Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy-aware load balancing for parallel packet processing engines

In this paper, we consider energy-aware network devices (e.g. routers, switches, etc.) able to trade their energy consumption for packet forwarding performance by means of both low power idle and adaptive rate schemes. We focus on state-of-the-art packet processing engines, which generally represent the most energy-starving components of network devices, and which are often composed of a number of parallel pipelines to “divide and conquer” the incoming traffic load. Our goal is to control both the power configuration of pipelines, and the way to distribute traffic flows among them, in order to optimize the trade-off between energy consumption and network performance indexes. With this aim, we propose and analyze a constrained optimization policy, which try to find the best trade-off between power consumption and packet latency times. In order to deeply understand the impact of such policy, a number of tests have been performed by using experimental data from SW router architectures and real-world traffic traces.
Comparison of Interaction Modalities for Mobile Indoor Robot Guidance: Direct Physical Interaction, Person Following, and Pointing Control

Three advanced natural interaction modalities for mobile robot guidance in an indoor environment were developed and compared using two tasks and quantitative metrics to measure performance and workload. The first interaction modality is based on direct physical interaction requiring the human user to push the robot in order to displace it. The second and third interaction modalities exploit a 3-D vision-based human-skeleton tracking allowing the user to guide the robot by either walking in front of it or by pointing toward a desired location. In the first task, the participants were asked to guide the robot between different rooms in a simulated physical apartment requiring rough movement of the robot through designated areas. The second task evaluated robot guidance in the same environment through a set of waypoints, which required accurate movements. The three interaction modalities were implemented on a generic differential drive mobile platform equipped with a pan-tilt system and a Kinect camera. Task completion time and accuracy were used as metrics to assess the users' performance, while the NASA-TLX questionnaire was used to evaluate the users' workload. A study with 24 participants indicated that choice of interaction modality had significant effect on completion time (F (2, 61) = 84.874, p <; 0.001), accuracy (F (2, 29) = 4.937, p = 0.016), and workload (F (2, 68) = 11.948, p <; 0.001). The direct physical interaction required less time, provided more accuracy and less workload than the two contactless interaction modalities. Between the two contactless interaction modalities, the person-following interaction modality was systematically better than the pointing-control one: The participants completed the tasks faster with less workload.
Post‐flood nutritional anthropometry of children in Matlab, Bangladesh

The Matlab area was severely affected by the floods of 1988 in Bangladesh. To assess the impact of flooding in Matlab the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) performed post‐flood surveys. Six‐hundred households were surveyed. In addition, length, weight, and mid‐upper arm circumference were measured in children aged 6–35 months. Baseline economic status appeared to be higher inside the Matlab embankment, where the average material damage was worse. Anthropometry of children from inside and outside the embankment did not differ significantly for degree of flood damage. There was also no difference in these indicators between October and December, when post‐harvest improvement would normally occur. Analysis of indicators of household socio‐economic status revealed landlessness and lack of maternal education as significantly associated with lower child anthropometry. Female children and those 12–36 months also had lower mean percent of median anthropometric indices.
Amino Acid Substitutions of CrrB Responsible for Resistance to Colistin through CrrC in Klebsiella pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic for treatment of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. A recent study indicated that missense mutations in the CrrB protein contribute to colistin resistance. In our previous study, mechanisms of colistin resistance were defined in 17 of 26 colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. Of the remaining nine strains, eight were highly resistant to colistin. In the present study, crrAB sequences were determined for these eight strains. Six separate amino acid substitutions in CrrB (Q10L, Y31H, W140R, N141I, P151S, and S195N) were detected. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate crrB loci harboring individual missense mutations; introduction of the mutated genes into a susceptible strain, A4528, resulted in 64- to 1,024-fold increases in colistin MICs. These crrB mutants showed increased accumulation of H239_3062, H239_3059, pmrA, pmrC, and pmrH transcripts by quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR. Deletion of H239_3062 (but not that of H239_3059) in the A4528 crrB(N141I) strain attenuated resistance to colistin, and H239_3062 was accordingly named crrC. Similarly, accumulation of pmrA, pmrC, and pmrH transcripts induced by crrB(N141I) was significantly attenuated upon deletion of crrC. Complementation of crrC restored resistance to colistin and accumulation of pmrA, pmrC, and pmrH transcripts in a crrB(N141I) ΔcrrC strain. In conclusion, novel individual CrrB amino acid substitutions (Y31H, W140R, N141I, P151S, and S195N) were shown to be responsible for colistin resistance. We hypothesize that CrrB mutations induce CrrC expression, thereby inducing elevated expression of the pmrHFIJKLM operon and pmrC (an effect mediated via the PmrAB two-component system) and yielding increased colistin resistance.
The Clinical Process in Psychiatry

niques for nerve conduction measurement, ture and function of the nervous system and written by three American specialists in in the preface the authors indicate that it is rehabilitation medicine, has been expanded aimed at the "beginning student" wanting a to include techniques for somatosensory brief overview of neuroanatomy and neuroy,voked potential recording. It is aimed at physiology or the advanced student wishing physicians who perform electrodiagnostic to review the topic. The fact that it has gone tests and at practising electromyographers. to seven editions suggests that it fulfills these The ringbound book is laid out in small secaims and has found an appropriate auditions, each of which describes for a particuence, and in my assessment of it I have parlar nerve, electrode placements for stimuticularly born in mind its potential audience. lation and recording, amplifier settings and Two summers ago I spent a few months normal values. Each section is in fact an looking in detail at all the neuroanatomy . _abstract from an original investigation, the and neurophysiology books available in an reference to which is given. The authors are attempt to find a suitable text book that we obsessive about temperature control and could recommend to our undergraduate stuone of the initial sections of the book deals dents. There are many such books, some with the effects of temperature on nerve conlarge and some small, and I concluded then duction measurements; equations are given that an earlier edition of this book did not which allow correction of measured values fulfil our needs. How then does the current to a standard temperature. In their preface edition rate and for whom is it suitable? Ihe authors state that they "present studies It begins with a traditional review of the that use standardised distance and docuanatomy and physiology of neurons and ment skin temperature". However, in many then follows with separate chapters on all of the techniques described, the original the main components of the nervous system. authors did not control temperature rigidly. Some of these, such as the section on the The normal values quoted are therefore brain stem and cranial nerves, are very more appropriately used without recourse to detailed and this seems to be the rule in a temperature correction. many similar books. How many of us, as
Toward a choreography of congregating: A practice-based perspective on organizational absorptive capacity in a semiconductor industry consortium

Previous studies on absorptive capacity focus either upon dyadic interorganizational constellations or upon an organization’s environment in general, thus neglecting other managerially relevant interorganizational constellations. Furthermore, despite significant advancements in our understanding, we still know little about the way absorptive capacity actually unfolds on an organizational level, as many studies predominantly take absorptive capacity as a quantitatively measurable phenomenon. We address these two shortcomings by following recent calls for a practice perspective on absorptive capacity. In particular, we reveal the choreography of knowledge absorption practices in an interorganizational network. Based on an empirical study in the semiconductor industry, we put forward the thesis that this can be achieved by congregating, that is, repeatedly exchanging face-to-face ideas at network-wide venues such as conferences or workshops. We illustrate how a lead firm in this industry carefully choreographs congregating, which helps the organization acquire knowledge from network partners and utilize the knowledge internally. Herein, we contribute a practice perspective on how to influence organizational absorptive capacity when engaging with an interorganizational network as a distinctive organizational form. A practice lens also entails being sensitive to the political dimension of absorptive capacity. Moreover, choreographies of bundles of absorptive capacity-relevant practices represent a concept to inform future research.
The Best and the Brightest: The Construction, Significance and Effects of Elite Identities in Consulting Firms

The aim of this paper is to investigate the forms, significance and effects of elite identity constructions in four consulting firms based in the UK and Sweden. The paper examines a range of strategic and symbolic mechanisms that were used by the senior members and other actors of these firms to construct an elite organizational identity. In terms of general effects, an elite social identity was found to generate a ‘neoliberal’ form of governance in all of the cases such that consultants could be trusted to act and behave in the interests of the firm. We argue that elite constructions facilitated: (i) the promotion of self-discipline which sustained a want to accomplish high standards of performance; (ii) the attraction and retention of consultants; (iii) the securing of an image that clients were prepared to engage with; and (iv) a degree of ‘ontological security’—a relatively secure sense of self—which enabled consultants to function effectively in high-ambiguity and somewhat sceptical (with respect to clients) work contexts. In the contexts discussed here, consultants not only managed themselves, but they also intensified the commitment to live an organizational life that demanded high standards and often very long working days.
A qualitative evaluation of women's experiences of the Mellow Bumps antenatal intervention

Mellow Bumps is a group-based intervention which draws on psychological and practical techniques to reduce anxiety and promote wellbeing in vulnerable pregnant women. This study explores participants’ experiences of taking part in Mellow Bumps. a small sample of mothers who had participated in Mellow Parenting groups in Glasgow were invited to discuss their experiences in a non-directive, unstructured interview. Interview transcripts were then processed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). several strengths of the antenatal intervention were identified; these included the facilitator’s provision of support, the social aspect of meeting other mothers-to-be, learning about infant development and practical strategies. Barriers to engagement identified were negative preconceptions about antenatal support, fear of being judged and feeling pressured by services to participate. No fundamental issues concerning the validity of the intervention were identified; however, a need for greater promotio.
Haptic feedback using local models of interaction

A local model of interaction proposed for haptic rendering of rigid body motion is extended to the rigid body manipulation of articulated structures. In the proposed local model, the motion constraints imposed on the user by the articulated structure are rendered through the local dynamics, while those imposed by other virtual objects are rendered through impulsive, penalty, and friction contact forces. The proposed local model is used to interface a planar haptic device to a virtual world comprised of both rigid objects and articulated structures moving within an enclosure of rigid walls.
Towards physics-based interactive simulation of electrocautery procedures using PhysX

Haptic enabled virtual reality surgical simulators are increasingly replacing more traditional training tools in teaching hospitals. Development of these simulators may be greatly facilitated using physics libraries such as NVIDIA's PhysX. While volumetric models of soft bodies may be easily generated and simulated using such engines, it is not straightforward to develop complex surgical tasks such as surgical cutting and hence novel algorithms are necessary. Electrocautery is a tissue cutting process used in surgery to burn away soft tissues by localized heating using a specialized probe. Unlike typical surgical cutting with sharp instruments, the electrocautery process depends upon the duration of the tool tissue contact and the rate of heat conduction. The simulation of electrocautery depends on understanding the physics of heat conduction as well as empirical measurements of temperature in the tissue. In this paper we report a physics-based paradigm for the simulation of electrocautery procedures that can directly work on volumetric objects. Based on the solution characteristics of the conduction equation and empirical observations using a thermal imaging camera, we manipulate only the tetrahedral mesh vertices that are inside a sphere of influence whose centre is located at the tip of the electrocautery tool and which expands as a function of time. A 3D orthogonal plane is used to split the tetrahedral mesh vertices along the three Cartesian directions. Examples are provided from a realistic surgical simulation environment.
Stability analysis of haptic interfaces for different types of sampled signals and virtual environment implementations

Robust stability of haptic simulation systems against any passive operator dynamics not only depends on the dynamic parameters of the haptic device, haptic controller and virtual environment but also on the type of signals sampled and the digital implementation of the virtual environment. In this paper, we analytically investigate the robust stability of the systems in which the device position or velocity is sampled, backward difference or Tustin differentiation method is employed for the implementation of damper-spring virtual environments, and accurate or approximate model is used to represent the sampling process. The analytical study reveals potential issues in the use of sampling approximation and more importantly introduces less conservative stability conditions on system dynamic parameters when velocity is sampled.
Design of a novel finger haptic interface for contact and orientation display

A new portable device for haptic interaction with virtual environments is presented. It is a lightweight interface for the fingertips, designed for providing cutaneous feedback and displaying the contact - non contact transition in highly immersive virtual environments. In this paper the kinematics, the mechanical design and the control system are described. The device has been mounted on a kinesthetic haptic interface which tracks its position: the overall system can provide both cutaneous and kinesthetic feedback. Finally the performance of the portable device in a simple task of shape exploration has been evaluated and compared to a kinesthetic haptic interface.
THE ACETABULAR INDEX IN INFANTS IN RELATION TO CONGENITAL DISLOCATION OF THE HIP

It is axiomatic that prevention is more valuable than cure. The practice of this principle is nowhere more desirable than in the management of congenital dislocation of the hip. This common lesion has been studied carefully for decades by hundreds of surgeons all over the world with the result that its pathologic process is thoroughly appreciated, and success in its treatment is readily obtainable, yet there is no one established system but a diversity of methods, even when the treatment is applied during infancy. When the condition continues to childhood or early adolescence, not to speak of adult life, without recognition or adequate treatment, then treatment by any method aims only for improvement in ambulation and for some measure of stability of the hip. So it was like a refreshing breeze on a hot summer day to listen to Dr. Putti, in July 1929 in London, expounding his theory of
A study on autobalancing of a casing oscillator using feedback control

The casing oscillator used for basic construction of buildings, factories, and bridges is a construction machine which rotates and rolls the casing to insert it into the ground. It is very important that the casing is retained at a perpendicular position to sea level regardless of the slope of ground. In this paper, we present a new casing oscillator that does need not to be level to the ground for the casing insertion to work. The kinematic analysis for work space of a casing oscillator is presented and carried out with autobalancing of the casing oscillator using feedback control.
Paraoxonase 1 activity in different types of multiple sclerosis

Background Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is an antioxidant enzyme bound to plasma high-density lipoproteins and is also present in the brain. Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the activity of PON1 in patients with different types of MS. Methods The PON1 activity toward paraoxon and phenyl acetate and lipid profile was examined in 40 relapsing-remitting (RR) patients in relapse, in 42 RR patients in remission, in 55 progressive MS patients and in 40 healthy individuals. Results PON1 activity did not differ in MS patients compared to control group. PON1 activity in relapse was significantly lower in comparison to the other MS groups. Hypercholesterolemia was observed in MS patients. Conclusion PON1 activity does not change in the course of stable and progressive type of MS and is decreased by the relapse of MS.
Prevention of Osteoporosis and Bone Fragility

The importance of optimal bone growth in childhood and adolescence has been recognized as one of the key strategies in osteoporotic fracture prevention. Low birth size, poor childhood growth, and low peak bone mass at the cessation of growth have been linked to the later risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture. Formerly, the focus was merely on maximizing bone mineral accrual because a high peak bone mineral mass may prevent attainment of a critical “fracture threshold” associated with age-related bone loss and osteoporosis. More recently, the focus has shifted away from bone mineral accrual—as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)—toward the optimization of bone strength. This is partly because of the advances in bone imaging that have enabled estimation of bone strength beyond bone mass. In this review, we briefly describe long-bone growth and structural development and our abilities to assess bone properties by medical imaging tools. In addition, we summarize the evidence of factors contributing to skeletal growth, bone fragility, and the development of strong, healthy bones.
Hardware-efficient schemes for logarithmic approximation and binary search with application to visibility graph construction

Visibility graphs constitute a useful data structure for environment representation in the context of robot path planning. A central element in the construction of the basic visibility graph and its variants is tangent determination. This letter presents new schemes and hardware designs for key elements in tangent construction and identification of obstructed tangents. The designs have been synthesized using Synopsys Design Compiler 2001.08-SP1, and results show they are appropriate for development of a cost-effective and efficient visibility graph generation system.
Quasi-resonant-converters-based high-efficiency spindle motor drives for magnetic data storage

Disk drive spindle motors require accurate speed control and highly efficient drive controllers. Small-volume and high-efficiency converters are of particular interest for portable data storage applications. Quasi-resonant voltage controllers are described in this paper and the experimental results are presented. In contrast to the conventional pulsewidth-modulated voltage controller, this technique reduces the switching loss and enables the controller to operate at very high frequencies. Three types of resonant converters are built and tested for the application. A comparison of performance in terms of losses and voltage regulation is given.
Subjective fatigue is not associated with cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis

Background Studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) report conflicting conclusions regarding fatigue and cognition, which may partly be due to the use of small sample sizes and frequent reliance on a cross-sectional approach. Objective The ability to distinguish between these two disabling symptoms is necessary in order to properly assess and treat MS patients. Methods In a retrospective analysis, we assessed the correlation between fatigue and neuropsychological (NP) testing using a cross-sectional (n = 465) and longitudinal approach (n = 69). Cognition was measured using a comprehensive battery called the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS), and fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). FSS scores were categorized as normal (≤4.0), borderline fatigue (4 < FSS < 5.0), and fatigued (≥5.0). Repeat assessments (n = 69) were categorized as improved or worsened by a change in FSS of either 0.5 or 1.0. Results MS patients had significantly higher FSS scores than normal controls (P < 0.001). No correlation was found between FSS and NP scores in either cross-sectional or longitudinal analyses. Fatigue was moderately correlated with depression, assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory Fast Screen (BDIFS) (r = 0.44, P < 0.001). Longitudinally, there was a medium correlation between change in FSS and BDIFS (r = 0.34, P = 0.001), but no significant differences on NP scores using either definition of change. Conclusion We conclude that self-reported fatigue, while correlated with self-reported depression, is not significantly related to cognitive capacity in MS.