Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sorting with Linear Speedup on a Pipelined Hypercube

The authors formally define a distributed-memory parallel architecture called the pipelined hypercube. A coarse-grained parallel sorting algorithm that can be mapped efficiently on such an architecture is also presented. The pipelined hypercube has a more powerful communication mechanism than the traditional binary code architecture, in that it permits communication of blocks of data between processing elements (PEs) to be performed in a pipelined manner. Certain data communication problems which would probably be serialized on the binary code architecture, can be performed optimally on the pipelined hypercube. The sorting algorithm can be mapped efficiently onto a pipelined hypercube of P PEs. It sorts N data items, initially distributed among the PEs, in time O((N log N/P)+log/sup 2/ P), thereby achieving linear speedup when P is O(N/log N). >
Perspective has a strong effect on the calculation of historical contributions to global warming

The politically contentious issue of calculating countries’ contributions to climate change is strongly dependent on methodological choices. Different principles can be applied for distributing efforts for reducing human-induced global warming. According to the ‘Brazilian Proposal’, industrialized countries would reduce emissions proportional to their historical contributions to warming. This proposal was based on the assumption that the political process would lead to a global top-down agreement. The Paris Agreement changed the role of historical responsibilities. Whereas the agreement refers to equity principles, differentiation of mitigation efforts is delegated to each country, as countries will submit new national contributions every five years without any international negotiation. It is likely that considerations of historical contributions and distributive fairness will continue to play a key role, but increasingly so in a national setting. Contributions to warming can be used as a background for negotiations to inform and justify positions, and may also be useful for countries’ own assessment of what constitutes reasonable and fair contributions to limiting warming. Despite the fact that the decision from COP21 explicitly rules out compensation in the context of loss and damage, it is likely that considerations of historical responsibility will also play a role in future discussions. However, methodological choices have substantial impacts on calculated contributions to warming, including rank-ordering of contributions, and thus support the view that there is no single correct answer to the question of how much each country has contributed. There are fundamental value-related and ethical questions that cannot be answered through a single set of calculated contributions. Thus, analyses of historical contributions should not present just one set of results, but rather present a spectrum of results showing how the calculated contributions vary with a broad set of choices. Our results clearly expose some of the core issues related to climate responsibility.
Effects of quality improvement strategies for type 2 diabetes on glycemic control: a meta-regression analysis.

CONTEXT There have been numerous reports of interventions designed to improve the care of patients with diabetes, but the effectiveness of such interventions is unclear. OBJECTIVE To assess the impact on glycemic control of 11 distinct strategies for quality improvement (QI) in adults with type 2 diabetes. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION MEDLINE (1966-April 2006) and the Cochrane Collaboration's Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group database, which covers multiple bibliographic databases. Eligible studies included randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials and controlled before-after studies that evaluated a QI intervention targeting some aspect of clinician behavior or organizational change and reported changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values. DATA EXTRACTION Postintervention difference in HbA1c values were estimated using a meta-regression model that included baseline glycemic control and other key intervention and study features as predictors. DATA SYNTHESIS Fifty randomized controlled trials, 3 quasi-randomized trials, and 13 controlled before-after trials met all inclusion criteria. Across these 66 trials, interventions reduced HbA(1c) values by a mean of 0.42% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29%-0.54%) over a median of 13 months of follow-up. Trials with fewer patients than the median for all included trials reported significantly greater effects than did larger trials (0.61% vs 0.27%, P = .004), strongly suggesting publication bias. Trials with mean baseline HbA1c values of 8.0% or greater also reported significantly larger effects (0.54% vs 0.20%, P = .005). Adjusting for these effects, 2 of the 11 categories of QI strategies were associated with reductions in HbA(1c) values of at least 0.50%: team changes (0.67%; 95% CI, 0.43%-0.91%; n = 26 trials) and case management (0.52%; 95% CI, 0.31%-0.73%; n = 26 trials); these also represented the only 2 strategies conferring significant incremental reductions in HbA1c values. Interventions involving team changes reduced values by 0.33% more (95% CI, 0.12%-0.54%; P = .004) than those without this strategy, and those involving case management reduced values by 0.22% more (95% CI, 0.00%-0.44%; P = .04) than those without case management. Interventions in which nurse or pharmacist case managers could make medication adjustments without awaiting physician authorization reduced values by 0.80% (95% CI, 0.51%-1.10%), vs only 0.32% (95% CI, 0.14%-0.49%) for all other interventions (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS Most QI strategies produced small to modest improvements in glycemic control. Team changes and case management showed more robust improvements, especially for interventions in which case managers could adjust medications without awaiting physician approval. Estimates of the effectiveness of other specific QI strategies may have been limited by difficulty in classifying complex interventions, insufficient numbers of studies, and publication bias.
Experimental results of a new differential protection algorithm in a distribution transformer using singular values

This paper describes a method to identify inrush currents in a distribution transformer using the Singular Value Decomposition during transient conditions. The proposed method applies the SVD to a measurement matrix formed by the differential current per each phase normalized and filtered. The goal is to obtain the greatest singular value that brings the most variability highlighting the characteristic patterns in differential currents. A threshold based on Euclidean norm was established to differentiate between inrush and fault currents. If the magnitude of the largest singular value is above the threshold, an internal fault is determined, otherwise, an inrush current. The algorithm was implemented on MATLAB, and a broad array of experimental cases was made in two different three-phase transformers to validate its performance. The algorithm successfully differentiated inrush conditions from internal faults in all 100 cases.
Performance analysis of directional CSMA/CA in the presence of deafness

Although directional antennas can increase the spatial reuse in wireless ad hoc networks, the directional carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocols encounter unprecedented challenges that can offset this potential benefit. One critical problem is known as deafness that occurs when a transmitter repeatedly fails to communicate with its intended receiver because the receiver is beamformed towards another direction. The deafness problem has not yet been analytically studied since existing analytical models for directional CSMA/CA ignore the effect of deafness. In this study, the authors develop an analytical framework for directional CSMA/CA, which is the first analytical model to consider the problem of deafness as a source of transmission failures in multi-hop wireless networks with directional antennas. They also propose a deafness index to quantify the negative impact of deafness. Using their framework, the authors study the tradeoff between spatial reuse and deafness when a directional CSMA/CA protocol is employed. Their results demonstrate that decreasing the antenna beamwidth increases the saturation throughput up to a certain limit corresponding to an optimum beamwidth. However, by further lowering the beamwidth, the negative impact of deafness offsets the benefits of spatial reuse and results in a steep decrease in the saturation throughput. These results prove analytically that deafness is a critical problem if left unaddressed.
A follow-up study of physical activity and incidence of colorectal polyps in African-American women.

BACKGROUND Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, but the effect of activity on colorectal adenomas, which are precursors to colon cancer, is uncertain. The influence of physical activity on colorectal adenomas among African-American women is of particular interest because African-American women have an increased risk of colon cancer relative to other U.S. women. METHODS We prospectively assessed the relation of physical activity to the incidence of colorectal polyps among African-American women. We followed 45,400 women in the Black Women's Health Study from 1997 to 2003. Data were obtained by biennial mailed questionnaires. During 287,029 person-years of follow-up, 1,390 women reported having been diagnosed with colorectal polyps. A review of medical records of 58 women who reported colorectal polyps indicated that 59% had adenomas and 41% had hyperplastic polyps. We converted hours per week of vigorous exercise and hours per week of walking to metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours. We estimated incidence rate ratios with Cox proportional hazard models, controlling for age, body mass index, smoking, family history of colorectal cancer, and education. RESULTS For total MET-hours/wk spent in walking and vigorous exercise, the incidence rate ratio decreased from 0.94 for <5 MET-hours/wk to 0.72 for >or=40 MET-hours/wk (P(trend) = 0.01). The inverse association was apparent among most subgroups examined, including women who may be at higher risk of colorectal adenomas because of being obese. CONCLUSIONS Increased physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of colorectal polyps among African-American women.
Channel Characteristics in High-Speed Railway: A Survey of Channel Propagation Properties

In this article, we give an overview of recent research on propagation properties in high-speed railways (HSRs). The channel fading in HSRs is a big challenge for wireless access. It is essential to understand the channel-fading behavior before the system design. The novel results of propagation and channel models are presented. The details of channel characteristics, such as path loss, shadow fading, and Ricean K- factor, are discussed in each scenario. A comprehensive picture of propagation and channel-modeling research in railways is shown.
Structural analysis of the GAP‐related domain from neurofibromin and its implications

Neurofibromin is the product of the NF1 gene, whose alteration is responsible for the pathogenesis of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), one of the most frequent genetic disorders in man. It acts as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) on Ras; based on homology to p120GAP, a segment spanning 250‐400 aa and termed GAP‐related domain (NF1GRD; 25‐40 kDa) has been shown to be responsible for GAP activity and represents the only functionally defined segment of neurofibromin. Missense mutations found in NF1 patients map to NF1GRD, underscoring its importance for pathogenesis. X‐ray crystallographic analysis of a proteolytically treated catalytic fragment of NF1GRD comprising residues 1198‐1530 (NF1‐333) of human neurofibromin reveals NF1GRD as a helical protein that resembles the corresponding fragment derived from p120GAP (GAP‐334). A central domain (NF1c) containing all residues conserved among RasGAPs is coupled to an extra domain (NF1ex), which despite very limited sequence homology is surprisingly similar to the corresponding part of GAP‐334. Numerous point mutations found in NF1 patients or derived from genetic screening protocols can be analysed on the basis of the three‐dimensional structural model, which also allows identification of the site where structural changes in a differentially spliced isoform are to be expected. Based on the structure of the complex between Ras and GAP‐334 described earlier, a model of the NF1GRD‐Ras complex is proposed which is used to discuss the strikingly different properties of the Ras‐p120GAP and Ras‐neurofibromin interactions.
Human acidic ribosomal phosphoproteins P0, P1, and P2: analysis of cDNA clones, in vitro synthesis, and assembly

cDNA clones encoding three antigenically related human ribosomal phosphoproteins (P-proteins) P0, P1, and P2 were isolated and sequenced. P1 and P2 are analogous to Escherichia coli ribosomal protein L7/L12, and P0 is likely to be an analog of L10. The three proteins have a nearly identical carboxy-terminal 17-amino-acid sequence (KEESEESD(D/E)DMGFGLFD-COOH) that is the basis of their immunological cross-reactivity. The identities of the P1 and P2 cDNAs were confirmed by the strong similarities of their encoded amino acid sequences to published primary structures of the homologous rat, brine shrimp, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins. The P0 cDNA was initially identified by translation of hybrid-selected mRNA and immunoprecipitation of the products. To demonstrate that the coding sequences are full length, the P0, P1, and P2 cDNAs were transcribed in vitro by bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and the resulting mRNAs were translated in vitro. The synthetic P0, P1, and P2 proteins were serologically and electrophoretically identical to P-proteins extracted from HeLa cells. These synthetic P-proteins were incorporated into 60S but not 40S ribosomes and also assembled into a complex similar to that described for E. coli L7/L12 and L10.
Transvaginal/transrectal ultrasound-guided aspiration biopsy for diagnosis of pelvic/pelvic floor tumors in females: A retrospective analysis

Ultrasound guidance for histological diagnosis is in real-time, convenient, and economical. The aim of this study was to determine whether transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS)- and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided aspiration biopsy allows detection of a malignant pathology of pelvic/pelvic masses. Data of 40 patients with pelvic and pelvic mass lesions by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging underwent TVUS- or TRUS-guided biopsy. Tissue samples obtained were assessed on suitability for histopathologic evaluation. The post-biopsy complication was monitored. All the specimens in the pelvic floor, vaginal stump, vaginal fornix, cervix, and posterior wall of the anal canal were adequate for histologic diagnosis. There were no post-biopsy complications. Transvaginal/transrectal ultrasound-guided aspiration biopsy is safe and simple. It can be used for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pelvic and pelvic floor lesions in women. Prospective studies are needed to test diagnostic performance across clinical scenarios.
Balancing Caritas and Veritas in Library of Congress Subject Headings

The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) list is a controlled vocabulary created and maintained by the Library of Congress (LC) beginning in 1898 and first published in 1909. It is a list used not only by LC, but by libraries and other institutions around the world. A controlled vocabulary is “an organized arrangement of words and phrases” that includes preferred and variant terms and primarily used for subject access (Harpring, 2011). Controlled vocabularies provide unique and consistent terminology that can be used for subject access within a library catalog, collocating works related by subject under one word or phrase for easier searching and browsing. Consequently, this makes subject searching and browsing less time consuming for library users. For example, instead of requiring a library user search under World War 2, World War II, WWII, etc. and various other phrases to find all works on the second world war, one phrase is chosen as the “preferred form” and added to all records for works on that topic (in LCSH, this would be World War, 1939-1945). Assuming the catalog utilizes proper authority control, a user searching for any variant forms of a subject heading would be directed to the preferred form. Controlled vocabularies help solve problems of ambiguity and synonymy within a language. The former occurs when the same word or phrase refers to different concepts or things (like Mercury the planet and Mercury the Roman deity) and the latter occurs when more than one word or phrase refers to the same concept or thing (like in the previous World War 2 example).
Trends in 15-year MODIS NDVI time series for Mexico

The number of studies exploring long data records have increased in recent years and trend analysis has become a frequently-used analysis approach. This study tested parametric and non-parametric regression methods for trend estimation in MODIS NDVI data. The full record of 15 years of MODIS data from the Terra satellite was filtered to exclude clouds, shadow or other data of inferior quality from this analysis. Yearly averages and dry and wet season means were analyzed using linear least-squares and Theil-Sen regression methods. Corresponding statistical tests (F-test and Mann-Kendall test) indicated the significance of each regression model. Consistent spatial patterns were found in MODIS NDVI trend analysis which match with local knowledge and studies exploring socioeconomic, environmental and demographic factors of vegetation and land cover change in Mexico. Significant (p<;0.05) positive trends in NDVI were found in the states of Chihuahua, northern Durango and Nuevo Leon due to increased woody coverage or Oaxaca due to vegetation densification. Negative trends occur in Sonora and Coahuila due to climate variability and around larger cities. Seasonal trend analysis helped interpreting and discerning anthropogenic from natural drivers.
Telomeres rather than telomerase a key target for anti‐cancer therapy?

Abstract: It was in the 1930s that telomeres (from the Greek telos = end and meros = part) were first recognized as essential structures at the ends of the chromosomes and were shown to be important for chromosomal stability (Muller HJ: The remaking of chromosomes. The Collecting Net‐Woods Hole 1938: 13: 181‐‐198, McClintock B, The stability of broken ends of chromosomes in Zea mays. Genetics 1041: 26: 234‐‐282). However, it was only in 1978 that the first telomeric sequence was identified – in the protocoa Tetrahymena, a single cell organism that at a certain stage of development has many identical minichromosomes with twice as many telomeres (Blackburn EH and Gall JG. A tandemly repeated sequence at the termini of the extrachromosomal ribosomal RNA genes in Tetrahymena. J. Mol. Biol. 1978: 120: 33‐‐53.). Today we know that telomeres form specialized, three‐dimensional DNA‐protein structures and fulfil important capping functions. Besides, telomeric DNA is essential as ‘‘access DNA’’ for those cells that are not able to counteract loss of DNA during replication because they do not express telomerase, the enzyme responsible for telomere length maintenance. Since telomerase is mostly found in tumor cells and inhibition correlates with telomere shortening and finally growth inhibition, telomerase and lately also the telomeres themselves have become attractive targets for anti‐cancer therapy. This review aims to critically throw light on different therapeutical approaches and comes to the conclusion that telomeres may be the better targets for cancer therapeutics.
Colloquialising Modern Standard Arabic Text for Improved Speech Recognition

Modern standard Arabic (MSA) is the official language of spoken and written Arabic media. Colloquial Arabic (CA) is the set of spoken variants of modern Arabic that exist in the form of regional dialects. CA is used in informal and everyday conversations while MSA is formal communication. An Arabic speaker switches between the two variants according to the situation. Developing an automatic speech recognition system always requires a large collection of transcribed speech or text, and for CA dialects this is an issue. CA has limited textual resources because it exists only as a spoken language, without a standardised written form unlike MSA. This paper focuses on the data sparsity issue in CA textual resources and proposes a strategy to emulate a native speaker in colloquialising MSA to be used in CA language models (LMs) by use of a machine translation (MT) framework. The empirical results in Levantine CA show that using LMs estimated from colloquialised MSA data outperformed MSA LMs with a perplexity reduction up to 68% relative. In addition, interpolating colloquialised MSA LMs with a CA LMs improved speech recognition performance by 4% relative.
A systematic method for generating multiple-input DC/DC converters

A multiple-input converter (MIC) is devoted to combining on-board energy sources in the electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid-electronic vehicles (HEVs). By analyzing the structure of the single-input converters, the basic cells including the pulsating source cells (PSCs), the buffer cells (BCs) and the output filter are proposed for deriving various MIC topologies. MIC can be categorized into two lists, MIC without BCs and MIC with BCs. According to the presented combination and cascade rules, two families of MICs without BCs and with BCs can be systematically generated.
The Midlife Learner

The author reviews the literature regarding midlife adult learners to determine the best educational methods to positively affect retention. Developing hospital-based educational programs will meet the needs of the midlife learner and help retain nurses. Strategies reviewed include intergenerational mentoring, adapting to physiological age-related changes, linking new and prior learning, allowing time to acquire new skills, and deliberate planning for the future.
Une kvaliteet ja sagedasemad unehäired arstiteaduskonna üliõpilastel

Too kajastab uht osa unehairete epidemioloogilisest uuringust, kus on puutud valja selgitada olulisemate unehairete esinemissagedus Eesti noorte inimeste seas. 413 uuritust hindas oma une kvaliteeti heaks voi pigem heaks 69,2% (286); rahuldavaks 23,7% (98) ning pigem halvaks voi halvaks 7,0% (29). Uuritute halba unekvaliteeti iseloomustasid peamiselt uinumisraskused, sagedased oised arkamised ja paevane unisus, mis on insomnia sagedasemad tunnused.
The effect of adaptive mechanism on behavioural biometric based mobile phone authentication

Purpose – This paper aims to design a compact scheme of behavioural biometric-based user authentication, develop an adaptive mechanism that selects an appropriate classifier in an adaptive way and conduct a study to explore the effect of this mechanism. Design/methodology/approach – As a study, the proposed adaptive mechanism was implemented using a cost-based metric, which enables mobile phones to adopt a less costly classifier in an adaptive way to build the user normal-behaviour model and detect behavioural anomalies. Findings – The user study with 50 participants indicates that our proposed mechanism can positively affect the authentication performance by maintaining the authentication accuracy at a relatively high and stable level. Research limitations/implications – The authentication accuracy can be further improved by incorporating other appropriate classifiers (e.g. neural networks) and considering other touch-gesture-related features (e.g. the speed of a touch). Practical implications – This wor.