278 research outputs found

    Practical Network Coding in Sensor Networks: Quo Vadis?

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    Abstract. Network coding is a novel concept for improving network ca-pacity. This additional capacity may be used to increase throughput or reliability. Also in wireless networks, network coding has been proposed as a method for improving communication. We present our experience from two studies of applying network coding in realistic wireless sen-sor networks scenarios. As we show, network coding is not as useful in practical deployments as earlier theoretical work suggested. We discuss limitations and future opportunities for network coding in sensor net-works. 1 Network Coding in Wireless Sensor Networks Network Coding was introduced by Ahlswede et al. [1], proving that it can in-crease multicast capacity. Since then, it has been investigated in several different networked scenarios which demand different traffic characteristics. Most previous research has focused on theoretical aspects of applying network coding to sensor networks. There are, however, also more practical examples of applying networ

    A study of design change management for infrastructure development projects in New Zealand

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    Design changes seem to be an inevitable part of engineering, procurement and construction EPC projects. Such changes create a need for a proactive approach to adjusting project scope, cost and time (the triple constraints) for efficiency and effectiveness in overall delivery. This study investigates the causes and implications of design changes in order to improve design change management practices. Data for the study were obtained through online interviews with New Zealand industry practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to collate the results into meaningful data. The study found that design changes were predominantly caused by clients’ inadequate strategic planning, insufficient attention to design, EPC contractors’ inadequate design ability, and on-site variations. There were three categories of such design changes: direct impact on the project, the reciprocal and complementary effect on stakeholders, and the far-reaching impact on the community. The study concludes by suggesting improvements, such as strengthening the integration of project teams to enhance design quality, strategic alignment of stakeholders at the planning stage, early contractor involvement (ECI) between the planning and design phases, and improving collaboration between design and construction teams. Further, a combination of high technical skills (e.g., design ability) and soft skills (can-do attitude, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, documentation skills, etc.) are needed to generate the desired improvement in design change management.fals

    Quasi-Fuchsian correspondences.

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    M.PhilWe consider the action of holomorphic correspondences or equally algebraic functions acting on the Riemann sphere C and their limit sets: a holomorphic correspondence is a polynomial relation, P(z;w) = 0 in z and w: A holomorphic correspondence P(z;w) = 0 is said to be an (n : m) correspondence if the degrees of z and w in P are n and m respectively. We identify a class of (2 : 2) holomorphic correspondences whose limit set is a topological circle where on a component of the complement of the limit set, the action of the correspondence is conjugate to the action of the Modular group PSL(2; Z) on the upper half plane. Further, we generalise these results to a class of (3 : 3) holomorphic correspondences with analogous properties

    Customer Behavior Analysis for Social Media

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    It is essential for a business organization to get the customer feedback in order to grow as a company. Business organizations are collecting customer feedback using various methods. But the question is ‘are they efficient and effective?' In the current context, there is more of a customer oriented market and all the business organizations are competing to achieve customer delight through their products and services. Social Media plays a huge role in one's life. Customers tend to reveal their true opinion about certain brands on social media rather than giving routine feedback to the producers or sellers. Because of this reason, it is identified that social media can be used as a tool to analyze customer behavior. If relevant data can be gathered from the customers' social media feeds and if these data are analyzed properly, a clear idea to the companies what customers really think about their brand can be provided

    Can Machine Learning Models Predict Asparaginase-associated Pancreatitis in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

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    Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.Asparaginase-associated pancreatitis (AAP) frequently affects children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) causing severe acute and persisting complications. Known risk factors such as asparaginase dosing, older age and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have insufficient odds ratios to allow personalized asparaginase therapy. In this study, we explored machine learning strategies for prediction of individual AAP risk. We integrated information on age, sex, and SNPs based on Illumina Omni2.5exome-8 arrays of patients with childhood ALL (N=1564, 244 with AAP aged 1.0 to 17.9 y) from 10 international ALL consortia into machine learning models including regression, random forest, AdaBoost and artificial neural networks. A model with only age and sex had area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) of 0.62. Inclusion of 6 pancreatitis candidate gene SNPs or 4 validated pancreatitis SNPs boosted ROC-AUC somewhat (0.67) while 30 SNPs, identified through our AAP genome-wide association study cohort, boosted performance (0.80). Most predictive features included rs10273639 (PRSS1-PRSS2), rs10436957 (CTRC), rs13228878 (PRSS1/PRSS2), rs1505495 (GALNTL6), rs4655107 (EPHB2) and age (1 to 7 y). Second AAP following asparaginase re-exposure was predicted with ROC-AUC: 0.65. The machine learning models assist individual-level risk assessment of AAP for future prevention trials, and may legitimize asparaginase re-exposure when AAP risk is predicted to be low.Peer reviewe

    To be an immigrant and a patient in Sweden: A study with an individualised perspective

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    The aim is to describe how experiences of being an immigrant can influence the situation when becoming a patient in Swedish health care. A hermeneutic approach was used. Sixteen persons born in non-Nordic countries were interviewed. The data was analysed with an empirical hermeneutical method. The findings indicate that positive experiences (i.e., establishing oneself in a new home country) enhance the possibilities of taking part in caring situations and vice versa. Hence, there is a need for individually adapted care that takes one's whole life situation into consideration. Consequently, it is suggested that the concept, “cultural competence” merely serves the purpose of illuminating caregivers' need for categorisation. It does not illuminate individual needs in a caring situation

    Molecular remission of infant B-ALL after infusion of universal TALEN gene-edited CAR T cells

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    Autologous T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptor against the B cell antigen CD19 (CAR19) are achieving marked leukemic remissions in early-phase trials but can be difficult to manufacture, especially in infants or heavily treated patients. We generated universal CAR19 (UCART19) T cells by lentiviral transduction of non-human leukocyte antigen-matched donor cells and simultaneous transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-mediated gene editing of T cell receptor α chain and CD52 gene loci. Two infants with relapsed refractory CD19(+) B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia received lymphodepleting chemotherapy and anti-CD52 serotherapy, followed by a single-dose infusion of UCART19 cells. Molecular remissions were achieved within 28 days in both infants, and UCART19 cells persisted until conditioning ahead of successful allogeneic stem cell transplantation. This bridge-to-transplantation strategy demonstrates the therapeutic potential of gene-editing technology
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