Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical and psychophysical characterization of a GE senographe DS clinical system

Indirect-conversion FFDM systems usually present a lower spatial resolution, with respect to the direct-conversion one. This can put serious issues in mammography, since high resolution is required. Digital software has been developed for restoring the losses in spatial resolution caused by blurring in the scintillation phosphor. GE Senographe DS system gives users the possibility of using such restoration. Basically, a filtering can be performed on the acquired images, by activating the FineView software option. In this work we present a complete characterization of a clinical system, in terms of MTF, NPS, DQE, and contrast-detail analysis. Figures of merit have been calculated on images acquired with and without the FineView software. The effects of the restoration software are investigated, both on image quality parameters, and on contrast-detail visibility. The MTF of the FFDM system is improved when FineView is activated. On the other hand, NPS presents noticeably changes, especially at high frequencies. DQE is fairly independent from the exposure, when FineView filter is not activated, whereas it presents a clear spread over the exposures, when FineView is activated. CDMAM analysis does not show significant differences between images with or without the restoration filter. Besides, the Mo/Mo beam seems to provide slightly better results than the Rh/Rh one.
Analysis of Learning Behavior and Pattern of Online Learners on a MOOC Platform

Understanding a learner in an online environment can ensure success of an online course. The present study determines learning behavior and learning pattern among learners on the MOOC platform established for running an online course offered at ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, India. The demographic description and significant difference between learning patterns of the learners on MOOC according to their subject domain were analyzed by using Moodle LMS (Learning Management System). The learner group was found to comprise in majority as males or doctorate degree holders, and of agriculture domain. Most of the learners were found to be passive who were frequently engaging in the course in terms of learning behavior which indicates their way of participating in the course. Majority of the learners had moderate interest and seriousness to learn the subject. With regard to course participation which is measured in Course log-in patterns, learners with subject domains like Engineering and Agribusiness Management and Agriculture and Veterinary streams had similarity in course participation. Among the weekly participation, there was a significant increase in course participation towards course ending irrespective of subject domains which indicates the participants’ urge to complete the course for certification. The key observations found through study can be of paramount importance in designing a successful MOOC with better completion rates.
Vehicle dynamics modelling for the National Advanced Driving Simulator

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the development of a vehicle dynamics simulation model for use on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) National Advanced Driving Simulator. The paper describes fundamental aspects of models used to represent rigid body chassis and suspension systems, powertrain, tyres, brakes, steering and aerodynamics. Representative data from laboratory measurements, instrumented field tests and simulation runs of a 1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport are presented to illustrate simulation development and validation efforts. A companion paper to this one also uses Jeep Cherokee data. Both papers highlight current capabilities and methodologies employed by two organizations that have worked, often collaboratively, to advance the state of the art of vehicle dynamics modelling and simulation validation. This paper features work done by NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center; the companion paper reports on work done by Systems Technology, Incorporated (STI).
Autohydrolysis Pretreatment of Mixed Lignocellulosic Biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass, such as agricultural and forestry residues, can be transformed into valuable fuels and chemicals. However, the high cost of feedstock handling and the complex nature of cellulosic biomass processing and conversion remain two major challenges in biorefineries. This thesis aims to tackle these challenges by assessing the transformation of multi-feedstock using autohydrolysis pretreatment. Corn cobs and stover (residues from corn processing), poplar chips (forestry residue), bagasse and wheat straw (agricultural residues) are abundant and often under-utilized cellulosic residues. These feedstocks were used to investigate the effects of biomass characteristics on the composition of the autohydrolysis pretreatment products. Moreover, biomass mixtures were used to improve the feedstock characteristics and increase their conversion into value-added compounds. It was found that the relative abundance of xylan, Klason lignin, and acetate correlate with a feedstock’s susceptibility to hydrolysis, therefore affecting the autohydrolysis products. These structural compounds were used to develop the C5-Hydrolysis Index (C5HI) of each feedstock. The C5HI was then analyzed for the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), for solvents production by ABE (Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol) fermentation, and to assess the potential for ethanol production. Furthermore, the C5HI of individual feedstocks were used to select mixtures and study how the change in the feedstock C5HI affects the autohydrolysate. Results show that feedstocks presenting high C5HI (poplar and corn cob) result in high xylan hydrolysis and high XOS production, while low C5HI (bagasse) leads to low XOS amounts and low total xylan recovery. Mixing feedstocks either improved or maintained a linear relationship for XOS production compared to the individual components. Additionally, higher solvents (acetone-butanol-ethanol) production by ABE fermentation were obtained when feedstocks with low C5HI were present in the mixture, attributed to the lower presence of sugar degradation products that inhibit fermentation. The pretreatment of mixed feedstocks also presented higher xylan solubilization and higher
First European ‘Isectolophidae’ (Mammalia, Perissodactyla): Chowliia Europea, sp. nov., from the Lower Eocene of le Quesnoy, France

ABSTRACT A new species of the ‘isectolophid’ Chowliia, C. europea, sp. nov., is described from the lowermost Eocene (MP7) Le Quesnoy locality of the Paris Basin. The new species is exclusively known by dental material, and it represents the earliest tapiromorph occurrence in Europe. The morphology of its bunolophodont molars indicates that C. europea is a tapiromorph, and it is here included in the primitive and probably paraphyletic family ‘Isectolophidae. ’ Chowliia was previously restricted to the lowermost Eocene Wutu Formation (eastern China), and its occurrence in Europe indicates faunal interchange between continental Asia and western Europe as early as the earliest Eocene. A preliminary analysis of the phylogenetic position of C. europea supports the hypothesis that Chowliia is most closely related to Cardiolophus and to Homogalax wutuensis.
The Effect of 2-Thioxo Imidazolidin-4-Ones (2- Thiohydantion) on Anticancer Activity: An in Vitro Study

Background and Purpose: Cancer is one of the most common factors of death in society today. Despite much research into cancer and its treatment, it is still one of the greatest health problems. The biggest obstacle to cancer treatment is that they are inherently resistant to chemotherapy or become drug resistant during treatment. For this reason, researchers around the world have made great efforts to identify new natural or synthetic compounds with anticancer properties. So the aim of this study is to find out the effect of 2-Thioxo imidazolidin-4-ones (2-Thiohydantion) on anticancer activity. Materials and Methods: Imidazoles are compounds that have antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor properties in many studies. Through the results of this study, we discovered effectiveness of the new compound of 2-Thioxo imidazolidin-4-ones (2 Thiohydantion) as an anticancer agent against a cell line that is a cancer model system. To determine the IC50 of this compound, we treated the cancer cells by different concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40, 80 and 160 μg / ml) and then the cells were evaluated by MTT assay after 24 and 48 hour intervals. Results: After preparing the required compound, MTT assay showed that the IC50 of 2-Thioxo imidazolidin4-ones (2-Thiohydantion) compound on MCF7 cells, 135 and 40 μg / ml, respectively, after 24 and 48 h, respectively. In addition, the toxicity of these compounds on normal cells was evaluated, which is very different from their toxicity for cancer cells, and this is a very important feature. 2-Thioxo imidazolidin-4ones (2-Thiohydantion) has the ability to stimulate cell death in cancer cells, and these results provide new insights into the use of these compounds in cancer treatment. Conclusion: So 2-Thioxo imidazolidin-4-ones (2-Thiohydantion) at different concentrations significantly reduced the growth of cancer cells compared to the control group (50% inhibition of cell growth). Future studies will need to investigate the mechanism of this cytotoxicity as well as the possible anticancer effectiveness of this compound in vitro and in vivo.
Building environmental assessment methods: redefining intentions and roles

The initial intentions and current emphasis of building environmental performance assessment methods are compared and contrasted with their emerging roles. This analysis provides a starting point for anticipating future developments in environmental assessment methods for buildings, how they are likely to evolve and how they will be used. The current varying expectations of assessment methods are examined, including the extent to which they can address complex issues while remaining simple and practical, their role as ‘market transformation tools', and their ability to enhance dialogue among a range of stakeholders broader than a design team. More importantly, the increasing framing of environmental issues within the wider context of ‘sustainability’ raises the question about whether existing methods are capable of being easily reconfigured to fulfil this new agenda.
Practices of strength and conditioning coaches in Brazilian elite soccer

Brazil is the leading global exporter of soccer players, with approximately 2,000 international transfers to different clubs per year. Although Brazilian players compete in the most prestigious soccer leagues worldwide, the habitual training methods, strategies, and routines of Brazilian soccer strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs) are undocumented. This study used a standard online survey to collect and characterize the strength and conditioning practices of Brazilian soccer SCCs. Forty-nine SCCs (age: 40.4 ± 7.5 years; professional experience: 15.3 ± 7.5 years) working in Brazilian professional soccer teams participated in this study. The survey consisted of eight sections: 1) background information; 2) muscular strength-power development; 3) speed training; 4) plyometrics; 5) flexibility training; 6) physical testing; 7) technology use; and 8) programing. Results indicated that training and testing practices of Brazilian SCCs are strongly affected by the congested fixture schedules, extensive traveling distances, and socio-economic disparities between different regions of the country. We describe all these different strategies and methods in detail, providing a comprehensive view and a critical examination of Brazilian soccer strength and conditioning practices. Brazilian SCCs and professional soccer organizations can use the findings from this study to develop training strategies and customize education programs. Practitioners from other countries can use this information to design training programs closely tailored to the background of Brazilian athletes, which may support their adaptation to different competitive scenarios and game demands, such as those found in the most important soccer leagues worldwide.
Proposta de produção mais limpa voltada às práticas de ecodesign e logística reversa

A business concern with the environment and the future of the new generations drives actions for the management of resources and the search for preventive measures in relation to environmental aspects (by minimizing impacts associated cost reduction and process optimization). There is a trend in the world market to achieve sustainable, derived products production processes aimed at reducing waste and non-waste generation pollutants. Within this context, the cleaner production (CP) comes as a complete tool where simple adjustments in the way we manage the business allows the reduction of emission/waste generation. Based on this principle, we analyzed the environmental impact of the production of a manufacturer of sets of rain located in Rio Grande do Sul through a Leopold Matrix adapted process. As a result, we prepared a proposal for cleaner production practices geared ecodesign and reverse logistics. Through four stages, the proposed program CP reached its goals of agile, less bureaucratic and with low costs.
Global Engineering Networks (GEN): drivers, evolution, configuration, performance and key patterns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrating framework for the configuration and performance of global engineering networks (GEN). Design/methodology/approach – The reported study is based on a comprehensive literature review and refined by the practice of three global leading companies along key industry sectors.Findings – This framework presents the key patterns of GEN from an evolution perspective and demonstrates the influence of the major driving forces.Research limitations/implications – In addition, this study also identifies research opportunities in two areas: further testing the theory of GEN with a broader range of industry sectors, and expanding the study to inter‐firm engineering activities. The further study is planned accordingly.Originality/value – The paper offers a systematic view of GEN and can help companies in the design and operation.
Bilateral Auditory Development and Function in Children with Asymmetric Hearing Loss Who Listen with Electric and Acoustic Hearing

This thesis aimed to determine whether treating children who have asymmetric hearing loss with two different, but appropriate auditory prostheses promotes bilateral auditory development and bilateral hearing abilities. Unilateral deafness during development drives extensive reorganization in bilateral auditory pathways, limiting spatial hearing and putting children at risk for social and educational challenges. Providing electric cochlear implant hearing to the deaf ear and acoustic sound through a hearing aid or normal hearing in the other ear (bimodal hearing) restores bilateral access to sound. But it remains unclear how the two very different auditory signals can be processed by the auditory system to prevent abnormal neurophysiological changes from occurring. Hearing development in bimodal users was assessed by measuring evoked electrophysiological changes in the brainstem and cortex, as well as behavioural perception of important differences in sounds between the two ears. Even though electrical and acoustic hearing are unique and stimulate the auditory system in different ways, symmetric neural conduction in bilateral brainstem pathways and the expected representation of each ear in the auditory cortex were achieved in children who had sufficient
Philosophy of Interactive e-Learning for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives: a Way from Ideas to Realization

The paper reports about methodology at design of interactive e-learning modules that are suitable both for teaching and learning. They cover special topics of electrical engineering, starting from the fundamentals, through electrical machines, power electronics to the fields of controlled electromechanical energy conversion, like electrical drives, complex drive systems, application of drives, mechatronic systems, telemanipulation, and robotics. In the paper, the emphasis is devoted in detail to philosophy and realization of the modules from fields of Power Electronics and Electrical Drives. On several examples there are explained main principles and specialties at their development.
Behaviour of high bumper vehicles in pedestrian scenarios with full finite element human models

The European pedestrian regulations (formerly Directive 2003/102 and currently Regulation 2009/631 and recently modified by Commission Regulation [EU] No. 2011/459) have always approached the protection of lower extremities in pedestrian accidents with tests in the front part of the vehicle using rigid impactors. This approach offers a lot of advantage regarding the repeatability, robustness and reproducibility that these tests need but on the contrary decouple the injury occurrence through the different body areas. It is widely supported to approach pedestrian head protection and lower extremities protection in separate tests; however, there is not such consensus in decoupling pedestrian lower leg injuries from the upper leg injuries, especially in the case of high bumper vehicles. The objective of this paper is to look into the details of this close dependence through a set of simulations with THUMS 50th percentile male pedestrian finite element human model impacted by a wide set of high bumper vehicles. The analysis of both the kinematics and the injury occurrence in these scenarios has shown the strong coupling between the upper and lower leg injuries for this vehicle fleet, requiring therefore assessing both type of injuries at the same time.
Now or Never : How Companies Must Change Today to Win the Battle for Internet Consumers

From the Publisher: Every informed business person knows the Internet is transforming the economy as we know it--but very few people have the knowledge (or the guts) to identify which companies will emerge as winners and losers when the dust finally settles. Internationally renowned technology guru Mary Modahl has both. In this fast-paced but deeply intelligent book for business leaders and executives in every consumer-products industry, Modahl explains exactly what strategies will lead to Internet dominance.
Prediction of IRI in short and long terms for flexible pavements: ANN and GMDH methods

Prediction of pavement condition is one of the most important issues in pavement management systems. In this paper, capabilities of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and group method of data handling (GMDH) methods in predicting flexible pavement conditions were analysed in three levels: in 1 year, in 2 years (short term) and in the pavement life cycle (long term). For this purpose, three effective groups on pavement condition including traffic conditions, environmental changes and pavement structures were studied and nine effective variables were selected as input variables. International roughness index (IRI) was also used as the indicator of pavement performance. Various ANN structures and GMDH models in partial description configurations of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th polynomials were formed and examined. Results indicate that while ANN models predict future condition of pavement with high accuracy in the short and long terms, GMDH models do not have accepted accuracy.
A Study on Resistance Test of Icebreaker with Synthetic Ice

This research describes a framework to compare and analyze the icebreaker(Terry Fox) resistance in pack ice condition between with a refrigerated ice and a synthetic ice. Model tests with a refrigerated ice have been conducted at Institute for Ocean Technology (IOT/NRC) and the tests with a synthetic ice were conducted at Pusan National University towing tank. For the validation of further tests of measurement and accuracy, the open water tests were first carried out with same model ship to compare the test results of both Institutes. Two different size of the wax-type synthetic ice were used and tests were conducted in pack ice of three different concentration ice conditions. The test results show that the difference of resistance between with synthetic and with refrigerated ice becomes larger according to the increase of ship speed. Although the quantity of resistance difference is not so small in high speed range, the present study is predicted to be used as a useful correlation between synthetic and refrigerated ice.
Predicting Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship Performance With the Laser Marksmanship Training System

Abstract : To develop an LMTS-based tool for predicting small arms, live-fire marksmanship qualification performance, Idaho Reserve Component (RC) soldiers fired for qualification on LMTS and on the live-fire range with either the M16A2 rifle (N =95) or M9 pistol (N =81). A statistically significant relation between LMTS and live-fire qualification scores was found and validated for both rifle (r = .55) and pistol (r = .47) and then used to develop weapon-specific tools for RC trainers to use in predicting the probability of individual soldier, first-run, live-fire, rifle and pistol qualification based on scores fired on LMTS. Use of these prediction tools will enable RC marksmanship trainers to schedule LMTS-based training more efficiently by targeting only those soldiers in need of remediation (i.e., those predicted to be unlikely live-fire qualifiers), as well as to identify when enough training has been provided (i.e., when the predicted likelihood of live-fire qualification is good). These tools also provide the RC unit commander with a set of LMTS-based, empirically derived live-fire performance standards to support (a) implementation of a competency-based rifle, as well as pistol, sustainment training program of instruction using LMTS, and (b) use of LMTS-based qualification firing in place of live-fire qualification firing when outdoor range facilities are not readily available.
Understanding Crack Tip Plasticity – a Multi-Experimental Approach

Crack tip plasticity has been investigated using thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) and digital image correlation (DIC). The plastic zone size at the tip of a propagating fatigue crack was measured using both techniques. At longer crack lengths, the results compared well with Dugdale’s and Irwin’s models for crack tip yielding. The TSA methodology requires careful observation of the adiabatic assumption.
Routine Deaths: Fatal Accidents in the Oil Industry

This paper is a study in the relatively neglected field of the Sociology of Accidents and is concerned with fatalities in the UK Offshore Oil Industry. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the social and organizational causes of these accidents. Common sense and expert opinion both present industrial accidents as products of extra organizational abnormality but evidence from this research locates the causes of accidents in work organization and dependence on bureaucratic rationality. In particular it is shown that the hazardous situations in which the accidents occurred were themselves largely the products of two aspects of the formal organization of work, the ‘speed-up’ and the practice of ‘sub-contracting’. It is demonstrated that the common sense equation of the ‘normal’ and the ‘routine’ inhibited recognition of the organization causes of these accidents. Finally it is argued that, since there is little support for the view that the accident were produced by unique working conditions in the offshore industry, it is therefore likely that the causes of accidents in this industry will be found to exist in other industries.