 is required for the import of secretory protein precursors into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The DNA sequence of SEC62 predicts a 32-kDa polypeptide with two potential membrane-spanning segments. Two antisera directed against different portions of the SEC62 coding region specifically detected a 30-kDa polypeptide in cell extracts. A combination of subcellular fractionation, detergent and alkali extraction, and indirect immunofluorescence studies indicated that Sec62p is intimately associated with the ER membrane. Protease digestion of intact microsomes and analysis of the oligosaccharide content of a set of Sec62p-invertase hybrid proteins suggested that Sec62p spans the ER membrane twice, displaying hydrophilic amino- and carboxy-terminal domains towards the cytosol. Sec62p-invertase hybrid proteins that lack the Sec62p C terminus failed to complement the sec62-l mutation and dramatically inhibited the growth of sec62-l cells at a normally permissive temperature. The inhibitory action of toxic Sec62p-invertase hybrids was partially counteracted by the overexpression of Sec63p. Taken together, these data suggest that the C-terminal domain of Sec62p performs an essential function and that the N-terminal domain associates with other components of the translocation machinery, including Sec63p.
A particle filter and long short term memory fusion algorithm for failure prognostic of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) appears to be a promising maintenance strategy which can enhance reliability and reduce maintenance costs of the target system. In the process of PHM, Prognostics is the most important and crucial. Prognostic approaches can be roughly divided into two categories: model-based methods and data-driven methods, both of which have advantages and limitations. To overcome the limitations of these methods and improve the accuracy and precision of the forecasting, we propose a novel fusion prognostic method. This method fuses the Particle Filter (PF, model-based) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM, data-driven) algorithms. In the literature, PF is used by estimating the system state and identifying the parameters of the model for the purpose of Prognostic. However, it does not have ideal performance due to the lack of measurements in the prediction phase. To solve this problem, LSTM is used to forecast the measurements and use the results as the observation of PF. The experiment is applied to the data of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack from IEEE PHM 2014 Data Challenge. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively integrate the advantages of PF and LSTM, which leads to a better forecasting performance than naive PF approach.
Inflammatory Signaling Pathways Regulating ApoE Gene Expression in Macrophages*

The atheroprotective role of apolipoprotein E (apoE) is well established. During inflammation, expression of apoE in macrophages is reduced leading to enhanced atheromatous plaque development. In the present study, we investigated the signaling pathways involved in the repression of apoE gene expression in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, a condition that mimics the inflammatory stress, in mouse macrophages RAW 264.7. We identified Tpl-2 and MEKK1 as the kinases that are primarily responsible for the down-regulation of apoE promoter activity by LPS. Using a dominant negative form of IκB, we established that Tpl-2 and MEKK1 signaling pathways converge to NF-κB acting on the apoE core promoter –55/+73. In addition to NF-κB activation, LPS also activated c-Jun via its phosphorylation by JNK. The activity of the apoE promoter was repressed by c-Jun, whereas small interference RNA-mediated inhibition of endogenous c-Jun expression reversed the inhibitory effect of Tpl-2 on the apoE promoter. Transfection experiments and DNA binding assays showed that the binding site for c-Jun is in the –55/+73 region of the apoE promoter. Finally, we showed that LPS inhibited apoE gene expression via activation of the Tpl-2/MEK/ERK pathway acting on a different apoE promoter region. In summary, LPS represses apoE gene expression in macrophages via signaling pathways that involve the upstream kinases Tpl-2 and MEKK1, the intermediate mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK and JNK, and the downstream transcription factors AP-1 and NF-κB that inhibit the apoE promoter activity via distinct regions.
Patient-reported outcomes in cancer survivorship

Abstract Background: There are currently 33 million cancer survivors worldwide. With improvements in early cancer detection and treatments, patients are living longer – and it is well-recognized that many survivors develop short- and long-term physical, psychosocial and spiritual effects as a result of their diagnoses and treatments. There is increasing awareness of the importance of using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to accurately assess these effects in cancer survivors. Validated patient-reported outcome instruments: Traditionally, physicians have assessed the acute and late side effects of cancer treatments with standardized scales such as the CTCAE. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that PROs more accurately capture patient symptoms than physician assessment. In this article we describe frequently used, validated, general and cancer-specific PRO instruments that assess symptoms. We describe additional PRO instruments that assess unmet needs, interpersonal relationship issues, and psychosocial and financial problems. Published studies using these instruments have identified issues commonly faced by cancer survivors worldwide. Discussion and summary: While PROs are increasingly used in research, further efforts are needed to integrate PRO assessment into routine clinical care, so that timely and accurate assessments can translate into better management of issues – ultimately improving the lives of cancer survivors.
Clinical utility of circulating tumor cells in non-small-cell lung carcinoma: are we there yet?

Over 140 years ago, the discovery was made that tumor cells morphologically resembling those in the primary tumor of a patient can be found in the patients’ circulation (1). The notion that these cells in the circulation are probably shed from the patient’s primary tumor was confirmed upon advancement in cytogenetic techniques that demonstrated that these circulatory cells can also carry genetic abnormalities detected in primary tumors (2).
Procedure Pearl: Patch Testing, a Light in the Dark

tixocortol pivalate in sisters. Contact Dermatitis 1998;38:351– 2. 4. Menné T, Holm NV. Hand eczema in nickel-sensitive female twins. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Contact Dermatitis 1983;9:289–96. 5. Valsecchi R, Bontempelli M, Vicari O, et al. HLA antigens and contact sensitivity. Arch Dermatol 1982;118:533–4. 6. Wahlberg J. Patch testing. In: Rycroft RJG, Menné T, Frosch PJ, Benezra C, editors. Textbook of contact dermatitis. Berlin: SpringerVerlag; 1992. p. 250. 7. Pastorello EA. Skin test for diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergy. Allergy 1998;48:57–62. 8. Hegyi E, Buc M, Busova B. Frequency of HLA antigens in persons sensitive to N-isopropyl-N9-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (IPPD). Contact Dermatitis 1993;28:194–5.
Research on the Effect of Environmental Regulation to Industrial Restructuring——Empirical Test Based on Provincial Panel Data of China

When the economic growth faces tightening environmental constrains and pressures of economic transformation,clean adjustment of industrial structure could be the critical path to resolve the "dilemma" which refers to maintaining economic growth as well as promoting emission reduction.By using the panel-data of China's30 provinces from 1999 to 2011 and distinguishing the concept of formal regulation and informal regulation,the paper tests that if the environmental regulation could play a role of reversed force mechanism in promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure.Then establish a threshold regression model to examine the spatial heterogeneity in the reversed force effect of environmental regulation.The result shows that the formal regulation can significantly stimulate the industries to be restructured,but with significant threshold characteristics and spatial heterogeneity.When use the intensity of industrial pollution as the threshold parameter,with formal regulation strength increasing,its effect on industrial restructuring will turn to be inhibiting first,then promoting and to be inhibiting again.The intensity of informal regulation is positively correlated with the industrial restructuring,which indicates that the economic effect of informal regulation has initially appeared in China.But FDI and industrial scale have a negative impact on industrial restructuring.
Polarized data parallel data flow

We present an approach to writing fused data parallel data flow programs where the library API guarantees that the client programs run in constant space. Our constant space guarantee is achieved by observing that binary stream operators can be provided in several polarity versions. Each polarity version uses a different combination of stream sources and sinks, and some versions allow constant space execution while others do not. Our approach is embodied in the Repa Flow Haskell library, which we are currently using for production workloads at Vertigo.
Repeat Extortion Victimisation Of Mexican Businesses

Research on repeat victimisation consistently reveals that crimes to concentrate within a small subset of victims. Given a recent increase on the number of extortions against businesses in Mexico, this research aimed to answer whether extortion concentrates within a small subset of businesses and if so, what could explain this concentration. Drawing from a national commercial victimisation survey conducted in 2013, several hypothesis relating to potential sources of risk heterogeneity were tested using single and multilevel modelling based on the negative binomial regression. Results showed that extortion concentrates far beyond what can be explained by chance, and that extortion incidence is positively associated with corruption incidents, years in business, state homicide rates, and being a restaurant, hotel or bar. Alternatively, it was found that the smallest businesses suffer less extortion than larger businesses. State level effects were found to be comparatively small to differences between businesses. Implications for research and crime policy in Mexico are briefly discussed.
Preferential Estimation for Uncertain Linear Systems at Steady State: Application to Filamentous Fungal Fermentation

State estimation is a widely used concept in the control community, and the literature mostly concentrates on the estimation of all states. However, in soft sensor problems, the emphasis is on estimating a few soft outputs as accurately as possible. The concept of preferential estimation consists of estimating these soft outputs more accurately than the other states. The main question is whether or not the accuracy along the soft outputs can be improved, possibly at the detriment of other states. This papers shows that, though preferential estimation is not possible for linear systems with perfect model information and gaussian process and measurement noises, it is indeed possible for linear systems with model uncertainty. The theoretical concepts are illustrated on a filamentous fungal fermentation.
Prevalence of High Body Mass Index Among Children and Adolescents at a US Military Treatment Facility, 2008–2009

We assessed the prevalence of high body mass index (BMI) in a large cohort of military children. We compared BMI data from electronic medical records of military children aged 2 to 18 years with BMI data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The 23,778 military children studied were significantly less likely than the NHANES children to be overweight (27.1% vs 31.8%) or obese (11.9% vs 16.9%). Even though military parents are required to maintain fitness and weight standards, the absolute difference between military and civilian children was small.