Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time domain simulation of a dynamic positioning deepwater semisubmersible drilling platform

DPS (dynamic positioning system) has been widely used in floating structures, especially in deepwater area. Time domain simulation of platforms with dynamic positioning system has great significance to DP capability and riser system. Motion response of a deepwater semi-submersible platform with DPS on time domain was presented in this paper. PID (proportional, integral, derivative) controller and thruster allocation method were applied in numerical simulations of DPS. Wind, current and wave environmental loads were analyzed and limited angular speed was considered as well. Thruster failure analyses were covered and discussed also. Experiments of DPS in deepwater basin of Harbin Engineering University (HEU) were presented and compared with numerical study.
Rerec: In-ReRAM Acceleration with Access-Aware Mapping for Personalized Recommendation

Personalized recommendation systems are widely used in many Internet services. The sparse embedding lookup in recommendation models dominates the computational cost of inference due to its intensive irregular memory accesses. Applying resistive random access memory (ReRAM) based process-in-memory (PIM) architecture to accelerate recommendation processing can avoid data movements caused by off-chip memory accesses. However, naïve adoption of ReRAM-based DNN accelerators leads to low computation parallelism and severe under-utilization of computing resources, which is caused by the fine-grained inner-product in feature interaction. In this paper, we propose Rerec, an architecture-algorithm co-designed accelerator, which specializes in fine-grained ReRAM-based inner-product engines with access-aware mapping algorithm for recommendation inference. At the architecture level, we reduce the size and increase the amount of crossbars. The crossbars are fully-connected by Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) in one inner-product engine, which can adapt to the fine-grained and irregular computational patterns and improve the processing parallelism. We further explore trade-offs of (i) crossbar size vs. hardware utilization, and (ii) ADC implementation vs. area/energy efficiency to optimize the design. At the algorithm level, we propose a novel access-aware mapping (AAM) algorithm to optimize resource allocations. Our AAM algorithm tackles the problems of (i) the workload imbalance and (ii) the long recommendation inference latency induced by the great variance of access frequency of embedding vectors. Experimental results show that Rerecachieves 7.69x speedup compared with a ReRAM-based baseline design. Compared to CPU and the state-of-the-art recommendation accelerator, Rerecdemonstrates 29.26x and 3.48x performance improvement, respectively.
Financial Fraud Detection and the Importance of Internal Control

In an environment that is becoming increasingly unstable due, primarily, to new international requirements and rapid changes, the problem of financial fraud detection has grown in importance. One of the main causes is the growing dependence on new technologies. This environment has required companies to adapt to face the new constraints. In fact, financial fraud is a problem that has a profound impact on the financial industry, government, businesses and ordinary consumers. The objective of this paper is double: the first one is to study the explanatory factors and the main variables developed in order to better detect the existence of financial fraud and we have emphasized the importance of taking into account non-accounting variables in the detection of financial fraud which remains little treated by empirical studies. The second objective of this research is to emphasize the importance of internal control, through a literature review, in the fight against financial fraud.
Vitamin D supplementation in childhood asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Background There is conflicting evidence for vitamin D supplementation in childhood asthma. We aimed to systematically synthesise the evidence on the efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation in childhood asthma. Methods We searched electronic databases (Medline, Embase and Web of Science) and a register (CENTRAL) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published until 30 September 2021. RCTs enrolling asthmatic children (1–18 years old) and comparing vitamin D against placebo/routine care were included if they met at least one of the endpoints of interest (asthma attacks, emergency visits or hospitalisation). We used the Risk of Bias 2 tool for risk of bias assessment. Random-effects meta-analysis with RevMan 5.3 software was performed. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to assess the level of certainty of the evidence. Results 18 RCTs (1579 participants) were included. The pooled meta-analysis did not find a significant effect of vitamin D supplementation on asthma attacks requiring rescue systemic corticosteroids (six studies with 445 participants; risk ratio (RR) 1.13, 95% CI 0.86–1.48; I2=0%) (moderate-certainty evidence). In addition, there was no significant difference in the proportion of children with asthma attacks of any severity (11 trials with 1132 participants; RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.65–1.09; I2=58%) (very low-certainty evidence). Vitamin D does not reduce the need for emergency visits (three studies with 361 participants; RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89–1.07; I2=0%) and hospitalisation (RR: 1.38, 95% CI 0.52–3.66; I2=0%) (low-certainty evidence). Conclusion Very low- to moderate-certainty evidence suggests that vitamin D supplementation might not have any protective effect in childhood asthma. Very low to moderate certainty evidence suggests that adjuvant vitamin D supplementation might not have any protective effect in childhood asthma. Therefore, routine vitamin D supplementation in asthmatic children should be avoided. https://bit.ly/3xQVitV
Integrated production of semi-finished components in sawmills, part I: External interactions

Abstract In a changing business landscape, where globalization and new customer requirements create new business opportunities, some Swedish sawmills have taken over the production of components from their industrial customers. In light of the emerging network-centric perspective on business, sawmill managers' perceptions about component customers' operational requirements, customer interaction processes, and their sawmills' offerings are researched and discussed in this article. A multiple case study design, based on face-to-face interviews with Swedish sawmill managers and on various forms of secondary data, produced comprehensive information about sawmills' interaction processes with component purchasing customers. Thematic data coding facilitated the assessment of the research information in relation to the conceptual and empirical findings of previous research. The findings of the study indicate that more process orientation in housing-, joinery-, and furniture-manufacturing implies an opportunity for sawmills to make service-based offerings including not only physical goods, but also administrative services, logistics, and expert advice. The results of the study confirm the network-centric perspective on business where value is created through the interaction between firms. However, noteworthy barriers in the form of process-, culture-, as well as socially related factors at customer firms must be considered.
COVID-19 anxiety-coping strategies of frontline health workers in a low-income country Malawi: A qualitative inquiry

Abstract For this qualitative study, we adopted a two-wave data-collection approach involving 68 frontline healthcare workers at two geographically distinct central hospitals in a low-income country Malawi. We used in-depth telephone interviews and survey emails to explore the sources of COVID-19 anxiety and corresponding coping actions among frontline health care workers. The findings reveal four main sources of work-related anxiety among frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis: (1) on-the-job risks, (2) infrastructure and technological deficits, (3) human-capital deficits, and (4) public stigma. Furthermore, the findings reveal that these workers have been coping with sources of COVID-19 anxiety by using strategic coping actions related to the five themes of (1) health, (2) self-assertion, (3) perception, (4) identity, and (5) social support. Healthcare management can thus manage frontline healthcare workers’ COVID-19-related anxiety by mitigating the sources of such anxiety as well as incorporating insights from employees’ strategic coping actions into organizational stress management programs.
Effects of surface conductivity on current form of PD pulse in voids

The current form of partial discharge (PD) in a usual void was divided into fast and slow components, with short and long fall times, respectively. Comparing these with the current shape of PD in a void between two metal surfaces, in which the slow component was not observed, it is suggested that the formation of fast component in a usual void was due to the instantaneous discharge between the discharge areas of the PD, i.e. the region to which the carriers in a PD process can instantaneously propagate. And the slow one may be due to the low conductivity in the regions outside the discharge areas. An equivalent circuit was proposed to describe the effect. The simulation suggested that the effective surface conductivity in the region outside the PD discharge areas in a PD process is in the order of 10/sup -7/ S.
VARIABLE NEUTRALIZATION OF THE INTERVOCALIC RHOTIC CONTRAST IN NORTHERN BELIZEAN SPANISH

While it has been contended that the intervocalic tap/trill contrast has been lost in many Spanish varieties, maintenance of this phonemic contrast has been attested via segmental duration rather than the number of lingual contacts. The present paper investigates the neutralization of the intervocalic rhotic contrast in emerging, bi-dialectal speakers of Northern Belizean Spanish, an understudied variety of contact Spanish with innovative patterns of rhotic distribution. Acoustic analysis of data from 10 adolescent speakers from Orange Walk, Belize showed that in the elicited, oral production data, speakers were able to more consistently maintain their native Spanish variety's intervocalic tap/retroflex approximant phonemic contrast. However, in an effort to phonetically switch to a more standard variety of Spanish in the read-aloud task, speakers' overgeneralization of the tap led to neutralization of the tap/trill contrast and partial loss of their native Spanish variety's intervocalic phonemic contrast.
Analysis of metallic waveguides of a large class of cross sections using polynomial approximation and superquadric functions

By using the polynomial approximation and superquadric functions in the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure, a unified method has been proposed to analyze conducting hollow waveguides of a large class of cross sections in our previous paper. Some useful and complicated cross-sectional waveguides in the microwave system, namely, eccentric annular, pentagonal, L-shaped, single-ridged, and double-ridged waveguides are analyzed in this paper. Compared with other numerical methods, this method has the advantages of being straightforward, accurate, and computational effective.
Subjectively construed identities and discourse: towards a research agenda for construction management

Identity issues are under‐explored in construction management. We provide a brief introduction to the organization studies literature on subjectively construed identities, focusing on discourse, agency, relations of power and identity work. The construction management literature is investigated in order to examine identity concerns as they relate to construction managers centred on (1) professionalism; (2) ethics; (3) relational aspects of self‐identity; (4) competence, knowledge and tools; and (5) national culture. Identity, we argue, is a key performance issue, and needs to be accounted for in explanations of the success and failure of projects. Our overriding concern is to raise identity issues in order to demonstrate their importance to researchers in construction management and to spark debate. The purpose of this work is not to provide answers or to propose prescriptive models, but to explore ideas, raise awareness and to generate questions for further programmatic research. To this end, we promote empirical work and theorizing by outlining elements of a research agenda which argues that ‘identity’ is a potentially generative theme for scholars in construction management.
Biomass-Derived Porous Carbon from Agar as an Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

New porous activated carbons with a high surface area as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were synthesized by a one-step, sustainable, and environmentally friendly method. Four chemical activators—H2SO4, H3PO4, KOH, and ZnCl2—have been investigated as facilitators of the formation of the porous structure of activated carbon (AC) from an agar precursor. The study of the materials by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods revealed its highly porous meso- and macro-structure. Among the used chemical activators, the AC prepared with the addition of KOH demonstrated the best electrochemical performance upon its reaction with lithium metal. The initial discharge capacity reached 931 mAh g−1 and a reversible capacity of 320 mAh g−1 was maintained over 100 cycles at 0.1 C. High rate cycling tests up to 10 C demonstrated stable cycling performance of the AC from agar.
Increase of the SBS threshold in a short highly nonlinear fiber by applying a temperature distribution

We evaluate numerically and experimentally the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold increase for a short, highly nonlinear GeO/sub 2/-doped fiber by applying different temperature distributions along the fiber. The temperature coefficient for the Brillouin frequency downshift is measured to 1.2 MHz//spl deg/C. A threefold SBS threshold increase is obtained for a 100-m long highly nonlinear fiber with a 140/spl deg/C temperature gradient. The proposed scheme is implemented in a wavelength converter based on fiber optical four-wave mixing (FWM). The SBS suppression scheme shows negligible influence on the FWM efficiency as well as the wavelength conversion bandwidth. The temperature coefficient for the zero dispersion wavelength is measured to 0.062 nm//spl deg/C.
The role of faculty members in integrating technology into the teaching of English: the case at the department of English language and literature at Damascus University

Worldwide, Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have gained a vital importance in satisfying the requirements of both the new Education System and the revised Curriculum for English Language Teaching (ELT). The experience of introducing different ICTs into the classroom and other educational settings worldwide suggests that teachers' effective integration of technology into their curricula largely depends on their perceptions and attitudes to the value of these tools to achieving their instructional purposes. This research seeks to evaluate the readiness to integrate ICTs into the current teaching practices of the faculty at the department of English Language and Literature at Damascus University. In a context of large classes where resources are minimal and staff members are in short supply, using technology assisted learning at Damascus University may help enhance education by giving learners more flexibility and helping them evolve into more autonomous learners. Investigating the current faculty’s reading of the value of technology as a means of overcoming some of the restrictions imposed by their context will uncover potential limitations on the use of ICTs in the existing context and suggest workable solutions.
SME leaders' learning in networked learning : an actor-network theory and communities of practice theory informed analysis

This thesis brings a Communities of Practice perspective together with Actor-network theory to provide a rich understanding of the social learning processes of SME leaders within a networked learning programme. Networked learning as an educational approach is a growing area in higher education. The networked learning programme under investigation forms part of the knowledge exchange initiatives at Lancaster university management school. The research explores the learning process through a qualitative, inductive approach underpinned by an (online and offline) ethnography and is supported by qualitative interviews, the researcher‟s own reflections and other secondary data. The study focuses on three main issues. Firstly, it provides an in-depth understanding of the way a learning community comes together. Secondly, it shows how delegates learn through co-constructing knowledge and the practices within the learning community. It is proposed that the learning community constructs, learns and challenges the situated curriculum. This takes place through the process of legitimate peripheral participation. Gaining fuller participation leads to an increased identification with that of „leader‟. Thirdly, the study theorises four conceptual learning spaces to show where the delegates learn. They are conceived of as an effect of the delegates‟ engagement with the integrated learning model underpinning the networked learning programme. The thesis concludes with a discussion presenting a set of learning and design principles. These can be used to inform the design and thinking around networked learning and knowledge exchange. Combining the theoretical frameworks of Actor-network theory and Communities of Practice theory is unique in the context of exploring the learning processes within networked learning. This combination stretches aspects of the main tenets of each theory and offers contributions to all three theoretical frameworks.
Development of a Curd Cake for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Influence of Replacing Sugar with Sweetener on Nutritional Value

Sugar is one of the main ingredients of baked products, so reduction of sucrose negatively affects product appearance, texture, and mouthfeel. However, by replacing it with sweeteners such as sucralose, it is possible to create desserts with a low glycemic index and low calorie content. The aim of this study was to investigate the physico-chemical and nutritional properties, and sensory characteristics of sugar replaced with curd cake made using sucralose. Optimal results were obtained with replacement up to 50%, leading curd cake similar to the control products and having a high level of acceptance in sensory evaluation. A vibrational analysis using FTIR spectroscopy showed in these samples the presence of hydrogen bonds between water molecules and a dense packing of texture. The study of adsorption/desorption isotherms indicates the predominance of the mechanism of monomolecular physical adsorption with a weak interaction of adsorbent-adsorbate in samples with sugar replacement up to 50%. A further increase in the sugar substitute content increases the contribution from polymolecular adsorption and capillary water, which is reflected in the deterioration of sensory characteristics. The developed technology made it possible to obtain a curd cake with a caloric content of 14% lower than that of an analogue, which in its organoleptic characteristics and structure does not differ from the analogue product and contains 26% more protein.
Reduction of Waiting Times and Patients Leaving Without Being Seen in the Tertiary Pediatric Emergency Department

Objectives Analyze the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce waiting time and patients leaving without being seen in the pediatric emergency department. Methods A comparative observational study was carried out from November 2018 to April 2019. Patients aged 3 months to 17 years were included. The new organizational model consisted of a dedicated outpatients' clinic for nonurgent codes and a fast track for traumatic and surgical emergency cases. Results The comparative group included 14,822, and the intervention group included 15,585 patients. The new organizational model significantly reduced the numbers of patients who left the ED without being seen from 12.9% to 5.9%. Conclusions This new organizational model in the pediatric emergency department could be successfully used to reduce overcrowding, waiting time, and the numbers of patients leaving without being seen. However, more needs to be done by the pediatric services in the community to reduce nonurgent accesses to the emergency department.
Detection of Marker Associated with CTC in Colorectal Cancer in Mononuclear Cells of Patients with Benign Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases

Simple Summary Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most frequent cancers in western countries, and non-invasive methods for early detection are still needed. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in blood of CRC patients have been proven as prognostic and predictive biomarker; however, the suitability of CTC-associated markers for early CRC detection and discrimination from benign diseases has not been analyzed. Thus, this study investigated whether CTC-associated markers can also be detected in the blood of patients with benign inflammatory intestinal disease (IID) or whether they are specific for malignancy. The detection rate of CK20 and DEFA5 clearly differed in diseased patients and healthy controls, while LAD1 and PLS3 was found in all samples but with clear qualitative differences in gene expression. No association between inflammation severity and CTC marker expression was found in IID patients. Finally, PLS3 was identified to be a suitable marker for differentiation between malignant and non-malignant intestinal diseases or healthy controls. Abstract Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) belongs to the most common tumor entities in western countries. Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in blood of CRC patients are a powerful prognostic and predictive biomarker. However, whether CTC-associated markers can also be used for early CRC detection and discrimination from benign diseases is not known. This study investigated the presence of CTC-associated markers CK20, PLS3, LAD1, and DEFA5 in blood of patients with benign inflammatory intestinal disease (IID) and their correlation with malignancy. The detection rate of CK20 and DEFA5 significantly differed between diseased patients and healthy controls. LAD1 and PLS3 were detected in all samples with clear differences in gene expression. DEFA5 expression was higher in CRC and IID patients compared to healthy donors, while CK20 and PLS3 were lower in CRC compared to IID patients or healthy controls. Overall, all CTC-associated markers were detectable in blood of IID patients, but not correlating with inflammation severity. Finally, PLS3 emerged as a suitable marker for differentiation between malignant and non-malignant intestinal diseases or healthy controls, however its suitability for early CRC detection needs to be further validated.