Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flume Studies of the Effect of Pe rpendicular Log Obstructions on Flow Patterns and Bed Topography

It is known that woody debris in stream channels modifies morphology in many ways, ranging from scour of the bed to lateral migration of the channel over time. Since the occurrence of woody debris in streams results in a complex set of inter-related processes, it is useful to use controlled conditions in laboratory experiments to aid in the understanding of these processes. A flume study was undertaken to determine the spatial dimensions of influence on flow patterns and on bed topography of woody debris oriented normal to flow. Fluid depth was varied over three sets of stage conditions (stage condition 1 = low stage; condition 2 = medium stage; condition 3 = high stage) to change the obstruction ratio (the diameter of the debris to the depth of unobstructed flow), and speed of the fluid was varied to maintain a constant Froude number. Bed profiling and flow velocity sampling were used to determine the effects of the obstruction ratio. Results show that as the percentage of obstruction increases, there is an increase in scour pool area, and a corresponding morphological effect on the shape of the influence zone (or zone of reverse circulation) immediately behind the obstruction, which is attributable to fluid passing under the obstruction. Geometric relationships of the length of this influence zone to obstruction diameter are presented and discussed in terms of aquatic habitat in natural channels.
Patient and Situational Factors That Affect Nursing Students' Like Or Dislike of Caring for Patients

The purpose of this study was to identify certain characteristics of the patient or the helping situation that evoke in nursing students positive or negative feelings about caring for patients. Causes nursing students spontaneously gave for their feelings about caring for patients were examined. Results provided some support for the perception that nurses may not be responsive to certain patients. The nursing students liked best caring for patients who were cheerful and communicative. They also liked to care for patients who were in pain, patients they viewed as needing high levels of nursing care, and patients who responded positively to their attempts to minister.
Detection and Identification of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon Species in Stool and Urine Specimens by PCR and Differential Hybridization

ABSTRACT Several species of microsporidia can cause disease in humans in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis are most commonly associated with chronic diarrhea. All Encephalitozoon species, including E. intestinalis, E. hellem, and E. cuniculi, also cause disseminated infections. As distinctive treatment options are available for the different genera, identification is clinically important. We evaluated a PCR with primers directed to a conserved region of the small subunit rRNA gene of microsporidia. Hybridization with a generic microsporidium probe and specific probes for each of the four different species was used for identification. Probes were labeled with ruthenium and detected by electrochemiluminescence. The sensitivity of the assay was tested with plasmids containing the region of interest from each of the four different species and Vittaforma corneae as a control. In addition, the assay was tested with feces spiked with cultured spores from each of the three Encephalitozoon species and V. corneae. An analytical sensitivity of 3.5 × 102 to 3.5 × 103 spores per g of feces, corresponding to 17 to 170 gene copies per PCR, was found, which is several orders of magnitude more sensitive than microscopy after Uvitex 2B fluorescent staining. Stool samples from 22 microscopically diagnosed patients and from 61 uninfected controls were evaluated, showing a sensitivity of at least 95% and a specificity of 100% compared to microscopy. The method was further tested by spiking urine samples with spores of the different Encephalitozoon species.
Timing of Solid Food Introduction in Relation to Eczema, Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, and Food and Inhalant Sensitization at the Age of 6 Years: Results From the Prospective Birth Cohort Study LISA

OBJECTIVE. Current prophylactic feeding guidelines recommend a delayed introduction of solids for the prevention of atopic diseases. This study investigates whether a delayed introduction of solids (past 4 or 6 months) is protective against the development of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food or inhalant sensitization at the age of 6 years. METHODS. Data from 2073 children in the ongoing LISA birth cohort study were analyzed at 6 years of age. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for all children and for children without skin or allergic symptoms within the first 6 months of life to take into account reverse causality. RESULTS. A delayed introduction of solids (past 4 or 6 months) was not associated with decreased odds for asthma, allergic rhinitis, or sensitization against food or inhalant allergens at 6 years of age. On the contrary, food sensitization was more frequent in children who were introduced to solids later. The relationship between the timing of solid food introduction and eczema was not clear. There was no protective effect of a late introduction of solids or a less diverse diet within the first 4 months of life. However, in children without early skin or allergic symptoms were considered, eczema was significantly more frequent in children who received a more diverse diet within the first 4 months. CONCLUSIONS. This study found no evidence supporting a delayed introduction of solids beyond 4 or 6 months for the prevention of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food or inhalant sensitization at the age of 6 years. For eczema, the results were conflicting, and a protective effect of a delayed introduction of solids cannot be excluded. Positive associations between late introduction of solids and food sensitization have to be interpreted with caution. A true protective effect of a delayed introduction of solids on food sensitization seems unlikely.
Position estimation method for rotating part in Non-cooperation aerial target

Position estimation for rotating part in high resolution range profile is precondition for rotating part signal separation, when non-cooperation aerial target is observed by inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). Position estimation methods for rotating part put forward in current literatures are not enough robust, when they are applied to real data. In this paper, based on formulation of high resolution range profile with rotating part, distribution characteristic of micro-motion component correspond to rotating part is analyzed at first, then position estimation method is put forward and ISAR real data is used to test the method. The processing result in real data shows effectiveness of the estimation method in this paper.
Multi-task deep neural network with shared hidden layers: Breaking down the wall between emotion representations

Emotion representations are psychological constructs for modelling, analysing, and recognising emotion, being one essential element of affect. Due to its complexity, the boundaries between different emotion concepts are often fuzzy, which is also reflected in the diversification of emotion databases, and their inconsistent target labels. When facing data scarcity as an ever present issue for acoustic emotion recognition, the straightforward method to jointly use the existing data resources is to map various emotion labels onto one common dimensional space; this, however, comes with considerable information loss. To solve the dilemma of data aggregation whilst efficiently exploiting the emotion labels in terms of their original meaning and interrelations, we advocate the usage of multi-task deep neural networks with shared hidden layers (MT-SHL-DNN), in which the feature transformations are shared across different emotion representations, while the output layers are separately associated with each emotion database. On nine frequently used emotional speech corpora and two different acoustic feature sets, we demonstrate that the MT-SHL-DNN method outperforms the single-task DNNs trained with only one emotion representation.
ADEPTE project: an individual federated database on a smart card

In the ADEPTE project, we consider a new domain of communication, that between individuals and organisations. An individual may expect to access their own data, created, managed and located on autonomous and heterogeneous existing information systems. We propose a system using smart cards, where each card houses a personal DB, which federates data located on logically separate systems in such a manner that data location is transparent to its user. The problems of DB schema and transaction management are therefore discussed.
An Efficient Test Method for Rate Monotonic Schedulability

Rate Monotonic scheduling algorithm has been widely used in real-time systems for its optimality in fixed priority scheduling. Determining the Rate Monotonic schedulability of tasks is an important problem when designing a real-time system. There are exact schedulability test methods for Rate Monotonic scheduling, but the worst case response time analysis on which the exact tests are based is NP-hard. So the exact tests are often too complex to be executed on-line for large numbers of tasks. For practical use, polynomial time sufficient conditions for the Rate Monotonic schedulability have been studied. However, existing polynomial time tests are often too pessimistic. In this paper, we propose a new polynomial time sufficient condition based on the response time analysis, which is less pessimistic than existing ones. Simulation results show that our test significantly outperforms the existing tests and has performance close to the exact test.
Far‐Field R Wave Oversensing in a Dual Chamber Arrhythmia Management Device: Predisposing Factors and Practical Implications

WERETKA, S. , et al.: Far‐Field R Wave Oversensing in a Dual Chamber Arrhythmia Management Device: Predisposing Factors and Practical Implications. Initial experience with the Medtronic Jewel 7250, the ICD designed to detect and treat ventricular and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, is very promising. Its effectiveness, however, depends on sensing performance, which has not yet been systematically examined. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of, predisposing factors for, and practical implications of far‐field R wave oversensing (FFRWOS) in this dual chamber ICD. During a total follow‐up of 797 months in 48 patients who had the Jewel 7250, follow‐up strip charts, 12‐channel Holter recordings and, in particular cases, Holter recordings with intracardiac markers were analyzed for the presence of FFRWOS. FFRWOS was documented in ten (21.3%) patients. Compared to other lead locations, the right atrial appendage lead position was most frequently associated with FFRWOS (7/27 vs 3/21, P < 0.05). Patients with FFRWOS had significantly more treated and nontreated atrial episodes, many of which were judged to have been detected inappropriately. In one case, inappropriate atrial antitachycardia pacing due to R wave oversensing triggered sustained ventricular tachycardia, terminated eventually with a high energy shock. In dual chamber ICDs, FFRWOS may represent a frequent phenomenon possibly leading to serious consequences. For atrial leads, a lateral atrial wall position seems to be preferable. In most cases, FFRWOS can be eliminated by optimization of atrial sensing parameters. Given the possibility of ventricular proarrhythmia with atrial pacing therapy, the capability of ventricular backup defibrillation in respective devices is at least reassuring.
Molecular-Clinical Correlation in a Family With a Novel Heteroplasmic Leigh Syndrome Missense Mutation in the Mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase III Gene

Cytochrome c oxidase is an essential component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain that catalyzes the reduction of molecular oxygen by reduced cytochrome c. In this study, the authors report the second mutation associated with Leigh syndrome in the blood and buccal mucosa of 2 affected members of a Tunisian family. It was a novel heteroplasmic missense mitochondrial mutation at nucleotide 9478 in the gene specifying subunit III of cytochrome c oxidase substituting the valine at position 91 to alanine in a highly conserved amino acid. It was found with a high mutant load in tissues derived from endoderm (buccal mucosa) and mesoderm (blood). However, it was nearly absent in tissue derived from ectoderm (hair follicles). It was absent in 120 healthy controls, and PolyPhen analysis showed that the hydropathy index changed from +1.276 to +0.242, and the number of structures of the 3D protein decreased from 39 to 32.
Characterization of protease from Alcaligens faecalis and its antibacterial activity on fish pathogens.

Alcaligens faecalis AU01 isolated from seafood industry effluent produced an alkaline protease. The optimum culture conditions for growth as well as enzyme production were 37 degrees C and pH 8. The partially purified protease had specific activity of 9.66 with 17.77% recovery with the molecular weight of 33 kDa and it was active between 30-70 degrees C and optimum being at 55 degrees C and pH 9. The enzyme retains more than 85% activity at 70 degrees C and 78% even at pH 10. The enzyme inhibited the growth of fish pathogens such as Flavobacterium sp. , Pseudomonas fluorescens, Vibrio harveyi, Proteus sp. and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. From the present study it can be concluded that Alcaligens faecalis AU01 has the potential for aquaculture as probiotic agent and other several applications.
Psychometric Validation of the Motivation for Healthy Eating Scale (MHES)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Japanese version of the Motivation for Healthy Eating Scale (MHES), a modified version of the Regulation of Eating Behavior Scale that assesses the motivational orientation toward healthy dietary regulation. In the first study, a sample of 490 female Japanese undergraduate students completed the MHES. In the second study, 357 female undergraduate students completed the Balanced Diet Scale (BDS), and Subjective Health Status Questionnaire (SHSQ) in addition to the MHES. The MEHS showed good internal consistency, construct validity, and criterion validity as measured by correlation with scores on the BDS and SHSQ. Psychometric analyses of the MEHS revealed a six-factor scale structure. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranged from . 72 to . 84 (Intrinsic motivation: .80, Integrated regulation: .82, Identified regulation: .84, Introjected regulation: .73, External regulation: .77, and Amotivation: .72). Concerning criterion validity, autonomous regulation was positively associated with BDS scores, whereas controlled regulation was negatively associated with SHSQ scores. The results indicate good psychometric properties for the Japanese version of the MHES. It might be confirmed that fostering autonomous regulation lead healthy eating habits and enhance subjective health.
Estimation of high dimensional mean regression in the absence of symmetry and light tail assumptions

Data subject to heavy‐tailed errors are commonly encountered in various scientific fields. To address this problem, procedures based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression have been developed in recent years. These methods essentially estimate the conditional median (or quantile) function. They can be very different from the conditional mean functions, especially when distributions are asymmetric and heteroscedastic. How can we efficiently estimate the mean regression functions in ultrahigh dimensional settings with existence of only the second moment? To solve this problem, we propose a penalized Huber loss with diverging parameter to reduce biases created by the traditional Huber loss. Such a penalized robust approximate (RA) quadratic loss will be called the RA lasso. In the ultrahigh dimensional setting, where the dimensionality can grow exponentially with the sample size, our results reveal that the RA lasso estimator produces a consistent estimator at the same rate as the optimal rate under the light tail situation. We further study the computational convergence of the RA lasso and show that the composite gradient descent algorithm indeed produces a solution that admits the same optimal rate after sufficient iterations. As a by‐product, we also establish the concentration inequality for estimating the population mean when there is only the second moment. We compare the RA lasso with other regularized robust estimators based on quantile regression and least absolute deviation regression. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the satisfactory finite sample performance of the RA lasso.
A Vertical Exposure of the 1999 Surface Rupture of the Chelungpu Fault at Wufeng, Western Taiwan: Structural and Paleoseismic Implications for an Active Thrust Fault

We mapped and analyzed two vertical exposures—exposed on the walls of a 3- to 5-m-deep, 70-m-long excavation and a smaller 3-m-deep, 10-m-long excavation—across the 1999 rupture of the Chelungpu fault. The primary exposure revealed a broad anticlinal fold with a 2.5-m-high west-facing principal thrust scarp contained in fluvial cobbly gravel beds and overlying fine-grained overbank deposits. Sequential restoration of the principal rupture requires initial failure on the basal, east-dipping thrust plane, followed by wedge thrusting and pop-up of an overlying symmetrical anticline between two opposing secondary thrust faults. Net vertical offset is about 2.2 m across the principal fault zone. From line-length changes, we estimate about 3.3 m of horizontal shortening normal to fault strike. The ratio of these values yields a total slip of 4.0 m and an estimate of about 34° for the dip of the fault plane below the excavation. This value is nearly the same as the 35° average dip of the fault plane from the surface to the hypocenter. Restoration of the exposed gravelly strata and adjacent overbank sediments deposited prior to the 1999 event around the principal rupture suggests the possible existence of a prior event. A buried 30-m-wide anticlinal warp beneath the uplifted crest of the 1999 event is associated with three buried reverse faults that we interpret as evidence for an earlier episode of folding and faulting in the site. The prior event is also recorded in the smaller excavation, which is located 40 m south and is oriented parallel to the larger excavation. Radiocarbon dating of samples within the exposed section did not place tight constraints on the date of the previous event. Available data are interpreted as indicating that the previous event occurred before the deposition of the less than 200 ^(14)C yr B.P. overbank sands and after the deposition of the much older fluvial gravels. We interpret the previous event as the penultimate event relative to the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. We estimated the long-term slip rate of the Chelungpu fault to be 10-15 mm/yr during the last 1 Ma, based on previously published retrodeformable cross sections. This rate is, however, significantly higher than geodetic rates of shortening across the Chelungpu thrust where two pairs of permanent Global Positioning System stations suggest 7-10 mm/yr of shortening across the fault. Given the 4 m of average slip, the long-term slip rate yields an interseismic interval of between 267 and 400 yr for the Chelungpu fault.
Hedging and Liquidity

This article develops a model for evaluating alternative hedging strategies for financially constrained firms. A key advantage of the model is the ability to capture the intertemporal effects of hedging on the firm's financial situation. We characterize the optimal hedge. A wide range of alternative hedging strategies can be specified and the model allows us to determine in each case if the hedging strategy raises or lowers firms value and by how much. We show that hedging firm value, hedging cash flow from operations and hedging sales revenue are not optimal. The article highlights the fact that every hedging strategy comes packaged with a borrowing strategy which requires careful consideration. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Wave scattering and emission by a plasmonic strip placed into a circular quantum wire

Presented are preliminary results related to two electromagnetic-wave problems: of the plane-wave scattering by a silver strip placed into a circular dielectric shell and of the wave emission by the same strip inserted into a quantum wire (QW), in the optical range. Auxiliary analysis is focused on the wavelength dependence of the total scattering cross-section of such resonant scatterer. Then we assume that the shell is a QW under pumping and analyze the localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes and also the shell modes as QW polariton modes perturbed by the strip, of such a two-dimensional (2-D) nanolaser.
High-Speed Parallel Hardware Architecture for Galois Counter Mode

Parallel hardware architecture for an authenticated encryption mode GCM (Galois counter mode) capable of a throughput higher than 100 Gbps is proposed. In GCM, the CTR mode can encrypt multiple data blocks independently, but a hash function performs multiply-add operation with the cipher-text blocks sequentially. Therefore, a parallel multiply-adder was designed and integrated into the GCM hardware with a 14-stage pipelined AES circuit and two kinds of S-box, composite field and BDD (binary decision tree) versions. Performance of a 4-parallel version was evaluated by using a 0.13-mum CMOS standard cell library, and very high throughputs of 102 Gbps with 600 Kgates and 162 Gbps with 979 Kgates were obtained by the composite and BDD S-boxes, respectively. Higher hardware efficiency (throughput/gate) in comparison with prior art was also achieved. The critical path of the design is the multiply-adder in each local processing block, and is not affected by the number of the parallel blocks. Therefore the proposed architecture has almost linear scalability in terms of hardware speed versus size.
Morphology and Histology of the Male Reproductive System in Graphosoma lineatum (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) Based on Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy

The male reproductive system of Graphosoma lineatum (Linnaeus 1758) is studied morphologically and histologically using both light and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). On the basis of histological sections and whole morfological studies, the following elements in the structure of the male reproductive system of G. lineatum have been examined: the structure of a pair of testis containing the testes follicles and the stage of spermatogenesis, the connection of testes and vas deferens; the position and the histological structure the of a pair of vas deferens which is the tube down which the sperm travels, the structure of seminal vesicle which is where the sperm is stored prior to mating which supply seminal fluid for additional volume and to nourish the sperm beforeduring their journey, the bulbus ejaculatorius, a pair of ectodermal sacs the ductus ejaculatorius as well as the structure of aedeagus.