Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SELECTION OF SUITABLE PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS IN CONSTRUCTION : A MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION SUPPORT MODEL

The use and development of appropriate procurement systems helps to avoid problems and is the key to the attainment of project specific goals. A systematic and consistent approach for procurement selection is essential to achieve the project success and ensure value for the client’s money. This paper presents a decision support model developed, based on Multi Attribute Utility Technique. Four rounds of Delphi survey were conducted to investigate the most significant factors and their level of influence on various procurement systems. The synthesis of the survey outcome revealed that client requirements, project characteristics together with factors from external environment are significantly influencing the procurement selection in Sri Lanka. The special feature of the developed model is the inclusion of a set of exclusive selection criteria at macro level and abundant procurement options. The outcome of the model was tested for its applicability and efficiency with the use of multiple case studies. The model has the potential to assist clients/their consultants and seeks to overcome any inconsistency in the effective decision making process on procurement selection.
The ESI CAD fragmentations of protonated 2,4,6-tris(benzylamino)- and tris(benzyloxy)-1,3,5-triazines involve benzyl-benzyl interactions: a DFT study.

The electrospray ionization collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) mass spectra of protonated 2,4,6-tris(benzylamino)-1,3,5-triazine (1) and 2,4,6-tris(benzyloxy)-1,3,5-triazine (6) show abundant product ion of m/z 181 (C(14) H(13)(+)). The likely structure for C(14) H(13)(+) is α-[2-methylphenyl]benzyl cation, indicating that one of the benzyl groups must migrate to another prior to dissociation of the protonated molecule. The collision energy is high for the 'N' analog (1) but low for the 'O' analog (6) indicating that the fragmentation processes of 1 requires high energy. The other major fragmentations are [M + H-toluene](+) and [M + H-benzene](+) for compounds 1 and 6, respectively. The protonated 2,4,6-tris(4-methylbenzylamino)-1,3,5-triazine (4) exhibits competitive eliminations of p-xylene and 3,6-dimethylenecyclohexa-1,4-diene. Moreover, protonated 2,4,6-tris(1-phenylethylamino)-1,3,5-triazine (5) dissociates via three successive losses of styrene. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that an ion/neutral complex (INC) between benzyl cation and the rest of the molecule is unstable, but the protonated molecules of 1 and 6 rearrange to an intermediate by the migration of a benzyl group to the ring 'N'. Subsequent shift of a second benzyl group generates an INC for the protonated molecule of 1 and its product ions can be explained from this intermediate. The shift of a second benzyl group to the ring carbon of the first benzyl group followed by an H-shift from ring carbon to 'O' generates the key intermediate for the formation of the ion of m/z 181 from the protonated molecule of 6. The proposed mechanisms are supported by high resolution mass spectrometry data, deuterium-labeling and CAD experiments combined with DFT calculations.
Pregnancy and after: what women want from their partners – listening to women in Uyo, Nigeria

Background: A qualitative survey was conducted among childbearing women at three public health facilities in Uyo, Nigeria. We aimed to determine (i) women’s expectations of partner support during pregnancy and the postpartum period; (ii) predictors of partner presence during childbirth. Methods: From May to mid-July 2011, 387 eligible women were recruited serially during visits to the child welfare clinic at each facility. Interviews were conducted using semistructured questionnaires. Responses were extracted and categorized into eight distinct themes with corresponding examples. Results and discussion: The most desired form of partner support was assistance with domestic chores during and after pregnancy; followed by financial support during pregnancy and providing/caring for the baby in the postpartum period. Partner support during pregnancy was high 98.0% (351). While 73% of respondents expected partner presence during childbirth, 69.4% reported actual partner presence. Women with no experience of pregnancy before marriage, a husband in formal employment, and regular assistance at home had a two- to three-fold likelihood of expecting partner presence at childbirth compared to those without these attributes. Expecting partner presence increased the likelihood of partner presence at childbirth. Results suggest that women have specific expectations of partner involvement during and after pregnancy.
A 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS transceiver design for high-speed backplane data communications

An 8 Gb/s current mode logic (CML) transmitter with multi-tap FIR pre-emphasis has been implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology and verified to operate with PRBS7 data over a 34 inch FR4 backplane. A half-rate clock retiming circuit for generating symbol-spaced data is proposed to alleviate the speed requirement of the traditional full-rate clock retiming. At the receive side, a frequency and phase-locked clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit incorporates a multiphase voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and a half-rate bang-bang phase/frequency detector (PFD) with embedded data retiming. The total power dissipation of the transceiver is 75 mW at a 1.8 V supply.
A 50–450 MHz Tunable RF Biquad Filter Based on a Wideband Source Follower With > 26 dBm IIP$_{3}$, +12 dBm P$_{1{\rm dB}}$, and 15 dB Noise Figure

This paper reports a source follower-based active RC filter topology for RF front-ends in wideband systems. In the proposed active RC filter, the noise figure and bandwidth are improved through adopting the proposed sub-1 Ω Zout source follower, which replaces the conventional operational amplifier-based unity gain buffer and through simply changing its location in the filter. Applying the proposed scheme to the conventional Sallen-Key filter also improves the stopband rejection performance. Furthermore, the proposed filter topology ultimately suppresses the DC offset voltage and flicker noise of the unity gain buffer, which is the only active circuit in the filter. The proposed biquad filter is implemented in 0.18 μm CMOS and the measurements exhibit >26 dBm IIP3, +12 dBm input P1dB, and 15 dB noise figure over 50-450 MHz of a 6 bit tunable frequency range. The proposed biquad filter consumes 14 mA from a 1.8 V supply and the chip occupies 1000 ×500 μm2.
Tumorous heterotopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine.

Tumorous heterotopic (ectopic, aberrant) gastric mucosa in the small bowel, other than in the Meckel's diverticulum or other congenitally anomalous bowel, is exceedingly rare. Fourteen cases have been recorded in the literature (Table). Two recent experiences at the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital with tumors of the small intestine due to heterotopic gastric mucosa are reported below, followed by a review of the literature on this subject. Report of Cases Case1. —A 25-year-old man had been healthy until three weeks prior to admission when he experienced recurring intermittent midabdominal crampy pain and two-hour postprandial vomiting. There was no hematemesis or rectal bleeding. Physical examination results were unremarkable, except for slight tenderness over the right periumbilical area without rebound or spasm. Radiographic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract showed a slightly dilated proximal jejunum with an intussuscepting pedunculated polypoid tumor in this segment of bowel (Fig 1). At operation intussusception was not
Designing High-Efficiency Thin Silicon Solar Cells Using Parabolic-Pore Photonic Crystals

We demonstrate the efficacy of wave-interference-based light trapping and carrier transport in parabolicpore photonic-crystal, thin-crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells to achieve above 29% power conversion efficiencies. Using a rigorous solution of Maxwell’s equations through a standard finite-difference time domain scheme, we optimize the design of the vertical-parabolic-pore photonic crystal (PhC) on a 10-μmthick c-Si solar cell to obtain a maximum achievable photocurrent density (MAPD) of 40.6 mA=cm beyond the ray-optical, Lambertian light-trapping limit. For a slanted-parabolic-pore PhC that breaks x-y symmetry, improved light trapping occurs due to better coupling into parallel-to-interface refraction modes. We achieve the optimum MAPD of 41.6 mA=cm for a tilt angle of 10° with respect to the vertical axis of the pores. This MAPD is further improved to 41.72 mA=cm by introducing a 75-nm SiO2 antireflective coating on top of the solar cell. We use this MAPD and the associated charge-carrier generation profile as input for a numerical solution of Poisson’s equation coupled with semiconductor drift-diffusion equations using a Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger recombination model. Using experimentally achieved surface recombination velocities of 10 cm=s, we identify semiconductor doping profiles that yield power conversion efficiencies over 29%. Practical considerations of additional upper-contact losses suggest efficiencies close to 28%. This improvement beyond the current world record is largely due to an opencircuit voltage approaching 0.8 V enabled by reduced bulk recombination in our thin silicon architecture while maintaining a high short-circuit current through wave-interference-based light trapping.
Unveiling the mechanism by which microsporidian parasites prevent locust swarm behavior

Significance The ability of parasites to modify the behavior of their hosts is a widespread phenomenon, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be deciphered. Locusts such as Locusta migratoria manilensis are infamous for their ability to aggregate into gregarious migratory swarms that pose a major threat to food security. The microsporidian parasite Paranosema locustae can disrupt swarm formation by migratory locusts, but the underlying mechanisms of this action remain unexplored. In this study, we found that P. locustae and the native gut bacteria that produce the aggregation pheromone are mutually refractory. The reduction in aggregation pheromone reduces the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin (which initiates gregarization) and dopamine (which induces and maintains gregarization), preventing swarm behavior of migratory locusts. Locusts are infamous for their ability to aggregate into gregarious migratory swarms that pose a major threat to food security. Aggregation is elicited by an interplay of visual, tactile, and chemical stimuli, but the aggregation pheromone in feces is particularly important. Infection by the microsporidian parasite Paranosema (Nosema) locustae is known to inhibit aggregation of solitary Locusta migratoria manilensis and to induce gregarious locusts to shift back to solitary behavior. Here we suggest that P. locustae achieves this effect by acidifying the hindgut and modulating the locust immune response, which suppresses the growth of the hindgut bacteria that produce aggregation pheromones. This in turn reduces production of the neurotransmitter serotonin that initiates gregarious behavior. Healthy L. migratoria manilensis exposed to olfactory stimuli from parasite-infected locusts also produced significantly less serotonin, reducing gregarization. P. locustae also suppresses biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine that maintains gregarization. Our findings reveal the mechanisms by which P. locustae reduces production of aggregation pheromone and blocks the initiation and maintainence of gregarious behavior.
On some extensions of the accelerated overrelaxation (AOR) theory

This paper extends the convergence theory of the Accelerated Over- relaxation (AOR) method to cases analogous to those considered first by Ostrowski and then by Varga in connection with the Successive Overrelaxation (SOR) method. Among others, the Ostrowski Theorem, some of the theorems by Varga on the extensions of the SOR theory, and some recent results by Niethammer and by the authors are obtained as special cases of the work presented in this paper. In addition, several points are raised which suggest further research.
Lifestyle health promotion interventions for the nursing workforce: a systematic review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Study aims were to identify the efficacy of lifestyle health promotion interventions intended to improve behavioural health risk factors and/or behavioural or clinical outcomes of working-age nurses. BACKGROUND Nurses constitute around half the health workforce but global shortages and an ageing profile challenge future supply. The occupational hazards and stresses of nursing are well known. Health promotion, possibly workplace-based, presents opportunities to safeguard the health of nurses. DESIGN This was a systematic review undertaken in line with guidance for reviews in health care. METHODS Seven electronic databases were searched from 2000-2011 and references of relevant papers. Two reviewers independently reviewed and critiqued retrieved papers and extracted data. Methodological features were described using the CONSORT checklists; risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook classification. RESULTS With design inclusion criteria relaxed to include an uncontrolled trial, only three intervention studies were retrieved, from the United States, Canada and Taiwan. All had limitations and high risk of bias, but benefits were reported. Outcomes included fewer cigarettes smoked during the intervention period, down from mean (SD) 20 (8)-12 (9) per day (p < 0·001); significantly reduced fat mass (0·68 vs. 0·07 kg; p = 0·028); and significant gains across a battery of fitness assessments. The paucity of work focused on nurses' health behaviours was the important finding. CONCLUSION The workplace is a potentially fruitful location for health promotion intervention but nurses have seldom been recognised as a target participant group. Given the international priority ascribed to nursing workforce retention, this is a missed opportunity for occupational health planning. Potential benefits to nurses' welfare and well-being may accrue from well-designed intervention studies. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nurse leaders have a key role in driving recognition, spearheading commitment and development of targeted, whole-organisation programmes to promote health profile improvement for the nursing workforce.
Association Testing for Next‐Generation Sequencing Data Using Score Statistics

The advances in sequencing technology have made large‐scale sequencing studies for large cohorts feasible. Often, the primary goal for large‐scale studies is to identify genetic variants associated with a disease or other phenotypes. Even when deep sequencing is performed, there will be many sites where there is not enough data to call genotypes accurately. Ignoring the genotype classification uncertainty by basing subsequent analyses on called genotypes leads to a loss in power. Additionally, using called genotypes can lead to spurious association signals. Some methods taking the uncertainty of genotype calls into account have been proposed; most require numerical optimization which for large‐scale data is not always computationally feasible. We show that using a score statistic for the joint likelihood of observed phenotypes and observed sequencing data provides an attractive approach to association testing for next‐generation sequencing data. The joint model accounts for the genotype classification uncertainty via the posterior probabilities of the genotypes given the observed sequencing data, which gives the approach higher power than methods based on called genotypes. This strategy remains computationally feasible due to the use of score statistics. As part of the joint likelihood, we model the distribution of the phenotypes using a generalized linear model framework, which works for both quantitative and discrete phenotypes. Thus, the method presented here is applicable to case‐control studies as well as mapping of quantitative traits. The model allows additional covariates that enable correction for confounding factors such as population stratification or cohort effects. Genet. Epidemiol. 36:430‐437, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Variational Bayesian Learning of Speech GMMS for Feature Enhancement Based on Algonquin

Many feature enhancement methods make use of probabilistic models of speech and noise in order to improve performance of speech recognizers in the presence of background noise. The traditional approach for training such models is maximum likelihood estimation. This paper investigates the novel application of variational Bayesian learning for front-end models under the Algonquin denoising framework. Compared to maximum likelihood training, it is shown that variational Bayesian learning has advantages both in terms of increased robustness with respect to choice of model complexity, as well as increased performance.
Bread Crumbs: a technique for modelling large outdoor ground features

This paper presents a new technique we have created, known as Bread Crumbs, which allows the modelling of large outdoor ground features using a mobile augmented reality system and a user's physical presence. Using this technique, we demonstrate an example of modelling a large grassy area on campus. This technique is one component of a larger set of tools which allow users to capture and work with complex outdoor geometry interactively, and to view this geometry in new and interesting ways.
Enriching Children's Experiences During and After a Museum Visit

This paper presents a scenario to enrich children's experiences during a museum visit by implicitly guiding them through the exhibition space via a collaboratively created, topic related questionnaire. At the end of the visit, a personalised virtual museum catalogue can be created. This allows children to access data about the subjects they were most interested in during their visit and re-use it either at home or in the classroom, e.g. to search for further information on-line.
Decidability of bisimulation equivalence for process generating context-free languages

A context-free grammar (CFG) in Greibach Normal Form coincides, in another notation, with a system of guarded recursion equations in Basic Process Algebra. Hence to each CFG a process can be assigned as solution, which has as its set of finite traces the context-free language (CFL) determined by that CFG. While the equality problem for CFL's is unsolvable, the equality problem for the processes determined by CFG's turns out to be solvable. Here equality on processes is given by a model of process graphs modulo bisimulation equivalence. The proof is given by displaying a periodic structure of the process graphs determined by CFG's. As a corollary of the periodicity a short proof of the solvability of the equivalence problem for simple context-free languages is given.
Can Steroids plus Surgery Become a First-Line Treatment of Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis?

Background: The aim of this study is to compare the clinical course of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) treated with low-dose oral corticosteroid therapy alone as opposed to treatment with low-dose corticosteroid therapy followed by surgery. Patients and Methods: 37 patients were treated with an approach that consisted of methylprednisolone at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day followed by wide excision, and 23 patients were treated with an approach that consisted only of methylprednisolone. The treatment efficacy was compared between the two groups. Results: Clinical and radiological regression was reported in all patients with steroid therapy, and the regression rate had a median of 75% (25-100%). No recurrence was observed in patients who were treated with wide surgical excision after steroid therapy during the median follow-up period of 38 (22-78) months. The control group of 23 patients was treated only with steroid therapy, and 7 (30%) of these patients experienced recurrence in the follow-up period (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Steroid therapy was effective in the treatment of IGM by reducing the lesion size and extent. With regard to the current treatment options available for IGM, surgical excision after steroid therapy seems the better treatment option compared to steroid therapy without surgical excision. This treatment sequence reduces the rate of recurrence.
Erythropoietin Sustains Cognitive Function and Brain Volume after Neonatal Stroke

Neonatal stroke leads to mortality and severe morbidity, but there currently is no effective treatment. Erythropoietin (EPO) promotes cytoprotection and neurogenesis in the short term following brain injury; however, long-term cognitive outcomes and optimal dosing regimens have not been clarified. We performed middle cerebral artery occlusion in postnatal day 10 rats, which were treated with either a single dose of EPO (5 U/g, i.p.) immediately upon reperfusion, or 3 doses of EPO (1 U/g, i.p. each) at 0 h, 24 h, and 7 days after injury. At 3 months after injury, rats treated with 3 doses of EPO did not differ from shams in the Morris water maze, and generally performed better than either rats treated with a single dose or vehicle-treated injured rats. These multiple-dose-treated rats also had increases in hemispheric volume and its subregions. These results suggest that additional, later doses of EPO may be required for cell repair, proliferation, and long-term incorporation into neural networks after neonatal brain injury.
Membrane Functionalization with Hyperbranched Polymers

Polymer membranes have been modified with hyperbranched polymers with the aim to generate a high density of hydrophilic functional groups at the membrane surface. For this purpose hyperbranched polymers containing amino, alcohol, and carboxylic acid end groups were used for membrane modification, respectively. Thus, surface potential and charges were changed significantly to result in attractive or repulsive interactions towards three different proteins (albumin, lysozyme, myoglobin) that were used to indicate membrane fouling properties. Our studies demonstrated that hydrophilization alone is not effective for avoiding membrane fouling when charged proteins are present. In contrast, electrostatic repulsion seems to be a general key factor.
The Canadian total diet study design: 1992–1999

This paper describes the design of the fourth phase of the Canadian total diet study, conducted for the period 1992–1999. During this phase, complete sets of foods were purchased from eight cities (from one of them twice). For each of the sets, individual foods were prepared as for consumption into about 140 different food composites at Kemptville College, homogenised and bottled. Water from Kemptville, Ontario, was used for the preparation of the foods. The composites were stored frozen at −20°C and then analysed in the Food Research Division for chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans, pesticides, PCBs and trace elements. The analytical results were combined with average food consumption values for different age/sex groups, and dietary intakes were calculated. The design of the total diet study provided information to achieve the following goals: (a) background concentrations of the chemicals in the 140 different food composites, (b) average dietary intakes of the chemicals by the population and by different age/sex groups, (c) percent contribution of individual foods and food groups to the dietary intakes, (d) identification of individual contaminated foods and (e) identification of trends in human exposure with time.