Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulators sustainability assessment

It is no secret that simulation plays an ever increasing role in solving various challenges outside the military domain. Using simulation the policy planners can examine a variety of complex solutions before their implementation as well as forecast the impact of decisions on the attainable goal in general (Silva et al 2009). Several simulators are being developed, however the lack of unified standards, task diversity and complexity raise costs for the development of a comprehensive simulator. These costs are significantly higher than in traditional software development. This begs the question of sustainability regarding a new or already absorbed simulator as costs must be justified. How to determine technology sustainability? This question preoccupies users as well as investors. It is still impossible to get a convincing answer. A few years ago the term “sustainability” was almost exclusively linked to environmental protection, and even today it is very rarely used in relation to technology sustainability. More than five years ago the authors started developing the sustainability assessment methodology IASAM (Barkane et al 2010, Aizstrauta and Ginters 2013), which is based on system dynamics simulation. After several years of validation the work continues with the second version IASAM2, which left behind the Venkantesh UTAUT acceptance model in favour of Rodger’s diffusion ideas.
Do we know what foundation year doctors think about patient safety incident reporting? Development of a web based tool to assess attitude and knowledge

Background Making healthcare safer is an international priority. Patient safety modules are now taught in medical schools, and methods to assess related student knowledge and attitudes have been developed. However, little is known about the attitudes and knowledge which foundation doctors are developing to patient safety and incident reporting in the healthcare workplace, since a specific assessment tool appears to be lacking. Aims To develop, content validate and pilot test an online questionnaire survey to elicit foundation doctors' knowledge and experience of patient safety and incident reporting, and assess related attitudes and behaviours. Methods Questionnaire content validity was facilitated through: a steering group; literature review; feedback from foundation year doctors and consultant staff; a modified Delphi group; and completion of a content validity index by experts. In 2010 a cross-sectional online survey of 110 foundation year 1 and 2 doctors was then undertaken in three Scottish NHS board areas, utilising the developed 25 item questionnaire. Results The questionnaire was validated, and piloted among 69 foundation year doctors who responded to the questionnaire. The pilot has provided valuable insights into trainee attitudes and experience. For example, 32 (48%) believed that most safety incidents were due to things that they could not do anything about; and 31 (43%) admitted to being involved in medication errors which were not formally reported. Conclusions The pilot study was successful in taking the first steps to developing a validated survey questionnaire for a key staff group, foundation year doctors, in a priority area. However, the findings raise concerns about trainee experience of and attitudes to reporting, and the frequency with which incidents go unreported.
EMI Analysis and Evaluation of an Improved ZCT Flyback Converter

Switching power supplies are sources of noise for sensitive circuits. Converters should comply with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) rules so that the electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by switching cannot interfere with the normal operation of adjacent circuits and also the converter itself. The produced interference can be in the form of conduction or radiation. In this paper, some techniques are used in switching converters to suppress EMI with emphasis on the conduction form. EMI analysis and evaluation of a conventional flyback converter and a proposed zero-current transition (ZCT) flyback converter is achieved by simulation and experimental results. In addition to evaluating some EMI suppression techniques, the main objective of this paper is to improve EMI in the topology design stage. The operating modes of the improved ZCT flyback are discussed. In addition to the efficiency improvement, the amount of EMI reduction of this ZCT flyback and the effectiveness of some EMI reduction techniques are shown by practical implementation.
Environmental variation mediates the evolution of anticipatory parental effects

Environments vary over time and if this variation is predictable, environments that are similar across generations should favour evolution of anticipatory parental effects to benefit offspring. In contrast, the absence of correlation between parental and offspring environments should select against parental effects. However, experimental evidence is scarce. We investigated the evolution of maternal effects using experimental evolution. Populations of the nematode Caenorhabditis remanei, adapted to 20°C, were exposed to a novel temperature (25°C) for 30 generations with either positive or zero correlation between parent and offspring temperature. We found that populations evolving in environments with positive correlations had a positive maternal effect, since they required maternal exposure to 25°C to achieve maximum reproduction and fitness in 25°C. In contrast, populations evolving under zero correlation had lost this positive maternal effect. This shows that parental effects can aid population viability in warming environments. Correspondingly, ill-fitting parental effects can be rapidly lost.
Natural Conversational Interfaces to Geospatial Databases

Natural (spoken) language, combined with gestures and other human modalities, provides a promising alternative for interacting with computers, but such benefit has not been explored for interactions with geographical information systems. This paper presents a conceptual framework for enabling conversational human‐GIS interactions. Conversations with a GIS are modeled as human‐computer collaborative activities within a task domain. We adopt a mental state view of collaboration and discourse and propose a plan‐based computational model for conversational grounding and dialogue generation. At the implementation level, our approach is to introduce a dialogue agent, GeoDialogue, between a user and a geographical information server. GeoDialogue actively recognizes user's information needs, reasons about detailed cartographic and database procedures, and acts cooperatively to assist user's problem solving. GeoDialogue serves as a semantic ‘bridge’ between the human language and the formal language that a GIS understands. The behavior of such dialogue‐assisted human‐GIS interfaces is illustrated through a scenario simulating a session of emergency response during a hurricane event.
Miniaturized Concentric Hexagonal Fractal Rings Based Monopole Antenna for WLAN/WiMAX Application

In this paper a new antenna design technique is introduced in order to achieve tri-band operation as well as antenna miniaturization. The technique consists of using two concentric first-iterative hexagonal rings connected to each other as a radiating patch fed with a Y-shaped microstrip line. The proposed antenna operates at three frequency bands to cover 2.4/5.8 GHz WLAN bands and 3.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX bands applications. The numerical analysis and simulation are carried out with CST MWS. The measured return losses of the proposed antenna show good performance and good agreement with the simulated ones. Consequently the proposed antenna with compact size of 9.7 mm x 17 mm x 1.63 mm is well suited for wireless applications.
Carotenoid-containing outer membrane of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6714

Outer membranes, free of cytoplasmic or thylakoid membranes and peptidoglycan components, were obtained from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6714. Electron microscope studies revealed double-track outer membrane vesicles with a smooth-appearing exoplasmic surface, an exoplasmic fracture face covered by closely packed particles and a corresponding plasmic fracture face with regularly distributed holes. Lipopolysaccharide, proteins, lipids, and carotenoids were the constituents of the outer membrane of Synechocystis sp. PCC6714. Twelve polypeptides were found in outer membrane fractions, among them two dominant outer membrane proteins (Mrs, 67,000 and 61,000). Lipopolysaccharide-specific components were GlcN and an unidentified heptose. Outer membrane lipid extracts contained phosphatidylglycerol, sulfolipid, phosphatidylcholine, and unknown lipids. The carotenoids, myxoxanthophyll, related carotenoid-glycosides, zeaxanthin, echinenone, and beta-carotene were found to be true constituents of the outer membrane of Synechocystis sp. PCC6714.
Automation Usage Decisions: Controlling Intent and Appraisal Errors in a Target Detection Task

Background: It was proposed that misuse and disuse often occur because operators (a) cannot determine if automation or a nonautomated alternative maximizes the likelihood of task success (appraisal errors) or (b) know the utilities of the options but disregard this information when deciding to use automation (intent errors). Objective: This investigation assessed the effectiveness of performance feedback, a procedure developed to attenuate appraisal errors, and scenario training, an intervention designed to decrease intent errors. Methods: Operators given feedback were told how many errors they and an automated device made on a target detection task. Scenario training took operators through the thought processes of optimal decision makers after the utilities of the automated and nonautomated alternatives had been determined. Following 200 training trials, participants chose between relying on their observations or an automated device. Results: There was little misuse, but disuse rates were high (84%) among operators receiving neither feedback nor scenario training. Operators paired with a more accurate machine and given feedback made approximately twice as many errors as the automated device. Nevertheless, intent errors were commonplace; 55% of the operators who received feedback without scenario training did not rely on automation. Feedback effectiveness was enhanced when used in conjunction with scenario training; the disuse rate decreased to 29%. Conclusion: A combination of feedback and scenario training was more effective in mitigating disuse than either intervention used in isolation. Application: An important application of these findings is that operator training programs should incorporate techniques to control intent and appraisal errors.
The relationship between midlife and late life alcohol consumption, APOE e4 and the decline in learning and memory among older adults.

AIMS The aim of the study was to determine whether the trajectory of learning and memory is modified according to an interaction between midlife or late life alcohol consumption status and the presence of one or more APOE e4 alleles. METHODS This was a secondary analysis of cognitive, genetic and alcohol consumption data collected from members of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. RESULTS Light and moderate alcohol consumption during late life was associated with greater decline in learning and memory among APOE e4 carriers, whereas light and moderate alcohol consumption was associated with an increase in learning and memory among non-APOE e4 carriers. There was not a significant interaction between midlife alcohol consumption status and APOE e4 on the trajectory of learning and memory. CONCLUSION Light to moderate alcohol consumption during late life may protect against a decline in learning and memory for non-APOE e4 allele carriers, but not for older adults who carry one or more APOE e4 alleles.
A Genome-wide Short Hairpin RNA Screening of Jurkat T-cells for Human Proteins Contributing to Productive HIV-1 Replication*

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have been used to inhibit HIV-1 replication. The durable inhibition of HIV-1 replication by RNA interference has been impeded, however, by a high mutation rate when viral sequences are targeted and by cytotoxicity when cellular genes are knocked down. To identify cellular proteins that contribute to HIV-1 replication that can be chronically silenced without significant cytotoxicity, we employed a shRNA library that targets 54,509 human transcripts. We used this library to select a comprehensive population of Jurkat T-cell clones, each expressing a single discrete shRNA. The Jurkat clones were then infected with HIV-1. Clones that survived viral infection represent moieties silenced for a human mRNA needed for virus replication, but whose chronic knockdown did not cause cytotoxicity. Overall, 252 individual Jurkat mRNAs were identified. Twenty-two of these mRNAs were secondarily verified for their contributions to HIV-1 replication. Five mRNAs, NRF1, STXBP2, NCOA3, PRDM2, and EXOSC5, were studied for their effect on steps of the HIV-1 life cycle. We discuss the similarities and differences between our shRNA findings for HIV-1 using a spreading infection assay in human Jurkat T-cells and results from other investigators who used siRNA-based screenings in HeLa or 293T cells.
Application of Fault Management theory to the quantitative selection of a launch vehicle Abort Trigger suite

This paper describes the quantitative application of the theory of System Health Management and its operational subset, Fault Management, to the selection of Abort Triggers for a human-rated launch vehicle, the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Launch System (SLS). The results demonstrate the efficacy of the theory to assess the effectiveness of candidate failure detection and response mechanisms to protect humans from time-critical and severe hazards. The quantitative method was successfully used on the SLS to aid selection of its suite of Abort Triggers.
Predictors of professional quality of life among physicians in a conflict setting: the role of risk and protective factors.

BACKGROUND Unlike other places in the western world, Israeli physicians are prone to be exposed to victims of terror and war (soldiers and civilians alike), while in some cases the patients are close friends or relatives. Moreover, in other armed conflict situations (stemming from war or terror), there is a direct threat to the physician's life and his/her family. Among hospital personnel, there is little research concerning the factors associated with aspects of professional quality of life such as burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. AIM The current study compared a set of risk and protective factors associated with burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. METHODS The sample consisted of 97 physicians who answered a wide battery of questionnaires tapping to the aforementioned factors that served as predictive variables (age, gender, marital status, PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, dissociative symptoms, life satisfaction, perceived self-efficacy, perceived family support) using multiple regressions. RESULTS The study results showed that higher levels of PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of compassion fatigue (β = .594; t = 4.419; p <.001). A higher level of life satisfaction was associated with lower burnout (β = -.436; t = -4.293; p <.001). The same results were found also in lower level of perceived family support (β = -.203; t = -2.533; p <.05), and higher level of perceived self-efficacy was associated with higher burnout (β = .298; t = 2.702; p <.01). Finally, a higher level of life satisfaction was associated with higher compassion satisfaction (β = .493; t = 4.419; p <.001). CONCLUSION These results may suggest that life satisfaction is a predictor associated with burnout and compassion satisfaction. These results are viewed in light of the importance of life satisfaction as a barrier against burnout and its implication for physicians and hospital policy.
Elevated alanine aminotransferase independently predicts new onset of depression in employees undergoing health screening examinations

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance and hepatic inflammation. Similarly, patients with depression exhibit insulin resistance and increased inflammatory markers. However, no study has shown a clear association between elevated ALT and the development of depression. The aim of the study was to test whether elevated ALT, a surrogate marker for NAFLD, predicts the development of depression. Method The present prospective cohort study investigated 12 180 employed adults referred for health examinations that included fasting blood tests and anthropometric measurements between 2003 and 2010. Exclusion criteria were: baseline minor/major depression, excessive alcohol consumption and other causes for ALT elevation. Depression was evaluated by the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) score. Results The final cohort included 5984 subjects [69.4% men, aged 45.0 (s.d. = 10.24) years]. The incidence rate of minor and major depression was 3.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Elevated ALT was a significant independent predictor for the occurrence of minor [odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40–2.92] and major (OR 3.132, 95% CI 1.81–5.40) depression after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, education level, serum levels of lipids, glucose, smoking and physical activity. Adding subjective health and affective state parameters (sleep disturbances, self-rated health, anxiety and burnout) as potential mediators only slightly ameliorated the association. Persistently elevated ALT was associated with the greatest risk for minor or major depression as compared with elevation only at baseline or follow-up (p for trend < 0.001). Conclusions Elevated ALT was associated with developing depressive symptoms, thus suggesting that NAFLD may represent an independent modifiable risk factor for depression.
An introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method

Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics-Anil W. Date 2005-08-08 Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics is a textbook for advanced undergraduate and first year graduate students in mechanical, aerospace and chemical engineering. The book emphasizes understanding CFD through physical principles and examples. The author follows a consistent philosophy of control volume formulation of the fundamental laws of fluid motion and energy transfer, and introduces a novel notion of 'smoothing pressure correction' for solution of flow equations on collocated grids within the framework of the well-known SIMPLE algorithm. The subject matter is developed by considering pure conduction/diffusion, convective transport in 2-dimensional boundary layers and in fully elliptic flow situations and phase-change problems in succession. The book includes chapters on discretization of equations for transport of mass, momentum and energy on Cartesian, structured curvilinear and unstructured meshes, solution of discretised equations, numerical grid generation and convergence enhancement. Practising engineers will find this particularly useful for reference and for continuing education.
An Algorithm to Search Minimal Subtree Graphs

In this paper, we first propose an algorithm to obtain multicast routing graph. The multicast routing algorithm with network coding will consume lesser resource, and is much closer to minimum-cost multicast. A scheme to search minimal subtree graph is presented based on the chosen routing graph. Moreover, upon the minimal subtree graph obtained, we can effectively construct network coding. Then all the network coding problems can be reduced to search the minimal subtree graphs.
The Relationship Between Coronary Collateral Circulation and Serum Endocan Levels in Patients with Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions

Giris: Bir dermatan sulfat proteoglikan olan endokan, vaskuler endotelyum tarafindan sentezlenir ve salgilanir ayrica vaskuler hastaliklarin, organ-spesifik inflamasyon ve anjiyogenezin patogenezinde rol oynar. Calismamizda, stabil angina pektorisli hastalarda serum endokan duzeyiyle koroner kollateral dolasim (KKD) gelisimi arasindaki iliskiyi arastirmayi amacladik. Hastalar ve Yontem: Calismamiza en az bir kronik total tikanikligi olan stabil angina hastalari (n= 44) ve normal koroner arteri olan kontrol grubu (n= 29) dahil edildi. Kollateral derecesi, Rentrop ve Cohen siniflandirmasina gore degerlendirildi. Evre 0-1 kollateral dolusa sahip olan hastalar zayif gelismis KKD grubuna (n= 19) , evre 2-3 kollateral dolusa sahip olan hastalar iyi gelismis KKD grubuna (n= 29) dahil edildi. Bulgular: Iyi gelismis KKD grubunda, zayif gelismis KKD grubuna ve kontrol grubuna gore endokan duzeyleri anlamli olarak yuksek bulundu (p< 0.001). Zayif gelismis KKD olan hastalarda endokan duzeyi kontrol grubuna gore daha yuksektir. Endokan duzeyi, regresyon analizinde iyi gelismis KKD icin tek bagimsiz ongordurucu idi (OR 1.002, 95% guven araligi (GA) 1.001-1.005; p= 0.001). Iyi gelismis KKD ongormede endokan duzeyi optimal kestirim degeri ≥ 1773, 9 ng/L olarak bulundu. Endokan duzeyi ≥ 1773.9 ng/L olmasi halinde iyi gelismis kollateral varligini %84 duyarlilik ve %63 ozgullukle ongormekteydi (AUC: 0.749, 95% GA: 0.654-0.849, p< 0.001). Sonuc: Koroner kronik total okluzyonu olan hastalarda KKD artmis endokan duzeyi ile iliskilidir. KKD gelisiminde endokanin onemli rolu olabilir.
Relationship of drug resistance to phylogenetic groups of E. coli isolates from wound infections.

BACKGROUND Drug resistance is a major problem in Escherichia coli isolated from surgical wound infections. In this study, we evaluated relationship between phylogenicity and drug resistance. METHODOLOGY A total of 29 multi-drug resistant (MDR) E. coli isolates of known drug resistance genes and integron profile were selected for the present study. Triplex PCR was conducted for phylogenetic classification of these isolates into four established phylogenetic groups: A, B1, B2 and D. Statistical analysis was done to determine the association of different drug resistance genes and integrons with the phylogenetic groups. RESULTS Most of the isolates (44.8%) belonged to phylogenetic group A followed by group B2 and D (24.1% each) and group B1 (6.9%). CONCLUSIONS There is a definitive relationship between drug resistance and various phylogenetic groups of E. coli infecting wounds. A shift towards phylogenetic group A might be observed with an increasing drug resistance profile.