Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANALYSIS OF IMPACT OF MISSING DATA IN THE STUDY OF RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN ENDOMETRIAL CANCER SURVIVAL

Endometrial cancer is the third most common cause of gynecologic cancer death and shows the largest overall survival difference (34%) between the races. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Black/White Cancer Survival Study was a population-based study of racial differences in cancer survival. Endometrial cancer cases consisted of 149 black women, ages 20-79 years, residing in three selected metropolitan areas, who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1985 and 1987. Cases were frequency matched in a ratio of approximately 1:2 to a sample of 341 white women with endometrial cancer. Information was derived from abstracts of hospital and physicians' records, centralized pathology review, and interviews. Potential explanatory factors for black-white survival differences have been previously investigated using Cox regression. However, there was a high proportion of missing values since 24 percent of patients were never interviewed. Some values were also missing for three other variables derived from medical records. Missing values may introduced bias in previous findings based only on the information available.The primary objective of this thesis is to evaluate the effect of missing data on the estimated black/white mortality ratios adjusted for various explanatory factors. A second objective is to obtain more precise confidence intervals for the estimated mortality ratios. Nearest neighbor hot deck imputation has been used to generate fifty "complete" datasets. Adjusting for age and geographic location, the black/white mortality ratio for the imputed datasets was 3.3. When adjusted for all covariates, the mortality ratio was only 1.2. Overall, 87% of the excess mortality could be attributed to racial differences in disease stage, tumor characteristics, treatment, sociodemographic characteristics, hormonal and reproductive factors, the number of comorbidities and health behavior. The results based on multiple imputation indicate that missing data did not introduce major bias in the earlier analyses. However, multiple imputation provided narrower confidence intervals than those obtained previously. Multiple imputation was worthwhile since it gave more precise estimates for the relative mortality ratios. These findings have public health importance: they have implications for development of health policies and planning interventions to reduce the excess risk of death among black women with endometrial cancer.
On the performance of pilot-aided coherent detection of M-ary PSK carriers in mobile satellite communications

This paper examines the performance of M-ary PSK systems with pilot-aided coherent detection and transmission through a fading channel, as the one encountered in land-mobile satellite communications. Realistic fading models, based on measurements available in the literature, are considered. The choice of the pilot-extraction filter bandwidth is carefully examined, as a tradeoff between reducing the noise which is added to the recovered carrier and faithfully reproducing the fading process. Different spectral shapes for this process are contemplated and the effect of Doppler shift is also analyzed. >
Task Assignment on Spatial Crowdsourcing [Experiments and Analyses] (Technical Report).

Recently, with the rapid development of mobile devices and the crowdsourcing platforms, the spatial crowdsourcing has attracted much attention from the database community. Specifically, spatial crowdsourcing refers to sending a location-based request to workers according to their positions, and workers need to physically move to specified locations to conduct tasks. Many works have studied task assignment problems in spatial crowdsourcing, however, their problem settings are different from each other. Thus, it is hard to compare the performances of existing algorithms on task assignment in spatial crowdsourcing. In this paper, we present a comprehensive experimental comparison of most existing algorithms on task assignment in spatial crowdsourcing. Specifically, we first give general definitions about spatial workers and spatial tasks based on definitions in the existing works such that the existing algorithms can be applied on the same synthetic and real data sets. Then, we provide an uniform implementation for all the tested algorithms of task assignment problems in spatial crowdsourcing (open sourced). Finally, based on the results on both synthetic and real data sets, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of tested algorithms, which can guide future research on the same area and practical implementations of spatial crowdsourcing systems.
TECHNOLOGY AND LANGUAGE LEARNING AT BYU

This article summarizes the efforts to apply high technology to the teaching and learning of languages at Brigham Young University. These efforts are largely centered around three separate departments. These are: 1) The Learning Resource Center which in addition to the normally expected audio and visual equipment, courseware and other resources also offers courses on the TICCIT Computer System; 2) the David O. McKay Institute of Education which did pioneer research work in the area of videodiscs and associated technology; 3) and the Humanities Learning Resource Center which offers several facilities for the benefit of the language student and which provides an Apple Language Lab for those students.
Universal Meta Data Models

The heart of the book provides the complete set of models that will support most of an organization's core business functions, including universal meta models for enterprise-wide systems, business meta data and data stewardship, portfolio management, business rules, and XML, messaging, and transactions. Developers can directly adapt these models to their own businesses, saving countless hours of development time. Building effective meta data repositories is complicated and time-consuming, and few IT departments have the necessary expertise to do it right - which is why this book is sure to find a ready audience. This title begins with a quick overview of the Meta Data Repository Environment and the business uses of meta data, then goes on to describe the technical architecture followed by the detailed models.
End-to-end available bandwidth: measurement methodology, dynamics, and relation with TCP throughput

The available bandwidth (avail-bw) in a network path is of major importance in congestion control, streaming applications, QoS verification, server selection, and overlay networks. We describe an end-to-end methodology, called Self-Loading Periodic Streams (SLoPS), for measuring avail-bw. The basic idea in SLoPS is that the one-way delays of a periodic packet stream show an increasing trend when the stream's rate is higher than the avail-bw. We implemented SLoPS in a tool called pathload. The accuracy of the tool has been evaluated with both simulations and experiments over real-world Internet paths. Pathload is non-intrusive, meaning that it does not cause significant increases in the network utilization, delays, or losses. We used pathload to evaluate the variability ('dynamics') of the avail-bw in some paths that cross USA and Europe. The avail-bw becomes significantly more variable in heavily utilized paths, as well as in paths with limited capacity (probably due to a lower degree of statistical multiplexing). We finally examine the relation between avail-bw and TCP throughput. A persistent TCP connection can be used to roughly measure the avail-bw in a path, but TCP saturates the path, and increases significantly the path delays and jitter.
Test–Retest Reliability of the Standing Heel-Rise Test

Context: The standing heel-rise test has been recommended as a means of assessing calf-muscle performance. To the authors' knowledge, the reliability of the test using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) has not been reported. Objective: To determine the test-retest reliability of the standing heel-rise test. Design: Single-group repeated measures. Participants: Seventeen healthy subjects. Settings and Infevention: Each subject was asked to perform as many standing heel raises as possible during 2 testing sessions separated by 7 days. Main Outcome Measures: Reliability data for the standing heel-rise test were studied through a repeated-measures analysis of variance, ICC2, 1 and SEMs. Results: The ICC2,1 and SEM values for the standing heel-rise test were . 96 and 2.07 repetitions, respectively. Conclusions: The standing heel-rise test offers clinicians a reliable assessment of calfmuscle performance. Further study is necessary to determine the ability of the standing heel-rise test to detect functi.
mirt: A Multidimensional Item Response Theory Package for the R Environment

Item response theory (IRT) is widely used in assessment and evaluation research to explain how participants respond to item level stimuli. Several R packages can be used to estimate the parameters in various IRT models, the most flexible being the ltm (Rizopoulos 2006), eRm (Mair and Hatzinger 2007), and MCMCpack (Martin, Quinn, and Park 2011) packages. However these packages have limitations in that ltm and eRm can only analyze unidimensional IRT models effectively and the exploratory multidimensional extensions available in MCMCpack requires prior understanding of Bayesian estimation convergence diagnostics and are computationally intensive. Most importantly, multidimensional confirmatory item factor analysis methods have not been implemented in any R package. The mirt package was created for estimating multidimensional item response theory parameters for exploratory and confirmatory models by using maximum-likelihood meth- ods. The Gauss-Hermite quadrature method used in traditional EM estimation (e.g., Bock and Aitkin'81) is presented for exploratory item response models as well as for confirmatory bifactor models (Gibbons and Hedeker'92). Exploratory and confirmatory models are estimated by a stochastic algorithm described by Cai (2010a,b). Various program comparisons are presented and future directions for the package are discussed.
Transfer of online professional learning to teachers' classroom practice: An analysis of eight cases

Professional learning is an important process in enabling teachers to update their pedagogical knowledge and practices. The use of online technologies to support professional learning has a number of benefits in terms of flexibility and scalability. However, it is not clear how well the approach impacts on teachers' classroom practices. This paper outlines a research study conducted on behalf of a state-based Department of Education to evaluate the transfer of professional learning from online modules about the integration of ICT to the practices of K-12 classroom teachers.
Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care.

A heating element includes an elongated tubular sheath which confines a resistance wire supported by a thermally conductive electrical insulation material which extends to a position flush with the end surface of the sheath. Each end portion of the heating element is supported by a bulkhead fitting which is formed of a sheet metal and includes a tubular wall portion having helical convolutions defining external threads. A radial flange portion projects outwardly from the tubular wall portion and forms an annular tapered hub portion firmly engaging the outer surface of the sheath. The flush end surfaces of the insulation material and the sheath are spaced inwardly from the end surface of the fitting to define a cavity, and a thermosetting sealant material is disposed within this cavity and the space defined between the outer surface of the sheath and the helical convolutions.
Autonomous Mobile Mesh Networks for Missed Node Detection Using Enhanced R-Tree Topology

Generally, in a static network, the shortest path from a source to a destination is usually the optimal route, but this scenario is not easily extended to Mobile Ad-hoc Networks because it need efficient distributed algorithms to determine the network organization, link scheduling and routing. Autonomous Mobile Mesh Network (AMMNET) has been introduced to address this weakness and AMMNET mobile mesh nodes are capable of following the mesh clients and organizing themselves into a suitable network topology to ensure good connectivity and monitoring for both intra and inter-group mobile clients communications by assigning routers for each domain in a network. Basically the routers in stationary wireless mesh networks are deployed at fixed locations, where AMMNET routers are mobile platforms with autonomous movement capability. Even though, it moves dynamically AMMNET routers are failing to search the disappeared mobile clients once they go out of domain. This research work proposes a distributed client tracking solution to deal with the dynamic nature of client mobility and present techniques for finding disappeared mobile clients, minimizing routing paths and channel overlapping using enhanced R-Tree topology
Review Paper on Fuzzy Based Wall Following Robot Simulation in MATLAB

Fuzzy Logic is a Multi-valued logic that deals mathematically with imprecise and uncertain information provided by humans. The word "fuzzy" means "unclear". The term "fuzzy logic" was introduced by Lofti A. Zadeh in 1965. Fuzzy logic has been used by many people involved in various fields such as research and development, software developers, business analysts, engineers and many more. This paper presents a review of some significant work in area of robotics in which simulation results of wall following robot is presented. Simulation is done by implementing fuzzy rules in MATLAB.
Web Semantics : Science , Services and Agents on the World Wide Web

The ourSpacesVirtual Research Environmentmakes use of SemanticWeb technologies to create a platform to support multi-disciplinary research groups. This paper introduces the main semantic components of the system: a framework to capture the provenance of the research process, a collection of services to create and visualise metadata and a policy reasoning service. We also describe different approaches to authoring and accessing metadata within the VRE. Using evidence gathered from data provided by the users of the system we discuss the lessons learnt from deployment with three case study groups. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Rancang Bangun Virtual Reality Educational Game Penanggulangan Sampah berbasis Android untuk Anak Usia Sekolah Dasar

Kepekaan terhadap kebersihan lingkungan sudah semakin terabaikan, maka dari itu diperlukan penyadaran lingkungan sejak dini bagi anak-anak sehingga anak menjaadi terbiasa untuk menjaga lingkungan hingga dewasa. Salah satu metode pengajaran mengenai lingkungan khususnya tentang sampah dapat menggunakan game edukasi berbasis virtual reality yang mengedepankan ciri pengalaman langsung bagi penggunanya. Sehingga penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan virtual reality educational game mengenai pendidikan lingkungan terkait sampah untuk anak usia sekolah dasar. Aplikasi ini ditujukan untuk platform Android pada telepon cerdas. Metode pengembangan menggunakna Game Development Life Cycle . Hasil uji blackbox dari penelitian adalah game edukasi berbasis virtual reality ini dapat berjalan dengan baik.
Microendoscopic diskectomy and interbody fusion (MEDIF): Results of a minimally invasive technique

SUMMARY. Minimally invasive surgery techniques for the cervical spine such as anterior microendoscopic diskectomy and interbody fusion (MEDIF) to treat degenerative disease with central cord compression are not managed by all spine surgeons and yet they may be one of the treatments of choice. This study reports a series of patients treated with the METRx® system. Objectives. To show the clinical and surgical results of minimally invasive techniques in treating cervical degenerative disease. Material and methods. Between February 1998 and August 2002, a prospective study was conducted to assess the MEDIF treatment with threaded titanium cages in patients with cervical root disease with and without myelopathy. We used an endoscopic system to perform the surgical procedures and follow-up was based on the Odom clinical criteria and Xrays. Results. Forty-four patients were operated on (53 levels); 86% of them had good or excellent results; 89% had fusion. No implant migration was seen. Three patients required foraminotomy within 12 months after surgery because of unilateral radiculopathy at a cervical level other than the one treated. The average hospital stay was 12 hours and 75% of patients were able to return to work within 30 days after surgery.
STUDY ON POSTGRADUATE STUDENT PREFERRED / DISLIKE TEACHING/LEARNING TECHNIQUES: A CASE STUDY OF A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

This paper examine preferred / dislike teaching/learning techniques among postgraduate student at a Malaysian university. Past studies had indicated the promotion of students’ “graduateness”, responsibility lies in the hand of teachers who need to know what are in the mind of student with regards to their most preferred or non preferred learning and teaching style. 57 returned questionnaires were accepted and coded, and subject to further analysis with a response rate of 73 percent from the private university. The result revealed that the highest ranked technique most preferred by the students was “interactive lecture by instructor and the most dislike technique was formal lecture by instructor. Significant finding was that though there were some differences within the different disciplines, some commonalities seem to be present. Future study should consider alternative modes of enquires such as employing the longitudinal method of data collection design and a nationwide survey covering samples from the whole population of the higher institutions of learning in Malaysia that would be more significant in making generalizations .
Pairwise Comparison Procedures for One-Way Analysis of Variance Designs. Research Report.

Research in the behavioral and health sciences frequently involves the application of one-factor analysis of variance models. The goal may be to compare several independent groups of subjects on a quantitative dependent variable or to compare measurements made on a single group of subjects on different occasions or under different conditions. In analyzing data of this kind, it is usually of interest to determine which pairs of population means are likely to differ. In this paper, the selection of pairwise multiple comparison procedures for one-way analysis of variance designs is considered, following a discussion of Type I error and power issues as they apply to the testing of multiple hypotheses. Procedures are included which are appropriate when normality or variance homogeneity assumptions are violated. The focus is on procedures that are easy to understand and apply. Single-step procedures are emphasized because of their simplicity and because they allow for the construction of confidence intervals.
Algorithms for queueing network analysis of distributed systems

Recently there has been an increasing number of large distributed computer system implementations based on local area networks. In these systems a number of resources (CPU's, file servers, disks, etc.) are shared among jobs originating at different sites. Evaluating the performance of such large systems typically requires the solution of a queueing network model with a large number of closed chains, precluding the use of exact solution techniques. Therefore it is important to develop accurate and cost effective methods for the approximate analysis of closed queueing networks with many chains. An approach based on the clustering of chains and service centers is presented here. The method is applicable to queueing networks with single server fixed rate, infinite server, and multiple server service centers. Results obtained when the method is used to solve large queueing network models are given. Extensive comparison of this method with existing approximation technique indicates that the approach has better accuracy/cost characteristics.
"Numerical linear control library"-a Mathematica-based integrated environment with the modern control algorithms

A Mathematica-based numerical library, called "numerical linear control library", is presently being developed by the authors. A brief overview of this library is presented in this paper. The package will be valuable for the practising control and vibration engineers in automobile, aerospace, chemical and vibration industries, and students and researchers in engineering, scientific computations and applied mathematics. The package will also play a role in transfer of technology to industries.
Defining and diagnosing intellectual disability in New South Wales 1898 to 1923

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, physicians, under the auspices of State interventionist policies, played a crucial role in mobilising large numbers of people deemed to be “insane” or “mentally enfeebled” into congregate facilities. During the years 1898 to 1923, 1,459 patients were admitted to the Hospital for the Insane Asylum, Newcastle, Australia, and the surviving 1,220 medical records provide the data for this study on attempts to define and diagnose intellectual disability in New South Wales during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Diagnosis of those deemed to be mentally enfeebled was influenced not only by contemporary medical knowledge but also by factors which fell outside of the dominant medical paradigm such as the drive to both control and to institutionalise deviance.
‘Cheap’ Relay Channel: A Unifying Approach to Time and Frequency Division Relaying

In this paper, we revisit the communication problem between a single source-destination pair using a cheap relay, that is, a relay which cannot send and receive in the same frequency band simultaneously. The cheap relay channel has been considered in two forms of halfduplex relaying: time division duplex and frequency division duplex. In this paper, we show that the treatment of cheap relay channel in [9] as a channel with multiple states provides a unifying theory for both frequency division and time division relaying. Moreover, we present three non-degraded cases of the general relay channels for which the coding scheme developed in [9] is used to characterize the channel capacity. These capacity results cannot be deduced from Cover and El Gamal work on the general relay channel [1] and are the only capacity results known to date for the non-degraded discrete memoryless relay channel besides that of semi-deterministic relay channel [3].
A machine independent LISP compiler and its implications for ideal hardware

A LISP compiler is constructed without any a priori assumptions about the target machine. In parallel with the compiler a LISP oriented instruction set is developed. The instruction set can be seen as either an intermediarylanguage for a traditional computer oras the instruction set for a special purpose LISP machine. The code produced by the compiler is evaluated with regard to its static and dynamic properties. Finally some architectural aspects on LISP oriented hardware are discussed. The notion of segments with different word lengths, under program control, is developed and a proposed implementation of this is described.
Finding communities in the efficient solutions network

Canweexpect tofind anytransition rulebetweenefficient solutionsof {0,1}-multiobjective linear problems? Some highlights on this issue are drawn in the paper. The presence of meaningful communities in the efficient solutions network isinvestigated and a procedure for interpreting them is proposed. The bi-criteria {0,1}-knapsack problem is used and extensive computational experiences are performed. Key-Words: Networks, {0,1}-multiobjective problems, community structure, modularity function