Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Lean Research Principles to Engage Caregivers to Improve Child Undernutrition: a Case Example in Kolkata, India.

Background: For social purpose organizations (SPOs), decisions on which programs to scale are driven by information that often falls short of the gold-standard randomized control trial (RCT). This article offers a case study of how lean research, lean experimentation and lean impact principles can be leveraged by SPOs to inform strategic decision-making.Methods: Through two Phases of iterative experimentation, Children International assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of at-home anthropometric evaluation [mid-upper arm circumference Z-score (MUACz) tape] and nutritional support [supplementary foods (SupF)] to influence caregiver engagement and improve children’s nutritional status compared to centralized interventions. Body Mass Index Z-scores (BMIz) at baseline and completion of each Phase were collected along with semi-structured survey and focus group discussion data. Results: Phase I enrolled 37 caregiver/child dyads (17 MUACz, 20 control). The group receiving MUACz tapes reported ease of use for the intervention and a trend towards improved nutrition outcomes. The findings informed the design of Phase II, which enrolled 88 caregiver/child dyads across four groups (20 control, 21 MUACz, 27 SupF, 20 MUACz + SupF). Phase II uncovered low satisfaction with supplementary food and modest overall impact of the interventions despite favorable perceptions of changes in children’s overall health and higher levels of caregiver engagement addressing child nutritional needs. Conclusions: Lean approaches allow SPOs to innovate within the constraints of their organizations, and provide practical platforms to co-create and test evidence-based solutions with the populations they serve. Lean process and a lean mindset allowed the team to rapidly respond with at-home nutrition implementation strategies when faced with the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Lean approaches can provide a framework to guide teams towards new solutions even during the most unpredictable and unprecedented times.
BlogForever D4.1: User Requirements and Platform Specifications

This report specifies requirements for the BlogForever archive and preservation system. Therefore, requirements descriptions are assembled from several sources like the description of work and former deliverables. Additionally, 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify additional requirements as well as to validate the already described requirements. The report illustrates the method of interview conduction and qualitative analysis. It includes a description of relevant stakeholders and requirement categories. The identified requirements are specified in a standardised template and modelled with the unified modelling language (UML). Thus, they can be easily explored and utilised by developers. Additional views provide further support for navigation. Overall, the requirements are the foundation for the design phase because they represent the perspective of demand. D4.1: User Requirements and Platform Specifications 29 December 2011 BlogForever Consortium Page 2 of 398 The BlogForever Consortium consists of: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) Greece European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Switzerland University of Glasgow (UG) UK The University of Warwick (UW) UK University of London (UL) UK Technische Universitat Berlin (TUB) Germany
Measuring usability - balancing agility and formality : for stakeholders’ needs in software development

The main focus of the research presented in this thesis is a usability evaluation framework for mass market mobile devices, allowing measurement, comparison and presentation of the usability of hand held devices. The research has been a cooperation between an academic and an industrial partner, based on an action research approach, following the processes of Cooperative Method Development (CMD). It has used a case study approach, where the data has been analysed using techniques taken from grounded theory. Ethnography and participatory design have been central to both the research and the cooperation. With its basis in the evaluation framework, and its use of quantitative measurements and qualitative judgments framed by a focus on usability testing, this thesis contributes to aspects related to capturing real world usage in a continuously changing society, and supporting information needs in the process of building software. The evaluation framework can be used as a quality assurance tool in a wide perspective. It measures usability and the user experience, quickly and flexibly, and in so doing measures aspects of quality in use. It has been tested in a complex industrial development project and is a valuable and flexible tool that is easy for a usability expert to learn and use, to measure and help build quality on the customer’s terms. The results we have arrived at are of practical and theoretical interest within software engineering and the industrial telecom sphere. Several features and aspects of the evaluation framework are new and challenging. These are: its mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, allowing it to target many different stakeholders; experience in applying these methods in the technology-focused and rapidly changing mobile phone area; the challenge of addressing end users in a mass market; the challenge of finding presentation models for the many different stakeholders; the challenge of making sure the framework can be used in different stages in the industrial software development process. The framework is related to three areas of software engineering, Market Driven Requirements Engineering, Statistical Usage Testing, and Organisation and Product Together. Our work includes a discussion of the need for agility, which has not so far been focused upon and discussed within the area of software engineering and usability. The combination of factors included in the framework means that is unique in solving a number of the problems that are found in these different areas within software engineering, especially in a rapidly changing marketplace. We also contribute to the field, through the qualitative element of the evaluation framework, which is inspired by ethnography and participatory design. It thereby makes a contribution that can improve practice in the field of software engineering, and that contributes to the theoretical work that is being performed within these different research areas.
Modeling Human Blockers in Millimeter Wave Radio Links

In this paper, we investigate the loss caused by multiple humans blocking millimeter wave frequencies. We model human blockers as absorbing screens of infinite height with two knife-edges. We take a physical optics approach to computing the diffraction around the absorbing screens. This approach differs to the geometric optics approach described in much of the literature. The blocking model is validated by measuring the gain from multiple-human blocking configurations on an indoor link. The blocking gains predicted using Piazzi’s numerical integration method (a physical optics method) agree well with measurements taken from approximately 2.7 dB to -50 dB. Thereofre, this model is suitable for real human blockers. The mean prediction error for the method is approximately -1.2 dB, and the standard deviation is approximately 5 dB.
An investigation of management accounting control systems in the palm oil industry : a sociomaterial approach to practice change

The primary aim of this research is to understand what constitutes management accounting and control (MACs) practice and how these control processes are implicated in the day to day work practices and operations of the organisation. It also examines the changes that happen in MACs practices over time as multiple actors within organisational settings interact with each other. I adopt a distinctive practice theory approach (i.e. sociomateriality) and the concept of imbrication in this research to show that MACs practices emerge from the entanglement between human/social agency and material/technological agency within an organisation. Changes in the pattern of MACs practices happens in imbrication processes which are produced as the two agencies entangle. The theoretical approach employed in this research offers an interesting and valuable lens which seeks to reveal the depth of these interactions and uncover the way in which the social and material imbricate. The theoretical framework helps to reveal how these constructions impact on and produce modifications of MACs practices. The exploration of the control practices at different hierarchical levels (i.e. from the operational to middle management and senior level management) using the concept of imbrication process also maps the dynamic flow of controls from operational to top management and vice versa in the organisation. The empirical data which is the focus of this research has been gathered from a case study of an organisation involved in a large vertically integrated palm oil industry company in Malaysia specifically the refinery sector. The palm oil industry is a significant industry in Malaysia as it contributed an average of 4.5% of Malaysian Gross Domestic Product, over the period 1990 -2010. The Malaysian palm oil industry also has a significant presence in global food oil supply where it contributed 26% of the total oils and fats global trade in 2010. The case organisation is a significant contributor to the Malaysian palm oil industry. The research access has provided an interesting opportunity to explore the interactions between different groups of people and material/technology in a relatively heavy process food industry setting. My research examines how these interactions shape and are shaped by control practices in a dynamic cycle of imbrications over both short and medium time periods.
Kompetencje ekspertów w informatycznym systemie wspomagania decyzji

Streszczenie: W artykule zaprezentowano model kompetencji ekspert ów, który jest podsystemem opracowanym na potrzeby informatycznego systemu wspomagania decyzji. Na szc zycie hierarchicznej struktury modelu znajduje si ę europejski standard kluczowych kompetencji, którego dekompozycja umo żliwia odwzorowanie różnych profesji eksperckich. Walorem modelu jest jego lastyczno ść, która dotyczy procedury okre ślania kwalifikacji ekspertów wzgl ędem konkretnych problemów decyzyjnych.
A hierarchical model of business competence (Иерархическая модель деловой компетенции)

Уточняется концепция деловой компетенции, которая широко используется, но не очень четко определена. Предлагаемая иерархическая модель объединяет различные типы компетенции, появившиеся в практике и литературе по менеджменту в последние годы. Более того, вводятся два новых типа компетенции. В работе использованы базы данных Cranfield Best Factory.
Dynamic circuit model of a radial magnetic bearing with permanent magnet bias and laminated cores

A hybrid radial magnetic bearing (HRMB) with permanent magnet creating bias flux is used to reduce the power consumption. Laminated cores are widely used in HRMB to reduce eddy currents. Nevertheless, when the frequencies of rotation and control currents are extremely high, eddy-current effects in laminated iron cores still have a significant influence on the behavior and performance of magnetic bearings. In order to predict performance and guide design of the HRMB system in high frequency, an analytical method based on equivalent circuit model whose parameters are frequency-dependent is used in this paper. The analytical results show that, the eddy currents induced due to rotor movement and dynamically changing control currents will result in considerable magnitude decrease and phase lag of bearing stiffness. Furthermore, the eddy current effect on HRMB can be reduced by increasing the air gap, decreasing the laminations thickness and decreasing the laminations conductivity. Finally, a prototype is designed and fabricated; the experimental results demonstrate the validity of the analysis.
INFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMER TAP CHANGER OPERATION ON VOLTAGE STABILITY

The paper concerns influence of transformer tap changer regulation on secondary voltage level and voltage stability margin of receiving node. At the beginning there are presented general informa-tion about voltage stability and tap changer. Voltage value of secondary terminals of transformer can be regulated using tap changer. This regulation also affects the calculation of Thevenin equivalent parameters seen from the secondary terminals. Changes of equivalent parameters cause a change of voltage stability conditions. Simulation studies of this influence for various types of load have been done. Selected simulation results are presented in the paper. At the end there are placed conclusions from the performed studies.
Dosing and separation of tracking dyes in glass chip for capillary gel electrophoresis

In this paper, results of dosing and separation of tracking dyes in a glass chip for capillary gel electrophoresis are presented. Dyes of various colors, molecular mass and volume range of single nanolitres were separated in a few minutes, utilizing electrohydrodynamic mechanism of flow management. Easy observation of such small volumes using simple monitoring system allows for tracking dyes application in optimization of microfluidic chips construction and management of microfluidic flow. Slowa kluczowe: elektroforeza, lab-on-a-chip, CGE, separacja, barwniki śledzące.
Design of Truncated Corner Circularly Polarized Rectangular Microstrip Antenna

Formulations and design procedure for three layer suspended and non-suspended configurations of rectangular slot cut rectangular microstrip antenna have already been reported. In this paper, atruncated cornerrectangular microstrip antenna to realize circular polarization on thinner substrate is proposed. The truncated cornersdegenerates’ fundamental TM10 mode into two orthogonal modes, to yield circular polarization. To improve upon the gain, three layer suspended configuration is proposed which yields VSWR and axial ratio BW of 49 and 9.5 MHz, respectively. The antenna yields gain of more than 6dBi over the axial ratio bandwidth. Further the formulation in resonant length at two orthogonal modes for truncated corner patch on non-suspended and suspended configurations is proposed. The frequencies calculated using them closely agrees with the simulated results. Using proposed formulations, the design procedure for truncated corner circularly polarized rectangular microstrip antenna in 1000 to 4000 MHz frequency band, is presented. It gives circularly polarized response with formation of small loop (kink) inside VSWR = 2 circle in the smith chart. Thus the proposed formulation can be used to design circular polarized antenna at any given frequency.
Performance Modelling of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

Performance modelling and evaluation play a vital role in the design and operation of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). This paper focuses on modelling FMSs using stochastic models such as Markov and semi-Markov processes, queueing networks, and stochastic Petri nets. The role of these modelling tools is brought out by constructing performance models of simple, illustrative FMS examples. Recent research contributions in this important area and a comparison of the three modelling techniques are presented.
Management of early-stage metastatic prostate cancer: appraisal of locoregional treatments and radiation therapy, with or without immunomodulation

The current standard for the management of locally advanced and early stage metastatic prostate cancer relies on a backbone of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with radiotherapy (RT), a regimen that at a glance appears relatively straightforward. The emergence of newer diagnostic, genomic and imaging modalities have allowed for better disease risk-stratification and opened avenues for the development of more patient-centered treatment strategies. This review aims to highlight the central role of RT as part of a multi-modal approach and discuss established and emerging data for the management of locally advanced disease, biochemical recurrence, and oligometastatic disease, as well as the use of immunotherapies and radio-isotopes. This review will also briefly discuss ongoing clinical trials that provide new insights into the paradigm shift in the management of locally advanced prostate cancer.
A novel approach to evaluating water quality impacts on visitation to coastal recreation areas on Cape Cod using data derived from cell phone locations.

Linking human behavior to environmental quality is critical for effective natural resource management. While it is commonly assumed that environmental conditions partially explain variation in visitation to coastal recreation areas across space and time, scarce and inconsistent visitation observations challenge our ability to reveal these variations. With the ubiquity of mobile phone usage, novel sources of digitally derived data are increasingly available at a massive scale. Applications of mobile phone locational data have been effective in research on urban-centric human mobility and transportation, but little work has been conducted on understanding behavioral patterns surrounding dynamic natural resources. We present an application of cell-phone locational data to estimate the effects of beach closures on visitation to coastal access points. Our results indicate that beach closures on Cape Cod, MA, USA have a significant negative correlation to visitation at those beaches with closures, while closures at a sample of coastal access points elsewhere in New England have no detected impact on visitation. Our findings represent geographic mobility patterns for over 7 million unique coastal visits and suggest that closures resulted in approximately 1,800 (0.026%) displaced visits for Cape Cod during the summer season of 2017. We demonstrate the potential for human-mobility data derived from mobile phones to reveal the scale of use and behavior in response to changes in dynamic natural resources. Future applications of passively collected geocoded data to human-environmental systems are vast.
Modeling time-triggered service intermittence in network calculus

Network elements (e.g., switches), which intermit service, i.e., stop forwarding and transmission of data according to a repeating schedule, can be found in many real-time capable communication networks, e.g., communication networks with TDMA, Ethernet with Time-aware Shapers or low-power wireless networks. The behavior of those network elements depends on the (stationary) properties of the network elements, their schedule, and the current time, as well as the offered traffic load. If a networked real-time system generates traffic flows which are not synchronized to the schedules of the network elements, formal frameworks such as Network Calculus (NC) are highly valuable to derive deterministic guarantees for the communication. In this paper, we show the fundamental implications of modeling time-triggered network elements with service intermittence in NC. We identify two archetypes of network elements with intermittent service, and propose time-variant and time-invariant approaches to derive service curve formulations to model them. We evaluate the differences between time-variant and time-invariant service curves with respect to the overestimation of worst-case backlog and worst-case delay, and we identify schedule properties which influence the tightness of the derived bounds.
Landscape and evolution of cis- and trans-regulation in chicken genome between two contrasted breeds analyzed in three tissues at one day of age

Background Gene expression variation is an important mechanism underlying phenotypic variation, and can occur via cis- and trans-regulation. In order to understand the role of cis- and trans-regulatory variation on population divergence of chicken, we developed reciprocal crosses of two chicken breeds, White Leghorn and Cornish Game, with major differences in size and reproductive traits, and used them to identify the degree of cis versus trans variation in brain, liver and muscle of both male and female samples at 1-day age. Results We provided a landscape about how the transcriptomes are regulated between two contrasted breeds by allele specific expression analysis. Our results showed that compared with the cis-regulated genes, trans-acted genes existed more extensively in the chicken genome. Furthermore, a widespread compensatory tendency exists in chicken genome. Most importantly, we found the evidence of stronger purifying selection for trans-regulatory variation than the cis-elements. Conclusions Our research performed the first study to describe the transcriptome regulation between White Leghorn and Cornish Game breeds and suggests that artificial selection associated with domestication in chicken may have more often acted on trans-regulatory variation.
Are we having fun yet? Introducing play and experimentation into learning innovation through social media

The notions and patterns of resistance are critical to the successful implementation of technology enhanced learning strategies at higher education institutions. At institutional, academic and student levels, resistance manifests itself in a variety of forms, at best supporting a critical culture and at worst creating inertia and active disquiet. Through the lens of an institutional wide strategic learning innovation vision at the University of Greenwich designed to enhance connectivity and collaboration, this paper will explore the modes and pathways of resistance extant in the process of implementing and embedding an openness agenda. Through supporting experimentation and play with social media creation and sharing as a mechanism of curricula transformation we identified a number of patterns of resistance to sharing and openness. Using a grounded theory informed approach we have attempted to represent these patterns in the form a model of institutional resistance to technology-led change.
Worker assistance and quality inspection – application of optical 3D metrology and augmented reality technologies

Numerous industrial mount processes are characterized by a high variance due to the individuality of the final products. Manual assembly work subjectively influences the quality of an end product and errors thereby cannot be excluded. Errors that occur in production increase costs as it is likely to happen in the assembly of clamping which is used in CNC machining centers. As they are usu- ally assembled manually, errors might occur.
Tightness and computation assessment of worst-case delay bounds in wormhole networks-on-chip

This paper addresses the problem of worst-case timing analysis in wormhole Networks-On-Chip (NoCs). We consider our previous work [5] for computing maximum delay bounds using Network Calculus, called the Buffer-Aware Worst-case Timing Analysis (BATA). The latter allows the computation of delay bounds for a large panel of wormhole NoCs, e.g., handling priority-sharing, Virtual Channel Sharing and buffer backpressure. In this paper, we provide further insights into the tightness and computation issues of the worst-case delay bounds yielded by BATA. Our assessment shows that the gap between the computed delay bounds and the worst-case simulation results is reasonably small (70% tighness on average). Furthermore, BATA provides good delay bounds for medium-scale configurations within less than one hour. Finally, we evaluate the yielded improvements with BATA for a realistic use-case against a recent state-of-the-art approach. This evaluation shows the applicability of BATA under more general assumptions and the impact of such a feature on the tightness and computation time.