Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Call admission control for multimedia services in mobile cellular networks: a Markov decision approach

There is a growing interest in deploying multimedia services in mobile cellular networks. Call admission control (CAC) is a key factor in quality of service (QoS) provisioning for these services. We propose a CAC which maximizes the revenue by determining the call admission decisions for each state. A semi-Markov decision process is employed to model the cellular system. Also, the QoS requirement such as the handoff dropping probability is taken into consideration. Simulations reveal that our CAC outperforms the upper limit CAC while satisfying the QoS requirements.
Guidelines of Using Project Management Tools and Techniques to Mitigate Factors Causing Delays in Public Construction Projects in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Delays can be considered a common problem within public and private construction projects around the world but the problem is endemic in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) where massive public funds are lost every year as a result. Delays may have significant negative impact not only to the KSA public construction projects but also on its economic and social status. Although several studies have examined the factors influencing delays in public construction projects in KSA, little attention has been paid to how project management tools and methods have made any impact to the incidence of project delays. This paper aims to develop the mapping and the guidelines using the principles of Project Management, after reviewing the critical factors for delays in public construction projects in the KSA. A careful attention was given to investigate the critical factors that are causing delays in building projects within public sector in KSA and the current practices of project management applications in order to develop guidelines to effectively mitigate construction delays in KSA. This review paper reports the top critical factors associated with delays in construction projects in KSA. It also identify project management tools and techniques that if implemented properly have the potentials to address the main factors contributing to the occurrence of delays. Following this, a new guideline to utilize Project Management tools and techniques in addressing the identified delay factors is also provided here with the view to help practitioners to minimize the potentials of construction delays in the KSA public projects.
A wideband LNA for cognitive radio in 0.13 μm CMOS

This paper presents a wideband three-stage common-source (CS) low noise amplifier (LNA) with negative feedback for cognitive radio applications covering the range of 0.3 GHz to 12.8 GHz. Designed in 0.13 um CMOS process and through pre-layout simulations over the covered band, the minimum and maximum voltage gain is 10 dB and 13.8 dB, respectively whereas noise figure of 3.2 to 4.6 dB. S11 <;-10 dB is achieved up to 12.8 GHz. IIP3 achieved a minimum of -1.7dBm and maximum of -0.7 dBm. The power consumption is 36 mW at 1.2 V. In the range from 0.5 GHz to 11 GHz, S21 achieved 11.2 dB to 13.8 dB and noise figure achieved 3.2 dB to 4 dB.
Restrictive Atrial Septum Defect Becomes a Risk Factor for Norwood Palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Only When It Is Combined with Mitral or Aortic Atresia

Abstract Background Restrictive atrial septal defect (ASD) is described as risk factor for Norwood procedure because of elevated pulmonary resistance. We hypothesized that it invariably could not cause pulmonary hypertension, unless it was combined with mitral valve or aortic valve atresia. We investigated how restrictive ASD influenced survival of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) who underwent Norwood operation. Patients and Methods A total of 118 HLHS patients who underwent surgery between January 2005 and December 2012 were grouped into three groups. Group 1 included 31 patients with restrictive ASD combined with mitral or aortic atresia; Group 2 composed of 12 patients with restrictive ASD and mitral and aortic stenosis; Group 3 (n = 75) had no ASD restriction. Survival was determined for each group. Multivariate analysis was conducted to test risk factors for mortality. Results Mean follow-up was 26.3 ± 24.1 months. Survival was 78.7% ± 4.2% at 30-month interval and onward after Norwood procedure for the whole cohort; it was 43.8% ± 10.0%, 91.7% ± 8.0%, and 77.3% ± 5.0% for Group 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The difference was significant between Group 1 and Group 2 and 3: p < 0.001. Survival was similar for Group 2 and Group 3: p = 0.45. Combination of restrictive ASD and mitral or aortic atresia was found to be the sole risk factor for early and late mortality (odds ratio: 3.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.8–7.1, p < 0.001). Conclusion Restrictive ASD only affects survival of HLHS patients following Norwood procedure if it is associated with mitral or aortic atresia.
Identifying Disease Susceptible DNA Regions Using Underlying Odds Ratio Contour Analysis

Odds ratio plays important roles in identifying and assessing disease susceptible SNPs in the case-control association study. However, the contour of odds ratio has too much variation to identify the disease susceptible DNA region. This paper proposes the odds ratio contour analysis (ORCA), a method for analyzing of odds ratio contour in genome-wide SNP association study. This method smoothes the odds ratio contour and discriminates disease susceptible regions out of the others. We have preliminarily tested ORCA with SNPs data from pooled DNA genome-wide SNP association study of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), including four pools as cases and five pools as controls. Each DNA pool was assayed on Affymetrix GeneChipreg mapping 10 K Array. With an optimal threshold level, ORCA can effectively highlight disease-associated regions, which reduce the false positive rate that has been one of the major problems in high-throughput case-control association study.
Clinical Data of Urine Culture and Antimicrobial Sensitivity Tests according to the Voiding Method over 15 Years in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Purpose: To analyze the results of urine cultures and antimicrobial sensitivity tests according to the voiding methods in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) over a 15-year period. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,579 urine culture samples, obtained from January 2000 to December 2014, for 73 SCI patients were analyzed according to the voiding method. We analyzed the following: positive urine culture rate, colony counts, isolated number of organism, major organisms, and antimicrobial sensitivity tests. The voiding methods were categorized into four methods: clean intermittent catheterization (CIC), suprapubic catheterization (SPC), urethral Foley catheter, and spontaneous voiding (SV). Results: Among the 1,579 urine samples, 1,250 (79.2%) were positive. The CIC group showed the lowest rate of bacteriuria (p<0.001), colony counts (p<0.001), and polymicrobial infection (p<0.001). Causative organisms were mostly gram-negative bacteria (86.7%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.7%) was most common pathogen followed by Escherichia coli (22.3%), Klebsiella species (9.5%), Providencia species (4.4%), and Serratia marcescens (4.2%). Major pathogens and antimicrobial sensitivity tests were different according to the voiding method. Conclusions: CIC is the best voiding method to reduce urinary tract infection (UTI) in SCI patients. To treat UTI in in SCI patients, empirical antibiotics can be chosen according to the voiding method based on the reference of our study prior to the availability of antimicrobial sensitivity results.
The Escherichia coli proU promoter element and its contribution to osmotically signaled transcription activation

The proU operon of Escherichia coli encodes a high-affinity glycine betaine transport system which is osmotically inducible and enables the organism to recover from the deleterious effects of hyperosmotic shock. Regulation occurs at the transcriptional level. KMnO4 footprinting showed that the preponderance of transcription initiated at a single primary promoter region and that proU transcription activation did not occur differentially at alternate promoters in response to various levels of salt shock. Mutational analysis confirmed the location of the primary promoter and identified an extended -10 region required for promoter activity. Specific nucleotides within the spacer, between position -10 and position -35, were important for maximal expression, but every mutant which retained transcriptional activity remained responsive to osmotic signals. A chromosomal 90-bp minimal promoter fragment fused to lacZ was not significantly osmotically inducible. However, transcription from this fragment was resistant to inhibition by salt shock. A mutation in osmZ, which encodes the DNA-binding protein H-NS, derepressed wild-type proU expression by sevenfold but did not alter expression from the minimal promoter. The current data support a model in which the role of the proU promoter is to function efficiently at high ionic strength while other cis-acting elements receive and respond to the osmotic signal.
People like us: ethnic group density effects on health

Studies examining the effects of neighbourhood characteristics have reported what has been called a ‘group density’ effect on health, such that members of low status minority communities living in an area with a higher proportion of their own racial or ethnic group tend to have better health than those who live in areas with a lower proportion. In this paper we survey published research on ethnic group density and health with the aim of stimulating further research. We situate the research question in the context of contemporary social epidemiology and provide a narrative review of studies of ethnic density and health. We go on to discuss processes which may underlie ethnic density effects, and highlight gaps in the literature and opportunities for further research. Although first recognised in studies of mental illness, ‘group density’ effects on physical health have been shown more recently. Generally, given individual material circumstances, living in a poorer area is associated with worse health. Members of ethnic minorities who live in areas where there are few like themselves are likely to be materially better off, and living in better neighbourhoods, than those who live in areas with a higher concentration. However, through the eyes of the majority community, they may be made more aware of belonging to a low status minority group, and the psychosocial effects of stigma may offset any advantage. If the psychological effects of stigma are sometimes powerful enough to override material advantage, this may have implications for our understanding of how low social status affects health more generally. As well as highlighting the importance of low social status, cultural isolation and social support to health and quality of life, this paper shows how an understanding of group density effects also has something to offer to our understanding of issues of prejudice, segregation, assimilation and integration in diverse societies.
Photo-Resist Protected Technology Application on Solution-Based IZO-TFT

Solution-based indium-znic-Voxide (IZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) with a coplanar homojunction structure using halftone technology are demonstrated. We introduced halftone technology to produced two thickness photo-resist on IZO TFT device to protect channel region and improve the contact characteristics between IZO and S/D electrode simultaneously during plasma and etching process. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated devices were examined. The saturation field effect mobility of about 0.18 cm2/Vs, the current ON/OFF ratio is about 106, and the threshold voltage (Vth) is less than 3.0 V. We know that solution type IZO associated with photo-resist protected layer shows great potential in TFT LCD manufacturing.
Coping Styles and its Association with Sources of Stress in Undergraduate Medical Students

Context: The two ubiquitous factors that have been identified in medical courses to underlie mental health are stress and different coping styles adopted to combat stress. Aim: To find the association between coping styles and stress in undergraduate medical students. Settings and Design: A medical college in Central Kerala. A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Materials and Methods: Source and Severity of Stress Scale, Medical Student Version, was used to assess the source and nature of stress. Brief Cope was used to find out the coping styles adopted. Statistical Analysis: The statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 and SAS. Chi-square analysis was used to find the association between coping styles and stress domains and with the overall stress score. Results: There is a significant positive association between overall stress score and coping styles (P=0.001) of ‘Negative cope’, ‘Blame’, and ‘Humor’. ‘Positive cope‘ and ‘Religion’ has significant positive association with ‘Academics’ (P=0.047) and 'self Expectations’ (P=0.009). ‘Blame’ (P<0.001) has very high significant positive association with ‘Academics’, 'self expectation’, and ‘Relationships’. Very high significant positive association is further found between ‘Humor’ (P<0.001) and 'self expectations’, ‘Living conditions’, and ‘Health and Value conflict’. ‘substance Use’ is positively associated in high significance to ‘Health and Value conflict’ (P<0.001). Conclusions: The outcome of the study emphasizes the need for stress management techniques in the medical school.
Three Dimensional Projection Environment for Molecular Design and Surgical Simulation

We are developing agents for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of cancer gene mRNA expression and software to fuse mRNA PET images with anatomical computerized tomography (CT) images to enable volumetric (3D) haptic (touch-and-feel) simulation of pancreatic cancer and surrounding organs prior to surgery in a particular patient. We have identified a novel ligand specific for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to direct PET agent uptake specifically into cancer cells, and created a volumetric haptic surgical simulation of human pancreatic cancer reconstructed from patient CT data. Young's modulus and the Poisson ratio for each tissue will be adjusted to fit the experience of participating surgeons.
Distributed Algorithm for Real Time Cooperative Synthesis of Wireless Cell Coverage Patterns

A real time fully distributed algorithm that would allow base stations (BSs) in cellular networks to autonomously and cooperatively find the wireless coverage pattern to optimize network performance is described. An antenna system that can change the radio frequency (RF) coverage is assumed at each base station. Simulations based on mobile WiMAX technology show the effectiveness and robustness of the approach.
Short-Term Traffic Flow Prediction Based on Ensemble Real-Time Sequential Extreme Learning Machine Under Non-Stationary Condition

Short-term traffic flow forecasting has been a crucial component in the area of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which plays a significant role in operating traffic management systems and dynamic traffic assignment effectively as well as proactively. In this paper, a novel short-term traffic flow prediction method called Ensemble Real-time Sequential Extreme Learning Machine (ERS-ELM) with simplified single layer feed- forward networks (SLFN) structure under freeway peak traffic condition and non-stationary condition is proposed. By quickly training historical data and incrementally updating model with new arrived data, ERE-ELM has the characteristics of less training time consumption and high prediction accuracy. Ensemble mechanism is also used to improve stability and robustness. Experiment results show that average mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), test root mean square error (RMSE) as well as training time consumption of proposed method is superior to classical Wave-NN, MLP-NN and ELM methods.
In-vehicle destination entry by voice: practical aspects

Speech recognition has been shown to increase driver safety in car applications, if the application is well designed. Especially destination entry by voice is not only safer, but also faster and more convenient than the traditional haptic interfaces [1][2]. Building a high performing in-car destination entry system requires tackling a number of practical challenges. The vocabulary is very large, often multilingual in nature, and the application needs to run in the noisy environment of a driving car on hardware with limited resources. Moreover, the type of language drivers want to use is becoming more and more natural, with a higher demand for up-to-date services in a context of other domains such as entertainment being active as well. In this paper, we will go over some practical aspects this all brings to the problem of designing a speech recognition system for destination entry.
How staff nurses perceive the impact of nurse managers’ leadership style in terms of job satisfaction: a mixed method study

AIM To describe staff nurses' perceptions related to the leadership styles adopted by their nurse managers, identify which leadership style ensured job satisfaction in staff nurses and describe which behaviours nurse managers should change. BACKGROUND Empirical literature suggests that leadership styles of nurse managers significantly influence staff satisfaction. However, few studies investigate how staff nurses perceive the leadership styles of their nurse managers, and how these impact upon the staff nurses' job satisfaction. METHODS This was a mixed method study, which included the administration of the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire and three focus groups. RESULTS Ward nurse managers mostly adopted a transactional leadership style ('Management by exception active') aimed at monitoring errors and intervening to correct errors and punish, which had a negative impact on staff nurses' levels of job satisfaction. In contrast, the transformational leadership style, which is mostly correlated with satisfaction ('Idealized Influence Attributed', which staff nurses perceived as 'respect', 'caring for others', 'professional development' and 'appreciation'), was rarely practiced by nurse managers. CONCLUSIONS The transformational leadership skills of Italian nurse managers need to be improved through behaviours based on greater respect, caring for others, professional development and appreciation. The present study could also serve as model to improve the leadership style of nurse managers in other countries. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT The themes of transformational leadership could serve as a guide for nurse managers to help them improve their leadership style, and improve the levels of job satisfaction in staff nurses. Owing to the complexity and the importance of this issue, classroom educational interventions would not be sufficient: it should be dealt as a strategic priority by nursing directors.
Homophilic Interaction of Junctional Adhesion Molecule*

Junctional adhesion molecule (JAM) is an integral membrane protein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily, localizes at tight junctions, and regulates both paracellular permeability and leukocyte transmigration. To investigate molecular determinants of JAM function, the extracellular domain of murine JAM was produced as a recombinant soluble protein (rsJAM) in insect cells. rsJAM consisted in large part of noncovalent homodimers, as assessed by analytical ultracentrifugation. JAM dimers were also detected at the surface of Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with murine JAM, as evaluated by cross-linking and immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, fluid-phase rsJAM bound dose-dependently solid-phase rsJAM, and such homophilic binding was inhibited by anti-JAM Fab BV11, but not by Fab BV12. Interestingly, Fab BV11 exclusively bound rsJAM dimers (but not monomers) in solution, whereas Fab BV12 bound both dimers and monomers. Finally, we mapped the BV11 and BV12 epitopes to a largely overlapping sequence in proximity of the extracellular amino terminus of JAM. We hypothesize that rsJAM dimerization induces a BV11-positive conformation which in turn is critical for rsJAM homophilic interactions. Dimerization and homophilic binding may contribute to both adhesive function and junctional organization of JAM.
Driver Behavior and Preferences for Changeable Message Signs and Variable Speed Limits in Reduced Visibility Conditions

This article investigates the factors affecting drivers’ stated behavior in adverse visibility conditions and examines whether drivers rely on and follow advisory or warning messages displayed on portable changeable message signs (CMS) and/or variable speed limit (VSL) signs in different visibility and traffic conditions, and on two types of roadways: freeways and two-lane roads. A multiple-approach survey was designed to collect opinions and stated data from Central Florida drivers. Categorical data analysis techniques such as conditional distribution, odds ratio, and chi-squared tests were applied. In addition, two modeling approaches, bivariate and multivariate probit models, were estimated. The results revealed that gender, age, road type, visibility condition, and familiarity with VSL sign were the significant factors affecting the stated likelihood of reducing speed following CMS/VSL instructions in reduced visibility conditions. Other objectives of this study were to determine the content of messages that would achieve the best perceived safety and drivers’ compliance and to examine the best way to improve safety during these adverse visibility conditions. The results indicated that respondents thought that “Caution–fog ahead–reduce speed” was the best message and that using that CMS and VSL signs together was the best way to improve safety during such inclement weather situations. Based on the findings of the present study, several recommendations are suggested as guidelines to improve safety in reduced visibility conditions.
A registration framework for the comparison of mammogram sequences

In this paper, we present a two-stage algorithm for mammogram registration, the geometrical alignment of mammogram sequences. The rationale behind this paper stems from the intrinsic difficulties in comparing mammogram sequences. Mammogram comparison is a valuable tool in national breast screening programs as well as in frequent monitoring and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The method presented in this paper aims to improve mammogram comparison by estimating the underlying geometric transformation for any mammogram sequence. It takes into consideration the various temporal changes that may occur between successive scans of the same woman and is designed to overcome the inconsistencies of mammogram image formation.
RADIATION RESPONSE OF MAMMALIAN CELLS GROWN IN CULTURE. V. TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF THE REPAIR OF X-RAY DAMAGE IN SURVIVING CELLS (AEROBIC AND HYPOXIC).

In earlier papers (1-8), we reported on several aspects of the response of cultured mammalian cells to X-radiation. These concerned the survival of aerobic (1-3, 6) and hypoxic (7, 8) cells to fractionated doses, the potentiating effect of the thymidine analog 5-bromodeoxyuridine (4), and the effect of X-radiation on the division characteristics of surviving and nonsurviving cells (5). Our principal interest in these past studies has been the recovery of sublethally irradiated cells. That is, since the survival curve of a population of single mammalian cells has a threshold (or is of type C; ref. 9), it follows that damage must be accumulated before a lethal effect is produced (2, 10). 4 Cells that survive exponentially may not require damage accumulation, although exponential survival of a homogeneous population can also result from a unique form of damage accumulation (11). Since it is not possible to construct a curve with a shoulder from a mixture of exponentials only, even for an inhomogeneous population of single cells a thresholdtype curve means that one or more moieties require damage accumulation for lethality. Studies with synchronized populations of HeLa (12), Chinese hamster (13), and