Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new concept of robustness

In this paper a new concept of robustness is introduced and the corresponding optimization problem is stated. This new concept is applied to transportation network designs in which the set of scenar- ios arising from the uncertainty of the parameters follows a probability distribution. The p-robustness concept is aimed to problems where the feasibility of the solutions is not aected by the uncertainty of the pa- rameters. In order to compare the solution with those of other concepts of robustness already known, some computational experiments with real data are included.
Forearm reactive hyperemia and mortality in end-stage renal disease.

BACKGROUND Reports on the general population indicated that decreased endothelial-mediated vasodilation has a prognostic impact on cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Flow-dependent vasodilation of conduit arteries and ischemia-induced forearm reactive hyperemia are impaired in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Whether deterioration of vasodilator function in ESRD patients has a prognostic impact has not been documented. The aim of this study was to determine whether the impaired forearm postischemic vasodilation is an independent predictor of mortality in ESRD patients, independently from CV end-organ damages, which are usually associated with decreased vasodilatory response. METHODS Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT), aortic stiffness (pulse wave velocity-PWV), and LV mass (LVM) were determined for 78 stable ESRD patients on hemodialysis. Forearm postischemic vasodilation [flow debt repayment (FDR)] was measured by venous plethysmography. All-cause mortality served as the outcome variable over a median follow-up of 60 +/- 27 months. RESULTS Twenty-four deaths occurred (16 of CV origin). According to Cox regression adjusted for age, CCA-IMT, LVM, and PWV, all-cause mortality was independently associated with decreased FDR (RR 0.69 for every 10% increase; 95% CI 0.56-0.85; P= 0.0006) and increased aortic PWV (RR 1.16 for 1 m/s increase; 95% CI 1.04-1.29; P= 0.0091). CONCLUSION Our data indicate that lower postischemic forearm reactive hyperemia is associated with all-cause mortality of ESRD patients, independently of the presence of end-organ damage such as LVH or arteriosclerosis.
Variable selection and model comparison in regression

In the specification of linear regression models it is common to indicate a list of candidate variables from which a subset enters the model with nonzero coefficients. This paper interprets this specification as a mixed continuous-discrete prior distribution for coefficient values. It then utilizes a Gibbs sampler to construct posterior moments. It is shown how this method can incorporate sign constraints and provide posterior probabilities for all possible subsets of regressors. The methods are illustrated using some standard data sets.
Scan chain clustering for test power reduction

An effective technique to save power during scan based test is to switch off unused scan chains. The results obtained with this method strongly depend on the mapping of scan flip-flops into scan chains, which determines how many chains can be deactivated per pattern. In this paper, a new method to cluster flip-flops into scan chains is presented, which minimizes the power consumption during test. It is not dependent on a test set and can improve the performance of any test power reduction technique consequently. The approach does not specify any ordering inside the chains and fits seamlessly to any standard tool for scan chain integration. The application of known test power reduction techniques to the optimized scan chain configurations shows significant improvements for large industrial circuits.
Priorities, strategies, and accountability measures in interprofessional education.

PURPOSE The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the priorities, strategies, and accountability measures for interprofessional education (IPE) being used by health professions programs, allied health colleges, and/or universities. METHOD An electronic survey was sent to 114 deans, associate deans, and directors (program, clinical education, graduate studies) at six institutions with allied health programs, including three academic medical centers and three comprehensive public institutions. The survey consisted of basic demographic questions and questions assessing knowledge of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) concepts of IPE, program-specific accreditation requirements for IPE, and institutional priorities, strategies, and accountability measures for IPE activities. RESULTS An overall response rate of 50% (57/114) was achieved with representation from a total of 34 different allied health programs. Chi-squared statistics showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the frequencies of survey responses and institutional types in the inclusion of IPE in the college/school's vision, the physical space available to accommodate IPE needs, and the commitment to set aside time for IPE. CONCLUSION This study found that there is not a clear mandate or direction from most allied health disciplinary accrediting bodies for IPE. While there appears to be distinct movement by institutions to hold programs accountable for IPE and to integrate IPE into the curricula, barriers remain that have slowed the desired degree of implementation of an interprofessional curricula. While institutions, college, and/or programs may be slow to formally include IPE in its vision, this study found that, in general, support is being provided for IPE activities.
An Efficient Preprocessing Technique for Noise Reduction in Ear Verification System

Biometric systems are considered superior in technological developments, because they provide a non� transferable means of identifying people not just cards or badges. The image enhancement step is designed to reduce noise in this area. The key point about an identification method that is "nontransferable" means it cannot be given or lent to another individual so nobody can get around the system they personally have to go through the control point. The image enhancement before feature extraction system can be very efficient. In this paper a new method is proposed to raise the performance of an ear verification system, since at first, using hybrid denoising method, the noises removed from ear image and then the next step denoisy image is used for verification system. Experimental results in this study show that Gaussian noises well removed from the ear images and has acceptable affect on verification accuracy.
Power Aware Instruction Scheduling for Microcontrollers

The ability to reduce power consumption of a device is attractive for several reasons. On one hand, reducing power in high end computers will reduce the cost of cooling and the performance loss due to overheating cores. On the other hand, ubiquitous battery powered devices will enjoy a longer battery life due to the reduction in power consumption. In this paper, we present a set of mechanisms that uses instruction scheduling to reduce the power consumption of RISC like microcontrollers that are common in battery powered devices. Initially, we devised a method to measure the approximate power consumption of each basic assembly instruction of the microcontroller. By a statistical analysis of the power measurement, we categorized the basic instructions into groups. Our measurements demonstrate that some instruction combinations consume more power than others which will perform the same functional operations. We leveraged this observation to rearrange the scheduling of basic machine instructions of a high level programming language, such that the final program is optimized for power. Some of our test cases demonstrate significant reduction in power consumption without any performance degradation. The resultant ideas can therefore be used by both system programmers and compiler designers.
Practising Social Work Law (3rd ed)

This substantially revised and expanded third edition provides an authoritative analysis of the relationship between legal rules and social work practice. Working from extended practice examples, it illustrates the application of the law to situations encountered in professional practice, and provides tools and resources for using the law to promote social work's engagement with human rights and social justice.
Surface contamination of dental implants assessed by gene expression analysis in a whole-blood in vitro assay: a preliminary study.

AIM We aimed at evaluating pyrogen contamination of dental implants made of titanium and zirconia by using gene expression analysis in a whole-blood in vitro assay. MATERIAL AND METHODS Titanium and zirconia implants (five each) were incubated in human whole blood. Samples were assayed for gene expression levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR9, interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor 'kappa-light-chain-enhancer' of activated B-cells (NF-kB), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) as indicators of surface contamination resulting in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated TLR- or TNF-mediated immune responses. Gene expression was assayed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Non-stimulated blood from the same donor served as a negative control, and blood stimulated with LPS served as a positive control. After dry-heat treatment with dry heat, all implants were re-analysed as described above. RESULTS Both implant systems contained surface contaminants evoking a pro-inflammatory response similar to that induced by LPS. After dry-heat treatment, gene expression was significantly decreased to levels similar to those of negative control samples. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrated LPS-like surface-bound contaminants in both tested implant systems. Depyrogenation with dry heat seems to be an effective means of reducing such contamination in dental implants.
Online depth calibration for RGB-D cameras using visual SLAM

Modern consumer RGB-D cameras are affordable and provide dense depth estimates at high frame rates. Hence, they are popular for building dense environment representations. Yet, the sensors often do not provide accurate depth estimates since the factory calibration exhibits a static deformation. We present a novel approach to online depth calibration that uses a visual SLAM system as reference for the measured depth. A sparse map is generated and the visual information is used to correct the static deformation of the measured depth while missing data is extrapolated using a small number of thin plate splines (TPS). The corrected depth can then be used to improve the accuracy of the sparse RGB-D map and the 3D environment reconstruction. As more data becomes available, the depth calibration is updated on the fly. Our method does not rely on a planar geometry like walls or a one-to-one-pixel correspondence between color and depth camera. Our approach is evaluated in real-world scenarios and against ground truth data. Comparison against two popular self-calibration methods is performed. Furthermore, we show clear visual improvement on aggregated point clouds with our method.
Effects of Noisy Drive on Rhythms in Networks of Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons

Synchronous rhythmic spiking in neuronal networks can be brought about by the interaction between E-cells and Icells (excitatory and inhibitory cells). The I-cells gate and synchronize the E-cells, and the E-cells drive and synchronize the I-cells. We refer to rhythms generated in this way as PING (pyramidal-interneuronal gamma) rhythms. The PING mechanism requires that the drive II to the I-cells be sufficiently low; the rhythm is lost when II gets too large. This can happen in at least two ways. In the first mechanism, the I-cells spike in synchrony, but get ahead of the E-cells, spiking without being prompted by the E-cells. We call this phase walkthrough of the I-cells. In the second mechanism, the I-cells fail to synchronize, and their activity leads to complete suppression of the E-cells. Noisy spiking in the E-cells, generated by noisy external drive, adds excitatory drive to the I-cells and may lead to phase walkthrough. Noisy spiking in the I-cells adds inhibition to the E-cells and may lead to suppression of the E-cells. An analysis of the conditions under which noise leads to phase walkthrough of the I-cells or suppression of the E-cells shows that PING rhythms at frequencies far below the gamma range are robust to noise only if network parameter values are tuned very carefully. Together with an argument explaining why the PING mechanism does not work far above the gamma range in the presence of heterogeneity, this justifies the G in PING.
Strategic Planning and Corporate Performance Relationship in Small Business Firms: Evidence from a Middle East Country Context

This research aims to identify strategic planning system characteristics in Jordanian small industrial firms and to examine its relationship with corporate performance. This is one of the first studies to examine such questions. Existing literature, both theoretical and empirical, is examined to identify the state of knowledge associated with this question in both developed and middle East countries. The empirical research was co-ordinated via a survey of small Jordanian industrial publicly quoted firms. A questionnaire survey of these firms yielded a 52.1 per cent response rate. The results of the survey provided a rich source of data in relation to a variety of practices associated with strategic planning in small Jordanian industrial firms. Key findings provided empirical evidence about the involvement of top and line management in planning, the use of environmental screening, and the use of strategy tools and techniques. Furthermore, the study found a strong positive relationship between strategic planning and corporate performance. This research gives a new empirical evidence about the value of strategic planning to corporate performance from Middle East countries context.
Reactive Oxygen Species Produced by the NADPH Oxidase 2 Complex in Monocytes Protect Mice from Bacterial Infections

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited disorder characterized by recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. CGD results from defective production of reactive oxygen species by phagocytes caused by mutations in genes encoding the NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) complex subunits. Mice with a spontaneous mutation in Ncf1, which encodes the NCF1 (p47phox) subunit of NOX2, have defective phagocyte NOX2 activity. These mice occasionally develop local spontaneous infections by Staphylococcus xylosus or by the common CGD pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Ncf1 mutant mice were more susceptible to systemic challenge with these bacteria than were wild-type mice. Transgenic Ncf1 mutant mice harboring the wild-type Ncf1 gene under the human CD68 promoter (MN+ mice) gained the expression of NCF1 and functional NOX2 activity specifically in monocytes/macrophages, although minimal NOX2 activity was also detected in some CD11b+Ly6G+ cells defined as neutrophils. MN+ mice did not develop spontaneous infection and were more resistant to administered staphylococcal infections compared with MN− mice. Most strikingly, MN+ mice survived after being administered Burkholderia cepacia, an opportunistic pathogen in CGD patients, whereas MN− mice died. Thus, monocyte/macrophage expression of functional NCF1 protected against spontaneous and administered bacterial infections.
Hypersensitive Response of Plasmid-Encoded AHL Synthase Gene to Lifestyle and Nutrient by Ensifer adhaerens X097

It is known that some bacteria, especially members of the family Rhizobiaceae, have multiple N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHL) synthase genes and produce multiple AHL signals. However, how bacteria selectively utilize these multiple genes and signals to cope with changing environments is poorly understood. Ensifer adhaerens is an important microorganism in terms of biotechnology, ecology and evolutionary. In this study, we investigated the AHL-based QS system of E. adhaerens X097 and its response to different lifestyles or nutrients. Draft genome sequence data indicated that X097 harbored three distinct AHL synthase genes (ensI1, 2, 3) and seven luxR homologs, which was different from other E. adhaerens strains. In vitro expression indicated that plasmid-encoded ensI1 and ensI2 directed production of multiple AHLs, while chromosome-encoded ensI3 only directed production of C14-HSL. Predicted three dimensional structure of EnsI3 was quite different from that of EnsI1 and EnsI2. X097 produced different AHL profiles in Luria-Bertani (LB) and NFB medium, under biofilm and planktonic lifestyle, respectively. Notably, expression of ensI1 and ensI2 but not ensI3 is hypersensitive to different lifestyles and nutrients. The hypersensitive response of plasmid-encoded AHL synthase genes to different culture conditions may shed a light on the phylogenetic development of AHL synthase genes in Rhizobiaceae family.
Toward understanding the impact of occupational characteristics on the recovery and growth processes of peer providers.

OBJECTIVE Peer providers experience unique recovery and growth processes. This study examines the relationship of these processes with multiple occupational characteristics related to peer work. Outcomes are examined using positive psychology concepts: psychological well-being, posttraumatic growth, and generativity, as well as established recovery and empowerment measures. METHOD Thirty peer providers employed in a variety of mental-health agencies participated in the study and completed standardized measures of recovery and growth processes. Multiple past and present occupational characteristics were identified and coded based on a semistructured interview and a background questionnaire. RESULTS Multivariate analyses revealed a significant association between participants' generativity and past participation in peer-support/self-help groups, as well as past work in a helping profession. No associations were found between the characteristics of participants' present peer jobs and the examined recovery and growth processes. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The present findings have implications for the expansion of the peer-provider workforce. They suggest that encouraging and enabling peer-support groups and peer-run organizations may have positive impact on the generativity of peer providers, and may draw generative individuals to this emerging occupational modality of mental-health recovery oriented service. Study findings underscore the need for future research on recovery processes from the perspective of positive psychology and highlight the value of peer exposure as a catalyst of recovery and growth.
Efficacy and Safety of Alfuzosin as Medical Expulsive Therapy for Ureteral Stones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Alfuzosin has been widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis, and is claimed to be a selective agent for the lower urinary tract with low incidence of adverse side-effects and hypotensive changes. Recently, several randomized controlled trials have reported using Alfuzosin as an expulsive therapy of ureteral stones. Tamsulosin, another alpha blocker, has also been used as an agent for the expulsive therapy for ureteral stones. It is unclear whether alfuzosin has similar efficacy as Tamsulosin in the management of ureteral stones. Objective To perform a systematic review and analysis of literatures comparing Alfuzosin with Tamsulosin or standard conservative therapy for the treatment of ureteral stones less than 10 mm in diameter. Methods A systematic literature review was performed in December 2014 using Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane library databases to identify relevant studies. All randomized and controlled trials were included. A subgroup analysis was performed comparing Alfuzosin with control therapy on the management of distal ureteral stones. Results Alfuzosin provided a significantly higher stone-free rate than the control treatments (RR: 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–2.55; p<0.001), and a shorter stone expulsion time (Weighted mean difference [WMD]: -4.20 d, 95%CI, -6.19 to -2.21; p<0.001), but it has a higher complication rate (RR: 2.02; 95% CI, 1.30–3.15; p<0.01). When Alfuzosin was compared to Tamsulosin, there was no significant difference in terms of stone-free rate (RR: 0.90; 95% CI, 0.79–1.02; p = 0.09) as well as the stone expulsion time (WMD: 0.52 d, 95%CI, -1.61 to 2.64; p = 0.63). The adverse effects of Alfuzosin were similar to those of Tamsulosin (RR: 0.88; 95% CI, 0.61–1.26; p = 0.47). Conclusions Alfuzosin is a safe and effective agent for the expulsive therapy of ureteral stones smaller than 10 mm in size. It is more effective than therapeutic regiment without alpha blocker. It is equivalent to Tamsulosin in its effectiveness and safety profile. Adverse effects should always be kept in mind when use this class of drugs.
Memory-efficient alignment of observed and modeled behavior

Experience shows that in systems where process executions are not strictly enforced by process models, often deviations occur. Alignments between logged process executions and models reveal useful insights and can be used for both conformance checking and performance analysis. In this article, we present a memory-e? cient approach using marking equations of Petri nets to calculate optimal alignments between process executions and process models. A comparative study shows that in most cases the approach signi? cantly reduces the memory required. This makes it possible to analyze larger logs and models using alignments. The more deviations exist, the better the approach performs compared to the approaches without using marking equations. The approach has been implemented, tested against both arti? cial and real life logs, and is publicly available as part of the ProM 6 framework.
Instructor interaction as it relates to facilitation of spiritual development within an evangelical institution: A case study

3 DEDICATION 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5 List of Tables 10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 11 Background 11 Situation to Self 15 Problem Statement 15 Purpose Statement 17 Research Questions 17 Significance of the Study 18 Delimitations and Limitations 19 Research Plan 20 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 22 Introduction 22 Theoretical Framework 23 Review of the Literature 29 Instructor Interaction 29 Sense of Community and Perceived Learning 34 Spiritual Development 40 Summary 47 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 49