Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization and modeling of nanostructured silicon thin-film optoelectronic devices

Design and fabrication at nanometer scale level have enabled development of novel optoelectronic devices. These devices take advantage of the optical phenomena that occur when light interacts with structures that are smaller than the wavelength of the incoming light. Depending on how these structures are employed, different functions can be achieved. When the thickness of devices is a fraction of the wavelength, they become transparent. On the other hand, optoelectronic devices become highly absorbing, when nanostructures are introduced at their interfaces. In this research, silicon thin-film optoelectronic devices with nanostructured layers and interfaces are studied. An ultra thin-film transparent photodetector is used to experimentally realize standing wave and transparent Fabry-Perot spectrometer. Optical models for these devices are developed using an analytical approach to solve Maxwell's equations. Excellent agreement between experimental and calculated results is demonstrated. The linear setup of these spectrometers, allows for the realization of spectral imaging cameras where the spectrum of the light source is obtained by the Fourier transform of the detector signal. The performances of silicon thin-film solar cells deposited on randomly textured substrates are investigated experimentally and by optical simulations. The investigation has been focused on the back contact losses. A comparison of experimental results and optical simulations reveals that the back contact losses are influenced by plasmonic resonances only when the nanofeatures are present at the interface between a metal reflector and solar cell. The plasmonic losses can be reduced by introducing a transparent conductive oxide buffer layer or by removing the nanofeatures. The optimization of the back contact leads to improved performances of silicon thin-film solar cells.
Update on the Accuracy of Conventional and Digital Full-Arch Impressions of Partially Edentulous and Fully Dentate Jaws in Young and Elderly Subjects: A Clinical Trial

To update the available literature on the accuracy of conventional and digital full-arch impressions using the latest hardware and software, participants of different age groups and dental status were investigated. An established reference aid-based method was applied to analyze five intraoral scanners (IOS) CS 3800 (CS), iTero Element 5D (IT), Medit i700 (ME), Primescan (PS), and Trios 4 (TR), and one conventional polyether impression (CVI). Forty-five participants were classified into three groups: Age 27.3 ± 2.7 years fully dentate, 60.6 ± 8.1 years fully dentate, and 65.7 ± 6.2 years partially edentulous. The IOS datasets were investigated using three-dimensional software (GOM Inspect), and plaster casts of CVI were analyzed using a co-ordinate measurement machine. The deviations of the reference aid to impressions were determined. No significant differences in age between the three groups were observed by the IOS in terms of trueness (p < 0.05). These findings were confirmed for precision, except for TR. In contrast to CS (mean ± standard deviation 98.9 ± 62.1 µm) and IT (89.0 ± 91.0 µm), TR (58.3 ± 66.8 µm), ME (57.9 ± 66.7 µm), and PS (55.5 ± 48.7 µm) did not show significant differences than those of CVI (34.8 ± 29.6 µm) in overall view. Within the study, the latest IOSs still showed limitations in the accuracy of full-arch impressions. However, they seemed to be unaffected by age and fully dentate or partially edentulous dentitions with small gaps.
Stability criteria for nonlinear fully implicit differential-algebraic systems

This thesis contributes to the qualitative theory of differential-algebraic equations(DAEs) by providing new stability criteria for solutions of a class of nonlinear, fully implicit DAEs with a properly stated derivative term and tractability index one and two. A generalization of the Andronov-Witt Theorem addressing orbital stability is proved. To this purpose, a state space representation of differential-algebraic systems based on the tractability index is developed which has advantageous properties, e.g. moderate smoothness requirements, commutativity with linearization and an autonomous structure in case of autonomous DAEs. It allows a suitable definition of characteristic multipliers referring to the inherent dynamics, but given in terms of the DAE. Furthermore, the fundamentals of Lyapunov's direct method with respect to diffe- rential-algebraic systems are worked out. Novel denitions of Lyapunov functions for differentiable solution components of a DAE are stated, where the monotoni- cally decreasing total time derivative of a Lyapunov function along DAE solutions is expressed in terms of the original system. The topology of the domain of the inherent dynamics turns out to be decisive for nonlocal existence of solutions given a Lyapunov function. As a result, practical stability criteria for bounded solutions of autonomous DAEs and for general solutions of DAEs with bounded partial derivatives of the constitutive function arise. Known contractivity denitions for DAEs can be interpreted in the context of this approach.
Violent Political Protest: Introducing a New Uppsala Conflict Data Program Data Set on Organized Violence, 1989-2019

This article presents the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) “Violent Political Protest” (VPP) data set: a new –standalone- category of organized violence, which complements, and is compatible with, UCDP’s three categories of organized violence: one-sided violence, non-state, and state-based conflict. It consists of violent political protests, with at least 25 casualties during a year, in which informally organized civilians challenge states over governmental or territorial issues. We describe the data collection process, and demonstrate the data’s use with empirical analyses. Violent political protest is present globally, but most prevalent in the Middle East and Africa, and increasingly common over time. Violent political protest frequently co-occurs with state-based conflicts, but rarely due to conflict escalation. We explore if this is due to shared contexts, and find that gender inequality increases the likelihood of VPP onset, similar to state-based conflicts. Finally, we identify avenues for future research, including using VPP to assist in a more precise and complete analysis of organized violence.
Ultrasonographic evaluation of cecal appendix diameter in pediatric population

ABSTRACT Objective To stratify ultrasound samples in a pediatric population undergoing evaluation for acute appendicitis to examine the variability in cecal appendix diameter, in different age groups, and to determine whether there is a prevalent value for each age group. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study with 196 children aged 0 to 15 years. Data were extracted from reports of ultrasound examinations carried out between 2008 and 2015. Children with sonographic diagnosis of appendicitis or other signs of periappendiceal inflammation were excluded. Results The evaluation of the anteroposterior measurement of the cecal appendix revealed a mean diameter of 4.14mm (standard deviation: 0.93mm; 95%CI: 3.86-4.14). Cecal appendix diameter did not differ significant between age groups. Conclusion Evaluation of the anteroposterior diameter of the cecal appendix in centimeters in a sample of 196 children aged 0 to15 years revealed a mean diameter of 4.14mm (standard deviation, 0.93mm. There were no significant differences in cecal appendix diameter following stratification by age. Results indicate a single value can be adopted for mean cecal appendix diameter in pediatric populations.
Characteristics of the Ciliary Body in Healthy Chinese Subjects Evaluated by Radial and Transverse Imaging of Ultrasound Biometric Microscopy

Background: The imaging and analysis of the ciliary body (CB) are valuable in many potential clinical applications. This study aims to demonstrate the anatomy characteristics of CB using radial and transverse imaging of ultrasound biometric microscopy (UBM) in healthy Chinese subjects, and to explore the determining factors. Methods: Fifty-four eyes of 30 healthy Chinese subjects were evaluated. Clinical data, including age, body mass index (BMI), intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length (AL), and lens thickness (LT), were collected. Radial and transverse UBM measurements of the ciliary body were performed. Anterior chamber depth (ACD), ciliary sulcus diameter (CSD), ciliary process length (CPL), ciliary process density (CPD), ciliary process area (CPA), ciliary muscle area (CMA), ciliary body area (CBA), ciliary body thickness (CBT0, CBT1, and CBTmax), anterior placement of ciliary body (APCB), and trabecular-ciliary angle (TCA) of four (superior, nasal, inferior, and temporal) quadrants were measured. Results: The average CPL was 0.513 ± 0.074 mm, and the average CPA was 0.890 ± 0.141 mm2. CPL and CPA tended to be longer and larger in the superior quadrant (p < 0.001) than in the other three quadrants. Average CPL was significantly correlated with AL (r = 0.535, p < 0.001), ACD (r = 0.511, p < 0.001), and LT (r = −0.512, p < 0.001). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were high for CPL (0.979), CPD (0.992), CPA (0.966), CMA (0.963), and CBA (0.951). Conclusions: In healthy Chinese subjects, CPL was greatest in the superior quadrant, followed by the inferior, temporal, and nasal quadrants, and CPA was largest in the superior quadrant, followed by the tempdoral, inferior, and nasal quadrants. Transverse UBM images can be used to measure the anatomy of the ciliary process with relatively good repeatability and reliability.
The Fourth-Order Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation and Stability Analysis for Stokes Waves on Slowly Varying Topography

The surface gravity wave equation is expanded to the fourth-order wave steepness on slowly varying topography, obtaining a topographic modified nonlinear Schrödinger (TMNLS) equation. When the time scale is longer than ε -3 times of the dominant wave period or the space scale is larger than ε -3 times the dominant wavelength, the second water depth derivative and the square of the first water depth derivative affect the first-order wave amplitude. The instability area for a uniform Stokes wave train by small perturbations is the entire wavenumber space, except for a specific stability curve on infinite and slowly varying depth. The depth variation terms affect the growth rate of uniform Stokes wave train on the order of 0.01. The stability curve shows more sensitive to the depth variation in x direction than that in y direction. The increment of the value for depth variation in x direction contributes the stable wave number of perturbation to approach or parallel to y axis. The increment of the value for depth variation in y direction helps the stable wave number of perturbation to approach or parallel to x axis.
Calidad de vida en pacientes con lesión medular

Objetivou-se medir a qualidade de vida de adultos com lesao medular e identificar os dominios que prejudicam a qualidade de vida desses sujeitos. Estudo epidemiologico, realizado no periodo 2007-2008, em Unidades Basicas de Saude de Campina Grande/PB. Participaram 47 sujeitos. Utilizou-se questionario contendo variaveis sociodemograficas, etiologia da lesao; instrumento validado para medir qualidade de vida, contendo quatro dominios: Fisico, Ambiental, Relacoes Sociais e Psicologico, com respectivas facetas. Os dados coletados foram processados por meio de analise descritiva e estatistica. Dominios com menores escores: Ambiental (55,20 pontos); Fisico (58,59 pontos). Facetas que mais comprometem os dominios: locomocao (55,3%), trabalho (55,3%), dinheiro (80,9%), informacoes (51%), lazer (68,1%); vida sexual (34%). Os resultados expressam a insatisfacao dos investigados com a qualidade de vida. O enfermeiro deve contribuir para a reabilitacao e reinclusao social da pessoa com lesao medular, respeitando suas limitacoes, enfatizando o potencial remanescente e a capacidade para autocuidado.
The Interrelationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy, and Burnout Among Foreign Language Teachers: A Meta-Analytic Review

The importance of teachers’ affective, cognitive, and motivational factors in students’ academic achievement and well-being has been widely acknowledged. These factors are of great relevance, especially in the foreign language learning context wherein interaction between teachers and students is frequent and varies in forms. Though abundant evidence points to the high prevalence and risky factors of burnout among such a group, the extant literature lacks a quantitative synthesis of the interrelationship between emotional intelligence (EI), self-efficacy (SE), and burnout among them. This study aims to fill this research gap. The current meta-analysis is based on 42 independent samples with the experiences of 5,665 teachers reviewed. Results demonstrated moderate to large meta-correlations between these three constructs in the expected directions. EI and SE are positively correlated with each other, but negatively correlated with burnout. Moderation analysis also provides exploratory insights into the effects. Implications and future directions are also discussed.
High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) as an Emerging Treatment for Vulvodynia and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders: A Systematic Review of Treatment Efficacy

High-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has been gaining popularity in the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain, including vulvodynia. The objective of this study was to critically appraise and synthesize the available evidence on the efficacy of HILT for reducing pain and improving function in vulvodynia and other chronic primary musculoskeletal pain conditions. Electronic databases and the grey literature were searched. Effects on pain intensity, function, and adverse events were assessed. One study investigating HILT in the treatment of vulvodynia and 13 studies on the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain were selected. The study assessing vulvodynia showed favorable results for reducing pain. Regarding chronic musculoskeletal pain, 12 out of the 13 studies selected consistently showed that HILT was more effective than the placebo/active comparator for reducing pain and improving function. The available effect sizes for pain showed large to huge effects. Similar effects were observed for function except for two studies showing moderate effects. The GRADE score was moderate. Conclusions: There are insufficient data to support the use of HILT in vulvodynia, but the promising results encourage further research. HILT appears to be effective in musculoskeletal pain conditions. More high-quality studies are needed to identify effective laser protocols.
Changing Personal Values through Value-Manipulation Tasks: A Systematic Literature Review Based on Schwartz’s Theory of Basic Human Values

According to the Theory of Basic Human Values, values are relatively stable, but not immutable, abstract goals which strongly influence peoples’ lives. Since their relative stability, psychosocial research is attempting to understand the extent to which it is possible to induce a voluntary change in people’s personal values. The main aim of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on experiments to induce a value change, also highlighting the theoretical perspectives used to develop the experimental tasks. We conducted a literature search of five databases (SCOPUS, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science). After the screening and the eligibility phase, we included a total of 14 articles (25 experiments). Most of these studies involved university students and adopted a pre-and post-test design, using different manipulation tasks. The results highlighted the possibility of inducing a voluntary value change, assessed in terms of mean levels and/or rank order. These findings provide new insights regarding the stability of values in the light of the Theory of Basic Human Values. The practical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Skin Biopsy Results of Geriatric Patients Over a 5-year Period and the Frequency of Skin Diseases Before and After COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: The number of older adults has increased throughout the world. Aging affects all the organs and creates psychological, physiologic and anatomic changes. One of the most important organs of the human body is the skin, which shows the effects of aging the most. This study aims to determine whether age, gender, and season of biopsy play a significant role in skin biopsy results. Additionally, the study investigates whether the frequency of skin diseases differs before and after the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on the histopathology results of patients over 65 years old between June 2016 and September 2021. The histopathology results were obtained from the Acibadem Pathology Department. Results: Of the 677 patients, 310 (45.8%) were male and 367 (54.2%) were female. The most common disease in all patients were benign cutaneous neoplasms (23%), followed by eczematous disease (18.5%) and epithelial cutaneous cancers (16.8%). We divided the results into 12 groups: group 1: Urticaria, erythema and purpuras, group 2: Papulosquamous and eczematous diseases, group 3: Infectious diseases, group 4: Rheumatologic diseases and alopecia, group 5: Benign cutaneous neoplasms, group 6: Precancerous lesions, group 7: Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, group 8: Cutaneous metastasis and other skin cancers, group 9: Pigmentation disorders, group 10: Pschycology related dermatological disorders, group 11: Granulomatous dermatitis, group 12: Bullous dermatitis. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the most prevalent results were group 2 (21.3%), followed by group 5 (20.4%) and group 7 (16.7%) whereas, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the most frequent results were group 5 (28.4%) followed by group 7 (17.1%), and group 6 (14.9%). In terms of seasons, the most common diseases were group 5 (24.1%) in winter, group 2 (21.6%) in spring, group 5 (30.0%) in summer, and group 2 (18.9%) in autumn. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the most common result was group 2 (21.3%), followed by group 5 (20.4%) and group 7 (16.7%), and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the most common result was group 5 (28.4%), followed by group 7 (17.1%), group 6 (14.9%). Conclusion: Many skin diseases affect the geriatric population. Geriatric patients face challenges such as multiple drug use, comorbidities, mobility problems and cognitive disorders. In our study, the most common diseases in all patients were benign cutaneous neoplasms (23%), followed by eczematous diseases (18.5%), and epithelial cutaneous cancers (16.8%). Knowing about the frequency of skin diseases is critical for the early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions.
Prognostic value of handgrip strength and functional indicators in elderly patients in a southern brazilian hospital

Background: the handgrip strength (HGS) is an important functional indicator in the elderly. The aim of this work was to evaluate the prognostic value of HGS, sociodemographic and functional indicators in elderly patients in a hospital in southern Brazil. Methods: prospective cohort observational study in individuals aged 60 years or older who were admitted to the clinical sectors in a tertiary Hospital of a southern Brazil. Results: a total of 218 participants were evaluated, of which 55% were men, with median age (p25-p75) of 72 years (65.7-78.0). The most prevalent hospitalization diagnoses were respiratory (19.7%) and vascular (19.3%) disorders. The median values (p25-p75) of HGS for men and women were, respectively, 50.00 (25.0-65.0) and 30.0 (20.0-40.0) kgf. As to the outcome, 44 (20.2%) individuals eventually died. The study showed that there was higher chance of mortality in aged patients (OR = 1.063; CI 95% 1.021-1.108) with higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (OR = 1.293; CI 95% 1.149-1.256), Glasgow Coma Scale Index scores <15 (OR = 15.656; CI 95% 7.161-34.228), Katz Index scores <6 (OR = 15.617; CI 95% 6.496-37.545), laboratory tests indicating leukocytosis (OR = 4.118; CI 95% 1.984-8.546) and anemia (OR = 3.104; CI 95% 1.307-7.369), lower HGS values (Men: OR = 0.901; CI 95% 0.862-0.941; Women: OR = 0.926; CI 95% 0.896-0.956), and longer length of stay in hospital (OR = 1.088; CI 95% 1.042-1.136). Conclusion: HGS and other epidemiological indicators are highly relevant in the prognostic evaluation of elderly people in hospital admission.
Study on Designing and Manufacturing the Freeze Drying System with the Process of Freezing Moist Materials inside the Freeze Drying Chamber to Preserve Valuable Products

Freeze drying is one of the most advanced drying technologies for food processing and preserving using temperature under 0oC or under the freezing point, and pressure of drying chamber environment under 4.58mmHg to process foods. This method helps to maintain the initial quality of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, bioactive substances and sensory activities… In this study, the calculation and design were carried out to find suitable technology parameters to make the freeze drying system in which the freezing process occurred inside the freeze drying chamber. Heat was transferred by short wavelength thermal radiation, l = 50´10-3 m. As a result, time of freeze drying had been shortened to 13.33h/batch. The system was successfully manufactured, showed the steadily working, producing the high quality products, and reduced products price. In the conditions of Vietnam, the freeze drying system replacing that of other countries is the indispensable factor to apply for processing and preserving foods.