Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
8 Gb 3-D DDR3 DRAM Using Through-Silicon-Via Technology

An 8 Gb 4-stack 3-D DDR3 DRAM with through-Si-via is presented which overcomes the limits of conventional modules. A master-slave architecture is proposed which decreases the standby and active power by 50 and 25%, respectively. It also increases the I/O speed to > 1600 Mb/s for 4 rank/module and 2 module/channel case since the master isolates all chip I/O loadings from the channel. Statistical analysis shows that the proposed TSV check and repair scheme can increase the assembly yield up to 98%. By providing extra VDD/VSS edge pads, power noise is reduced to < 100 mV even if all 4 ranks are refreshed every clock cycle consecutively.
Determinants of dividend payments by the financial sector listed companies at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

This study investigates the determinants of dividend paymerrts by the financial sector listed companies at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. It examines the theories for and against dividend policy. The study adopts data gathering techniques of using the questionnaires and personal interviews. Secondary data was also used by analyzing NSE records and the data readily available in the companies' websites. The study was done for twenty companies that are in the financial listed sector mainly banks, insurance and investment sectors. Data collected was analyzed quantitatively. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, which includes measures of central tendency, measures of variability and measures of frequency among others. The study found out that dividends declared by the financial listed companies at the NSE were done after the results were released. Inquiry was based on the company's liquidity position, earnings and leverage, the effects of profitable opportunities, and the company's debt to equity ratio on the dividend payout ratio.
Elitist Behavior in Differential Ant-stigmergy Algorithm

This paper proposes two type of elitist variants for the differential ant-stigmergy algorithm (DASA). An elitist behaviour is inserted in genetic algorithms by keeping the best solution found in the population used at next generation. Another way to insert elitist behaviour in algorithms that construct solution is to use the most attractive components in order to obtain good quality solution, and may be the optimal ones. Based on particularities of differential ant-stigmergy algorithm this two type of elitist behaviour was successfully applied to studied algorithm. In this paper the efficiency of the proposed elitist variants of DASA algorithms is analyzed using experimental results. The analysis is applied to six benchmark functions from the class of high-dimensional real-parameter optimization problems.
Information Systems for Improving Mental Health: Six Emerging Themes of Research

This paper presents qualitative findings from two field studies that focused on supporting people with sleeplessness (Study I) and moderate depression (Study II). Both the studies were designed to examine the potential impact of reminders and rehearsal on the effectiveness of web-based information systems that were developed by implementing selected persuasive software features and incorporated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based exercises. Sleeplessness and moderate depression were chosen because first, they are interrelated and, second they are essential for an individual’s general wellbeing. Good quality of life depends on different factors, and both sleeplessness and depression, if not addressed, can have detrimental consequences. In this paper, qualitative findings are reported with an aim to highlight underlying issues that are at times ignored. Further, the findings are expected to help designers better understand the dynamics of information systems that are developed for mental healthcare. For data collection, we used semi-structured interviews and Likert-scale questionnaires. Although, we used SPSS Version 20 to perform statistical analyses on pre- and post- study psychological measures for both Study I and II, however in this paper only qualitative findings will be reported as in the context of healthcare- related research qualitative methodologies have been advocated as a constructive approach. The results from the two studies portray an interesting contrast. While the participants of the Study I (Sleeplessness) did not generally find reminders to be effective, on the contrary, the participants of study II (Depression) highly appreciated reminders especially in terms of task completion. In terms of rehearsal, participants from both the studies favoured the software feature for learning new behaviors. Based on the qualitative findings, we have identified six emerging themes that are expected to open further research opportunities for mental healthcare researchers. Keywords: Sleeplessness, M
A Reservation-Based TDMA MAC Protocol Using Directional Antennas (RTDMA-DA) For Wireless Mesh Networks

A new time division multiple access (TDMA)-based MAC protocol using directional antennas (RTDMA-DA) is presented for wireless mesh networks. RTDMA-DA is fully- distributed, with the nodes needing to reserve time slots in order to transmit packets. To ensure fairness, it makes use of a novel approach to give nodes within their local 1-hop neighborhoods alternating priorities to reserve slots. In addition, RTDMA-DA allows such local reservations to take place throughout the network, making the protocol highly scalable. In the case of nodes with varying bandwidth requirements, dynamic slot reservations can take place, thus increasing the overall bandwidth utilization. The results of the simulations show that RTDMA-DA achieves a saturation throughput of up to 11 times more than 802.11 and is highly scalable.
Evolving benchmarking practices: a review for research perspectives

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to review a major section of the literature on benchmarking practices in order to achieve better perspectives for emerging benchmarking research streams.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the benchmarking literature and presents a framework that suggests evolving patterns of firms' benchmarking practices. This paper examines the studies published in Benchmarking: An International Journal and other articles related to benchmarking practices in major Strategic Management, OM/SCM, and Technology Management journals from 2001 to 2010.Findings – Benchmarking remains an important strategic tool of business in turbulent times. Five research dimensions for benchmarking are discussed in terms of the following: strategy‐based benchmarking; operational effectiveness‐based benchmarking; technical efficiency‐based benchmarking; and micro‐macro integrative benchmarking. For sustainable competitive advantage, benchmarking goes beyond the operational level and moves in.
Sentiment Analysis and Similarity Evaluation for Heterogeneous-Domain Product Reviews

Sentiment analysis and classification is a prominent research topic in academics as well as in industrial field. Since each customer reviews text always state emotion about a target domain, sentiment classification is a highly domain dependent task and present study considered the reviews from heterogeneous domains. Generally researchers classify the customer review with positive, negative and neutral sentiments but a positive review can be highly positive and a negative review can be highly negative, so sentiment analysis about a review can be more effective if a sentiment scale is also defined for such greater degree of positivity or negativity. We defined a framework to classify heterogeneous product reviews with degree of polarity on a sentiment scale of range 2 to 2. For each review, an intermediate form is calculated using sentiment vectors which is further processed to calculate the sentiment polarity magnitude and similarity of reviews.
Previous Driving Experience, but Not Vision, Is Associated With Motor Vehicle Collision Rate in Bioptic Drivers.

PURPOSE Bioptic telescopic spectacles (BTS) consist of a small telescope (or telescopes) mounted high in a pair of spectacle lenses. More than 40 states allow for some form of bioptic driving licensure for people with decreased central vision. The purpose of this study was to determine significant associations among previous driving experience, vision, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) for bioptic drivers in Ohio. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of patients who received a vision examination and subsequently obtained bioptic licensure. We obtained driving records from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in order to determine MVC involvement. Relationships among vision measures, age, sex, previous experience, and MVCs were investigated using time-to-event analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS We identified 237 bioptic drivers (65% male). Age at initial exam ranged from 16 to 81 years, and mean visual acuity was approximately 20/120. The number of MVCs per driver ranged from 0 to 11, with 124 (52%) drivers having had at least one MVC. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were not significant predictors of MVC. Drivers without previous driving experience were significantly more likely to have been involved in an MVC (P < 0.001), and this association remained significant after adjusting for age and sex (P = 0.01). The rate of MVC per year decreased steadily over a 10-year period for drivers without previous experience. CONCLUSIONS Previous nonbioptic driving experience, but not visual acuity or contrast sensitivity, was associated with yearly MVC rate in bioptic drivers.
TIPS o-Diphenolase Activities of Polyphenol Oxidase

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) (monophenol, o-diphenol: oxygen oxidoreductase; EC 1.14.18.1) is a binuclear copper-cluster-containing monooxygenase ubiquitously present in biological systems (1, 2). PPO may be distinguished from the related oxidase laccase [p-diphenol:oxygen oxidoreductase; EC 1.10. 3.2] by its substrate specificity and the type and number of catalytic coppers. PPO catalyzes the oxidation of o-diphenols (o-diphenolase or catecholase activity) to the corresponding o-quinones, by consumption of molecular oxygen. It may also catalyze the regioselective orthohydroxylation of monophenols to catechols and their subsequent oxidation to o-quinones (monophenolase or cresolase activity). The resulting quinones may undergo nonenzymatic autopolymerization or covalent heterocondensation with proteins to produce colored compounds (1). Peroxidases (POXs) (donor:hydrogen
Identification of key genes influenced by fixation stability in early fracture hematoma and elucidation of their roles in fracture healing

The present study aimed to identify the key genes influenced by fixation stability in early fracture hematoma and to elucidate their roles in fracture healing. The GSE53256 gene expression profile, including six fracture hematoma tissues, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the fracture hematoma tissues from old rats with rigid fixation compared with semi-rigid fixation were identified using the limma package. Furthermore, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis for DEGs was performed using BiNGO, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed based on the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database. A total of 265 DEGs (158 upregulated and 107 downregulated) in the fracture hematoma tissues were screened out. Additionally, the overrepresented GO terms were mainly associated with the extracellular region, positive regulation of locomotion and response to external stimulus. Transforming growth factor, β 1 (Tgfβ1), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (Cxcl12), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (mmp9) and serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade E, member 1 (serpine1) had higher degrees and were hub nodes in the PPI network. In conclusion, fixation stability may influence the fracture healing process, and important DEGs, including Cxcl12, mmp9, Tgfβ1 and serpine1, may be important in this process.
Stigma Shrinks My Bubble: A Qualitative Study of Understandings and Experiences of Stigma and Bipolar Disorder

Purpose: This study contributes to the stigma and bipolar disorder literature focused on understanding structural, social, and self-stigma experiences from the perspectives of individuals living with bipolar disorder and their family members. Methods: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles guided our engagement of individuals with bipolar disorder and community partners in the initiation, development, implementation, and reporting of this study. We collected data through focus groups with individuals living with bipolar disorder (3 groups) and family members (2 groups) during an annual bipolar disorder community engagement event. Thematic analysis was conducted as an iterative process and aided by several research team meetings. Results: Three core themes emerged: (1) explicit and implicit exclusionary practices linked to structural stigma; (2) social stigma (e.g., If my child had leukemia you would all be bringing me lasagna) and; (3) the burden of self-stigma (e.g., What’s wrong with me? ) . These findings address issues arising in work, school, social, and health care settings that shape stigma phenomena. Conclusion: Parallels between the present findings and stigma experiences regarding other types of mental illnesses suggest considerable overlap. Individuals with bipolar disorder expressed hope for change that included (a) working with health care professionals who use a psychosocial rehabilitation approach and (b) implementing personal strategies for unloading the burden of self-stigma in their lives. Implications: The conceptualization of stigma as self, social and structural resonated well with the experiences and understandings of study participants. This conceptualization offers a bridge for communication between people with bipolar disorder, their families and health care practitioners and may be a useful framework for guiding efforts to reduce stigma. CBPR principles and lived experiences are crucial elements in stigma reduction endeavors.
Turnover Threat and CEO Risk-Taking Behavior in the Banking Industry

We examine how the threat of turnover affects bank CEOs' risk-taking behavior. Using a sample of 212 U.S. banks from 1995 to 2010, in contrast with prior studies focusing on non-banking firms, we find a non-monotonic relationship between CEO turnover threat and CEO risk-taking behavior in the banking industry. Bank CEOs increase their risk-taking when the perceived turnover threat is moderate but reduce risk-taking when turnover threat is more imminent. This effect tends to concentrate on banks with a majority of independent directors.
Variations in BOLD response latency estimated from event‐related fMRI at 3T: Comparisons between gradient‐echo and Spin‐echo

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) commonly uses gradient‐recalled echo (GRE) signals to detect regional hemodynamic variations originating from neural activities. While the spatial localization of activation shows promising applications, indexing temporal response remains a poor mechanism for detecting the timing of neural activity. Particularly, the hemodynamic response may fail to resolve sub‐second temporal differences between brain regions because of its signal origin or noise in data, or both. This study aimed at evaluating the performance of latency estimation using different fMRI techniques, with two event‐related experiments at 3T. Experiment I evaluated latency variations within the visual cortex and their relationship with contrast‐to‐noise ratios (CNRs) for GRE, spin echo (SE), and diffusion‐weighted SE (DWSE). Experiment II used delayed visual stimuli between two hemifields (delay time = 0, 250, and 500 ms, respectively) to assess the temporal resolving power of three protocols: GRETR1000, GRETR500, and SETR1000. The results of experiment I showed the earliest latency with DWSE, followed by SE, and then GRE. Latency variations decreased as CNR increased. However, similar variations were found between GRE and SE, when the latter had lower CNR. In experiment II, measured stimulus delays from all conditions were significantly correlated with preset stimulus delays. Inter‐subject variation in the measured delay was found to be greatest with GRETR1000, followed by GRETR500, and the least with SETR1000. Conclusively, blood oxygenation level‐dependent responses obtained from GRE exhibit greater CNR but no compromised latency variations in the visual cortex. SE is potentially capable of improving the performance of latency estimation, especially for group analysis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 215–221, 2013
CRM and retail service quality: front‐line employee perspectives

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes and beliefs of front‐line employees regarding how customer‐company interactions might be improved. Since front‐line employees are closely connected to customers, the resultant experiences and relationships with customers are highly dependent on their actions. However, little is written from the perspective of front‐line employees.Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative approach and employing an adaptation of the grounded theory method, this study uses front‐line employee participants with data collection occurring over a six‐month period. A variety of data sources were used including open‐ended reciprocal interviews, member‐checking interviews, observation, and collection of participant and researcher artifacts.Findings – Findings suggest that organizational changes initiated by management create strategically constructed silos that force implementation through people and systems to control and standardize the service interface and .
Towards the Fifth‐generation Innovation Process

The growing complexity and pace of industrial technological change are forcing firms to forge new alliances and to respond more efficiently to market changes. This process is leading some companies towards more strategically directed integration within external agencies. Some are also adopting a sophisticated electronic toolkit in their design and development activities. These leading edge innovators are beginning to take on elements of the fifth‐generation (5G) innovation process. Describes developments towards this process.
A Defense Framework for Flooding-based DDoS Attacks

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are widely regarded as a major threat to the Internet. A flooding-based DDoS attack is a very common way to attack a victim machine by sending a large amount of malicious traffic. Existing networklevel congestion control mechanisms are inadequate in preventing service quality from deteriorating because of these attacks. Although a number of techniques have been proposed to defeat DDoS attacks, it is still hard to detect and respond to floodingbased DDoS attacks due to a large number of attacking machines, the use of sourceaddress spoofing, and the similarities between legitimate and attack traffic. In this thesis, we propose a distributed framework which will help to improve the quality of service of internet service providers (ISP) for legitimate traffic under DDoS attacks. The distributed nature of DDoS problem requires a distributed solution. In this thesis, we propose a distance-based distributed DDoS defense framework which defends against attacks by coordinating between the distance-based DDoS defense systems of the source ends and the victim end. The proposed distance-based defense system has three major components: detection, traceback, and traffic control. In the detection component, two distance-based detection techniques are employed. The distance value of a packet indicates the number of hops the packet has traversed from
Metabolic profiles of adipose-derived and bone marrow-derived stromal cells from elderly coronary heart disease patients by capillary liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADSC)-based therapy is a promising option for patients with atherosclerotic conditions, including coronary artery disease. However, the potential differences in the metabolic characteristics between bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and ADSCs have remained to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to compare the metabolic profiles of BMSCs and ADSCs via liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. BMSCs and ADSCs obtained from elderly coronary heart disease patients were cultured, and after three passages, supernatants of each cell type were collected and systematically analysed. Substantial differences were detected between the metabolite signatures of ADSCs and BMSCs. In addition, further analysis using partial least-squares discriminant analysis score plots indicated significant differences between the supernatants of the two cell types. The following metabolites were deemed to be responsible for the potential differences in the metabolic characteristics of BMSCs and ADSCs: D-lactic acid, hydroxyindoleacetaldehyde, α-D-glucose, bovinic acid, 9,10-epoxyoctadecenoic acid, glyceraldehyde, phenylpyruvic acid, L-octanoylcarnitine, retinyl ester, α-ketoisovaleric acid, guanidoacetic acid, N-acetylneuraminic acid, imidazoleacetic acid riboside, sphingosine and pseudouridine 5′-phosphate. Based on these findings, there may be significant differences in the following metabolic pathways: The linoleic acid metabolic pathway, galactose metabolism, argentines and proline metabolism, retinol metabolism, glycine and serine metabolism, galactose metabolism, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. In conclusion, substantial differences in metabolic characteristics were detected between BMSCs and ADSCs, which may be associated with the different efficacies of atherosclerosis therapies employing these cell types.
Compare strategy of different hospitals on the global budget system

This study describes the ongoing development of an evaluation model with BSC criteria to be used to help hospitals in choosing a suitable strategy. The results reveal that the three subject hospitals have a balance among customer perspectives, learning and growth, internal business processes and financial measures, as is supported by BSC. And the multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) show that “Establish strategic alliances with other clinics,” “Limit outpatient numbers,” “Increase inpatient numbers,” “Decrease costs” favored by case study hospital. Finally, the BCG model reveals that hospital A adopts profit direction, hospital B adopts cost direction and hospital C is unclear.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Using UV Detection for the Simultaneous Quantification of Ropivacaine and Bupivacaine in Human Plasma

A specific high-performance liquid chromatography assay coupled with UV detection has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in human plasma. A liquid-liquid back extraction procedure was used to increase specificity, and very good and consistent recoveries were obtained: 93%-95% for ropivacaine and 90%-96% for bupivacaine. The lowest limit of quantification was 4 and 8 ng/mL for ropivacaine and bupivacaine, respectively. The method was sensitive, reproducible (coefficient of variation ≤ 6.9%), and accurate (96%-102%) and was applied successfully to study the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in a perioperative context.