Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Algorithm for In-Theatre Military Logistics Search-and-Delivery Path Planning

Discrete search path planning in time-constrained uncertain environment relying upon imperfect sensors is known to be hard, and current problem-solving techniques proposed so far to compute near real-time efficient path plans are mainly bounded to provide a few move solutions. A new information-theoretic –based open-loop decision model explicitly incorporating false alarm sensor readings, to solve a single agent military logistics search-and-delivery path planning problem with anticipated feedback is presented. The decision model consists in minimizing expected entropy considering anticipated possible observation outcomes over a given time horizon. The model captures uncertainty associated with observation events for all possible scenarios. Entropy represents a measure of uncertainty about the searched target location. Feedback information resulting from possible sensor observations outcomes along the projected path plan is exploited to update anticipated unit target occupancy beliefs. For the first time, a compact belief update formulation is generalized to explicitly include false positive observation events that may occur during plan execution. A novel genetic algorithm is then proposed to efficiently solve search path planning, providing near-optimal solutions for practical realistic problem instances. Given the run-time performance of the algorithm, natural extension to a closed-loop environment to progressively integrate real visit outcomes on a rolling time horizon can be easily envisioned. Computational results show the value of the approach in comparison to alternate heuristics. Keywords—Search path planning, false alarm, search-anddelivery, entropy, genetic algorithm.
Graphene / a-Si:H multispectral photodetectors

We demonstrate the integration of large area graphene transparent conductive electrodes in flexible amorphous silicon multispectral (MS) photodetectors (PD). These MS diodes show a bias dependent maximum of their spectral response between the ultraviolet (UV) and visual wavelength range. This ability to shift the response maximum by external bias without the use of filter-structures and the possibility to deposit the device structure directly onto flexible polyimide substrates gives these sensors wide applicability as one-pixel color detectors. Graphene MS PDs show an extended detection range well into the UV when compared to rigid devices with aluminum doped zinc oxide electrodes. The integration of bi-layer graphene contacts boosts the maximum spectral response up to 185 mAW-1, which is an improvement of 150 % compared to sensors with just one atom thick graphene contacts.
Nonsingular big bounces and the evolution of linear fluctuations

We consider the evolutions of linear fluctuations as the background Friedmann world model goes from contracting to expanding phases through smooth and nonsingular bouncing phases. As long as gravity dominates over the pressure gradient in the perturbation equation, the growing mode in the expanding phase is characterized by a conserved amplitude; we call this a C mode. In spherical geometry with a pressureless medium, we show that there exists a special gauge-invariant combination $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ which stays constant throughout the evolution from the big bang to the big crunch, with the same value even after the bounce: it characterizes the coefficient of the C mode. We show this result by using a bounce model where the pressure gradient term is negligible during the bounce; this requires the additional presence of exotic matter. In such a bounce, even in more general situations for the equation of state before and after the bounce, the C mode in the expanding phase is affected only by the C mode in the contracting phase; thus the growing mode in the contracting phase decays away as the world model enters the expanding phase. When the background curvature plays a significant role during the bounce, the pressure gradient term becomes important and we cannot trace the C mode in the expanding phase to the one before the bounce. In such situations, perturbations in a fluid bounce model show exponential instability, whereas perturbations in a scalar field bounce model show oscillatory behavior.
A systematic approach to assess human wellbeing demonstrated for impacts of climate change

Abstract Climate change impacts will affect many important societal sectors, with potential negative consequences for human well-being and livelihoods, however an integrated and systematic measure to assess the state of livelihood conditions in this context is not available. At the same time, human livelihoods and wellbeing are an important part of (social) sustainability. Yet, aspects of human needs and well-being within assessments of sustainability are criticised for being arbitrary and incomplete. This paper presents a systematic approach to assess Adequate Human livelihood conditions for wEll-being And Development (AHEAD) on a regional to global scale. Based on an interdisciplinary literature review, we first select a consistent set of elements that allow to describe and quantify well-being and livelihoods. In a second step, we analyze documented associations between the elements to outline climate impact pathways and indirect effects of changes in single system components, using an influence matrix. The novel approach provides an important first step to point towards climate change adaptation measures, which most effectively increase human well-being, while identifying potential unintended side-effects. Even though there are some limitations to assessing well-being and livelihoods on a global scale, a consistent measure of AHEAD is of utmost importance for future sustainability and climate impact analyses.
Evaluating the effects of corporate reputation on employee engagement

This study explores the previously less researched impact of corporate reputation on employees, more specifically on employee engagement. Employee engagement and corporate reputation are concepts that have been receiving attention in both business and academia alike, especially in view of the economic turmoil of the past decade as both constructs have been shown to affect profits. The study was designed in a way to measure the impact of employees’ perceptions of corporate reputation on their engagement with the corporation, while controlling for the state of their psychological contract with the organisation. An online survey of 509 employees from a large South African bank provided the data to which a Structural Equation Model (SEM) emanating from the theoretical background was fitted. The results of the model unequivocally confirmed that corporate reputation perceptions are an important predictor of employee engagement. It was also found that psychological contract breach influences both perceptions of reputation by employees and employee engagement directly. The implication is that corporate reputation can have a strong influence on tangible results through employee engagement.
Analytical Modeling of Network Throughput Prediction on the Internet

SUMMARY Predicting network throughput is important for network-aware applications. Network throughput depends on a number of factors, and many throughput prediction methods have been proposed. However, many of these methods are su ﬀ ering from the fact that a distribution of tra ﬃ c ﬂuctuation is unclear and the scale and the bandwidth of networks are rapidly increasing. Furthermore, virtual machines are used as platforms in many network research and services ﬁelds, and they can a ﬀ ect network measurement. A prediction method that uses pairs of di ﬀ erently sized connections has been proposed. This method, which we call connection pair , features a small probe transfer using the TCP that can be used to predict the throughput of a large data transfer. We focus on measurements, analyses, and modeling for precise prediction results. We ﬁrst clariﬁed that the actual throughput for the connection pair is non-linearly and monotonically changed with noise. Second, we built a previously proposed predictor using the same training data sets as for our proposed method, and it was unsuitable for considering the above characteristics. We propose a throughput prediction method based on the connection pair that uses ν -support vector regression and the polynomial kernel to deal with prediction models represented as a non-linear and continuous monotonic function. The prediction results of our method compared to those of the previous predictor are more accurate. Moreover, under an unstable network state, the drop in accuracy is also smaller than that of the previous predictor.
Effects of Ammonia and Glucosamine on the Heterogeneity of Erythropoietin Glycoforms

Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein produced as a therapeutic agent from mammalian cell cultures for the treatment of anemia associated with severe kidney damage. The EPO structure has a high glycan content which is essential for bioactivity but shows considerable molecular heterogeneity. The cell culture conditions that affect the heterogeneity of the glycoforms of EPO are not well understood. However, the accumulation of ammonia in culture is one factor that has been associated with an enhanced heterogeneity of glycoforms. In this report we investigate the metabolic perturbations associated with ammonia and glucosamine that may give rise to an altered pattern of EPO glycosylation. Recombinant human erythropoietin was synthesized in serum‐free cultures of transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The molecular heterogeneity of erythropoietin was increased by supplementation of cultures with either ammonia or glucosamine. The enhanced molecular heterogeneity was shown to be due to variable glycosylation that resulted in EPO with an enhanced molecular weight and isoelectric point range. Enzymatic removal of the glycan moiety of EPO in all cases resulted in a single molecular form with a molecular weight of 18 000, which corresponded to non‐glycosylated EPO. The variable glycosylation was consistent with reduced sialylation and antennarity of the carbohydrate structures present on the three N‐linked sites of EPO. In the presence of ammonia (>30 mM) the proportion of tetrasialylated and tetraantennary glycan structures were reduced by 73% and 57%, respectively, as determined by HPLC analysis. Such changes were also observed, although to a lesser extent (41% and 37%), by an increase in the glucosamine concentration (>10 mM) in the medium. The enhanced heterogeneity of the glycan structures coincided with a significant increase in the intracellular UDP− N‐acetylhexosamine (UDP−GNAc) pool. The measured UDP−GNAc level was up to 2 orders of magnitude higher in the presence of either glucosamine or ammonia. However, the changes in the glycosylation profiles induced by either glucosamine or ammonia were significantly different even at the same intracellular UDP‐GNAc concentration. This suggests that the enhanced EPO heterogeneity could not be mediated solely by the increased UDP−GNAc level. Glucosamine (but not ammonia) was shown to cause significant inhibition of glucose transport into the cells, which could induce a different pattern of primary metabolism.
Long-Term Assessment of the Effects of Transgenic Bt Cotton on the Function of the Natural Enemy Community

Abstract Field studies to assess effects of transgenic crops on nontarget organisms primarily have focused on nontarget abundance and diversity, whereas few have examined effects on nontarget community function. A 5-yr field study in Arizona assessed whether transgenic cotton producing the Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) had an effect on the natural enemy community’s impact on three key pests. Predator:prey ratios for Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and Lygus hesperus Knight were similar in unsprayed Bt and non-Bt cotton. Insecticide applications in positive control plots inconsistently altered ratios for B. tabaci. Predation indices based on the known feeding activity of selected predators showed that potential predator impact was unaltered by Bt cotton but was consistently depressed with insecticide applications. Sentinel eggs and pupae of Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) experienced the same rates of predation in both unsprayed Bt and non-Bt cotton. Cohort-based life tables for B. tabaci showed that rates of sucking predation, parasitism, and dislodgement (chewing predation in part) were unchanged by Bt cotton. Underlying experimental designs were sufficient to consistently detect changes of <20% in predator:prey ratios and predation indices and changes of <10% in rates of P. gossypiella and B. tabaci mortality with >80% power (α = 0.05). These long-term studies showed essentially no effects of Bt cotton on natural enemy function in Arizona cotton and further showed that minor reductions in density of several predator taxa in Bt cotton observed in a companion study may have little ecological meaning relative to natural enemy impact on key pests in the system.
Enterprise risk analytics: Automatic analysis of risk factors from textual feedbacks

There has been a growing need to automatically identify, extract and analyze risk related statements from textual data. In this paper, we have exploited natural language processing research to develop a risk analytics framework that processes human-reported risk statements to analyzes the enterprise risk description texts to classify them into valid and invalid risk categories, and perform analytics to extract information from the text pertaining to the different categories of risks and their possible cause and impacts. A manual annotation study from management experts using risk descriptions collected for a specific organization was conducted to evaluate the framework. The evaluation showed promising results for automated risk analysis and identification.
Prion Proteins with Insertion Mutations Have Altered N-terminal Conformation and Increased Ligand Binding Activity and Are More Susceptible to Oxidative Attack*

We compared the biochemical properties of a wild type recombinant normal human cellular prion protein, rPrPc, with a recombinant mutant human prion protein that has three additional octapeptide repeats, rPrP8OR. Monoclonal antibodies that are specific for the N terminus of rPrPc react much better with rPrP8OR than rPrPc, suggesting that the N terminus of rPrP8OR is more exposed and hence more available for antibody binding. The N terminus of PrPc contains a glycosaminoglycan binding motif. Accordingly, rPrP8OR also binds more glycosaminoglycan than rPrPc. In addition, the divalent cation copper modulates the conformations of rPrPc and rPrP8OR differently. When compared with rPrPc, rPrP8OR is also more susceptible to oxidative damage. Furthermore, the abnormalities associated with rPrP8OR are recapitulated, but even more profoundly, in another insertion mutant, which has five extra octapeptide repeats, rPrP10OR. Therefore, insertion mutants appear to share common features, and the degree of abnormality is proportional to the number of insertions. Any of these anomalies may contribute to the pathogenesis of inherited human prion disease.
Value stream mapping

This paper describes the application of a new variant of process benchmarking called value stream mapping to the development of a supplier network around a prominent distributor of electronic, electrical and mechanical components. This involved mapping the activities of the firm, identifying opportunities for improvement and then undertaking with the firm an improvement programme. The resulting supplier association programme involved around 50 key suppliers across eight product category areas. The paper explores the different methods employed together with the support structure that was created. It concludes with evidence of the early results of the programmes as well as a number of key learning points for other organisations wishing to follow a similar path.
Molecular analysis of gooseberry vein banding associated virus.

UNLABELLED The intraspecies variability of gooseberry vein banding associated virus (GVBaV) was analyzed by using 5 complete and 9 partial sequences and compared with other badnavirus species. GVBaV was recognized to be a monophyletic and very homogeneous species with up to 94% identities in distinct proteins. Analysis of non-synonymous and synonymous substitution ratios (dNS/dS) revealed higher values for ORF4 in comparison with other genes. This could reflect different evolutionary pressure upon this ORF. A highly variable region with possible diagnostic value has been localized in the intergenic region of the virus. KEYWORDS badnavirus; complete genome; phylogeny.
ADR Spreads and Their Informational Content: The Role of Relative US Investor Sentiment

ADR spreads being discrepancies between returns on ADRs and returns on underlying shares, they do provide us with an indicator of US investors' relative optimism or pessimism. Panel data of firms with ADR programs from 35 countries during the period 1997-2007, reveal that global and local risk factors, related to market, exchange rate, liquidity and sentiment premiums account for these discrepancies. The investor sentiment hypothesis cannot be rejected and there is evidence that ADR spreads have significant predictive power over next period's ADR returns and over various active trading rules' returns. On a time series level, major events, such as the terrorist attacks of September, 11, are identified as structural breaks in the evolution of US investors' sentiment, as well as on its impact on ADR spreads. On a cross-sectional level, markets are "partially segmented" and the relative importance of spreads' factors varies across different regions of the world, as well as between emerging and developed markets.
Implementing Prehospital Evidence-Based Guidelines: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract Objective: As prehospital research advances, more evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) are implemented into emergency medical services (EMS) practice. However, incomplete or suboptimal prehospital EBG implementation may hinder improvement in patient outcomes. To inform future efforts, this study's objective was to review existing evidence pertaining to prehospital EBG implementation methods. Methods: This study was a systematic literature review and evaluation following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Advanced Search were searched without language or publication date filters for articles addressing prehospital EBG implementation. Conference proceedings, textbooks, and non-English articles were excluded. GRADE was applied to the remaining articles independently by three of five study investigators. Study characteristics and salient findings from the included articles are reported. Results: The systematic literature review identified 1,367 articles, with 41 meeting inclusion criteria. Most articles described prehospital EBG implementation (n = 24, 59%), or implementation barriers (n = 13, 32%). Common study designs were statement documents (n = 12, 29%), retrospective cohort studies (n = 12, 29%), and cross-sectional studies (n = 9, 22%). Using GRADE, evidence quality was rated low (n = 18, 44%), or very low (n = 23, 56%). Salient findings from the articles included: (i) EBG adherence and patient outcomes depend upon successful implementation, (ii) published studies generally lack detailed implementation methods, (iii) EBG implementation takes longer than planned (mostly for EMS education), (iv) EMS systems' heterogeneity affects EBG implementation, and (v) multiple barriers limit successful implementation (e.g., financial constraints, equipment purchasing, coordination with hospitals, and regulatory agencies). This review found no direct evidence for best prehospital EBG implementation practices. There were no studies comparing implementation methods or implementation in different prehospital settings (e.g., urban vs. rural, advanced vs. basic life support). Conclusions: While prehospital EBG implementation barriers are well described, there is a paucity of evidence for optimal implementation methods. For scientific advances to reach prehospital patients, EBG development efforts must translate into EMS practice. Future research should consider comparing implementation methodologies in different prehospital settings, with a goal of defining detailed, reproducible best practices.
Quantification of pulmonary inflammation after segmental allergen challenge using turbo-inversion recovery-magnitude magnetic resonance imaging.

RATIONALE There is a need to develop novel noninvasive imaging biomarkers that help to evaluate antiinflammatory asthma treatments. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether the extent of the segmental lung edema measured noninvasively using turbo-inversion recovery-magnitude magnetic resonance imaging (TIRM MRI) corresponds to the severity of the regional allergic reaction determined by the percentage of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) 24 hours after segmental allergen challenge in patients with asthma compared with normal control subjects. METHODS Eleven volunteers with allergic asthma and five healthy volunteers underwent segmental challenges with different allergen doses by two bronchoscopies 24 hours apart. They had lung MRI at baseline and 6 and 24 hours after segmental challenge. MRI TIRM scores were correlated with the eosinophilic response at 24 hours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In patients with asthma, there were significant differences of eosinophil percentages in BAL at 24 hours from segments given standard-dose, low-dose, or no allergen (saline) (P < 0.001). Correspondingly significant differences between the TIRM score in allergen standard-dose, low-dose, and saline-treated segments were observed at 24 hours post-challenge (P < 0.001). With increasing TIRM score at 24 hours the percent eosinophils per segment 24 hours post-challenge also increased accordingly (P < 0.001). There was interobserver agreement for TIRM score grading (kappa = 0.72 for 24-h time point). CONCLUSIONS The MRI-based noninvasive TIRM score is a promising biomarker for the noninvasive detection of the inflammatory response after segmental allergen challenge in patients with asthma and may serve to monitor the therapeutic effectiveness of novel antiinflammatory drugs in future human trials.
Development of a C/sub /spl infin//-continuous small-signal model for a MOS transistor

An explicit and single-piece model for MOSFET's has been developed. The expressions for the dc current and total charges are C/sub /spl infin//-continuous through all regions of normal operation. The correctness and the advantages of the new model are checked by comparing with HSPICE simulations. Good agreement with the dc and charge models implemented in HSPICE has been found. Besides, the small-signal parameters show smoother transitions between the different regions. Therefore, the advantages of the new model for circuit simulation are demonstrated. <<ETX>>