Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data dissemination techniques for distributed simulation environments

Farm is a distributed simulation environment for modeling the performance of large-scale multiagent systems. It uses a component-based architecture to distribute the computational load of the simulation and improve running time. It also supports a global data repository, which permits both actors running in the simulator and external analysis components to generate and use arbitrary pieces of information. Because the components are distributed, the manner in which this data is accessed can have significant effect on the communication overhead and duration of the simulation. In this paper we explore several different techniques for accessing and disseminating this data. Analytic and empirical models of the system's performance are presented, along with an analysis of which strategy is appropriate under different conditions.
Cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cell polarity and bacterial flagellin determine host response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The role of epithelial polarity and bacterial factors in the control of the innate immune response of airway epithelial cells to Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAK was investigated using a human, nasal cystic fibrosis (ΔF508/ΔF508) epithelial cell line CF15 grown as confluent layers on permeable supports. Addition of PAK to the basal surface of CF15 layers caused significant expression changes in 1525 different genes (out of 12 625 examined), including the cytokines IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐1β and TNF‐α, as well as genes associated with leucocyte adhesion, antibacterial factors, and NF‐κB signalling. Confocal microscopy showed that nuclear migration of NF‐κB in all CF15 cells was preceded by PAK binding to the basal and lateral surfaces of some cells. Addition of PAK to the apical surface of CF15 monolayers elicited changes in expression of only 602 genes, including 256 not affected during basolateral PAK exposure. Over time, cytokine expression during apical PAK was similar to that exhibited by basal PAK, but the magnitudes during apical treatment were much smaller with little/no nuclear migration of NF‐κB in CF15 cells. Furthermore, these responses depended on the presence of flagellin, but not pili on the bacteria. Thus, P. aeruginosa triggered a strong innate immune response that depended on the apical versus basolateral polarity of CF15 cells and the presence of flagellin on the bacteria.
An efficient diagnosis methodology for charge pump circuits: Application to flash EEPROM devices

The objective of this paper is to present an efficient diagnosis methodology for charge pump circuits. This method focuses on speeding up the diagnosis process of anomalous variations of charge pump design parameters (transistor widths or pumping capacitance value variation). This methodology is based on a mathematical model generated with a "design of experiment" (DOE) technique. The diagnostic strategy presented in this paper targets EEPROM non volatile memories (NVM) circuits. The diagnosis process begins by measuring threshold voltages values (VT) of an array of EEPROM cells. Then, for anomalous threshold voltages populations, the corresponding high programming voltage HV is evaluated. After that, the diagnosis process is realized by using our mathematical model which links specific charge pump design parameters to the output voltage HV. The final goal is to find root cause of the memory array anomalous VT in terms of charge pump design parameters.
Non-Cytotoxic Nanomaterials Enhance Antimicrobial Activities of Cefmetazole against Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has led to difficulties in treating patients, and novel strategies to prevent and treat this infection are urgently needed. Here, we examined 21 different nanomaterials for their potential activity against N. gonorrhoeae (ATCC 49226). Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs, 120 nm) showed the greatest potency for reducing N. gonorrhoeae colony formation (MIC: 12.5 µg/ml) and possessed the dominant influence on the antibacterial activity with their properties of the nanoparticles within a concentration range that did not induce cytotoxicity in human fibroblasts or epithelial cells. Electron microscopy revealed that the Ag NPs significantly reduced bacterial cell membrane integrity. Furthermore, the use of clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae showed that combined treatment with 120 nm Ag NPs and cefmetazole produced additive effects. This is the first report to screen the effectiveness of nanomaterials against N. gonorrhoeae, and our results indicate that 120 nm Ag NPs deliver low levels of toxicity to human epithelial cells and could be used as an adjuvant with antibiotic therapy, either for topical use or as a coating for biomaterials, to prevent or treat multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae.
Reliability and wireability optimizations for chip placement on multichip modules

The chip placement problem of multichip module (MCM) designs is to map the chips properly to the chip sites on the MCM substrate. Chip placement affects not only the thermal characteristics of an MCM but also routing efficiency, which translates directly into manufacturability, performance, and cost. This paper presents a solution methodology for the optimal placement problem considering both thermal and routing design objectives simultaneously. The coupling is achieved through use of a hybrid-force model that is a combination of the traditional interconnection-force model and a novel thermal-force model. The placement procedure can be used as a design tool to place chips and then determine the tradeoffs which can be made in placing for reliability and wireability. Experiments on five examples including three benchmarks show that the present algorithm yields very high-quality results.
How Can the Health System Retain Women in HIV Treatment for a Lifetime? A Discrete Choice Experiment in Ethiopia and Mozambique

Introduction Option B+, an approach that involves provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all HIV-infected pregnant women for life, is the preferred strategy for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Lifelong retention in care is essential to its success. We conducted a discrete choice experiment in Ethiopia and Mozambique to identify health system characteristics preferred by HIV-infected women to promote continuity of care. Methods Women living with HIV and receiving care at hospitals in Oromia Region, Ethiopia and Zambézia Province, Mozambique were shown nine choice cards and asked to select one of two hypothetical health facilities, each with six varying characteristics related to the delivery of HIV services for long term treatment. Mixed logit models were used to estimate the influence of six health service attributes on choice of clinics. Results 2,033 women participated in the study (response rate 97.8% in Ethiopia and 94.7% in Mozambique). Among the various attributes of structure and content of lifelong ART services, the most important attributes identified in both countries were respectful provider attitude and ability to obtain non-HIV health services during HIV-related visits. Availability of counseling support services was also a driver of choice. Facility type, i.e., hospital versus health center, was substantially less important. Conclusions Efforts to enhance retention in HIV care and treatment for pregnant women should focus on promoting respectful care by providers and integrating access to non-HIV health services in the same visit, as well as continuing to strengthen counseling.
A MIMO-HARQ Cross-Layer Throughput Metric applied to V-BLAST

This paper addresses the combination of Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request (HARQ) processing with multiple input multiple output (MIMO) data transmission. The objective is twofold. First, we evaluate a reliable throughput performance metric that composes MIMO as well as HARQ protocol parameters in a single expression. Due to its generic property, this metric can be used by higher layer protocols for traffic engineering in all IP next generation networks. Hence, it facilitates cross-layer design. In particular, we perform an information theoretic consideration by employing the conditional cutoff rate for MIMO transmission while the HARQ processing is described by the renewal-theory. In a second step, we illustrate the generic property of this metric by its straight forward application to a V-BLAST scheme with MMSE detection. The VBLAST scheme performs a HARQ process per transmit antenna (per data stream) where each data stream is transmitted via a SIMO (single input multiple output) channel. As a result, this paper also indicate that the proposed metric gives hints on designing MIMO-HARQ systems and it can also be employed for packet data MIMO modelling.
Characterization and Reduction of Audible Magnetic Noise Due to PWM Supply in Induction Machines

This paper derives the analytical characterization of the Maxwell radial vibrations due to pulsewidth modulation (PWM) supply in induction machines and, particularly, in traction motors supplied with an asynchronous switching frequency. The number of nodes and the velocity of these particular force waves are experimentally validated by visualizing some operational deflection shapes of the stator. It is shown that according to the switching frequency, these forces can be responsible for high magnetic-noise levels during starting and braking. A simple rule to avoid PWM noise is then proposed and applied to an industrial traction motor. Experimental results show that the choice of the switching frequency can have a 15-dB impact on the sound power level emitted by the motor during starting and that a lower switching frequency can sometimes lead to lower magnetic noise. In agreement with analytical predictions, the new proposed switching frequency that avoids resonances between PWM exciting forces and corresponding stator modes reduces the magnetic noise of 5 dB during starting.
Precise Measurement of One-way Delays in an NTPv 3 Environment

In this paper we discuss the problem of obtaining precise measurements of end-to-end delay that are consistent over a long time period (hours to days). Such measurements are used by applications such as immersive virtual reality in order to maintain synchronization between multiple media streams over the lifetime of a session. Previous work has dealt with detecting and removing the impact of large step changes in endpoint clocks that occur when using NTPv2 and earlier. The more recent versions of NTP that are part of current Unix distributions correct clocks in a smooth, controlled fashion and so require us to develop a new method for obtaining precise long-term measurements. We present a method that uses one of the statistics reported by NTP to improve estimates of one-way delay. We also show how to estimate the variance in delay estimates using another NTP statistic. Our results were obtained from measurement studies in a captive multi-hop network using a precise, standards-traceable reference clock. INTRODUCTION Some applications, such as real-time interaction between musicians, are impossible in an environment of high end-to-end delay. Others, such as immersive virtual reality, are possible but require knowledge of the instantaneous delay between several endpoints so that the delivery of multimedia streams from separate sources can be coordinated in time. Still other applications, such as constant bit-rate video transmission, may fail when the variance of network delay is too high. These applications all persist over long periods of time and are sensitive to network delay or delay variation. If the delay between endpoints can be measured accurately and continually while these applications are active, then it might be possible to compensate for delays or delay variation and arrive at acceptable application performance. The problem studied in this paper is that of measuring end-to-end delay precisely over a long period of time. The most common method for measuring delay is to use ping to measure the round-trip time and then simply divide the result in half on the assumption that the delay is equal in both directions. This is often a poor assumption, either due to an asymmetric route being followed, or due to load and queuing effects being quite different in the two directions, for example from server-to-client versus clientto-server. This paper makes two main contributions. Firstly, we document a method for using the phase estimates provided by NTP to improve measurements of one-way delay. If we assume that the clock skew between the NTP client and server is constant in the period between updates, we can approximate the NTP time at a host (display) time t between updates i and i+1 as:
Creative Movement Learning Model in Dancing for Kindergarten Teachers

At the age of kindergarten, identically students in the phase of playing period. Thus, the repertoire learning of dance is not the main goal for them to be achieved. However, the motoric skills are something that are expected to encourage and increase their confidence properly. There is a tendency for teachers who think that the motoric skills must be taught in the form of dance repertoires but it is wrong, because in kindergarten, students is provided by stimuli so that students can produce creative and expressive movements. Motoric skills are the foundation in dance that should be denied. This means that if they activates his motoric according to its function, then they can easily do dancing. For this reason, a dance learning model is needed in order that they can produce the movements through stimuli with good exploration activities through visual, auditory, professional, and stimuli towards the surrounding natural objects, in which all of them are destined to dancing activities according to the child's characteristic level. The limitations that appear in the process of dance learning in kindergarten are teachers teach dance, but they are not supported by relevant fields of expertise. This makes them teach dancing without considering the level of difficulty and range of movement that the child has. Besides, they do not succeed in exploring the students’s potential that should be nurtured and developed without feeling burdened. So, this learning model of creative motion combined with the explorative method is a way to overcome problems and overcome difficulties faced by kindergarten teachers in carrying out their duties as professional educators. Based on the application of creative motion training through Pengabdian Kemitraan Masyarakat (PKM) in Pasaman Barat Regency, the teachers can create dance according to the characteristic of each child without obstacles. The teachers enthusiastically create with their ideational and used it as a basic foundation in constructing creative movements. So they create a series of creative, innovative, and communicative dance movements.
Effect of Tai Chi exercise on blood lipid profiles: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ObjectiveStudies have demonstrated that Tai Chi exercise improves blood lipid level with inconsistent results. A meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of Tai Chi on blood lipid profiles in humans.MethodsWe screened the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library (Central), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang data, and Clinicaltrials.gov for randomized controlled trials with Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) score more than 3 points up to June 2015. Six studies involving 445 subjects were included. Most trials applied 12-week Tai Chi intervention courses.ResultsIn comparison with the control group, blood triglyceride (TG) level difference between follow-up and baseline was statistically significantly lower in the Tai Chi practicing group (weighted mean difference (WMD) −16.81 mg/dl; 95% confidence intervals (CI) −31.27 to −2.35 mg/dl; P=0.02). A trend to improving total cholesterol (TC) reduction was found with Tai Chi (WMD −7.96 mg/dl; 95% CI −17.30 to 1.39 mg/dl; P=0.10). However, no difference was found in blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). ConclusionsTai Chi exercise lowered blood TG level with a trend to decrease blood TC level. Our data suggest that Tai Chi has the potential to implement meaningful blood lipid modification and serve as an adjunctive exercise modality. The relationship between Tai Chi exercise regimen and lipid profile change might have a scientific priority for future investigation. 摘要目的探讨太极锻炼是否能改善血脂水平。 创新点明确太极锻炼对血脂的影响,为非药物调脂治疗提供新手段。 方法通过筛选太极锻炼持续4 周以上, PEDro 评分3分以上,且观察太极锻炼对血脂影响的成人随机对照试验, meta 分析太极锻炼对总胆固醇、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇和甘油三酯的影响。 结论通过meta 分析最终入选的6 项研究(共445 例患者)的结果显示,太极锻炼能显著降低血甘油三酯水平,且有降低总胆固醇的趋势,但是对于低密度脂蛋白胆固醇和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇未发现有明显影响。
Touching a Teddy Bear Mitigates the Negative Effects of Social Exclusion

There is little empirical research to date that looks at how the deleterious effects of social exclusion can be mitigated. We examined how touching an inanimate object—a teddy bear— might impact the effect of social exclusion on prosocial behavior. Across two studies, we found that socially excluded individuals who touched a teddy bear acted more prosocially as compared to socially excluded individuals who just viewed the teddy bear from a distance. This effect was only observed for socially excluded participants and not for socially included (or control) participants. Overall, the findings suggest that touching a teddy bear mitigates the negative effects of social exclusion to increase prosocial behavior. In Study 2, positive emotion was found to mediate the relationship between touch and prosocial behavior. These results suggest a possible means to attenuate the unpleasant effects of social exclusion.
Localization of a mobile robot using relative bearing measurements

In this paper, the problem of recursive robot localization based on relative bearing measurements is considered, where unknown but bounded measurement uncertainties are assumed. A common approach is to approximate the resulting set of feasible states by simple-shaped bounding sets such as, e.g., axis-aligned boxes, and calculate the optimal parameters of this approximation based on the measurements and prior knowledge. In the novel approach presented here, a nonlinear transformation of the measurement equation into a higher dimensional space is performed. This yields a tight, possibly complex-shaped, bounding set in a closed-form representation whose parameters can be determined analytically for the measurement step. It is shown that the new bound is superior to commonly used outer bounds.
Adapting Teacher Interventions to Student Needs During Cooperative Learning: How to Improve Student Problem Solving and Time On-Task

This study tested a model of teacher interventions (TIs) conducted during cooperative learning to examine how they affected students’ subsequent time on-task (TOT) and problem solving. TIs involved groups of ninth-grade students working on an algebra problem; videotaped lessons were transcribed and analyzed. Results showed that teachers initiated most TIs and typically did so when students were off-task or showed little progress. After TIs, students’ TOT and problem solving often improved. Teacher evaluations of student actions had the largest positive effects, serving as gatekeepers for other teacher actions. Higher levels of teacher help content tended to reduce post-TI TOT, while teacher commands reduced post-TI TOT only when a group grasped the problem situation. In summary, TIs can increase TOT and problem solving, especially if teachers evaluate students’ work.
The Performance Paradox in the Public Sector

Administrative reform has led to a strong increase in the use of performance assessment instruments in the public sector. However, this has also led to several unintended consequences, such as the performance paradox, tunnel vision, and “analysis paralysis. ” These unintended consequences can reduce the quality of the knowledge about actual levels of performance or even negatively affect performance. Examples can be found in all policy sectors. The authors argue that certain characteristics of the public sector–such as ambiguous policy objectives, discretionary authority of street–level bureaucrats, simultaneous production and consumption of services, and the disjunction of costs and revenues–increase the risk of a performance paradox, either unintentionally or deliberately. Performance assessment should therefore take the special characteristics of the public sector into account and develop systems that can handle contested and multiple performance indicators, striking a balance in the degree of “measure pressure” and minimizing dysfunctional effects.
Organizational Change and Organizational Communication Effectiveness in a Government Agency: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses.

A large government agency had been experiencing a variety of changes. The new head of the agency approached communication researchers about doing analyses of the effectiveness of communication in the agency. The researchers conducted two studies: a qualitative one to identify organizational and organizational communication themes, and a quantitative one to describe the relationships among and between factors. There were two purposes of the studies described here. The first purpose of this paper was to describe the relationships between key communication factors and organizational outcomes in an organization experiencing significant changes. The second purpose was to describe the ways in which researchers employed qualitative and quantitative methods. The results identified some unique communication characteristics of the organization. The paper concludes with a description of the benefits of the mixed methods used in the studies. Contains 47 references and 7 tables of data. (Author/RS) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS IN A GOVERNMENT AGENCY: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES Philip Salem, Fay Barclay, Renee Koval, and Leah Bryant Department of Speech Communication Southwest Texas State University U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Bel. '"his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official GERI position or policy. Western States Communication Asociation 4Vancouver, BC 0 February, 1999 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
Automatic Procedures in Tectogrammatical Tagging

This paper describes a specific part of the Prague Dependency Treebank annotation, the step from the surface dependency structure towards the underlying representation of the sentence. The first section explains the theoretical basis of the project. In Section 2 all the procedure of conversion to the tectogrammatical structure is summarized and Section 3 presents in detail the present stage of the automated part of the conversion procedure.