Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BY MIDDLE MANAGERS IN TUMS HOSPITALS

Background and Aim: One of the most important reasons why organizations are distinguished from each other is the extent to which each applies information technology. Among the most important factors playing a role in the application of information technology are organizational factors such as organizational resources, organizational knowledge, processes, management structure, values and goals; all these elements affect the level of information technology acceptance and application. Therefore, this study aims to determine the degree to which the above-mentioned elements can affect the application of information technology by middle managers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) teaching hospitals. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2010. The subjects comprised 110 middle managers of TUMS teaching hospitals. The data-collection instrument was a questionnaire structured by the researchers, and its validity and reliability were confirmed prior to the study. The response rate was 80%. Results: The participants consisted of 56 (62.9%) males and 33 (37.1%) females. The findings of the study showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between organizational resources, organizational knowledge, processes, management structure, values and goals on the one hand and the application of information technology in TUMS hospitals on the other (p<0.01). Conclusion: The results show that organizational factors have a considerable impact on the application of information technology. Besides, managers and experts should consider the important aspects and effects of these organizational factors.
Balanced Rat-Race Couplers With Wideband Common-Mode Suppression

In this article, various types of six-port balanced rat-race couplers with wideband common-mode suppression characteristics are presented. In these couplers, the input and output ports can functionalize either as single-ended or differential terminals to realize different operational modes. The power-splitting ratio for these balanced couplers can be flexibly adjusted by means of the values of the characteristic-impedance parameters of their constituent transmission-line segments. Furthermore, the employment of double-sided-parallel-strip-line-(DSPSL)-based 180° phase inverters instead of half-wavelength transmission-line-based ones allows for the considerable enlargement of their operation bandwidth in more-compact circuits with lower in-band insertion-loss levels. For experimental-validation purposes, two microstrip prototypes at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f_{0}=0.9$ </tex-math></inline-formula> GHz with equal and unequal power division are fabricated and characterized. They exhibit common-mode rejection levels higher than 15 dB from 0 to 1.8 GHz (i.e., 0–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2f_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and differential-to-common- mode-conversion suppression levels above 15 dB within the spectral range 0–1.49 GHz (i.e., 0–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.65f_{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>).
A Feasibility Study on Ferroelectric Shadow SRAMs Based on Variability-Aware Design Optimization

A feasibility study on Ferroelectric Shadow SRAMs (FE-SRAMs) was performed using circuit simulations. To take into account design constraints set by the cell transistor variability, a simple operation margin search algorithm was proposed and used, which requires only pass/fail information from multiple transient simulations. It was found that stable dynamic recall operations can be achieved by using small enough ferroelectric capacitors, and that non-volatile write energy of well below 10 fJ/bit can be expected, adding minimal area penalty and performance degradation to the base SRAM cell. Scalability to advanced technology nodes is also anticipated. The results show that the FE-SRAM would be an ideal non-volatile memory solution for ultra-low power applications, such as sensor networks powered by energy harvesting.
Study of Access and Quality of Care in For-Profit PACE

This report summarizes a study to address quality of and access to care for participants of for-profit Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations. The PACE model allows people who otherwise need a nursing home-level of care to remain in the community by providing health care and related support services, such as social supports, meals and chore services, and transportation.
BOUNDARY RE-ASSESSMENT OF THE METER READING UNIT (MRU) FOR TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD, TNB CHERAS

Abstract. The propensity of Geographic information systems (GIS) as a modelling tool for problems solving and spatial data analysis is remarkable and has been widely used in recent times. GIS applications has been utilized by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in solving numerous problems. However, there are other units within the TNB where GIS can be extended and incorporated in order to improve service efficiency, reliability and operational success. Remote meter reading (RMR) technology has been successfully extended and maintain by TNB to more than 70% of highly consumed customers, which tremendously assist in improving meter reading processes and curtailed technical losses. But growing population within the cities and surrounding villages has been the major issue regarding bill distribution which the giant electrical distribution company must address squarely and timely. This paper therefore, employed the application of Geographic Information System in re-assessing the boundaries for meter reading units (MRU) using spatial analysis in order to reduced cost, travel time as well as other logistic requirements regarding billing distribution by TNB personnel. Clustering and network analysis has been employed to generate the new MRU boundary for TNB. The result of clustering analysis has been used to consider the location of customers in new suggested group of clusters, while the network analysis result generates shorter distance routes for meter reading. The results of the analysis can be validated with the analysis graph, where the patterns of the distance are compared in a graph which shows the distance generated from the new suggested cluster of new MRU boundary decrease incrementally compared with the distance of existing MRU routes.
Vibration Regulation of Kinematically Constrained Cable-Driven Parallel Robots With Minimum Number of Actuators

Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) provide fast motions over considerably large workspaces, however, they suffer from undesired vibrations. Kinematically constrained CDPRs (KC-CDPRs) are CDPRs that are designed intentionally to have certain kinematic constraints, which help minimizing undesired modes of motion, enhancing stiffness, and hence establishing robustness to external disturbances. This article focuses on the vibration regulation of KC-CDPRs using minimal number of actuators. Considering a generic vibration model with six mode shapes, the effects of configuration of a set of four attachable actuators on energy dissipation of a KC-CDPR system are investigated. Accordingly, a measure is developed to quantify each configuration's capacity of vibration suppression in all six degrees of freedom (DoFs) all over the KC-CDPR workspace. In order to demonstrate the use of the proposed measure, five different actuator configurations are analyzed in detail. Moreover, an optimal proportional–derivative (PD) controller is designed to minimize the maximum settling time of the vibration signals. The proposed actuator configuration effectiveness measure, the provided comparative analysis of configurations, and the proposed optimal PD controller are evaluated and verified to be effective via an experimental KC-CDPR setup, for a planar warehousing case study of vibration regulation in all six DoFs using only four actuators. Comparison of the experimental results of the proposed controller with ${H}_{\infty }$-based vibration controllers of CDPR demonstrates the superior characteristics of the proposed control technique.
Laundry Fabric Classification in Vertical Axis Washing Machines Using Data-Driven Soft Sensors

Embedding household appliances with smart capabilities is becoming common practice among major fabric-care producers that seek competitiveness on the market by providing more efficient and easy-to-use products. In Vertical Axis Washing Machines (VA-WM), knowing the laundry composition is fundamental to setting the washing cycle properly with positive impact both on energy/water consumption and on washing performance. An indication of the load typology composition (cotton, silk, etc.) is typically provided by the user through a physical selector that, unfortunately, is often placed by the user on the most general setting due to the discomfort of manually changing configurations. An automated mechanism to determine such key information would thus provide increased user experience, better washing performance, and reduced consumption; for this reason, we present here a data-driven soft sensor that exploits physical measurements already available on board a commercial VA-WM to provide an estimate of the load typology through a machine-learning-based statistical model of the process. The proposed method is able to work in a resource-constrained environment such as the firmware of a VA-WM.
Single-Layer Transmitter Array Coil Pattern Evaluation toward a Uniform Vertical Magnetic Field Distribution

A uniform magnetic field distribution is a critical aspect in the transmitter array coil design process for achieving a homogenous vertical magnetic field distribution. The free position and orientation features can thus be implemented in the wireless power charging system. This paper presents vertical magnetic field distribution generated by a single-layer circular flat spiral air core transmitter array coil model analysis and evaluation using a numerical analysis method. This method is developed based on the off-symmetry axis magnetic field distribution due to a circular current loop derived from the Biot-Savart law. The proposed evaluation criteria are used to obtain the vertical magnetic field distribution characteristic of the evaluated array coil model. The vertical magnetic field distribution of several circular flat spiral air core coils, in both single and array coil models with different coil geometries were investigated to obtain the relation between the coil parameters and the distance between the adjoining coil centers to generate uniform vertical magnetic field distribution. A case study was also conducted to analyze and evaluate several array coil model patterns (1 × 2 array coil, 1 × 3 array coil, 2 × 2 array coil, 2 × 3 array coil) to meet uniform vertical magnetic field distribution. The array coil model is composed of an identical single circular flat spiral air-core coil. Every single coil has inner coil diameter (Di), outer coil diameter (Do), wire diameter (W), pitch (P) and a number of turns (N) at 25 mm, 47.8 mm, 0.643 mm, 0.03 mm, 17 respectively. The study and evaluation of several array coil pattern models show that the distance between the adjoining coil centers should be defined close to the half of coil outer diameter (1/2Do) to generate close to uniform vertical magnetic field distribution. The vertical magnetic field distribution average and magnetic field effective transmitting areas array coil model with the given coil parameters changing as the effect in variation in distances between the adjoining coil centers.
Wideband 5G MIMO Antenna With Integrated Orthogonal-Mode Dual-Antenna Pairs for Metal-Rimmed Smartphones

This article presents a wideband orthogonal-mode dual-antenna pair with a shared radiator for fifth-generation (5G) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) metal-rimmed smartphones. The wideband decoupling property of the dual-antenna pair is realized by the combination of the orthogonal monopole/dipole modes in the lower band and the orthogonal slot/open-slot modes in the higher band. With the orthogonal-mode design scheme, the dual-antenna pair shows a wide impedance bandwidth of 3.3–5.0 GHz and a high isolation of more than 21.0 dB across the entire band without using any external decoupling structures. By arranging four such dual-antenna pairs at two side edges of the smartphone, an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8 \times 8$ </tex-math></inline-formula> MIMO system is fulfilled. Both the simulation and measurement results show that the proposed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8 \times 8$ </tex-math></inline-formula> MIMO system could offer an isolation of better than 12.0 dB and an envelope correlation coefficient of lower than 0.11 between all ports. The measured average antenna efficiencies are 74.7% and 57.8% for the two antenna elements of the dual-antenna pair. We portend that the proposed design scheme, with merits of shared radiator, wide bandwidth, and metal rim compatibility, has the potential for the application of future 5G smartphones.
Assessment of Beef Quality Determinants in the Retailing Premises

This study explains how infrastructure and beef processing practices in beef retailing premises (BRPs) are useful for beef purchasing decision. In this respect, features and beef retailing practices were assessed against the questionability of beef that is retailed in least developing countries (LDCs). This assessment was carried out by testing the null hypothesis that hypothesizes that BRPs in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya cities do not comply with the FAO technical requirements. The retailed beef in many BRPs is compromised with the status of the infrastructural development, the situation that may result in the questionability of the consumed beef. The Likert based information regarding 22 beef quality impacting factors (BQIF) from BRPs in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, respectively, was analyzed with respect to the gaps identified and beef retailing conceptual model. This study is important as it provides general picture in connection to the status of the assessed BQIF in BRPs for the cities in the least developing countries (LDCs). In this regard, the study has shown that the compliance of BRPs in the LDCs’ cities is too weak to meet the infrastructural technical requirements due to existence of more stringent provisions in the developed specifications. The study finally identified the local infrastructural beef quality determinants in LDCs’ BRPs as the gap to be bridged by other studies.
Enforcing Behavioral Profiles through Software-Defined Networks in the Industrial Internet of Things

The fourth industrial revolution is being mainly driven by the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to support the development lifecycle of systems and products. Despite the well-known advantages for the industry, an increasingly pervasive industrial ecosystem could make such devices an attractive target for potential attackers. Recently, the Manufacturer Usage Description (MUD) standard enables manufacturers to specify the intended use of their devices, thereby restricting the attack surface of a certain system. In this direction, we propose a mechanism to manage securely the obtaining and enforcement of MUD policies through the use of a Software-Defined Network (SDN) architecture. We analyze the applicability and advantages of the use of MUD in industrial environments based on our proposed solution, and provide an exhaustive performance evaluation of the required processes.
Reduction of Winding AC Losses by Accurate Conductor Placement in High Frequency Electrical Machines

In the design of electrical machines, the increase in power density has become one of the main research themes. With most of the power loss in high power density electrical machines often being generated in the stator winding assembly, it is necessary to reduce these losses. The effects of strands and bundle positions in the slot on the ac losses in the winding are often overlooked. Taking as a case-study an existing high-frequency machine, this article analyzes and provides an in-depth insight into such effects. Exploiting the rapid advancements in precision three-dimensional printing, it is found and experimentally verified that by controlling the position of the conductors within the top of the slot the ac losses can be markedly reduced.
A Study of the Effects of Time Aggregation and Overlapping within the Framework of IEC Standards for the Measurement of Harmonics and Interharmonics

The increasing incorporation of power electronics and other non-linear loads, in addition to their energy advantages, also implies a poor power quality, especially as regards harmonic pollution. Different solutions have been proposed to measure harmonic content, taking the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards as a reference. However, there are still some issues related to the measurement of the harmonic, and especially, interharmonic content. Some of those questions are addressed in this work, such as the problem derived from the instability of the values obtained by applying the discrete Fourier transform to each sampling window, or the appearance of local peaks when there are tones separated by multiples of the resolution. Solutions were proposed based on time aggregation and the overlapping of windows. The results demonstrate that aggregation time, window type, and overlapping can improve the accuracy in harmonic measurement using Fourier transform-based methods, as defined in the standards. The paper shows the need to consider spectral and time groupings together, improving results by using an appropriate percentage of overlap and an adaptation of the aggregation time to the harmonic content.
Cooperative Multiple Target Nodes Localization Using TOA in Mixed LOS/NLOS Environments

In this paper, the time-of-arrival based cooperative localization problem under mixed line-of-sight/non-line-of-sight (LOS/NLOS) conditions is addressed. Under the conditions of unknown statistics of NLOS errors and unknown path status, we formulate a non-convex robust weighted least squares (RWLS) problem to locate the multiple stationary target nodes. In this problem, we introduce some “balancing parameters” to alleviate the possible improper upper bounds problem of the existing robust localization methods, and jointly estimate the target node positions and the balancing parameters. With the aid of the semidefinite relaxation technique, the RWLS problem is transformed into a convex mixed semidefinite and second order cone programming problem, which can be solved efficiently. The idea is then extended to the moving target nodes localization problem, where the velocity is assumed to be fixed within a short time period. Both simulated and real experimental data are used to verify the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method works well for both the sparse and dense NLOS environments, and also confirm the superior performance of the proposed method over the existing methods.
BIBW 2992 versus cetuximab in patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer (SCCHN) after failure of platinum-containing therapy with a cross-over period for progressing patients: Preliminary results of a randomized, open-label phase II study.

5501 Background: BIBW 2992 is a novel, potent, orally bioavailable irreversible inhibitor of EGFR/HER1 and HER2 receptor tyrosine kinases. Preclinically, BIBW 2992 also displays potent activity against multiple EGFR mutations, including the EGFRvIII mutation. Methods: Patients with metastatic or recurrent SCCHN after failure of platinum-containing therapy were randomized to receive 50 mg of BIBW 2992 daily or weekly cetuximab 400 mg/m2 (loading) and 250 mg/m2 thereafter until disease progression or undue side effects (stage 1). Cross-over to the opposite treatment was allowed upon progression (stage 2). Response was assessed according to RECIST every 8 weeks. Correlative studies including markers of EGFR signalling and presence of EGFRvIII are pending. Results: 124 patients were randomized; 15/124 patients were not evaluable for tumor response evaluation. Of the 109 patients evaluable, 35 have not yet undergone postrandomization tumor imaging. Preliminary best response analysis for 74/109 patients in stag.
The Authors' reply

We appreciate Dr Targher and colleagues' comments1 about our study.2 The authors raise two important questions: how exactly the cohort of individuals with chronic liver disease (CLD) was selected and why cardiovascular mortality (CVM) was not independently associated with CLDs. We would like to provide additional clarification. First, regarding the inclusion criteria for alcoholic liver disease (ALD), we included data from both self-reported excessive alcohol consumption and abnormal liver enzymes. Individuals with excessive alcohol consumption accompanied by normal liver enzymes were not excluded from the entire study. Nevertheless, they were not considered as having ALD or CLD and were not included in the ‘healthy control’ group. Given the relatively low threshold selected for the definition of excessive alcohol consumption, we believe that without at least some evidence of liver damage (elevated aminotransferases), we could not model ALD reliably into our study design. Second, the overlaps between the subgroups of CLDs were also not excluded from the …
Supporting academic entrepreneurship: a blueprint for a university based business incubator

This study investigates the challenges to establishing a business incubator in a university domain. A review of the literature and an investigation of established incubation models. Key components of a business incubator are discussed leading to recommendations for the creation of a university incubator model. This work has value for university decision makers and provide a template for the development of a university incubator which can be used to determine the viability of the project. From the study it is clear that there are potential benefits to establishing a university and also a range of challenges and critical risks to consider. This work is limited as it focuses on a single social field and the findings cannot be immediately transferred to other fields.
A Remote Respiration Rate Measurement Method for Non-Stationary Subjects Using CEEMDAN and Machine Learning

Respiratory Rate (RR) monitoring can inform healthcare providers of early indicators of critical illnesses. However, the obtrusive nature of contact-based sensors for RR monitoring makes them uncomfortable for extended use and vulnerable to movement-derived noise. Hence, camera-based approaches have attracted considerable attention as they enable contact-free RR monitoring. This paper presents an improved non-contact method for RR monitoring that leverages camera derived remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) to measure RR. Unlike previous work, the proposed method supports subject movement during monitoring. We apply Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on the RGB channels of facial videos to distinguish the source (i.e. PPG signal) from noise. We use the Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) scheme to decompose the selected ICA output into its Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). We propose a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm to select the IMF that best reflects the RR. We evaluated the proposed method on 200 facial videos collected from 10 subjects. Our approach decreased the RMSE by at least 39.6% compared to state-of-the-art techniques when subjects were stationary. For subjects in movement, we achieved an RMSE of 2.30 BPM (breaths/min). The proposed method can facilitate non-contact continuous measurement of RR for various clinical and home-based healthcare solutions including the monitoring of infants in neonatal intensive care, elderly individuals in senior care centers, patients in hospital emergency waiting rooms, and prisoners on suicide watch.