Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Servitization and operations management: a service dominant-logic approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight into operations management of the product-service (P-S) transition, known as servitization, and the resulting product service system (PSS) offerings. In exploring the P-S transition, this paper adopts a service-dominant (S-D) logic view of value creation, using it as a lens through which to explore value propositions of the P-S transition and their operations design. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents an in-depth case study of an original equipment manufacturer of durable capital equipment who, over the last five years, has expanded its offerings to include use- and result-orientated PSS. The research design uses a multi-method approach; employing 28 in-depth qualitative interviews with customers and employees and analysis of texts, documents and secondary data including five years of enterprise resource planning (ERP), call centre and contract data. Findings – The paper identifies ten generic P-S attributes that are abstract.
On the Gaussian watermarking game

We compute the value of the watermarking game for a Gaussian covertext and squared-error distortions. Both the public version of the game (covertext known to neither attacker nor decoder) and the private version of the game (covertext unknown to attacker but known to decoder) are treated. Surprisingly, the two versions yield identical values.
On the Laplacean transfer across fractal mixtures

Laplacean transport across and towards irregular interfaces have been used to model many phenomena in nature and technology. The peculiar aspect is that these phenomena take place in domains with small bulk and large interfaces in order to produce rapid and efficient transport. In this paper we perform the asymptotic homogenization analysis of Robin problems in domains with a fractal boundary.
CASP for Robot Control in Hybrid Domains

The task of planning in hybrid domains has recently attracted considerable attention, motivated by the potential for useful practical applications. Lately, approaches have been developed that resulted in efficient planning algorithms. In this paper, we push the investigation further and (1) develop execution monitoring and diagnostic algorithms for hybrid domains based on Constraint ASP (CASP); (2) propose an agent architecture that ties together planning, execution monitoring, and diagnostics for hybrid domains; (3) demonstrate our approach on two simple, but non-trivial scenarios, including one on a physical robot.
Postoperative pituitary hormonal disturbances and hormone replacement therapy time and dosage in children with craniopharyngiomas.

BACKGROUND The proliferative activity and penetration into the hypothalamic structures in children craniopharyngiomas (CP) often make radical resection difficult. Therefore, complete resection of CP often results in permanent multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD). This study aimed to elucidate the postoperative pituitary hormonal disturbances, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) time and dosage in children with CP. METHODS Twenty patients with growth retardation and CP after resection, comprising 14 boys and 6 girls, with a mean age of (10.63 +/- 3.18) years (Group A) and 10 male patients of group A aged > 10 years (Group B) were entolled. Thirty age-, sex- and Tanner stage-matched normal children (control Group A), and 44 male older children > 10 years (control Group B) served as controls. The serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticortropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol (COR), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were measured in the CP patients after resection and in controls. The appropriate time and dosage of HRT were investigated. Linear correlation analysis was made between levothyroxine (L-T4) dosage and primary FT4 in CP patients after resection. RESULTS All cases had MPHD. The serum peak GH, IGF-1, FT4 and COR levels of Group A were significantly lower than that of the control Group A. The serum IGF-1 concentration increased to the normal level after 3 months of rhGH therapy; the serum FSH, LH, and T levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.001); however, E2 and PRL were significantly increased (P < 0.001) in Group B compared with the control Group B; 18 cases were found to have central diabetes insipidus (DI) by water deprivation test and MRI. There was a significant negative linear regression (r = -0.8, P < 0.001) between L-T4 and primary FT4 in Group A patients with CP after resection, giving a regression equation of L-T4 dosage (microg.kg(-1). d(-1)) = 3.5-0.2 x FT4 (microg.kg(-1). d(-1)). The time and corresponding dosage of HRT for CP after resection were: rhGH started 1 year after resection and no recurrence of CP on MRI, when IGF-1 reached the normal range, the rhGH dosage was (0.13 +/- 0.04) U.kg(-1). d(-1); hydrocortisone (H-C) was started as soon as possible, and was kept in the lower normal range, at a dosage of (12.6 +/- 4.8) mg/m2; levothyroxine started after H-C or at the same time to maintain FT4 in the higher normal range, at a dosage of (1.65 +/- 0.70) microg.kg(-1). d(-1); Minirin (DDAVP) was started as soon as possible, elicited no symptoms, and maintained normal electrolyte levels; the dosage was (0.16 +/- 0.04) mg/m2. CONCLUSION Patients with CP after resection often displayed MPHD, and needed total HRT at appropriate time and dosage to improve the quality of life and normal growth.
The Path to Intervention: Community Partnerships and Development of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Ethnic Minority Adolescent Females

Reproductive health needs for ethnic minority adolescents are a national priority given the population growth of minority adolescents in the United States. United States census reports predict minority adolescents will comprise one-third of all young persons less than 20 years of age early in the twenty-first century. Developing culturally sensitive interventions for minority adolescents includes ecological assessments of cultural priorities, community resources, disease burden, and socioeconomic conditions. These assessments must be accomplished in partnership with the local community. Understanding reproductive health needs necessarily includes an evaluation of the absence of reproductive health, namely, the prevalence of sexually transmitted infection (STI), sexual or physical abuse, unplanned pregnancy, and the risk factors that contribute to such adverse outcomes. This article describes the methodological processes utilized to conduct an ecological assessment of a community including the health, economic, and psychosocial status of, and resources available to, a target population prior to the implementation of a community-based, cognitive behavioral intervention to reduce STI, abuse, and unplanned pregnancy.
Single‐shot quantitative perfusion imaging of the human lung

The major drawback to quantitative perfusion imaging using arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques is the need to acquire two images (tag and control), which must be subtracted in order to obtain a perfusion‐weighted image. This can potentially result in misregistration artifacts, especially in lung imaging, due to varying lung inflation levels in different breath‐holds. In this work a double inversion recovery (DIR) imaging technique that yields perfusion‐weighted images of the human lung in a single shot is presented. This technique ensures the complete suppression of background tissue while it preserves signal from the blood. Furthermore, the perfusion‐weighted images and an additional (independent) acquired reference scan can be used to obtain quantitative perfusion information from the lungs. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preservation of timed properties during an incremental development by components

We are interested in the preservation of local properties of timed components during their integration in a timed system. Timed components are modeled as timed automata or timed automata with deadlines. Properties considered are all safety and liveness properties which can be expressed with the timed linear logic M ITL (Metric Interval Linear Logic), as well as non-zenoness and deadlock-freedom. Integration of components is a kind of incremental development which consists in checking locally the properties of the components, before integrating them in the complete system, using some composition operator. Of course, established properties have to be preserved by this integration. Checking preservation can be achieved by means of the veriﬁcation of timed τ -simulation relations. Composability, compatibility and compositionality of these relations w.r. t. composition operators are properties which allow to reduce the cost of this veriﬁcation. We examine these properties when integration is achieved with two different timed composition operators: the classic operator usually taken for timed systems and which uses a CSP-like composition paradigm, and a non-blocking operator closer to the CCS paradigm.
An Empirical Demodulation for Electrical Fault Detection in Induction Motors

Signal demodulation is a fundamental procedure in many situations during a spectral analysis. Through an envelope analysis, it becomes possible to identify fault frequencies that are embedded in a modulated signal and that are not clearly visible only by directly applying some signal processing techniques such as the Fourier transform and filtering. In this paper, a very simple and empirical technique for demodulation is proposed. It is based only on the analysis of local extremes from a modulated time sequence to find a new time sequence that carries the wanted relevant fault data. The method of analysis is a good alternative tool for electrical fault detection in induction motors. The numerical and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Design Concepts for a Dynamically ReconfigurableWireless Sensor Node

Wireless sensor networks require the design of highly energy-efficient and yet flexible sensor nodes, which is very difficult to realize with classical architectures. In this paper we propose a new approach based on the tight coupling of a small processor with a dynamically reconfigurable function unit that is optimized for wireless sensor network applications. Dynamic reconfiguration is part of the regular operation mode and the key concept to achieve a small design that provides sufficient performance, high adaptivity and good energy-efficiency
Diagnosing a team of agents: scaling-up

Agents in a team must be in agreement. Unfortunately, they may come to disagree due to sensing uncertainty, communication failures, etc. Once a disagreement occurs we should detect the disagreement and diagnose it. Unfortunately, current diagnosis techniques do not scale well with the number of agents, as they have high communication and computation complexity. We suggest three techniques to reduce this complexity: (i) reducing the amount of diagnostic reasoning by sending targeted queries; (ii) using light-weight behavior recognition to recognize which beliefs of the agents might be in conflict; and (iii) grouping the agents according to their role and behavior and then diagnosing the groups based on representative agents. We examine these techniques in large-scale teams, in two domains, and show that combining the techniques produces a diagnosis process which is highly scalable in both communication and computation.
The 10-year Absolute Risk of Cardiovascular (CV) Events in Northern Iran: a Population Based Study

Background: The present study was conducted to estimate 10-year cardiovascular disease events (CVD) risk using three instruments in northern Iran. Material and methods: Baseline data of 3201 participants 40-79 of a population based cohort which was conducted in Northern Iran were analyzed. Framingham risk score (FRS), World Health Organization (WHO) risk prediction charts and American college of cardiovascular / American heart association (ACC/AHA) tool were applied to assess 10-year CVD events risk. The agreement values between the risk assessment instruments were determined using the kappa statistics. Results: Our study estimated 53.5%of male population aged 40-79 had a 10 –year risk of CVD events≥10% based on ACC/AHA approach, 48.9% based on FRS and 11.8% based on WHO risk charts. A 10 –year risk≥10% was estimated among 20.1% of women using the ACC/AHA approach, 11.9%using FRS and 5.7%using WHO tool. ACC/AHA and Framingham tools had closest agreement in the estimation of 10-year risk≥10% (κ=0.7757) in meanwhile ACC/AHA and WHO approaches displayed highest agreement (κ=0.6123) in women. Conclusion: Different estimations of 10-year risk of CVD event were provided by ACC/AHA, FRS and WHO approaches.
PLAL: Cluster-based active learning

We investigate the label complexity of active learning under some smoothness assumptions on the data-generating process. We propose a procedure, PLAL, for “activising” passive, sample-based learners. The procedure takes an unlabeled sample, queries the labels of some of its members, and outputs a full labeling of that sample. Assuming the data satisfies “Probabilistic Lipschitzness”, a notion of clusterability, we show that for several common learning paradigms, applying our procedure as a preprocessing leads to provable label complexity reductions (over any “passive” learning algorithm, under the same data assumptions). Our labeling procedure is simple and easy to implement. We complement our theoretical findings with experimental validations.
A Comparison of Limited vs. Unlimited Retakes of a Multiple-Choice Test.

The purpose of this study was to compare the scores of students who were allowed unlimited retakes of a multiple-choice test with the scores of students who were limited to only four retakes (five trials) of the same test. The tests were each made up of 20 randomly drawn questions from a large p1 of questions about research methods. Three graduate research classes were involved in the study; two were the limited groups (11 and 18 students) and one was the unlimited group (14 students). The groups were analyzed using a 3 x 5 repeated measures analysis of variance design. The between-subjects factor was treatment group and the within-subjects factor was test administration (five administrations). The results indicated significant differences (p<0.01) both between and within groups. The interaction effect was not significant. Additional research is necessary to clarify the appropriate number of trials for tes,s to insure adequate learning while providing sufficient motivation for students to study rather than memorize answers. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **********************************************************************A U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office Educatronai Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CE NTE R (ERICI drs document has been reproduc ed as roc-coved I I OT the Person or organilakon or,gonatcny Mmor changes have been made In anprove fehrodaCtf011 ao fhty Pmnts of we* Or op"ons slated mthrOdOCU ment do not necessards represent (-dhow OERI posrtron Of potrcy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Rohr L.126x,veby TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) A Comparison of Limited vs. Unlimited Retakes of a Multiple-Choice Test Rob Kennedy Deparment of Educational Leadership Un'Arersity of Arkansas, Little Rock Mid-South Educational Research Association Annual Meeting Maxwell House Nashville, Tennessee November 10, 1994
Dexmedetomidine Ameliorate CLP-Induced Rat Intestinal Injury via Inhibition of Inflammation

The aim was to verify that dexmedetomidine (DEX) can attenuate CLP-induced intestinal injury via inhibition of inflammation. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into Sham group and the other three CLP model groups, in terms of different treatments: placebo, DEX, and yohimbine plus DEX (DEX + YOH) groups. Pathology examination was conducted with HE stain. To identify differences among groups, the levels of DAO, and D-lactate in serum were measured by spectrophotometry, and the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum and organ were measured by ELISA. The expressions of occludin and TLR4 in tissue were detected by Western blot. The survival rate of an additional group of animals within 7 d was recorded. In DEX group, mortality was lower, histology change was minor, DAO, and D-lactate levels were reduced, and occludin expression was increased; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TLR4 were also decreased in DEX group. These results indicated that acute intestinal injury induced by CLP was mitigated by DEX treatment. However, these effects of DEX were significantly attenuated by yohimbine in DEX + YOH group. Our study indicated the protective effects of DEX on CLP-induced injury, which may be associated with the inhibition of inflammation via modulating TLR4 pathway and can be blocked by yohimbine.
Power Analysis of C-TDT for Small Sample Size Genome-Wide Association Studies by the Joint Use of Case-Parent Trios and Pairs

In family-based genetic association studies, it is possible to encounter missing genotype information for one of the parents. This leads to a study consisting of both case-parent trios and case-parent pairs. One of the approaches to this problem is permutation-based combined transmission disequilibrium test statistic. However, it is still unknown how powerful this test statistic is with small sample sizes. In this paper, a simulation study is carried out to estimate the power and false positive rate of this test across different sample sizes for a family-based genome-wide association study. It is observed that a statistical power of over 80% and a reasonable false positive rate estimate can be achieved even with a combination of 50 trios and 30 pairs when 2% of the SNPs are assumed to be associated. Moreover, even smaller samples provide high power when smaller percentages of SNPs are associated with the disease.
Social context, sexual networks, and racial disparities in rates of sexually transmitted infections.

BACKGROUND Social context (demographic, socioeconomic, macroeconomic, and sociopolitical features of the environment) influences the epidemiology and consequences of individual behaviors that affect health outcomes. This article examines the role of social context in heterosexual networks that facilitate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly in relation to persistent racial disparities in rates of STIs in the United States. METHODS Review of the medical, public health, and social science literature. RESULTS Contextual factors, such as poverty, discrimination, epidemiology of illicit drug use in the community, ratio of men to women, incarceration rates, and racial segregation, influence sexual behavior and sexual networks directly and indirectly through a variety of mechanisms. Disparities in these contextual features likely contribute substantially to the persistence of marked racial disparities in rates of STIs. CONCLUSIONS Given the importance of contextual factors and the sharply contrasting social contexts for blacks and whites, exclusive emphasis on individual risk factors and determinants is unlikely to produce solutions that will significantly decrease HIV rates among blacks. Effective HIV prevention in this population will require multidisciplinary research to address the contextual factors that promote patterns of sexual networks that facilitate transmission of STIs.
Red blood cell distribution width: A simple parameter with multiple clinical applications

Abstract The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a simple and inexpensive parameter, which reflects the degree of heterogeneity of erythrocyte volume (conventionally known as anisocytosis), and is traditionally used in laboratory hematology for differential diagnosis of anemias. Nonetheless, recent evidence attests that anisocytosis is commonplace in human disorders such as cardiovascular disease, venous thromboembolism, cancer, diabetes, community-acquired pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver and kidney failure, as well as in other acute or chronic conditions. Despite some demographic and analytical issues related to the routine assessment that may impair its clinical usefulness, an increased RDW has a high negative predictive value for diagnosing a variety of disorders, but also conveys important information for short- and long-term prognosis. Even more importantly, the value of RDW is now being regarded as a strong and independent risk factor for death in the general population. Although it has not been definitely established whether an increased value of RDW is a risk factor or should only be considered an epiphenomenon of an underlying biological and metabolic imbalance, it seems reasonable to suggest that the assessment of this parameter should be broadened far beyond the differential diagnosis of anemias. An increased RDW mirrors a profound deregulation of erythrocyte homeostasis involving both impaired erythropoiesis and abnormal red blood cell survival, which may be attributed to a variety of underlying metabolic abnormalities such as shortening of telomere length, oxidative stress, inflammation, poor nutritional status, dyslipidemia, hypertension, erythrocyte fragmentation and alteration of erythropoietin function. As such, the aim of this article is to provide general information about RDW and its routine assessment, to review the most relevant implications in health and disease and give some insights about its potential clinical applications.
3DME: 3D media express from RGB-D images

Considering the continuously increasing availability and accessibility of 3D media and the depth camera such as Kinect, we demonstrate an innovative 3D media system called 3DME. The objective of this demo is three-fold. First, the demo exhibits the creation of 3D images from RGB-D images. Second, 3DME allows a user to insert impressive effects to the produced 3D content. Last but not least, our demo is one of the first attempts towards advertising for 3D content which enables both the advertisers and content providers deliver more effective ads carried through 3D media.
Performance Bounds for the Scenario Approach and an Extension to a Class of Non-Convex Programs

We consider the Scenario Convex Program (SCP) for two classes of optimization problems that are not tractable in general: Robust Convex Programs (RCPs) and Chance-Constrained Programs (CCPs). We establish a probabilistic bridge from the optimal value of SCP to the optimal values of RCP and CCP in which the uncertainty takes values in a general, possibly infinite dimensional, metric space. We then extend our results to a certain class of non-convex problems that includes, for example, binary decision variables. In the process, we also settle a measurability issue for a general class of scenario programs, which to date has been addressed by an assumption. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our results on a benchmark problem and a problem in fault detection and isolation.