Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In-situ Measurement of Absorption Rates in Horizontal-Tube Falling-Film Ammonia-Water Absorbers: Part II - Heat and Mass Transfer Coefficients

An experimental investigation of heat and mass transfer in a horizontal-tube falling-film ammonia-water absorber was conducted. A tube bank consisting of four columns of six 9.5 mm nominal OD, 0.292 m long tubes was installed in an absorber shell that allowed heat and mass transfer measurements and optical access for flow visualization. This absorber was installed in a test facility consisting of all the components of a functional absorption chiller, which was fabricated to obtain realistic operating conditions at the absorber to account for the influence of the other components in the system. Tests were conducted over a wide range of operating conditions (nominally, desorber solution outlet concentrations of 5 - 40% for three nominal absorber pressures of 150, 345 and 500 kPa, over solution flow rates of 0.019 – 0.034 kg/s.) The development of the test facility, and the measurement and analysis techniques were discussed in the companion paper (Part I). Results, including the component level heat transfer rates, and solution- and vapor-side heat and mass transfer coefficients, are discussed in this paper. The effects of solution flow rate, concentration, and pressure on heat and mass transfer coefficients are discussed.
Effects of a short course of inhaled corticosteroids in noneosinophilic asthmatic subjects.

BACKGROUND Noneosinophilic asthma has been regarded as a distinct phenotype characterized by a poor response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). OBJECTIVE To determine whether noneosinophilic, steroid-naive asthmatic subjects show an improvement in asthma control, asthma symptoms and spirometry after four weeks of treatment with ICS, and whether they further benefit from the addition of a long-acting beta-2 agonists to ICS. METHODS A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study comparing the efficacy of placebo versus inhaled fluticasone propionate 250 mcg twice daily for four weeks in mildly uncontrolled, steroid-naive asthmatic subjects with a sputum eosinophil count of 2% or less. This was followed by an open-label, four-week treatment period with fluticasone propionate 250 mcg⁄salmeterol 50 mcg, twice daily for all subjects. RESULTS After four weeks of double-blind treatment, there was a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in the mean (± SD) Asthma Control Questionnaire score in the ICS-treated group (n = 6) (decrease of 1.0 ± 0.5) compared with the placebo group (n = 6) (decrease of 0.09 ± 0.4) (P = 0.008). Forced expiratory volume in 1 s declined in the placebo group (-0.2 ± 0.2 L) and did not change in the ICS group (0.04 ± 0.1 L) after four weeks of treatment (P = 0.02). The open-label treatment with fluticasone propionate 250 mcg⁄salmeterol 50 mcg did not produce additional improvements in those who were previously treated for four weeks with inhaled fluticasone alone. CONCLUSION A clinically important and statistically significant response to ICS was observed in mildly uncontrolled noneosinophilic asthmatic subjects.
“Meth Circles” and “Pipe Pirates”: Crystal Methamphetamine Smoking and Identity Management Among a Social Network of Young Adults

This article analyzes crystal methamphetamine smoking among a social network of young Australian adults. Ethnographic data were collected from 2005 to 2007 among 60 individuals, and semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with a sub-set of 25 individuals. Fieldnotes and interview transcripts were entered into NVivo7 and thematically analyzed. We argue that although drug use may be considered “normal” among some social networks, the management of stigma associated with drug use is more complex and contested than portrayed in the literature. Policy implications are discussed. The study was supported by funds from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council.
Isolation and Characterization of Antler-Derived Multipotent Stem Cells

Recent studies have reported that stem cells can be isolated from various tissues such as bone marrow, fatty tissue, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly, and placenta. These types of stem cell studies have also arisen in veterinary medicine. Deer antlers show a seasonal regrowth of tissue, an unusual feature in mammals. Antler tissue therefore might offer a source of stem cells. To explore the possibility of stem cell populations within deer antlers, we isolated and successfully cultured antler-derived multipotent stem cells (MSCs). Antler MSCs were maintained in a growth medium, and the proliferation potential was measured via an assay called the cumulative population doubling level. Immunophenotyping and immunostaining revealed the intrinsic characteristic stem cell markers of antler MSCs. To confirm the ability to differentiate, we conducted osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic induction under the respective differentiation conditions. We discovered that antler MSCs have the ability to differentiate into multiple lineages. In conclusion, our results show that deer antler tissue may contain MSCs and therefore may be a potential source for veterinary regenerative therapeutics.
Working memory and aging: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using a self-ordered pointing task

Age-related declines in working memory performance have been associated with deficits in inhibition, strategy use, processing speed, and monitoring. In the current study, cross-sectional and longitudinal methodologies were used to investigate the relative contribution of these components to age-related changes in working memory. In Experiment 1, a sample of 140 younger and 140 older adults completed an abstract design version of the Self-Ordered Pointing Task modeled after Shimamura and Jurica (1994). Experiment 1 revealed that only processing speed and monitoring explained age differences in SOPT performance. Participants in Experiment 2 were 53 older adults who returned 4 years after the initial testing and 53 young adults. A task that assessed the ability to generate and monitor an internal series of responses as compared to an externally imposed series of responses was also administered. Experiment 2 replicated the key findings from Experiment 1 and provided some further evidence for age-related internal monitoring difficulties. Furthermore, the exploratory longitudinal analysis revealed that older age and lower intellectual abilities tended to be associated with poorer performance on the SOPT at Time 2. (JINS, 2004, 10, 489–503.)
Pharmacy career deciding: making choice a "good fit".

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to explore factors influencing career deciding amongst pharmacy students and graduates in the U.K. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Group interviews were used to devise a topic guide for five subsequent focus groups with pharmacy students and graduates. Focus groups were tape-recorded, recordings transcribed, and transcripts analysed. Key themes and interlinking factors relating to pharmacy career deciding were identified in the transcripts, following a constructivist approach. FINDINGS Participants' described making a "good fit" between themselves, their experiences, social networks etc. and pharmacy. Central to a coherent career deciding narrative were: having a job on graduation; and the instrumental advantage of studying a vocational course. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS Focusing on career deciding of UK pharmacy students and graduates may limit the study's generalisability to other countries. However, our findings are relevant to those interested in understanding students' motivations for healthcare careers, since our results suggest that making a "good fit" describes a general process of matching between a healthcare career and personal experience. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS As we have found that pharmacy career deciding was not, usually, a planned activity, career advisors and those involved in higher education recruitment should take into account the roles played by personal preferences and values in choosing a degree course. ORIGINALITY/VALUE A qualitative study like this can illustrate how career deciding occurs and provide insight into the process from a student's perspective. This can help inform guidance processes, selection to healthcare professions courses within the higher education sector, and stimulate debate amongst those involved with recruitment of healthcare workers about desirable motivators for healthcare careers.
The effect of storage conditions, contamination modes and cleaning procedures on the resin bond strength to lithium disilicate ceramic.

PURPOSE The purpose of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the resin bond strength to pre-etched lithium disilicate ceramic using different cleaning methods after two contamination modes (saliva or saliva and silicone). MATERIALS AND METHODS Plexiglas tubes filled with composite resin (MultiCore Flow) were bonded to etched and silanized ceramic disks made of lithium disilicate ceramic (IPS e.max Press) using a luting resin (Multilink Automix). Either etched or unetched ceramic surfaces were contaminated with saliva or with saliva followed by a disclosing silicone. Groups of 16 specimens each were bonded after pretreatment using 4 surface cleaning agents (37% phosphoric acid, 5% hydrofluoric acid, 96% isopropanol, air polishing device with sodium bicarbonate) in different combinations. Before measuring tensile bond strength, specimens were stored for 3 or 150 days with thermocycling. RESULTS After 150 days of storage, etching of saliva-contaminated surfaces with 5% hydrofluoric acid and/or 37% phosphoric acid provided statistically significantly higher bond strengths (37.9 to 49.5 MPa) than the other cleaning methods (1.7 to 15.5 MPa). After saliva and silicone contamination, etching with 5% hydrofluoric acid provided statistically significantly higher bond strengths (44.5 to 50.3 MPa) than all other cleaning methods (0.3 to 13.5 MPa). CONCLUSION Ceramic cleaning methods after try-in procedures have a significant influence on the resin bond strength and are dependent on the type of contamination. Re-etching lithium disilicate ceramic with 5% hydrofluoric acid is most effective in removing contamination with saliva and/or a silicone disclosing medium.
Multi-sensor image fusion of the lunar image data using DT-CWT and curvelet transform

Multisensor image fusion is the process of combining relevant information from high spatial resolution image and high spectral resolution image. This paper proposes a new image fusion method based on Dual Tree-Complex Wavelet Transform (DTCWT), and Curvelet transform for remotely sensed lunar image data in order to extract features accurately. Different fusion techniques have been used in the past separately for spatial and spectral quality image enhancement. In this study, we use a new image fusion technique based on Dual Tree — Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT) and Curvelet transforms. Results indicate that the fused lunar image shows good spatial fidelity and the spectral resolution of the fused product was preserved after image data fusion. It is seen that 95.98% of the spectral content is preserved by curvelet fusion. From the results of statistical evaluation parameters demonstrated for the two study sites, it is found that curvelet transform gives better results than the other techniques commonly used.
Folgen des Mindestlohns in Deutschland: Betriebe reagieren nur selten mit Entlassungen

von Lutz Bellmann, Mario Bossler, Matthias Dütsch, Hans-Dieter Gerner und Clemens Ohlert  Mit der Einführung des Mindestlohns im Januar 2015 war oftmals die Befürchtung verbunden, er hätte negative Effekte auf die Beschäftigung. Das IAB-Betriebspanel von 2015 gibt nun Auskunft darüber, ob und mit welchen Maßnahmen betroffene Betriebe in Deutschland auf die gestiegenen Lohnkosten reagieren.
Classroom Environment: Content Analysis Examining Characteristics of Classroom Environments That Affect Students' Academic Achievement

2 DEDICATION 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 Chapter 1. ) INTRODUCTION 9 Statement of the Problem 10 Research Questions 11 Significance of the Study 12 Definitions of Terms for This Study 13 Delimitations and Limitations 14 Overview of the Study 16 2. ) REVIEW OF LITERATURE 17 Introduction 17 Classroom Culture and Collaborative Groups 22 Motivation 26 Positivity and the Power of Words 28 Classroom Lighting and Temperature 32 Classroom Management 33
Baseline Values of the SCAT in Mexican Football Association Players

Introduction: Recently, there has been increasing cases of sports-related concussion. Individuals with this kind of injury may develop acute or chronic symptoms that may affect their health and athletic performance. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the baseline scores in all domains of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) among Mexican football association players. Materials and Methods: Four-hundred and seven football players with a mean age of 16.3 years were interviewed about the presence of concussion in the past 12 months and then assessed with the SCAT. Results: Three-hundred and thirty (81.1%) football players trained from 6 to 12 hours per week and 77 (18.9%) trained from 13 to 18 hours per week. One-hundred and nineteen (29.2%) athletes had consistently been involved in football for 6 to 24 months, and 288 (70.8%) athletes had been involved for longer than 24 months. In the past 12 months, the prevalence of concussion was 5.4%. According to the SCAT, 32 out of 407 (7.9%) participants made orientation errors, 227 out of 407 (55.8%) participants made errors in immediate memory, 377 out of 407 (92.6%) participants made errors in concentration, 366 out of 407 (89.9%) participants made errors in balance tests, and 309 out of 407 (75.9%) football players made delayed memory errors. The overall average of the SCAT was 86.6. Participants with an antecedent of concussion scored significantly lower (P < 0.05) on the SCAT total score than those without an antecedent of concussion. Discussion: These results show that athletes who are in good health presented variable or negative results at baseline in the SCAT. Therefore, it is proposed the application of the SCAT to athletes to obtain baseline assessments and thus these values can be helpful for interpreting post-injury test scores.
Alcohol violations and aviation accidents: findings from the U.S. mandatory alcohol testing program.

INTRODUCTION Mandatory alcohol testing has been implemented in the U.S. aviation industry since 1995. This study documents the prevalence of alcohol violations and the association between alcohol violations and aviation accidents among aviation employees with safety-sensitive functions. METHODS Data from the random alcohol testing and post-accident alcohol testing programs reported by major airlines to the Federal Aviation Administration for the years 1995 through 2002 were analyzed. A violation was defined as an alcohol level of > or = 0.04% or a refusal to submit to testing. Relative and attributable risks of accident involvement associated with alcohol violations were estimated using the case-control method. RESULTS During the study period, random alcohol testing yielded a total of 440 violations, with an overall prevalence rate of 0.09% and a prevalence rate of 0.03% for flight crews. Alcohol violations were associated with an increased yet not statistically significant risk of accident involvement (odds ratio 2.56, 95% confidence interval 0.81-7.08) and were attributed to 0.13% of aviation accidents. DISCUSSION Alcohol violations among U.S. major airline employees with safety-sensitive functions are rare and play a negligible role in aviation accidents.
A Model of Infected Burn Wounds UsingEscherichia coli O18:K1:H7 for the Study of Gram-Negative Bacteremia and Sepsis

ABSTRACT A difficulty that has emerged in the development and preclinical evaluation of adjuvant therapies for gram-negative sepsis is the lack of easily studied animal models that closely mimic human infection. An objective of this study was to adapt a previously described model of infection in burned mice to rats with a defined bacterial strain ofEscherichia coli. Challenge with two colonies of liveE. coli O18:K1:H7 bacteria into an 8% full-thickness burn of the dorsal skin surface of rats produced predictable bacteremia at 24 to 48 h and 80 to 100% mortality at 3 to 4 days. E. coli O18:K1:H7 was approximately 10-million-fold more virulent than several other gram-negative bacterial strains. The model should be a useful tool in studying the pathogenicity of burn wound infections and in evaluating the efficacy of novel adjuvant therapies for gram-negative sepsis.
Screening for Cervical Cancer in HIV‐Infected Women Receiving Care in the United States

Objective: We examined the sociodemographic, clinical and provider factors associated with screening for cervical cancer among HIV‐infected women. Methods: We studied a national sample representing 43,490 women receiving treatment of HIV infection who completed first follow‐up surveys of the HIV Cost and Service Utilization Study (HCSUS). All women were asked, “In the past 12 months, have you had a Pap test? ” Women reporting an abnormal Pap test result were asked whether they had been told antibiotics could cure abnormal cells, and whether they were scheduled for another Pap test or for a colposcopy within 3 months. Results: Of the population represented, 81% had had a Pap test in the past 12 months. Women who reported having a gynecologist and primary care physician at the same clinical site were almost twice as likely (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.3‐3.0) as other women to report Pap testing. Among women who reported abnormal Pap test results and were not told antibiotics could cure abnormal cells, 95% were scheduled for a repeat Pap test or colposcopy, but 15% of the women had not received their repeat Pap test or colposcopy. Conclusion: Although Pap test rates and appropriate referral for abnormal findings were high among HIV‐tested women, many women with initially abnormal Pap test results did not actually receive follow‐up Pap testing or colposcopy. Providing gynecologic care at the same site as primary HIV care would likely improve delivery of needed gynecologic care for women.
Learning Factor Selection for Boosted Matrix Factorisation in Recommender Systems

Matrix factorisation (MF), an effective recommendation algorithm, predicts user preferences on items based on the historical preferences of other like-minded users. Classical MF methods do not explicitly distinguish the significances across the underlying factors that determine a users' preference on an item. The identical contribution of latent factors during learning results unnecessary updates on unimportant variables that leads to slower and suboptimal convergence. In this paper, we propose a new matrix factorisation method that not only seeks the intrinsic and outstanding factors that determine the users' preferences but also systematically reinforces the contribution generated by these factors. Based on boosting, a factor selection mechanism is developed to account the variable importance of latent factors to generate an ensemble recommender on the selected subspace of the latent factors by the principle of model uncertainty reduction. The proposed method is evaluated against a variety of the state-of-the-art methods of recommender systems on three publicly available benchmark datasets. The results confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.
Profile of Patients with Stroke and Disorders of the Vocal Tract

Background: The present work aims to characterize the profile of patients with stroke treat at a hospital located in the Region of the Mata of Minas Gerais, Brazil, considering the findings of the clinical vocal tract, kind of stroke, age and gender of such patients. Methodology: To obtain data, the clinical profile of 133 patients with a clinical or tomography diagnosis of stroke was analyzed, and the results were presented in percentage. For quantitative data average and analysis the tests were done with associations that held χ2 test, and for significance it was considered p < 0.05. Results: From the total of patients, 63 were women, accounting for 47.4% and the other 52.6% were males. Clinically, they were characterized with the highest percentage for ischemic stroke (89.4%) compared to the hemorrhagic type (10.6%). Most of them were referred for computed tomography (86.5%) and remained hospitalized for an average of 6.496 ± 7.372 days. Similar percentages were obtained in the analysis of the population in question, when considering if they had (54.1%) or not (49.6%) any damage in their speech, language skills or swallowing. There were different types of disabilities in patients with stroke. Men with an average age of 69.8 ± 13.9 presents mostly ischemic stroke, and the majority of patients with stroke had hemiplegia and abnormalities of the vocal tract, dysphasia, and aphasia. While older patients had an ischemic stroke and were presented with left hemiplegia, the younger ones suffered from hemorrhagic strokes that caused a disability characterized as right hemiplegic. Conclusion: Our results show important conclusions regarding the clinical evolution of the vocal tract of patients who suffered strokes during the period of the analysis, being useful for better comprehension of how the vocal tract from these patients evolved according to the kind of stroke, sex and age also allowing a contraposition with other future statistics periods available in literature. It can also be pointed out the difficulties in diagnosing the stroke and the concern with the immediate care, but not with its continuance or with its multidisciplinary approach, giving an evident life risk through dysphasia and the increase of permanent damage when there isn’t an appropriate work done with the patients.
Exercises: Which Ones Are Worth Trying, for Which Patients, and When?

Study Design Criteria‐based review. Summary of Background Data Reviews based on trials published up to 1990 conclude that the efficacy of exercise therapy in patients with low back pain is questionable. Objectives To determine from recently published trials the efficacy of exercises in patients with acute, subacute, or chronic back pain. Methods A Medline search for randomized trials concerning exercise therapy in patients with back pain published from 1991 until the first quarter of 1995 was conducted. All studies were given a method score (maximum, 100 points). Results Eleven randomized trials were included: four in acute back pain, one in subacute, and six in patients with chronic back pain. Three trials had method scores lower than 40 points. For acute back pain, two trials with high method scores (> 50 points) reported no efficacy of flexion or extension exercises; two trials of the McKenzie type of exercises reported positive results but had low method scores. For subacute pain, one trial (> 50 points) reported positive results of exercises with a graded activity program. For chronic back pain, three trials reported positive results with different types of exercises; two trials reported better results with intensive exercising compared with low grade exercising, but after 12 months, this effect had disappeared. In chronic pain, no relation between method score and conclusions could be found. Conclusions In acute back pain, exercise therapy is ineffective, whereas in subacute back pain, exercises with a graded activity program, and in chronic back pain, intensive exercising, deserve attention. More research on McKenzie therapy, on exercises with a graded activity program, and on different types of exercising in patients with chronic back pain is necessary.