Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deepening and broadening the critique of technology : an analysis of an ANT approach

This study contributes to critical studies of information systems (CRIS) by addressing two limitations: the generally weak theorisation of technology and the limited focus of critique. Technology is weakly theorised because it is mainly seen in instrumentalist and constructivist ways. It is argued that these understandings of the technological limit the focus of critique to human plans, intentions and relations.The study joins the quest for specificity about technology and while it does not only focus on what is inscribed into it, the study also looks at the effects of the technological actant. The ANT conception of technology as an actant in heterogeneous networks opens various new avenues for critique. It is argued that the processes of technologising play a central role in socio-technical networks and that they have certain effects which contribute to both change and stability. The technological could not be limited to the ―purely‖ technical, but has effects on the typical human functions such as communication, cognition, morality and ends. Although it is acknowledged that the social and the technical are closely intertwined, critique could still focus on the role of the technical. The particular effects of technology in the heterogeneous networks are of central concern to the critical researcher who wants to contribute towards the morality of the processes through which heterogeneous networks are built. The study invesigates in some depth the conceptions of technology and of critique in information studies. This is contrasted with similar investigations from an ANT perspective. Case studies were used and reinterpreted to show how such a critique of the socio-technical networks might be done. Conclusions are drawn about the nature and functioning of technology and of critique; of the role of actants in networks and of the role of the critical researcher and of critical theories. The study contributes towards a deepening and broadening of critique. The deepening of critique refers to the need for a critical function within the very processes of assembling and not as something that could only happen afterwards. The broadening of critique refers to the participation of all entities (human and nonhuman) in the processes of critique. Declaration of originality I declare that this thesis, Deepening and broadening the critique of technology: An analysis of an ANT approach, is my own work, that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references, and that it has not been submitted for a degree at another university.
Private power production and integration opportunities A case study for decentralized energy production in Senegal

Load shedding events are a major concern today for the Senegalese power grid, which production, transport, distribution and selling are operated by the national power company SENELEC. Even if some improvements have been made these last years through important power plant renovation campaigns, unserved energy still represented 1.5% of the total power demand in 2013. These events are mainly due to two factors: grid failure or work on the one hand (65% of unserved energy in 2013) and production lack or failure on the other hand (35% of unserved energy in 2013). If grid failure problems are being tackled by some rehabilitations and extension of the network, production lack problems will only be solved on the long term by setting up new power plants to face the increasing power demand.In order to face these power shortages, many customers have installed their own generation sources, mostly diesel generators used in case of emergency, but also more recently photovoltaic panels to both ensure power supply reliability thanks to storing batteries and reduce their electricity bills. These installations represent an important power production still unexploited today by SENELEC.The goal of this Master Thesis was then to see the potential use that could be made of these generation sources to reduce unserved energy in the short term. Diesel generators could thus be used for voluntary load shedding if properly implemented and photovoltaic installations could be connected to the grid to inject their production surplus. These two solutions were studied both from a technical and economical point of view, and their potential impact on unserved energy reduction was quantified.The results show that voluntary load shedding could actually reduce the amount of unserved energy due to production lack or failure by 40% to 80%, and that it is economically viable compared with other solutions such as production capacity renting. They also show that it is possible to connect domestic-scale photovoltaic installations to the low voltage grid without any negative impact on its operation in most of the situations met today.Finally, some recommendations were made, including proposals for voluntary load shedding implementation and the setting up of a dedicated team at Senelec for photovoltaic integration studies.
Laparoscopy-Assisted Versus Open Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials

Gastric cancer is a major health problem worldwide [1,2]. It is now the fifth common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, accounting for more the 10% of the annual cancer deaths globally [3-6]. There is global variation in the incidence of gastric cancers with higher incidence in Southeast Asia specially Korea and Japan and much lower incidence in Africa, Australia and USA. The treatment of gastric cancer depends upon the stage of the disease. One of the commonest staging systems is the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) gastric cancer staging system AJCC 7th edition, known as the TNM classification [7,8]. In stage I to III, radical surgery in the form of gastrectomy and lymph nodes dissection is the mainstay of the treatment and the aim is cure of the disease. In stage IV, palliative treatment is recommended.
Managing the monolingual mindset. SWANS: an authoring system for raising awareness of L2 lexical stress patterns and for inhibiting mother-tongue interference

Until the end of the 20th century many EFL or ESL students were victims of what has been called “the literary tradition”. After 12 years of school and university language study, they would finish their academic careers with a ‘reasonable' level in reading and an ‘unreasonably' lower level in listening and speaking. Recent pressures of globalisation have lifted some of the psychological barriers to speaking: European students are now far readier to abandon the cocoon-like, tribal security of their mothertongue and L2 oral fluency has undoubtedly improved. Accuracy in spoken form, however, has made considerably less progress. The intrusive and distracting presence of foreign lexical stress patterns can and often does lead to communication breakdown. In the field of pragmatics such problems are under-researched perhaps because tolerancethresholds are based on diverse linguistic experience and highly individualized perceptual acuity making generalisation difficult. Similarities between arbitrary and irrational racial intolerance and arbitrary and irrational linguistic intolerance are striking. In the following article we lay the blame squarely with the real culprits in the European tradition - neural commitment towards mother tongue sounds and a vastly underestimated, not to say dangerous, man-made cultural artefact : the Latin alphabet itself. In an attempt to escape from the contradictions of using a standardised alphabet for symbolising languages with highly different lexical stress patterns, a team of 12 researchers from 4 laboratories in Toulouse have developed a new CNRS-funded authoring system called SWANS (Synchronised Web Authoring Notation System) whichis currently undergoing testing in several European countries via language centres associated with CERCLES. SWANS manipulates the physical and cognitive nature of the reading experience itself not in order to improve reading skills but in order to improve L2 speech perception and ultimately speech production itself. Synchronised Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL 2.1, W3C, 2006) is used in SWANS to generate web pages, allowing novice teachers to synchronise text and sound and to annotate text typographically in order to raise awareness of lexical stress patterns. Working with a sample of over 250 students, recent studies (Stenton et al, 2005) have shown that computer-based dual coding (Pavio) of animated text improved listening perception and also led to more comprehensible L2 oral production in controlled conditions. This article presents the ideas underlying the development and analyses feedback from an international network of field experiments on the pedagogical aspects of learning through on screen reading of annotated sound synchronised texts. Improving L2 oral perception and production also implies appealing to EUROCALL partners to help improve teacher education and better manage the widespread problem of the monolingual mindset.
Effectiveness and acceptability of a text message intervention (DTEXT) on diabetes control and self-management for people with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial.

Background Mobile phone text message interventions have the potential to improve the health of people with type 2 diabetes at a population level. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of a mobile phone text message intervention (DTEXT) on diabetes control and self-management behaviours for Australian adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods A two-armed parallel non-blinded randomised control trial was conducted with 395 community dwelling adults with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c ≥7.0% (53 mmol/mol). Block randomisation occurred after completion of baseline measures. The control group received usual care, the intervention group received usual care and the automated six month text message intervention (daily messages for months 1-3, four messages per week for months 4-6). Pathology measures and self-report telephone surveys were assessed using intention to treat analysis. Generalised estimating equations determined between group changes in HbA1c at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included change in nutrition, physical activity, blood lipid profile, body mass index, quality of life, self-efficacy, medication adherence and program acceptability. Results No significant difference was observed between the intervention (n=197) or control group (n=198) for HbA1c at 3 months (-0.11%; CI -0.28, 0.07; d= -0.05, p=0.23) or 6 months (-0.13%; CI -0.33, 0.08; d= -0.05, p=0.22). A significant improvement in nutrition was seen with consumption of vegetables at 3 months (0.74 serves/day; 95%CI 0.34, 1.12; d =0.31, p<0.01) and 6 months (0.42 serves/day; 95% CI 0.03, 0.82; d =0.18, p=0.04); fruit at 3 months (0.21 serves/day; 95% CI 0.00, 0.41; d =0.09, p<0.05) and discretionary sweet foods at 3 months (-1.10 times/week; 95% CI -2.03, -0.16; d =-0.47, p=0.02). No other significant effects were seen at 3 months and 6 months. The intervention demonstrated high rates of acceptability (94.0%) and minimal withdrawal (1.5%). Conclusions A mobile phone text message intervention can improve some nutritional behaviours in people with type 2 diabetes, but does not significantly improve HbA1c or other health outcomes. DTEXT provides a highly accepted and potentially scalable form of self-management support that can complement existing diabetes care. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, Trial ID: ACTRN12617000416392. Registered: 23 March 2017.
Tantangan Pendidikan Inklusi Dalam Mendidik Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus

Abstrak : Pendidikan Inklusi merupakan salah satu program pemerintah dalam mewujudkan keadilan di bidang pendidikan. Pendidikan Inklusi menjadi salah satu bentuk perwujudan pemerataan pendidikan tanpa diskriminasi. Dalam pendidikan inklusi, anak berkebutuhan khusus (ABK) harus mendapatkan layanan pendidikan yang sama dengan anak normal di sekolah reguler. Untuk memperoleh data yang diperlukan, peneliti menggunakan studi literature. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan studi pustaka yang bersumber dari buku, jurnal dan lainnya. Dalam pelaksanaannya terdapat bebagai tantangan yang menjadi hambatan pendidikan inklusi. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui tantangan yang dihadapi antara lain; kurangnya keterampilan dan sikap guru dalam menangani ABK, keterbatasan sarana dan prasarana serta rendahnya kesadaran orang tua dan masyarakat terhadap hak anak berkebutuhan khusus.
Metagenomic Next-generation Sequencing of Cerebrospinal Fluid for the Diagnosis of Central Nervous System infections in HIV-infected patients

Background HIV-infected patients have extremely low immunity and various opportunistic infections. Early diagnosis and treatment of these pathogens is critical for patients with HIV infection, especially those with central nervous system (CNS) infections. Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) has the advantage of identifying a broad range of pathogens and was suggested as a promising tool in the clinical diagnosis for infectious diseases. The clinical application of mNGS in the diagnosis of CNS infections in patients infected with HIV remains inadequately characterized.Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 22 patients with suspected central nervous system infections who underwent both mNGS and conventional methods including culture, PCR, X-pert/RIF and antigen testing to explored the utility of mNGS in clinical diagnostic microbiology of CNS infections in HIV-infected patients.Results A total of 22 patients participated in the study between June 2018 and May 2019. The consistency of positive percentage of mNGS compared to clinical diagnosis was significantly higher than that of conventional methods (86.36% vs. 45.21%). The proportion of co-infections in mNGS positive samples was significantly higher than that in traditional methods (40.91% vs. 14.39%). Sixteen Extra Pathogens in 14 cases identified by metagenomic NGS only, 6 pathogens affected clinical reasoning and 7 pathogens guided antimicrobial therapy.Conclusions MNGS is a powerful diagnostic method for identifying pathogens in central nervous system infections and provide actionable information in some cases. MNGS technology has positive significance for the diagnosis and clinical treatment of central nervous system infection in HIV-infected patients.
Theory development and pilot testing of a new survey instrument on usability by older adults

THEORY DEVELOPMENT AND PILOT TESTING OF A NEW SURVEY INSTRUMENT ON USABILITY IN OLDER ADULTS by Meriam Caboral-Stevens Adviser: Martha V. Whetsell, PhD, RN An aging population and the use of technology are two pervasive phenomena that are burgeoning simultaneously. The confluence of these phenomena may present challenges for the older adults that could prevent a successful interface. Barriers and challenges can be addressed by examining the interface between older adults and technology. Usability is described as how well and how easily a user without formal training can interact effectively with the system. A review of the literature shows paucity in nursing theories on usability and the use of technology among older adults. This paper describes the development of a conceptual model Use of Technology for Adaptation by Older Adults and/or those with Low or Limited Literacy (U.S.A.B.I.L.I.T.Y.) based on diverse theoretical perspectives. The conceptual model attempts to explain and measure the effect of health-related web sites’ design on older adults (and those with low or limited literacy) in terms of their ability and desire to use the web sites to gather health information. The conceptual model identifies four determinants of web site usability: (1) perceived control, (2) perceived user experience, (3) efficiency and (4) learnability. Perceived user experience and perceived control determinants examine the user component, whereas efficiency and learnability determinants evaluate the system component, whereas. A U.S.A.B. I.L. I.T. Y. Survey was developed due to the
Comprehensive Use of Semipermanent Dynamic Message Signs for Regionwide ATIS Programs

Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) provide dynamic en-route information to motorists regarding congestion, diversion needs, roadway status, ongoing or planned construction/maintenance activities, and incident status. The typical application of DMS in major metropolitan areas has been to deploy large message boards (e.g. 3-line, 24 characters per line) with full-matrix capability on a large sign structure at key locations regionwide. The costs to implement these signs (typically $100-150k per sign installation) has, however, limited their use to selected, priority locations. Often, due to the coverage of the signs, motorists may receive little or no key traveler information on many of their trips. In the Des Moines area, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has resolved many of the issues related to limited coverage afforded the large dynamic message boards by supplementing its six existing, available permanent DMS with 20 smaller, semi-permanent dynamic message boards. The semi-permanent (referred to as ‘side-mount’ by the DOT) are smaller in scale (typically 3-line, 8 or 10 characters per line) and cost approximately $30-35k per installation. Use of FHWA criteria and DOT-approved guidelines in defining message sets for motorists has resulted in the ability of most messages being easily and effectively displayed and understood by motorists. Owing to the success of its program in Des Moines, the DOT is deploying additional side-mount DMS in several urban areas in Eastern Iowa.
Computing laboratory sustainability & utilization: initiatives for a greener education

COMPUTING LABORATORY SUSTAINABILITY & UTILIZATION: INITIATIVES FOR A GREENER EDUCATION Kristian Stokes Department of Networking, Security & Systems Administration Master of Science Environmental, social and economic sustainability has been a recent focus of academia and industry to further invest in the future and lower operating costs. In this thesis, various emerging techniques are applied in an academic laboratory environment to record, analyze and project green IT initiatives. Student utilization metrics are evaluated to observe typical computing operation during a normal academic quarter. CPU load, network usage, power consumption, and room temperature are analyzed. Sustainable power and virtualization practices are recommended based on projections and assessments of current and recommended configurations. The findings of this study can be used across an academic environment to further reduce energy usage and meet the objectives of the Institute’s goals towards a green and sustainable environment.
Constitutive and Numerical Modeling of Soil and Soil-Pile Interaction for 3D Applications and Kealakaha Stream Bridge Case Study

This study is concerned with developing new modeling tools for predicting the response of the new Kealakaha Stream Bridge to static and dynamic loads, including seismic shaking. The bridge will span 220 meters, with the deck structure being curved and sloped. In addition, the piers will be resting on opposite sides of a very deep gulch. As a result, conventional two-dimensional modeling is considered inadequate and a full three-dimensional approach to address the soil-structure interaction problem becomes necessary. The difficulty with carrying out such a comprehensive modeling effort lies, in part, on the enormous computational resources that are necessary to achieve even a moderate degree of prediction detail. Thus a computationally efficient numerical technique becomes essential. This study focuses on developing specific formulation improvements that should provide substantial computational savings and improved predictions for general finite and infinite element numerical codes. The platform that is embraced in this study is the open source code OpenSees, which is rapidly becoming the framework of choice in the earthquake engineering community for complex soil-structure interaction problems. A number of advanced constitutive soil models and miscellaneous coding improvements have been incorporated into OpenSees. It is expected that the findings of this study should lead to a computational resource that will be able to provide useful predictions for the new Kealakaha bridge and other similar bridge structures. As part of this study, a generalized integration formulation is presented in tensorial form for 3D elastoplastic problems. Two special cases of this generalized formulation, the well known implicit and explicit integration schemes, are compared for four specific soil models with regard to accuracy and efficiency. A 20-node reduced-integration brick element is implemented for this purpose. The findings provide useful guidelines for selection of particular integration schemes for nonlinear 3D problems.
Evaluating and improving the SAMA (Segmentation Analysis and Market Assessment) recruiting model

Abstract : Military recruiting for an all-volunteer force requires deliberate planning and market analysis in order to achieve prescribed recruiting goals. United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) leaders and planners leverage existing tools and technology to measure performance and potential within their areas of responsibility. One of the tools used by USAREC is the Segmentation Analysis and Market Assessment (SAMA) tool. This tool calculates recruitment potential of recruiting centers using a four-year weighted performance average within customized Army market segments. An analysis of the current SAMA model shows it overestimates production potential for 96% of centers, leading decision makers to set unrealistic goals for their organizations. The use of additional factors and alternative modeling approaches, Least Squared Regression, and Neural Networks, results in models with greater predictive power, while avoiding overestimation. The statistical models developed in this thesis match the predictive power of the current SAMA methodology while overestimating average potential by only 3.8%. More precise modeling tools will improve USAREC's ability to more effectively plan recruiting operations and allocate resources.
Mobilizing cross-disciplinary teams to advance translational research using design thinking methods

Abstract Funding agencies are increasingly seeking team-based approaches to tackling complex research questions, but there is a need to mobilize translational teams and create shared visions and strategic action plans long before specific funding opportunities are considered or even released. This is particularly evident for teams who want to pursue large-scale grants, where cross-disciplinary synergy is often required. In response, we created Research Jams, which are engaging yet structured brainstorming sessions that bring together groups for the first time to collectively generate novel research ideas, critically map the future of initiatives, prioritize opportunities and next steps, and build community. Research Jams leveraged various aspects of design thinking, including divergence and convergence, visual thinking, and amplifying diversity. We piloted seven Research Jams for a collective 129 researchers, staff, and partners across 50 University of Michigan units and external organizations. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the vast majority of survey respondents indicating that the sessions were helpful for surfacing shared ideas or visions and that opportunities emerged they would like to pursue. Research Jams were ideal for cross-disciplinary groups who wanted to collaboratively ideate and strategize around complex problems in translational research. Importantly, these models have the potential for implementation with groups in any disciplinary domain who want to spur collaborations to address challenging problems. Our ultimate goal is for Research Jams to be the first intervention within a comprehensive support pathway that extends from early brainstorming all the way to grant submission.