Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Physiological, Biomechanical, and Performance Effects of Body Armor Use

Abstract : This study was conducted to compare the effects on Soldiers' physiological, biomechanical, and maximal performance responses of not wearing any armor, wearing an armor vest, and wearing a vest plus extremity armor. Eleven Army enlisted men participated in the study. Participants carried out the following activities on separate days of testing: walking (1.39 m/s); running (2.34 m/s); and three maximal effort tasks. The maximal effort tasks were: five continuous 30-m rushes; 5 min of repetitive lifting of a 20.5-kg. box; and obstacle course runs. The walking and the running trials were 10 min in duration and took place on a level treadmill. Each participant was tested in five conditions: no armor, the Interceptor Body Armor tactical vest, and three types of extremity armor, which were work with the armor vest. The vest was configured with a collar, groin protector, and protective inserts. The three designs of extremity armor were similar in weight, but varied in body surface area covered.
Assessing future needs of IT education in Malaysia: a preliminary result

Malaysia is making a frantic effort to promote its shared services and outsourcing as a preferred hub in Asia. It is projected for multiple growths in demand for IT graduates to fulfill this IT outsourcing phenomenon. In this study, we sought in-depth insights and experiences from seven senior executive managements in service provider firms in Klang Valley on the skills and capabilities requirements of fresh IT graduates to fulfill the market needs of IT outsourcing in Malaysia. The research team found that technical, soft and problem-solving skills are the main concerns raised by the key informants. This is in line with the literature review and also the present higher education policy concerns by the Malaysia government. The second stage of the study is to survey across West Malaysia and finally a roundtable discussion with panel of experts from academia and industry will be conducted in order to reach to a conclusive and consensus agreements.
Improving the Learning Environment at a University in Saudi Arabia: Identifying Factors That Impede or Motivate Learning

The teaching of English language in Saudi Arabia remains a challenge in spite of good language planning, curriculum design, appropriate textbooks and infrastructural facilities as well as efficient and qualified teachers. This paper identifies possible factors that impede or motivate learning of the English language at the university’s preparatory year program. A survey was conducted with students and instructors of preparatory year program at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia during the 2013/2014 academic year. The results of the survey show some of the common problems faced by students that include attitudinal issues amongst students, difficulty in switching from L2 to L1 and inefficient English language teaching and learning programs in schools. This paper also discusses the results of a blended learning experiment involving proposed innovative enhancements based on survey results, including the incorporation of edu-gaming and role play simulation. The experiment yielded a positive outcome.
Windows of Opportunities : The Glazed Area and its Impact on the Energy Balance of Buildings

The impact of window area on the energy balance of a building was investigated by simulations in DEROB-LTH. The glazed area was varied in three types of buildings with different types of glazing and for several climates.One low energy house was compared to a less insulated house but identical in size and layout. Three different types of glazing were used; uncoated double glazing, double glazing with one low-e coated pane and triple glazing with two low-e coated panes. Climates with variations in solar radiation, mean temperature, altitude and latitude were chosen.The results show that if energy efficient window alternatives are chosen the flexibility of choosing the glazed area and orientation is higher. Choosing a larger area facing south resulted in a higher heating demand for uncoated double glazing in the standard house. An increased area also resulted in an increased peak load for heating for all the simulated cases. Choosing the energy efficient glazing type gave a decrease in heating demand for increased south facing glazed area in the standard house. In the low energy house the difference in heating demand between different areas was smaller than for the standard house. An office module with two types of switchable glazing and one solar control glazing unit was used in three different climates; Stockholm, Brussels and Rome. Larger window areas increase the cooling demand but if glazing types with lower solar transmittance are used, the difference in cooling demand between different window areas decreases. An extremely large window area, however, increases the peak load both for cooling and for heating and should therefore be avoided. Energy can be saved by using switchable windows instead of solar control or in particular standard glazing.
Techniques to enhance the MANET lifetime

Now-a-days more and more devices are getting portable. This have encouraged the development of mobile ad hoc networks (MANET). In addition to device portability, MANET does not require, a pre-established network infrastructure. As a result they can be easily deployed in situations like emergency rescue and disaster management.However, there are certain issues that are inherent to MANET such as hidden and exposed terminal problem, limited bandwidth, limited processing and battery power.These issues need to be addressed for successful deployment of MANET.Nodes in MANET are run by battery power. Sometimes, it is difficult to replace and/or re-charge the battery. Therefore, to increase the longevity of the network, the available battery power must be judiciously used. In this thesis we have proposed two techniques to enhance the lifetime of MANET. They are: (i) Distance Based Topology Control with Sleep Scheduling (DBSS), and (ii) Alternate Path based Power Management using Clustering (APMC). DBSS is based on topology control method. In DBSS the network topology is modified by adjusting the node’s transmission power. Nodes that is geographically closer to the destination node is selected as the next-hop node for routing the traffic. Nodes that are not involved in on-going transmission are put to sleep state, to conserve energy. APMC is based on transmission power management method. In APMC node disjoint alternate paths are computed. The traffic is routed through k-alternate paths,so that no nodes on a path depletes its energy at a faster rate than other nodes. A clustering mechanism is employed to control the routing activity. The network is logically divided into number of clusters. A node within each cluster is selected as cluster-head. In the absence of traffic cluster-head put the nodes on that path to sleep state to conserve energy. We have compared the proposed schemes, with existing ones through simulation. It is observed that, the proposed scheme can enhance the longevity of the network. Simulation is performed using Qualnet simulator.
Pulmonary Evaluation of Post-COVID-19 Patients: An Ecuadorian Experience

Background Despite the growing concerns related to the potential of long-term pulmonary sequelae due to COVID-19, data about intermediate and long-term changes in the respiratory function of patients who recover is relatively sparse, particularly in developing countries. Objectives To assess the characteristics and pulmonary function at follow-up in a sample of Ecuadorian patients that recovered from the virus. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 43 patients after symptomatic COVID infection, who were evaluated by spirometry, single breath DLCO, and 6MWT. For statistical analysis we performed point biserial correlations, and chi squared tests. Results Overall, 30.3% of patients (n = 13) reported persistent symptoms, with fatigue being the most common (23.3%, n = 10). Around 34.9% (n = 15) of the sample had a restrictive spirometry pattern, 18.6% (n = 8) had an abnormally decreased adjusted DLCO. A restrictive spirometry pattern was associated with an abnormally low adjusted DLCO (χ2(2) = 11,979, p = 0.001). Conclusion We found that a considerable proportion of patients presented with persistent symptoms and alterations in pulmonary function following COVID-19, mainly a restrictive respiratory pattern and abnormally low DLCO. Further studies are needed to determine which patients may benefit from the follow-up with specific pulmonary function tests.
Braking capacity of railway wheels ─ state-of-the-art survey

An overview of design methods for tread braking systems is given with special focus on the braking capacity of the wheels. Several aspects of the tread braking system, important for the dimensioning of railway wheels, are assessed, such as brake block materials, residual stresses and temperature gradients through wheel rim and wheel disc. The influence of heat partitioning between wheel, brake block and rail on wheel temperatures for different braking cycles is considered. Two examples with numerical results on thermomechanical behaviour of tread braking systems are given regarding the freight and metro applications.
NÍVEIS CRESCENTES DE GORDURA NA DIETA DE VACAS LEITEIRAS DE ALTA PRODUÇÃO INCREASING FAT LEVELS ADDED TO THE DIET OF HIGH PRODUCING COWS

A research was conducted to study the effects of adding different levels of fat to a diet for high milk producing cows during the first third of lactation on milk production, body weight and productive efficiency. A completely randomized block design was used. Twentyone Jersey cows (430 kg body weight) were randomly alloted to the dietary treatments. The research was carried out at Embrapa Clima Temperado, Capao do Leao/RS, Brazil. The dietary treatments were: 4, 6 and 8% ether extract (EE) on dry matter basis (DM). Milk yield, productive efficiency and body weight data were submitted to analysis of variance. There were no differences between treatments for milk production, milk production corrected to 4% fat (PLC4%) and body weight. PLC4% values were 22.3; 21.6 and 22.6 kg day -1 , and values of body weight gain variation per animal per week, were respectively, 0.024; 0.583 and 0.774 kg for TG4%, TG6% and TG8%, respectively. There was no difference for production efficiency, taking both the live and metabolic weights into consideration. Addition of fat up to 8% EE did not affect performance.
Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment

This report is the second edition of a guidance manual originally issued in 1995 which presents procedures for predicting and assessing noise and vibration impacts of proposed mass transit projects. All types of bus and rail projects are covered. Procedures for assessing noise and vibration impacts are provided for different stages of project development, from early planning before mode and alignment have been selected through preliminary engineering and final design. Both for noise and vibration, there are three levels of analysis described. The framework acts as a screening process, reserving detailed analysis for projects with the greatest potential for impacts while allowing a simpler process for projects with little or no effects. This updated guidance contains noise and vibration impact criteria that are used to assess the magnitude of predicted impacts. A range of mitigation measures are described for dealing with adverse noise and vibration impacts. There is a discussion of noise and vibration during the construction stage and also discussion of how the technical information should be presented in the Federal Transit Administration's environmental documents. This guidance will be of interest not only to technical specialists who conduct the analyses but also to transit agency staff, federal agency reviewers, and members of the general public who may be affected by the projects.
Pervasive Business Intelligence

In the last few years, a new generation of Business Intelligence (BI) tools called BI 2.0 has emerged to meet the new and ambitious requirements of business users. BI 2.0 not only introduces brand new topics, but in some cases it re-examines past challenges according to new perspectives depending on the market changes and needs. In this context, the term pervasive BI has gained increasing interest as an innovative and forward-looking perspective. This thesis investigates three different aspects of pervasive BI: personalization, timeliness, and integration. Personalization refers to the capacity of BI tools to customize the query result according to the user who takes advantage of it, facilitating the fruition of BI information by different type of users (e.g., front-line employees, suppliers, customers, or business partners). In this direction, the thesis proposes a model for On-Line Analytical Process (OLAP) query personalization to reduce the query result to the most relevant information for the specific user. Timeliness refers to the timely provision of business information for decision-making. In this direction, this thesis defines a new Data Warehuose (DW) methodology, Four-Wheel-Drive (4WD), that combines traditional development approaches with agile methods; the aim is to accelerate the project development and reduce the software costs, so as to decrease the number of DW project failures and favour the BI tool penetration even in small and medium companies. Integration refers to the ability of BI tools to allow users to access information anywhere it can be found, by using the device they prefer. To this end, this thesis proposes Business Intelligence Network (BIN), a peer-to-peer data warehousing architecture, where a user can formulate an OLAP query on its own system and retrieve relevant information from both its local system and the DWs of the net, preserving its autonomy and independency.
Breaking the glass ceiling : can women reach the top of America's largest corporations?

* Introduction * The Ceiling and the Wall: The Double Barrier to the Top * Up or Out: How Women Succeed, How They Derail * Perception Is Reality: The Narrow Band of Acceptable Behavior * Lessons for Success I: Its Not Enough to Work Hard * Lessons for Success II: Its Not Enough to Work Smart * Breaking the Class Ceiling: Making It to General Management * Hitting the Wall: Facing Limits, Finding Alternatives * The Future: Can Women Make It To The Top? * Epilogue: Where Are They Now?
Contract Farming and Technical Efficiency: A Case of Export-Oriented Organic Rice Farmers in Pakistan

Although organic rice is a niche market in Pakistan, it has exhibited enormous potential for growth in export-oriented production. Since contract farming is the leading promoter of export-oriented organic rice production in Punjab, Pakistan, improving the technical efficiency of smallholder rice farmers through contract farming holds sufficient potential. This work examines the influence of contract farming participation on smallholder rice farmers’ technical efficiency using a cross-sectional data set of 650 respondents. We applied a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to examine the production frontier and inefficiency estimates. Further, propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control endogeneity and self-selection bias in technical efficiency estimates. The results reveal that the technical efficiency score of organic rice farmers in Punjab, Pakistan, is 89.7%, which can still be improved by 10.3% at the current sociodemographic characters and input levels. Likewise, land size, seed, and machine expenditures are the key inputs of the production frontier. Results show a positive and significant connection between contract farming participation and technical efficiency. The study extends the literature on technical efficiency, export-oriented production, contract farming, and the well-being of smallholder farmers. Moreover, the study’s findings provide cues for policies and practices.
The Langlands dual and unitary dual of quasi-split 𝑃𝐺𝑆𝑂₈^{𝐸}

This paper serves two purposes, by adopting the classical Casselman–Tadi c ´ \acute {c} ’s Jacquet module machine and the profound Langlands–Shahidi theory, we first determine the explicit Langlands classification for quasi-split groups P G S O 8 E PGSO^E_8 which provides a concrete example to guess the internal structures of parabolic inductions. Based on the classification, we further sort out the unitary dual of P G S O 8 E PGSO^E_8 and compute the Aubert duality which could shed light on the final answer of Arthur’s conjecture for P G S O 8 E PGSO_8^E . As an essential input to obtain a complete unitary dual, we also need to determine the local poles of triple product L-functions which is done in the appendix. As a byproduct of the explicit unitary dual, we verified Clozel’s finiteness conjecture of special exponents and Bernstein’s unitarity conjecture concerning AZSS duality for P G S O 8 E PGSO_8^E .
Ecopreneuring: The Complete Guide to Small Business Opportunities from the Environmental Revolution

Partial table of contents: A CRASH COURSE IN ECOPRENEURING. On Becoming an Ecopreneur: Skills of the Trade. Bankrolling an Ecobusiness: How to Find Capital for Startup and Growth. Cultivating Customers: How to Market Green Products and Services. TAKING CARE OF THE PLANET. Paper Recycling: Making a Living from Yesterday' News. Plastics Recycling: Turning Containers Into Profits. Glass Recycling: Grinding Glass Into Greenbacks. Aluminum Recycling: Squeezing Cash from Cans. Fuel for the Planet: Generating Profits from Energy Conservation. The Water Works: Green Dollars from Brown Rivers. CATERING TO THE GREEN LIFESTYLE. Green Products: Meeting the Demand for Environment-Friendly Goods. Green Grocer: Satisfying the Hunger for Safe Foods. Greenbacks: Helping People Put Their Money Where It Will Do Some Good. THE ECOPRENEUR'S RESOURCE GUIDE. About the Bennett Information Group. Index.
The Globalization of Superheroes: Diffusion, Genre, and Cultural Adaptations

Superheroes are a global phenomenon. The superhero genre has been proliferated through modern industrial societies by way of movies, television, comics, and other forms of popular media. Although virtually every nation in the world has heroic myths, the modern superhero, as marked by the inception of recent American comics heroes in 1929, is a uniquely Western invention. Superheroes are “Western” insofar as they embody and exhibit Western civic values, such as democracy, humanism, and retributive justice. These characters have been communicatively incorporated into globalization processes by means of diffusion and thereby enact aspects of cultural imperialism. Even so, superhero figures have been in high demand across many populations for their entertainment value. As superheroes have diffused in non-Western cultures, they have not only been absorbed by new cultures but also refigured and adapted. These non-Western adaptations have had a recursive influence, such as the global popularity of Japanese manga. The recursive relationship between Western superheroes and their non-Western adaptations implies superheroes are an important aspect of cultural fusion in global popular culture.
Internal and external employability of employees: a study among employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The paper aimed at examining factors that influence employees’ employability. Factors that were examined are training supports, interpersonal relationship, amount of training given, the level of job experiences, education level and tenure with current job. Employability is measured using two dimensions; internal and external employability. Pearson correlation tests indicated that training support was positively related to external employability (r = 0.193, p = .001) and internal employability (r = 0.182, p = .002). Interpersonal relationship was found only significantly related to external employability (r = 0.125, p = .022). The relationship with internal employability was insignificant (r = 0.100, p = .054). Amount of training received by employees were both related to internal (r = .251, p= .000) and external employability (r = .167, p = .003). On the other hand, job experiences was only significantly related to internal employability (r =.219, p = .000). Education level and tenure were found only giving significant influence to external employability.
STABILIZATION OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT SLUDGE FOR POSSIBLE USE AS EMBANKMENT MATERIAL

The compaction, compressibility, and shear strength behavior of an alum sludge both untreated and treated with additives are presented. The significance of the sludge behavior in terms of landfill/embankment design and construction is discussed. The additives used were a slake lime, a fly ash, and a local clay sand; the additive content was 60% by dry weight of sludge. The standard Proctor comparative effort and the conventional consolidation test were used for testing. The shear strength was determined using both the laboratory fall cone penetration test and the consolidated undrained triaxial compression test with pore pressure measurements. The moisture-density relation is not that of the typical one-hump curve. Instead, the dry density decreases with increasing water content from a maximum near zero water content. The additives appear to have an insignificant effect on the compaction curve. However, the additives improve the plasticity, compressibility, and shear strength behavior considerably. The untreated sludge has a high effective angle of internal friction, but the undrained shear strength is low, especially at high water content. Both the untreated and treated sludges are sensitive and highly thixotropic. It is concluded that admixture stabilization is an effective method of improving sludge properties for easier handling and also for increasing the volume of disposed sludge. Although the stabilized sludge within the range of conditions investigated is still too compressible and without sufficient shear strength for embankment construction, the potential for use of stabilized sludge as an embankment material can be enhanced through further dewatering or raising additive content or both.
The added value of parenchymal transcranial Doppler sonography at the Emergency Room: case report of an unusual gait disorder

Background: the growing application of parenchymal transcranial Doppler sonography (pTCS) helps the diagnosis of a wide range of neurological diseases, especially movement disorders. Here, we report a patient with an unusual gait disorder in whom pTCS performed at the Emergency Room rapidly provided diagnostic clues towards a degenerative movement disorder. Case presentation: A 60-year old man presented at the Emergency Room with a rapidly progressive history of walking difficulty, without falls. He had no family history of neurodegenerative or psychiatric diseases. Because of a depressive disorder arisen one year earlier, he was under oral treatment with escitalopram 10 mg and amisulpride 100 mg daily. Neurological examination showed a gait characterized by ataxia, rigidity, and limping; he also had mild oro-facial and hands dyskinesia, some of which were also present during walking. Brain computed tomography was normal. A pTCS performed at the Emergency Room showed hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra and the caudate nucleus, bilaterally. This pattern is suggestive of Huntington’s disease (HD), as confirmed by the molecular genetic test carried out later. Other laboratory tests, standard electroencephalogram, and 1.5-T brain MRI were normal.Conclusions: to date, this is the first report of HD sonographically detected at the Emergency Room. This supports the view that pTCS can be easily implemented in the diagnostic algorithm and differential diagnosis of movement disorders even in an urgency setting. Notably, conventional MRI did not detect, at this stage, any abnormality; this further highlights the diagnostic utility of pTCS, which also allowed to exclude a drug-induced effect or a different movement disorder. In clinically suspected cases, pTCS can extend the neurological examination by providing diagnostic clues more rapidly and less expensively than neuroimaging.