Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Localization in random media and its effect on the homogenized behavior of materials

The present manuscript is submitted in partial fulfillment of my application to the degree of ``Habilitation a diriger des recherches'' at Sorbonne University. Its main contribution is a study in theoretical mechanics devoted to homogenization problems in the context of degenerate (non-strictly convex) local response of one of the phases, which can serve as idealized models for porous or rigidly-reinforced materials exhibiting perfectly-plastic behavior. In these situations plastic flow preferentially concentrates along shear bands; as a result the material effective response is governed by those regions within the material where the field localizes. A form of localization also occurs in linear problems governed by asymptotically hyperbolic partial derivative equations, where the strain field is found to develop banding patterns. The solutions are relevant to strongly-anisotropic elastic or thermoelastic media. Such a linear problem is studied in the present work in the context of a random microstructure, specifically a polycrystal containing cracks. A related topic is whether incipient localization may develop as a result of the microstructure itself. This question is investigated in the case of a Stokes flow occurring in a porous medium around a set of obstacles exhibiting unusual spatial distribution, characterized by long-range correlations. The different model problems are addressed by means of various techniques. Limit analysis bounds are combined with integral geometry to provide insight on the material behavior. Comparisons with rigorous bounds and estimates of homogenization theories, and full-field ``Fourier-based'' numerical results, allow us to interpret and assess the response of certain random microstructures. Although a complete solution is out-of-reach, the interplay between field localization and microstructure is elucidated in specific cases.
Physician Burnout, Resilience, and Patient Experience in a Community Practice: Correlations and the Central Role of Activation

Clinician burnout and patient experience are important issues that are often considered separately. New measures of resilience may influence both. We explored relationships among clinician resilience, burnout, and patient experience. Analysis included 490 physicians who completed surveys measuring burnout and resilience (decompression and activation) and had at least 30 patient experience surveys available for analysis. Burnout was measured with 2 items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) which were part of the organization’s ongoing measurement of clinician experience. Resilience was measured with 8 items from 2 Press Ganey validated subscales related to clinicians’ ability to decompress from work and their experience of feeling of activation and connection to purpose while at work. Clinicians reporting more frequent symptoms of burnout based on the MBI items reported less ability to decompress (r for individual measures ranged from −.183 to −.475, P < .01) and less feeling of activation (r for individual measures ranged from −.116 to −.401, P < .01). Individual elements of decompression and activation were significantly associated with patient experience. In terms of activation, feeling that one’s work makes a difference (r ranged from .121 to .159, P < .05) and believing one’s work to be meaningful (r ranged from .102 to .135, P < .05) were positively associated with patient experience with their care provider. However, elements of decompression such as being able to free one’s mind from work (r ranged from −.092 to −.119, P < .05) and being able to disconnect from work communications such as e-mails (r ranged from −.094 to −.130, P < .05) were negatively associated with patient experience with their care providers. Patient and provider experience are intertwined in that clinician resilience is associated with both burnout and patient experience, but individual mechanisms of resilience may be beneficial for the clinician but not for the patient.
Seismic retrofit design and risk assessment of an irregular thermal power plant building

Electric power system is one of essential lifeline systems for an urban community. An actual power plant building with typical coal‐fired power generation process is selected to be studied in this paper. The detrimental impacts on the seismic performance of the structural system induced by heavy coal bunkers and irregular bracing configurations are expected to be mitigated by using retrofit strategies. A total of three retrofit design schemes that employ the isolation and supplemental damping techniques are developed. The original design scheme of the actual thermal power plant building that adopts steel special concentrically braced frame as lateral‐force resisting system is used as benchmark for comparison purposes. Nonlinear response‐history analyses are performed, and the obtained seismic responses are compared. To better quantify the benefit of the considered retrofit strategies, seismic risk in terms of probabilities of exceeding designated damage states as well as the downtime are analyzed. For the studied thermal power plant building, the results show that the added damping system is more effective in seismic risk reduction than the isolation for heavy coal bunkers. Compared to the original structural system design, the use of supplemental damping system cut the downtime of the thermal power plant building at most 42%.
Impact of value co-creation on firm performance: Mediating role of strategic advantages

Value co-creation (VC), the unified motive of different stakeholders of a firm to improve the VC process, is a crucial in mounting mutual goals. Though, the current movement of a growing size and number of enormous customers has placed the smaller industrial dealers in subservient roles and consigned their goalmouth to persistence. Hypotheses were analyzed by structured equation modeling using partial least squares 3.0. Data were collected by field survey from March May 2019. Convenient random sampling used to select the respondents. Study, examine the influences of VC on small and medium producer (SMP) performance in Cameroon. They provide components or parts to huge companies’ buyers, notified that the VC does have a positive and statistically signiﬁcant direct and indirect influence on the organizational performance (OP) through their improved strategic competitive advantages (CA). Consequently, VC is not only significant for only big firms, but also to small and medium producers (SMP), as it promotes them from a commercial correlation to a cooperative link with their partners. Keywords : Value Co-creation (VC) , Competitive Advantage (CA) , Small and medium producer (SMP) , Organizational performance (OP) DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-21-20 Publication date :July 31 st 2019
Analysis of students interaction on technology based Conceptual Change Text (CCT) in physics classroom

This study aimed to analysis the interaction of student-students, students-teacher, students-material and students-learning media on Technology Based Conceptual Change Text in physics classroom. The analysis based on the frequent students interaction and was supplemented by qualitative (descriptive) data. Observation sheet was used to collected data of student-students interaction, student-teacher and student-learning media interaction. In addition, the research used student’s worksheet to collect data of student with material interaction. The finding show that there was improvement of the frequent students interaction from the first cycle to third cycle. These finding indicated that use of Technology Based Conceptual Change Text Approach in physics classroom allows for adequate students interaction with material, learning media and with other students. The result of this study can serve as reference for future studies on students interaction in physics classroom, especially using Technology Based Conceptual Change Text.
Tourism, inclusive growth and decent work: a political economy critique

Abstract This paper interrogates the ideas of ‘sustained’ and ‘inclusive’ growth that are intrinsic to one of three UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8 - Decent Work and Growth) adopted by the UN World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) 2030 sustainable tourism agenda. It provides a Marxian-inspired political economy critique of the UNWTO’s embrace of SDG8 and highlights the blind spot within the UNWTO’s inclusive growth-led SDG agenda with respect to questions of equity and social justice. The paper contends that the UNWTO’s SDG-led agenda is contradicted by the logics of growth, competitiveness and profit-making that drive the continued expansion and development of tourism. Rather than addressing the structural injustices that entrench inequalities and reproduce exploitative labour practices, the notion of sustained and inclusive growth reinforces the primacy of capital and market notions of justice and continues to perpetuate a growth driven tourism development model. The paper contributes to a critical theorization of sustainable tourism and offers an informed critique of the current political agenda for sustainable tourism and its potential outcomes.
Development and evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a member of Tobamovirus infecting tomato and pepper. Within North America, both the United States and Mexico consider ToBRFV to be a regulated pest. In Canada, the presence of ToBRFV has been reported, but an efficient diagnostic system has not yet been established. Here, we describe the development and assessment of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based assay to detect ToBRFV. The LAMP test was efficient and robust, and results could be obtained within 35 min with an available RNA sample. Amplification was possible when either water bath or oven were used to maintain the temperature at isothermal conditions (65°C), and results could be read by visual observation of colour change. Detection limit of the LAMP was eight target RNA molecules. Under the experimental conditions tested, LAMP was as sensitive as qPCR and 100 times more sensitive than the currently used rt-PCR. We recommend this sensitive, efficient LAMP protocol to be used for routine lab testing of ToBRFV.
Violence metaphors for cancer

Abstract The use of violence metaphors for cancer has been widely criticised both in academic and non-academic contexts (see Harrington, 2012; Semino et al., 2015). Whereas previous research on violence metaphors for cancer has focused on the use and functions of these metaphors by and for different stakeholder groups, no studies to date have examined the (various) arguments that are raised in public discourse that is critical of said metaphors. Applying concepts from pragma-dialectical argumentation theory (Van Eemeren & Grootendorst, 1992), this paper sets out to analyse types of argumentation occurring in critical public discussions of violence metaphors for cancer. Close argumentative analyses of actual discourse examples will be provided in order to illustrate the differences between two types of argumentation in particular, i.e. pragmatic and symptomatic argumentation.
Regional cerebral oxygenation and blood volume responses in healthy women during seated whole-body vibration (WBV)

Fourteen women (age: 23.9 ± 3.5 years) were randomly exposed to three frequencies of WBV (3, 4.5 and 6 Hz at approximately 0.9gr.m.s in the vertical direction) on a customized vibrating base (Advanced Therapy Products, Inc., USA) in a seated posture on three separate days. On the first day, the subjects completed an aerobic fitness test until volitional exhaustion on an arm cranking ergometer (Cybex, MET 300, USA).
The Involvement of Real Estate Companies in Sustainable Development—An Analysis from the SDGs Reporting Perspective

As transparency has become the new paradigm of economic activities, we set out to analyse the extent to which the EU real estate companies legitimise their role in society through the sustainable development goals (SDGs) while meeting stakeholders’ information needs. Applying the content analysis, the sustainability reports and the annual reports of the entities from the real estate sector, from 2016 to 2018, were studied in order to highlight the priority SDGs of the field and the extent to which they are integrated in their business models. In addition, we evaluated, based on a quality score, the depth with which the entities report their sustainability commitments. The results of the study show that although more and more real estate entities are expressing their interest for sustainable development, there is still a large gap between the assumed intentions and the real actions undertaken by the companies. Most of them do not have the strategy, culture and tools needed to turn sustainability commitments into concrete actions. According to the average quality score (2.99 out of 5), the entities present their sustainability aspirations mostly qualitatively and report few quantitative key performance indicators (KPIs) to reveal the degree of achievement of the priority SDGs, such as: SDG 11—Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13—Climate action and SDG 8—Decent work and economic growth.
Performance of classification criteria for Behcet's disease in an Egyptian cohort

Background: The revised Japanese criteria, the International study group (ISG), the International criteria for Behcet's disease (ICBD) 2006, and the revised ICBD 2010 are frequently used for the classification of Behcet's Disease (BD). In this study we evaluated the performance of these criteria sets in Egyptians. Methods: A total of of 461 Egyptian patients over 5 years were studied. It included 256 patients classified as BD based on expert opinion and 205 patients with other autoimmune and/or autoinflammatory diseases with symptoms similar to BD. Performance of the revised Japanese criteria, ISG, ICBD 2006, and the revised ICBD 2010 was evaluated evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), positive predictive value (PPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), diagnostic odd ratio (DOR), and Youden's index (YI). Results: ICBD 2010 carried the highest sensitivity (98.83%), NPV (98.48%), DOR (1645), and YI (0.94) with lowest NLR (0.01). On the other hand, ICBD 2006 and ISG were very specific (99.51%, 99.41%, respectively) with PPV (99.49%, 99.40%) and PLR (155.35, 126.33), respectively. Conclusions: ICBD 2010 is a very good criteria set to be used in Egyptian BD patients based on its very high sensitivity, accepted specificity, and power of discrimination that enables early patients classification, management, and prognosis.
Resident Survey on Gastroenterology Training in Canada

Abstract Background Gastroenterology training in Canada is guided by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Resident perspectives on training and the degree of heterogeneity across training programs have not been previously surveyed. Aim This study aims to evaluate the current Canadian adult gastroenterology training experience from a resident perspective and provide insight into the heterogeneity among training programs. Method A survey designed by three current gastroenterology residents was distributed to trainees attending the Gastroenterology Residents-in-Training course at Canadian Digestive Diseases Week 2018. Categorical data from the survey was analyzed in table format. Other continuous data was converted to dichotomous data and analyzed in groups of small and large programs, the large program defined as greater than six trainees. Results The overall response rate was 45 of 56 (80%), representing 13 of 14 accredited training sites. Mandatory rotations and core procedures varied widely across respondents, with only inpatient training consistent across all sites. Small programs had a higher call burden (P=0.039), but staff were more likely to be available to cover call if the resident coverage was unavailable (P=0.002). There were nonsignificant trends in small programs in the inability to take a post-call day (P=0.07) and a resident perception of being well trained (P=0.07). Conclusions There is heterogeneity across programs in mandatory rotations and core procedures. With the upcoming shift to competency-based medical education, it is an opportune time to re-evaluate and perhaps standardize how gastroenterology training is delivered in Canada.
Complementary Effects of Adaptation and Gain Control on Sound Encoding in Primary Auditory Cortex

Abstract An important step toward understanding how the brain represents complex natural sounds is to develop accurate models of auditory coding by single neurons. A commonly used model is the linear-nonlinear spectro-temporal receptive field (STRF; LN model). The LN model accounts for many features of auditory tuning, but it cannot account for long-lasting effects of sensory context on sound-evoked activity. Two mechanisms that may support these contextual effects are short-term plasticity (STP) and contrast-dependent gain control (GC), which have inspired expanded versions of the LN model. Both models improve performance over the LN model, but they have never been compared directly. Thus, it is unclear whether they account for distinct processes or describe one phenomenon in different ways. To address this question, we recorded activity of neurons in primary auditory cortex (A1) of awake ferrets during presentation of natural sounds. We then fit models incorporating one nonlinear mechanism (GC or STP) or both (GC+STP) using this single dataset, and measured the correlation between the models’ predictions and the recorded neural activity. Both the STP and GC models performed significantly better than the LN model, but the GC+STP model outperformed both individual models. We also quantified the equivalence of STP and GC model predictions and found only modest similarity. Consistent results were observed for a dataset collected in clean and noisy acoustic contexts. These results establish general methods for evaluating the equivalence of arbitrarily complex encoding models and suggest that the STP and GC models describe complementary processes in the auditory system.
Change Goals Robustly Predict Trait Growth: A Mega-Analysis of a Dozen Intensive Longitudinal Studies Examining Volitional Change

Research suggests that change goals (desires to change personality traits) predict subsequent trait growth. In this article, we (re)analyzed all data our labs have collected as of May 2019 that included measures of change goals and repeated measures of personality traits (12 studies; total n = 2,238). Results indicated that change goals robustly predicted growth in all five traits. Effect sizes were largest for extraversion and emotional stability (people with high change goals were predicted to experience ∼0.16 SDs greater growth across 16 weeks than their peers with average goals) and smallest for agreeableness and openness (people with high change goals were predicted to experience ∼0.05 SDs greater growth across 16 weeks than their peers with average goals). Thus, our analyses reinforce that people change in ways that align with their desires across time.
A survey on the habit to change the answers in multiple choice questions (MCQ) exams: Does the examinee benefit?

Background Nowadays multiple choice questions (MCQs) are amongst the most accredited type of examination tools. Examinees (students) change their selected answers with the hope to get higher scores, whereas it may decrease their final scores on the contrary. This study evaluates such a habit in medical students. Materials and methods The medical students' exam papers in dermatology ward during the past nine years were reviewed to check their answer sheets for changing the answers to MCQs. Frequency of changes in changing answers to MCQs, and total effect of these changes in the final scores were evaluated and analyzed. Results In this study, 614 medical students were considered. At the end of their course in dermatology ward, 472 MCQs were used as the standard examination. Totally 45.5% of the students (41.7% males and 46.5% females) had changed their answers to the MCQs, which had no meaningful difference in terms of gender. Mean total score of both of groups, who had changed and who had not changed their answers, were compared and no changes were seen. Based on the direction of changes, this study showed that 36% of students had corrected their wrong answers, 30.2% had changed their correct answers to wrong ones and 38% had changed wrong answers to other wrong ones. Statistically no meaningful changes were seen. In 40% of students these changes had led to higher scores, 31.5% had got lower scores and 28.5 % had no change in their final scores. Conclusion Medical students who had taken part in this survey had changed their answers less than what literature explains, and fewer students had corrected their wrong answers and as a result had got lower scores. It seems that temptation to change answers based on the fine attention to MCQs and logical thought might lead to higher scores, but the change by itself had not led to better results, blind change works just by chance as in our students.
Oral contraceptive pills in the management of clomiphene resistant anovulation

Introduction: We tried to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 months oral contraceptive pill (OCP) pretreatment for clomiphene citrate (CC) resistant cases followed by repeat clomiphene citrate treatment. Material and Methods: In this study of 100 patients, 30 met the criteria of clomiphen citrate resistant anovulation . Before starting OCPs day 3 hormone profile assayed. All 30patients were given 2 months of continuous OCPs for hypothalamic –pituitary-ovarian axis suppression. After withdrawal bleeding, their day 3 hormonal profile assayed and clomiphene citrate was given from day 3-day7. Follicular growth monitored by sonography from day 12 till max size (>20mm) reached. 10,000 IU Hcg given to those patients who failed to show spontaneous rupture. Ovulation was confirmed by S. Progesterone assay on day 21. Pregnancy confirmed by S. Beta hCG level and 7 weeks amenorrhoea. Result: A total number of 30 patients completed 75 treatment cycles. 23 of them achieved ovulation. There were significant changes observed in hormonal profile in response to OCP treatment. 17 beta estradiol levels decreased to 58%, 63% reduction noted in LH level, androgen decreased by 56%. FSH level also decreased but not so significantly. 23 patients ovulated out of 30 patients (76.6%) which resulted in high ovulatory cycle 55/75 (73.2%) and Cumulative pregnancy rate 60% (18/30). Conclusion: This study showed the excellent ovulation and pregnancy rate following OCP suppression. This mode of treatment is a cheaper alternative to GnRH therapy for poor anovulatory women.