Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
P o S ( T I P P 2 0 1 4 ) 1 7 4 Vertex-Detector R & D for CLIC

A detector concept based on hybrid pixel-detector technology is under development for the CLIC vertex detector. It comprises fast, low-power and small-pitch readout ASICs implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology (CLICpix) coupled to ultra-thin sensors (planar or active HV-CMOS) via low-mass interconnects. The power dissipation of the readout chips is reduced by means of power pulsing, allowing for a cooling system based on forced air flow. In this contribution the CLIC vertex-detector requirements are reviewed and the current status of R&D on readout and sensors is presented.
A Comparative Study of Prominent Particle Swarm Optimization Based Methods to Solve Traveling Salesman Problem

Computational methods inspired by natural phenomenon have gain much interest in the recent years. Among the developed algorithms, particle swarm optimization (PSO), mimicking behavior of bird flocking or fish schooling, seems the most famous method due to its simplicity as well as performance. A variant number of PSO based methods was developed for traveling salesman problem (TSP), the most popular combinatorial problem. The aim of the study is to make a comparative study of several prominent PSO based methods in solving TSP. The study is important because different PSO based methods have been developed by different researchers and tested on different sets of problems. Therefore, the description of the prominent PSO based methods in a similar fashion reveals distinct features of individuals. Moreover, experimental results on a common benchmark TSP data set will reveal performance of each method. In this study, the methods have been tested on a large number of benchmark TSPs and outcomes compared among themselves as well as ant colony optimization (ACO), the prominent method to solve TSP. Experimental results revealed that enhanced self-tentative PSO (ESTPSO) and velocity tentative PSO (VTPSO) outperformed ACO; and self-tentative PSO (STPSO) is competitive to ACO. On the other hand, experimental analysis revealed that ESTPSO is computationally heavier than others and VTPSO took least time to solve a benchmark problem. The reasons behind performance and time requirement of each individual method are explained and VTPSO is found most effective PSO based method to solve TSP.
SELECTIVE FLOTATION OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)/ POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) MIXTURES

Recycling is an important activity in the minimization of waste that results from human activities. Once plastics enter the consumer market, recycling becomes considerably a necessity. Before polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water and soft-drink waste bottles can be recycled, it is necessary to separate thesc two materiais. As PVC and PET have sim.ilar dcnsitics, froth tlotation was adoptcd as an alternative to convcntional dcnsitybascd separation techniques. In vicw of frnU1 tlotation bcing mainly based on wettability diflcrcnccs and both plastics being naturally hydrophobic, a sodium and calcium and magnesium lignosulphonate were sclected to render PET hydrophilic and cause its depression. Static contact anglc measurements and microtlotation tests werc carried out. Based on thc rcsults obtained Uuough contact angle measurements , the best condition or selcctivity betwccn PET and PYC was obscrvcd using calcium lignusulphonate at coneentration levei of 300 mgfL, prcscnting 7'K.6" for PYC and 49.3" for PET The best llotation results showed that 90.617r:! rccovery of PET can bc obtained whilc rejecting almost ali PVC (97.2 o/r.~ ) using calcium lignosulphonate as depressant at a concentration levei of 500 mgfL in the prcsencc of Ca+ 10" molfL.
Simulações de Sistemas Carregados Confinados (Simulations of confined charged systems)

In this Thesis, we study quasi bi-dimensional charged systems confined by infinite electrified walls. First we derive the usual 3d Ewald Summation technique and then take the limit for confined non-neutral systems. It is shown that when the plate fields are considered as external potentials, considerable computational gain is achieved. For metallic confined systems we solve Poisson Equation using periodic Green functions, which allows us to avoid minimization procedures to compute the induced charges at the boundaries. Applying this formalism to a lattice model of ionic liquids we capture the capacitance shape transition characteristic of such systems. Finally, we consider polarizable surfaces of any dielectric constant, again using periodic Green functions. In this algorithm we can separate the energy of ionic interactions from polarization energy, which allows the adaptation of our method to any other 2d Ewald Summation technique already on scientific literature. For completeness, we perform calculations for walls with different dielectric discontinuities.
The Impact of the Teen Cuisine Curriculum on the Health Belief Model and Dietary Behaviors

African American adolescents have the highest rate of obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Teen Cuisine Curriculum on selected health-belief constructs and dietary behaviors on predominately African American adolescents. Twenty-five African American adolescents formed the purposive sample that completed the Healthy Eating Beliefs Survey and the Behavior Checklist. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 21.0 was used to conduct the t-test for dependent means to compare the pretest and posttest scores of participants. The findings from this study were not statistically significant. For perceived susceptibility, participants did not believe they were likely to become overweight in the future. For dietary behaviors, participants’ vegetable and whole-grain intake increased after the program. There was a disconnect between disease risk and lifestyle factors among adolescents. More research is needed to increase awareness of childhood obesity and its consequences among children and adolescents.
The 2 D Magnetohydrodynamic Equations with Partial or Fractional Dissipation ∗

This paper surveys recent developments on the global regularity and related problems on the 2D incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations with partial or fractional dissipation. The MHD equations with partial or fractional dissipation are physically relevant and mathematically important. The global regularity and related problems have attracted considerable interests in recent years and there have been substantial developments. In addition to reviewing the existing results, this paper also explains the difficulties associated with several open problems and supply some new results. c © Higher Education Press and International Press Beijing-Boston Lectures on the Analysis of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations Vol. 5 MLM 5, pp. 283–332
Real-time Stereo Vision System at Tunnel

Although stereo vision has made great progress in recent years, there are limited works which estimate the disparity for challenging scenes such as tunnel scenes. In such scenes, owing to the low light conditions and fast camera movement, the images are severely degraded by motion blur. These degraded images limit the performance of the standard stereo vision algorithms. To address this issue, in this paper, we combine the stereo vision with the image deblurring algorithms to improve the disparity result. The proposed algorithm consists of three phases: the PSF estimation phase; the image restoration phase; and the stereo vision phase. In the PSF estimation phase, we introduce three methods to estimate the blur kernel, which are optical flow based algorithm, cepstrum base algorithm and simple constant kernel algorithm, respectively. In the image restoration phase, we propose a fast non-blind image deblurring algorithm to recover the latent image. In the last phase, we propose a multi-scale multi-path Viterbi algorithm to compute the disparity given the deblurred images. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated by the experiments with data sequences acquired in the tunnel.
The impact of transformational leadership style on organisational commitment in the hospitality industry

The hospitality industry relies heavily on human capital as a competitive advantage. Thus, for the industry’s vision to become a reality, its leadership relies on employees to execute strategic objectives to fulfil the industry’s goals. The employees’ knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and the ability to collectively innovate, are key to the industry’s survival. However, it is currently losing competent employees to other industries for the same salaries and benefits due to a range of unknown reasons, which the study will explore. When competent employees resign from their jobs, there are interruptions in normal operations, loss of efficiency, increased replacement and recruitment cost, project delays and increased customer dissatisfaction. Thus, the ability of the tourism industry in the City of Tshwane to retain competent employees is critical for its survival. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship and effect leadership styles have on employee commitment in a hotel in the City of Tshwane. Furthermore, this study was brought about by the fact that an organisation’s ability to implement business strategies successfully, gain a competitive advantage and optimise human capital largely depends on the leadership styles that encourage employee commitment. Thus, the ability of the tourism industry in the City of Tshwane to retain competent employees is critical for its survival. A quantitative research method was utilised for this study. The results of the study highlighted that transformational leadership was positively and largely related to affective commitment, but moderately related to continuance and normative commitment.
A finite element model of the human left ventricular systole

Local wall stress is the pivotal determinant of the heart muscle's systolic function. Under in vivo conditions, however, such stresses cannot be measured systematically and quantitatively. In contrast, imaging techniques based on magnetic resonance (MR) allow the determination of the deformation pattern of the left ventricle (LV) in vivo with high accuracy. The question arises to what extent deformation measurements are significant and might provide a possibility for future diagnostic purposes. The contractile forces cause deformation of LV myocardial tissue in terms of wall thickening, longitudinal shortening, twisting rotation and radial constriction. The myocardium is thereby understood to act as a densely interlaced mesh. Yet, whole cycle image sequences display a distribution of wall strains as function of space and time heralding a significant amount of inhomogeneity even under healthy conditions. We made similar observations previously by direct measurement of local contractile activity. The major reasons for these inhomogeneities derive from regional deviations of the ventricular walls from an ideal spheroidal shape along with marked disparities in focal fibre orientation. In response to a lack of diagnostic tools able to measure wall stress in clinical routine, this communication is aimed at an analysis and functional interpretation of the deformation pattern of an exemplary human heart at end-systole. To this end, the finite element (FE) method was used to simulate the three-dimensional deformations of the left ventricular myocardium due to contractile fibre forces at end-systole. The anisotropy associated with the fibre structure of the myocardial tissue was included in the form of a fibre orientation vector field which was reconstructed from the measured fibre trajectories in a post mortem human heart. Contraction was modelled by an additive second Piola–Kirchhoff active stress tensor. As a first conclusion, it became evident that longitudinal fibre forces, cross-fibre forces and shear along with systolic fibre rearrangement have to be taken into account for a useful modelling of systolic deformation. Second, a realistic geometry and fibre architecture lead to typical and substantially inhomogeneous deformation patterns as they are recorded in real hearts. We therefore, expect that the measurement of systolic deformation might provide useful diagnostic information.
Intracellular Cl− as a signaling ion that potently regulates Na+/HCO3− transporters

Significance Cl− is the major cellular anion that controls the intracellular activity of many ions, the membrane potential, and transepithelial fluid and electrolyte secretion. How cells sense intracellular Cl− (Cl−in) to coordinate all Cl−-dependent activities is not known. We report a molecular mechanism for Cl−in sensing that involves interaction of Cl− with GXXXP-containing sites and show how these sites are used to regulate the activity of several Na+-HCO3− cotransporters. Although these transporters do not transport Cl−, they sense Cl−in in a manner specific for each transporter that is suitable for the transporter physiological activity. Our data has fundamental implications for the role of Cl− in cellular ion homeostasis and fluid and electrolyte secretion. Cl− is a major anion in mammalian cells involved in transport processes that determines the intracellular activity of many ions and plasma membrane potential. Surprisingly, a role of intracellular Cl− (Cl−in) as a signaling ion has not been previously evaluated. Here we report that Cl−in functions as a regulator of cellular Na+ and HCO3− concentrations and transepithelial transport through modulating the activity of several electrogenic Na+-HCO3− transporters. We describe the molecular mechanism(s) of this regulation by physiological Cl−in concentrations highlighting the role of GXXXP motifs in Cl− sensing. Regulation of the ubiquitous Na+-HCO3− co-transport (NBC)e1-B is mediated by two GXXXP-containing sites; regulation of NBCe2-C is dependent on a single GXXXP motif; and regulation of NBCe1-A depends on a cryptic GXXXP motif. In the basal state NBCe1-B is inhibited by high Cl−in interacting at a low affinity GXXXP-containing site. IP3 receptor binding protein released with IP3 (IRBIT) activation of NBCe1-B unmasks a second high affinity Cl−in interacting GXXXP-dependent site. By contrast, NBCe2-C, which does not interact with IRBIT, has a single high affinity N-terminal GXXP-containing Cl−in interacting site. NBCe1-A is unaffected by Cl−in between 5 and 140 mM. However, deletion of NBCe1-A residues 29–41 unmasks a cryptic GXXXP-containing site homologous with the NBCe1-B low affinity site that is involved in inhibition of NBCe1-A by Cl−in. These findings reveal a cellular Cl−in sensing mechanism that plays an important role in the regulation of Na+ and HCO3− transport, with critical implications for the role of Cl− in cellular ion homeostasis and epithelial fluid and electrolyte secretion.
Development of the Flux-Adjusting Surface Data Assimilation System for Mesoscale Models

Abstract The flux-adjusting surface data assimilation system (FASDAS) is developed to provide continuous adjustments for initial soil moisture and temperature and for surface air temperature and water vapor mixing ratio for mesoscale models. In the FASDAS approach, surface air temperature and water vapor mixing ratio are directly assimilated by using the analyzed surface observations. Then, the difference between the analyzed surface observations and model predictions of surface layer temperature and water vapor mixing ratio are converted into respective heat fluxes, referred to as adjustment heat fluxes of sensible and latent heat. These adjustment heat fluxes are then used in the prognostic equations for soil temperature and moisture via indirect assimilation in the form of several new adjustment evaporative fluxes. Thus, simulated surface fluxes for the subsequent model time step are affected such that the predicted surface air temperature and water vapor mixing ratio conform more closely to observatio.
RIPASA score: a new diagnostic score for diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the usefulness of RIPASA score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis using histopathology as a gold standard. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of General Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Kohat, from September 2011 to March 2012. METHODOLOGY A total of 267 patients were included in this study. RIPASA score was assessed. The diagnosis of appendicitis was made clinically aided by routine sonography of abdomen. After appendicectomies, resected appendices were sent for histopathological examination. The 15 parameters and the scores generated were age (less than 40 years = 1 point; greater than 40 years = 0.5 point), gender (male = 1 point; female = 0.5 point), Right Iliac Fossa (RIF) pain (0.5 point), migration of pain to RIF (0.5 point), nausea and vomiting (1 point), anorexia (1 point), duration of symptoms (less than 48 hours = 1 point; more than 48 hours = 0.5 point), RIF tenderness (1 point), guarding (2 points), rebound tenderness (1 point), Rovsing's sign (2 points), fever (1 point), raised white cell count (1 point), negative urinalysis (1 point) and foreign national registration identity card (1 point). The optimal cut-off threshold score from the ROC was 7.5. Sensitivity analysis was done. RESULTS Out of 267 patients, 156 (58.4%) were male while remaining 111 patients (41.6%) were female with mean age of 23.5 ± 9.1 years. Sensitivity of RIPASA score was 96.7%, specificity 93.0%, diagnostic accuracy was 95.1%, positive predictive value was 94.8% and negative predictive value was 95.54%. CONCLUSION RIPASA score at a cut-off total score of 7.5 was a useful tool to diagnose appendicitis, in equivocal cases of pain.
Cerebrovascular responses during rowing: Do circadian rhythms explain morning and afternoon performance differences?

The purpose of this study was to characterize cerebrovascular responses to rowing exercise, investigating whether their diurnal variation might explain performance differences across a day. Twelve male rowers completed incremental rowing exercise and a 2000‐m ergometer time trial at 07:00 h and 16:00 h, 1 week apart, while middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv), cerebral (prefrontal), and muscular (vastus lateralis) tissue oxygenation and hemoglobin volume (via near‐infrared spectroscopy), heart rate, and pressure of end‐tidal CO2 (PETCO2) were recorded. MCAv was 20–25% above resting levels (68 ± 12 cm/s) during submaximal and maximal exercise intensities, despite PETCO2 being reduced during maximal efforts (down ∼ 0.5–0.8 kPa); thus revealing a different perfusion profile to the inverted‐U observed in other exercise modes. The afternoon time trial was 3.4 s faster (95% confidence interval 0.9–5.8 s) and mean power output 3.2% higher (337 vs 347 W; P = 0.04), in conjunction with similar exercise‐induced elevations in MCAv (P = 0.60) and reductions in cerebral oxygenation (TOI) (P = 0.12). At the muscle, afternoon trials involved similar oxygen extraction (HHb volume and TOI) albeit from a relatively lower total Hb volume (P < 0.01). In conclusion, rowing performance was better in the afternoon, but not in conjunction with differences in MCAv or exercise‐induced differences in cerebral oxygenation.
Trichomonas vaginalis and bacterial vaginosis. Coexistence in vaginal wet mount preparations from pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE To identify how frequently trichomoniasis and characteristics of bacterial vaginosis (BV) occur concomitantly in wet mount preparations from pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN Diagnosis of trichomoniasis was predicted on visualization of the organism. Diagnosis of BV required a positive volatile (whiff) test, presence of "clue cells" and one of two minor criteria: (1) absence of lactobacilli, or (2) a pH > 4.5. Pregnant women from January 1995 to July 1997 at our clinic had wet mount/KOH preparations performed as standard prenatal care. Corresponding medical charts were analyzed for symptoms, race, BV, sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections and other infections. RESULTS Of 191 pregnant women identified, 69 had trichomoniasis. Seventy-nine percent of the 69 were African American. Fifteen percent of pregnant women (17) had concomitant trichomoniasis and BV. Irrespective of race, 35-38% of pregnant women with trichomoniasis had another sexually transmitted disease or a urinary tract infection diagnosed in that pregnancy. CONCLUSION BV, or bacteria excess syndrome, is a frequent coinfection in pregnant women harboring Trichomonas vaginalis.
Prevalence of Family History of Cancer among Gastric Cancer Patients at Brazilian National Cancer Institute

Background: Gastric cancer is the third most incident malignancy and the fifth leading cause of death in the world. In Brazil, it is the fourth most common tumour in men and the fifth in women. Familial aggregation of this tumour is being studied and discussed by experts. Aim: Determine the frequency of family history of cancer in patients with gastric cancer, suggesting familial aggregation or increased risk for hereditary cancer syndromes. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out from January 2011 to March 2015 at the Department of Abdominal and Pelvic Surgery of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA). Data were collected from electronic medical records and analyzed using SPSS Statistics® version 20. Results: 873 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were analyzed. A family history of cancer was reported by 451 patients (51.6%), which reported cancer in 878 relatives, of which 110 (12.6%), reported having more than three relatives with any type of cancer. The most prevalent malignancies among these relatives were gastric cancer (21.3%) and breast cancer (9.5%). Conclusion: Most of the patients had cancer family history, being gastric cancer the most common. The high percentage of cancer family history confirms the importance of collecting this information, whose lack reflects professional negligence, as family history study can serve as a low-cost tool, favoring prevention and early diagnosis, situations where morbidity and mortality are smaller, thus reducing health costs and assistance and preserving lives.
Initiation of Glucose-Based Peritoneal Dialysis Is Associated with Increased Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Non-Diabetic Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease

Background: Glucose-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the original PD form. However, glucose uptake from the peritoneal cavity may contribute to dysmetabolism. Methods: We retrospectively assessed metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components in 195 non-diabetic incident PD patients at baseline and after 34.3 (20.5–60.0) months of PD. MS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Results: While 22.1% of the patients met MS criteria at baseline, 69.2% (p < 0.01) exhibited MS during PD. MS burden increased significantly after PD (p < 0.01). The disorder BMI and lipids, and MS components number, correlated with peritoneal glucose exposure and PD duration (p < 0.05). In Cox analysis, age, BMI, triglyceride, C-reactive protein (CRP) and glucose exposure were all independently associated with MS development. Conclusions: PD commencement in end-stage renal disease patients was associated with an increased MS prevalence. High glucose exposure and long PD duration were associated with MS existence, along with old age, high BMI, triglyceride and CRP.