Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Six sigma project generation and selection: literature review and feature based method proposition

Abstract The benefits of the Six Sigma approach are recognised since the 1990s and Six Sigma project selection is pointed out as being a key success factor in its implementation. Six Sigma project selection approaches have been proposed without exhausting the research. This study contributes in that direction, aiming to propose a method to carry out the generation and selection of Six Sigma projects. The methodological procedure used was systematic review of the literature. Research gap related to Six Sigma project selection were identified. The novelty of this paper is to present a review of literature not only about six sigma project approaches but also about six sigma project selection features. Additionally, this paper proposes an innovative method by the fact that it meets all the eight Six Sigma project selection approach recurring features found in literature. In doing so, this feature based method can assist management teams in charge of leading a Six Sigma initiative.
Interference Control for Railway Wireless Communication Systems: Techniques, Challenges, and Trends

Railway wireless communication systems (RWCSs) are dedicated for the transmission of train control and dispatch commands, where ultrahigh reliability and low latency are needed. However, due to the nature of wireless communications, RWCSs are vulnerable to interference and jamming from intentional and/or unintentional sources, which can be extremely dangerous for the trains' safety. In this article, we analyze the mechanisms of interference and its impairments to RWCSs as well as currently employed countermeasures for these impairments. Possible solutions for better interference control are also discussed.
In Search of Sustainable Value: A Structured Literature Review

The concept of value, where shareholders are the main recipients of the created value, is changing towards more comprehensive models, which respond to the increased stakeholder awareness and urgent sustainability agenda. Hart and Milstein (2003) elaborated the widely used sustainable value concept in which they characterize temporal and spatial dimensions of value, and suggest strategic drivers for sustainability. Although the framework is highly cited, there is no review on the changes over more than ten years. In this paper, we adopted a structured literature review methodology to discover how the concept of sustainable value has been used by researchers and how it has been developed. Our findings show that sustainable value has mainly been used as the general phrase to describe positive business results instead of using it as a concept. Scholars, who make an in-depth analysis of sustainable value do not emphasize the time horizon of sustainable value as its peculiar characteristic while broad stakeholder surrounding is called to be an important feature of sustainable value. Additionally, strategic drivers for sustainability have moved from being purely environmental as in Hart and Milstein’s (2003) concept: globalization, economic fluctuations, and knowledge innovation have become as important as green technologies and carbon-reduction policies.
Analysis of Cyberbullying Incidence among Filipina Victims: A Pattern Recognition using Association Rule Extraction

—Cyberbullying is an intentional action of harassment along the complex domain of social media utilizing information technology online. This research experimented unsupervised associative approach on text mining technique to automatically find cyberbullying words, patterns and extract association rules from a collection of tweets based on the domain / frequent words. Furthermore, this research identifies the relationship between cyberbullying keywords with other cyberbullying words, thus generating knowledge discovery of different cyberbullying word patterns from unstructured tweets. The study revealed that the type of dominant frequent cyberbullying words are intelligence, personality, and insulting words that describe the behavior, appearance of the female victims and sex related words that humiliate female victims. The results of the study suggest that we can utilize unsupervised associative approached in text mining to extract important information from unstructured text. Further, applying association rules can be helpful in recognizing the relationship and meaning between keywords with other words, therefore generating knowledge discovery of different datasets from unstructured text.
Qualitative and quantitative methods in the study of martial arts and combat sports: a panel based on personal experiences

In this panel, five experts present their personal experiences in martial arts and combat sports (MA&CS) research. These experiences represent the two classic approaches to our studies: the quantitative and the qualitative. Above all, the panel aims to foster debate and reflection on the complementarity of these methods when trying to embrace the complexity of MA&CS.
A teaching method for the theory and application of robot kinematics based on MATLAB and V‐REP

With the continuous development of the world, robots are necessary for achieving high production rates and competitiveness. With an increasing robot demand, many universities offer robotics courses. These courses teach students the mathematical principles of robot‐related algorithms. However, it is difficult for students to apply pure mathematical algorithms in robotics to real robot development in a traditional classroom. This paper's motivation is to present a new robotics teaching method: Algorithm, Virtual experiment, Programming and Controller (AVPC), which shows students the steps of complete robot algorithm development, verification, and application process, taking the kinematics of an educational desktop 6‐DOF robotic arm as a typical teaching case. For the low‐cost educational desktop six‐axis robotic arm, an inverse kinematics algorithm is proposed. The inverse solution algorithm is realized in MATLAB, and then the dynamic model of the desktop robotic arm is established in Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (V‐REP). The inverse kinematics algorithm in MATLAB is used to control the virtual robot arm movement in V‐REP to the specified position and orientation through the application programming interface (API) interface, thus verifying the correctness of the inverse kinematics algorithm. The inverse algorithm is implemented by using C language function in the microcontroller, and the running time of the algorithm is compared with that of the iterative solution method. In the present study, we investigated the students’ feelings and exam scores of using the new teaching method. The results show that the new teaching method has a significant impact on the improvement of students’ learning effect of robotics.
MS-DIAL 4: accelerating lipidomics using an MS/MS, CCS, and retention time atlas

We formulated mass spectral fragmentations of lipids across 117 lipid subclasses and included ion mobility tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to provide a comprehensive lipidome atlas with retention time, collision cross section, and MS/MS information. The all-in-one solution from import of raw MS data to export of a common output format (mztab-M) was packaged in MS-DIAL 4 (http://prime.psc.riken.jp/) providing an enhanced standardized untargeted lipidomics procedure following lipidomics standards initiative (LSI) semi-quantitative definitions and shorthand notation system of lipid structures with a 1–2% estimated false discovery rate, which will contribute to harmonizing lipidomics data across laboratories to accelerate lipids research.
Antecedents and influence of strategic agility on organizational performance of private higher education institutions in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Strategic agility is seen as a crucial necessity for organizations to achieve superior organizational performance. However, it is uncommon to find a research framework that explains the relationship of strategic agility with its antecedents and organizational performance, especially in the private higher education sector of Malaysia. As such, it is important to examine the antecedents of strategic agility so that the right resources and capabilities can be developed and deployed to impact organizational performance positively. This study validated the relationships found in the framework. One hundred and fifty-five private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia participated in the online survey which yielded a 41.33 per cent response rate. Data analysed revealed strategic agility is indeed central in the conceptualized relationships. Moreover, technologies, organizational capabilities, and people are proven to be strong antecedents of strategic agility. This study emphasizes that private HEIs essentially need strategic agility to realize superior organizational performance for future business sustainability.
Demultiplexing Nanopore reads with LAST v2

This protocol is for a semi-manual method for read demultiplexing, as used after my presentation Sequencing DNA with Linux Cores and Nanopores to work out the number of reads captured by different barcodes. Input: reads as a FASTQ file, barcode sequences as a FASTA file Output: reads split into single FASTQ files per target [barcode] Note: barcode / adapter sequences are not trimmed by this protocol
Fixed Assets Revaluation and Future Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence from Indonesia

Indonesia's government issued a temporary tax cut law in 2015, which serves as a tax incentive that encourages Indonesian firms to revalue their fixed assets and disclose them in the financial statements according to the assets' fair value. We investigate the association between the revaluation of fixed assets and future firm performance for Indonesian firms. The result shows that the revaluation of fixed assets by Indonesian firms is significantly positively associated with changes in operating income one year after revaluation. Meanwhile, there is no positive association between the revaluation of fixed assets and operating cash flow after two years of revaluation. This result implied that the motivation of revaluation is mainly related to the effort to disclose the fair value of the fixed assets to the user of financial statements. We can conclude that the temporary tax cut law is effective in fostering the future operating performance of the Indonesian firms.
Egyptian Society for Joint Diseases and Arthritis

Aim of the work: To evaluate the hearing disorders in SLE patients with particular regard to their frequency and relationship to disease duration and activity. Patients and methods: Twenty female SLE patients were enrolled in the study. Assessment of dis- ease activity was done using the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI). Another 20 otologically healthy subjects of matched age and sex served as controls. Auditory assessment was performed and included otoscopic examination, pure tone audiometry (PTA), acoustic immittance testing and speech audiometry. Results: The PTA was abnormal in 13 (65%) patients; 4 had tinnitus and 1 vertigo. The PTA results showed a highly significant statistical difference from the control (p < 0.001). Otoscopic examination, acoustic immittance testing and speech audiometry of all patients were normal. A sig- nificant difference was found in the age at disease onset between those with and without abnormal PTA (p = 0.023). Moreover, there was a significantly lower hearing level (right ear) at 12,000 Hz in juvenile-onset (N = 6) (20.83 ± 3.76 db) compared to adult-onset cases (32.5 ± 15.66 db) (p = 0.02). No significant difference was present in the audiovestibular manifestations (p = 0.114), clinical, laboratory parameters or disease activity between those with or without hear- ing loss. However, hearing levels were significantly lower in those with lupus nephritis and those receiving hydroxychloroquine.
DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF LECTURERS’ SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

This study was carried to explore the influence of demographic variables in lecturers emotional and social intelligence in social cognitive learning theory was used to explore the influence of demographic factors on lecturers’ social and emotional intelligence. Data were collected from two hundred and thirty (230) lecturers using the valid instrument titled social intelligence scale and emotional intelligence inventory was adopted for data collection. The analysis of data collected was carried out using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The findings of the study revealed that age, gender and working condition does not significantly predict lecturers’ social and emotional intelligence. However, it was revealed that salary is a good predictor of lecturers’ social intelligence while it does not predict their emotional intelligence.
Structural Brain Abnormalities in Temporomandibular Disorders

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a family of prevalent chronic pain disorders affecting masticatory muscles and/or the temporomandibular joint. There is no unequivocally recognized peripheral aetiology for idiopathic TMD. The central nervous system (CNS) may initiate and/or maintain the pain in idiopathic TMD due to sustained or long-term nociceptive input that induces maladaptive brain plasticity, and/or to inherent personality-related factors that may reduce the brain's capacity to modulate nociceptive activity. The main aim of this thesis is to determine whether there are structural neural abnormalities in patients with TMD, and whether these abnormalities are related to TMD pain characteristics, or to neuroticism. The specific aims are to delineate in TMD: (1) gray matter (GM) brain abnormalities and the contribution of pain and neuroticism to abnormalities; (2) the contribution of abnormal brain GM aging in focal cortical regions associated with nociceptive processes; and (3) abnormalities in brain white matter and trigeminal nerve and the contribution of pain. In groups of 17 female patients with TMD and 17 ageand sexmatched controls, magnetic resonance imaging revealed that patients with TMD had: (1) thicker cortex in the somatosensory, ventrolateral prefrontal and frontal polar cortices
Antipyretic and Antianemic Activities of Three Anti-malaria Recipes from South Benin on Wistar Rats

The present study aims to evaluate "in vivo" the acute toxicity, antipyretic and antianemic activities of three plant recipes used in the treatment of malaria in southern Benin lake cities on Wistar rats. We note the presence of saponosides, phenolic compounds, sterols and terpenes in the recipes studied. The toxicity evaluation of the extracts revealed that they are practically non-toxic (LD50> 5g/kg body weight) according to the Hodge and Sterner classification. All the extracts investigated contain antipyretic molecules but only two extracts (aqueous extract obtain by decoction of the child's recipe: 36.07 ± 0.48°C, hydroethanolic macerated of the adult’s recipe: 36.07 ± 0.33°C) showed significant antipyretic activity, similar to that of aspirin (36.03 ± 0.25°C) used as reference molecule in the present study. After evaluating the antianemic activity, we note that the extracts are not hemolytic.
Structure and properties of high quality natural cellulose nano fibrils from a novel material Ficus natalensis barkcloth

We report for the first time the extraction of cellulose nano fibrils from Ficus natalensis barkcloth fibers by means of chemical treatments and catalytic oxidation of cellulose fibers by using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO). After every stage of treatments, the structural properties of barkcloth fibers powder (BC-PW), cellulose fibers (BC-NB) and cellulose nano fibrils (BC-CNF) were carefully characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for morphological analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction techniques for chemical analysis, and thermal properties were done by thermo-gravimetric analysis. FTIR results revealed the progressive removal of non-cellulosic contents and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the crystallinity increased with the successive alkali and bleaching treatments. Finally, by evaluating the TEM images, the average diameter of the nano-cellulose fibrils from Ficus natalensis barkcloth was also confirmed as 28 ± 0.6 nm and the length in hundred nano meters was recorded. The resultant cellulose nano fibrils maintaining the cellulose I structure had dimensional properties in nano-scale, higher crystallinity (68.5), and better thermal stability (305.62°C). The barkcloth cellulose nano fibrils can be used in nano technology like food packing material, nano composites and medical textiles.
Decreased Ratios of Interleukin-1β and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 in Gingival Crevicular Fluid after Scaling and Root Planing Associated with Periodontal Pocket Healing

Objectives: Several researchers have investigated inflammatory cytokines in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from chronic periodontitis with clinical parameters after periodontal treatment. The aim of the present study was to identify the inflammatory cytokines present in GCF associated with periodontal pocket healing after scaling and root planing (SRP). Methods: Twenty patients were enrolled, and clinical examinations including probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were performed at the first visit, and before and after SRP. The periodontal epithelial surface area (PESA) and periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) were also calculated. GCF samples were collected before and after SRP to measure the levels of 40 inflammatory cytokines using antibody array. Correlations between changes in cytokine levels and clinical improvements were assessed by single and multiple regression analyses. Results: PPD, PESA and PISA significantly decreased after SRP, while there were no significant differences in the levels of cytokines before (PreSRP) and one week after SRP (PostSRP). Clinical improvements (ΔPPD, ΔPESA and ΔPISA) were calculated using the formula PreSRP-PostSRP, while changes in the levels of inflammatory cytokines were calculated using three formulas: PreSRP-PostSRP, PostSRP/PreSRP and Log(PostSRP/PreSRP). Log (PostSRP/PreSRP) for interleukin-1β (IL-1β) significantly correlated with ΔPESA (R = -0.512). PostSRP/PreSRP and Log(PostSRP/PreSRP) for intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) significantly correlated with ΔPISA (R = -0.669, -0.573). Two good fit models were generated by multiple linear regression. Log(PostSRP/PreSRP) for IL-1β significantly affected ΔPESA (R2 = 0.566). PostSRP/PreSRP for ICAM-1 significantly affected ΔPISA (R2 = 0.615). Conclusion: Changes (PreSRP-PostSRP) in any cytokines in GCF after SRP were not associated with clinical improvements. However, the present study indicates that lower PostSRP/PreSRP ratios for IL-1β and ICAM-1 in GCF lead to a greater decrease in PESA and PISA, respectively. Periodontal pocket healing might be affected by a decreased ratio of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and ICAM-1 at an early stage after SRP.
Differential effects of neural stem cell therapy in adult and middle-aged parkinsonian mice

Parkinson´s disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world, is characterized by the death or impairment of dopaminergic neurons (DAn) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the depletion of dopamine in the striatum (Str). Symptoms of the disease include tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Currently, there is no cure for PD, and treatments only help to reduce the symptoms of the disease, and do not repair or replace the DAn damaged or lost in PD. Cell replacement therapy (CRT) seeks to relieve both pathological and symptomatic PD manifestations, and has been shown to have beneficial effects in experimental PD models as well as in PD patients, but an apt cell line to be used in PD treatment has yet to be established. In addition, CRT clinical trials are more successful in younger PD patients with less advanced pathology. The main goal of this thesis was to study the effects of the transplantation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs), specifically hVM1 clone 32 cells, in an in vivo PD mouse model using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) at four months post-transplant. The hypothesis was that the transplanted hNSCs could replace and take over the functions of the impaired or lost DAn by integrating in the host environment, thus rescuing nigrostriatal innervation, improving motor deficits, and exerting neurotrophic effects, in adult and middle-aged Parkinsonian mice. Transplantation of hVM1 clone 32 cells rescued dopaminergic nigrostriatal populations in adult Parkinsonian mice, plausibly via the neurotrophic factors released by the cells, indicating that conditioned media (CM) rather than cells could be sufficient in providing beneficial effects. There were no clear behavioral changes between groups except for reduced stride length and hyperactivity in all MPTP-treated mice, both of which tended to be improved by hVM1 clone 32 cell transplant in middle-aged mice, while hyperactivity had a tendency of decreasing in adult hNSC-transplanted mice. In adult mice, hNSC transplantation rescued neuroblast neurogenesis in the subgranular zone, which was correlated with dopaminergic recovery in the Str and SNpc. Neuroinflammation did not impede nigrostriatal system restoration in adult mice. In both age groups, grafting of hVM1 clone 32 cells led to mast cell migration to the superficial cervical lymph nodes. Therefore, this thesis is a proof-of-concept study that CRT can work using hVM1 clone 32 cells in adult Parkinsonian mice and that these hNSCs exert a trophic effect, but CRT is less effective in middle-aged mice due to the increased neuroinflammation and decreased neurogenesis that occur in aged animals. This study emphasizes the importance of the age of recipient and the stage of PD progression when receiving a transplant, and proposes that a multifactorial treatment is needed for CRT or CM infusion in older PD patients.
Decomposing journey time variance on urban rail transit systems

In this thesis, automated fare collection (AFC) data are used to analyse and quantify transit journey time service quality on the London Underground metro system. The thesis comprises of three main research areas. The first part focuses on characterising passenger journey time variance through the generation of empirical probability distributions of journey times under regular and incident-affected operating conditions. The distributions are parametrically defined, and practical passenger-oriented performance metrics are proposed based on the moments of the distributions. The second area of research involves decomposing total passenger journey times recorded by the AFC data into sub-components that distinguish between the walking and in-vehicle phases of a passenger journey. To achieve this, a Bayesian assignment algorithm is proposed to allocate individual passengers to individual trains. Total journey times are then decomposed into the constituent components of access, on-train, and egress times. In the third area of research, the degree to which different service supply and demand factors influence journey times is analysed. Semiparametric regression methods are applied to quantify the effect of physical station and route characteristics, operational service supply factors, and passenger demand levels for each journey time component. To quantify the effect of individual passenger characteristics on journey times, passenger-level heterogeneity within each journey time component is analysed. As an extension to the access time model, the influence of train headways on passenger wait times at the origin station is also derived. The main outputs of the thesis are the quantification of journey time performance, and the identification of the key service supply and demand factors that impact journey times. The results can be directly applied by operators to guide where potential interventions should be made in order to improve the reliability of journey times for urban rail transit networks.