Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Um modelo de otimização da operação de terminais petrolíferos usando a teoria das restrições como pré-processamento

In the scheduling of oil transfer operations for harbor plants containing ships, piers, tanks and pipelines, an optimization model is frequently used. However, due to the complexity involved, computational time is a real concern. In this paper, a mixed integer linear programming model (MILP) found in the literature is studied and a preprocessing procedure is proposed. This procedure is based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which is used to reduce the model compilation time. Since the problem bottleneck is identified, the corresponding constraints are not considered in the preprocessing step. An analysis based on LP dual price is also carried out to verify actions taken in the preprocessing step. Although optimality cannot be assured, the results obtained show a minor deviation from the optimal solution but with a significant computational time gain.
The fuzzy sphere

A model of Euclidean spacetime is presented in which at scales less than a certain length kappa the notion of a point does not exist. At scales larger then kappa the model resembles the 2-sphere S2. The algebra which determines the structure of the model, and which replaces the algebra of functions, is an algebra of matrices. The order of n of the matrices is connected with the length kappa and the radius r of the sphere by the relation kappa approximately r/n. The elements of differential calculus are sketched as well as the possible definitions of a metric and linear connection. A definition of the path integral is given and a few examples of field theory on a fuzzy sphere are finally referred to.
Bone Sialoprotein Immobilized in Collagen Type I Enhances Angiogenesis In Vitro and In Ovo

Bone fracture healing is a multistep process, including early immunological reactions, osteogenesis, and as a key factor, angiogenesis. Molecules inducing osteogenesis as well as angiogenesis are rare, but hold promise to be employed in bone tissue engineering. It has been demonstrated that the bone sialoprotein (BSP) can induce bone formation when immobilized in collagen type I, but its effect on angiogenesis still has to be characterized in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the effects of BSP immobilized in a collagen type I gel on angiogenesis. First, in vitro analyses with endothelial cells (HUVECs) were performed detecting enhancing effects of BSP on proliferation and gene expression of endothelial markers. A spheroid model was employed confirming these results. Finally, the inducing impact of BSP-collagen on vascular density was proved in a yolk sac membrane assay. Our results demonstrate that BSP is capable of inducing angiogenesis and confirm that collagen type I is the optimal carrier for this protein. Taking into account former results, and literature showing that BSP also induces osteogenesis, one can hypothesize that BSP couples angiogenesis and osteogenesis, making it a promising molecule to be used in bone tissue regeneration.
Complications and Outcomes of the Nuss Procedure in Adult Patients: A Systematic Review

Pectus excavatum is a congenital chest wall deformity, commonly identified in early childhood, creating a “sunken chest” appearance. Over time, the deformity can worsen, thus impacting cardiopulmonary function and creating significant body image disturbance in patients. The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive technique in which a curved steel bar is introduced underneath the sternum through small bilateral thoracic incisions to correct the deformity. Most studies regarding the procedure to date focus on outcomes and complications in pediatric patients, however, few studies discuss these results in adult patients. This systematic review aims to analyze common complications and outcomes in patients over the age of 18 who have not undergone any prior intervention for pectus excavatum. The most common complications experienced in adult patients were displacement of the implanted steel bar, infection of the surgical site, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and chronic postoperative pain. Reoperation was common in patients with a displacement of the bar, chronic pain, and bleeding. Additionally, adult patients routinely required a higher number of steel bars to be placed to correct the deformity. Despite evidence that the rate of complications increases with age, the majority of adult patients in our included studies were satisfied with the outcome of the procedure with indications of improved self-image and reduced preoperative symptoms such as dyspnea on exertion, palpitations, chest pain, and depression.
The Effect of Placement and Group Size on the Use of an Automated Brush by Groups of Lactating Dairy Cattle

Simple Summary Indoor housed dairy cows are highly motivated to scratch themselves using mechanical brushes. Many farms provide brushes to cows, yet no commercial brushes to date capture how the brushes are used by the cows in the pen. We developed an automated brush and tested how much cows use it at four different group sizes (60, 48, 36, and 24 cows) and with different brush locations in the pen. We found that cows used the brush for longer when it was close to the feed and water and when they were housed in smaller groups. We suggest that future studies provide groups with multiple brushes to better understand the influence on brushing behavior of cows. Abstract Mechanical brushes are often provided on dairy farms to facilitate grooming. However, current brush designs do not provide data on their use, and thus little is known about the effects of group size and placement of brushes within the pen. The objectives of this study were to automatically detect brush use in cow groups and to investigate the influence of (1) group size and the corresponding cow-to-brush ratio and (2) brush placement in relation to the lying stalls and the feeding and drinking areas. We measured brush use in groups of 60, 48, 36, and 24 cows, with the brush placed either in the alley adjacent to the feed bunk and water trough or in the back alley. Cows used the brush for longer when it was placed in the feed/water alley compared to when placed in the back alley. Average brush use per cow increased when cows were housed in smaller groups, but the brush was never in use more than 50% of the day, regardless of group size. We conclude that brush use increases when availability is increased and when the brush is placed closer to the feed and water.
Real-world evaluation of atezolizumab and etoposide-carboplatin as a first-line treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer

Background/Aims Despite the obvious benefits of adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to platinum-etoposide chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), real-world data remain scarce. Methods This retrospective study included 89 patients with ES-SCLC treated with platinum-etoposide chemotherapy alone (chemo-only group; n = 48) or in combination with atezolizumab (atezolizumab group; n = 41) and compared the survival outcomes between these two groups. Results Overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in the atezolizumab group than in the chemo-only group (15.2 months vs. 8.5 months; p = 0.047), whereas the median progression-free survival was almost the same (5.1 months vs. 5.0 months) in both groups (p = 0.754). Subsequent multivariate analysis revealed that thoracic radiation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.223; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.092–0.537; p = 0.001) and atezolizumab administration (HR, 0.350; 95% CI, 0.184–0.668; p = 0.001) were favorable prognostic factors for OS. In the thoracic radiation subgroup, patients who received atezolizumab demonstrated favorable survival outcomes and no grade 3–4 adverse events (AEs). Conclusions The addition of atezolizumab to platinum-etoposide resulted in favorable outcomes in this real-world study. Thoracic radiation was associated with improved OS and acceptable AE risk in combination with immunotherapy in patients with ES-SCLC.
Relationship between Social Media Use and Social Anxiety in College Students: Mediation Effect of Communication Capacity

An increasing number of college students are experiencing social anxiety in an era of prevalent social networking. College students’ social anxiety may be related to their social media use. However, this relationship has not been confirmed. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between different types of social media use and social anxiety among college students, and the mediation effects of communication capacity in this context. A large sample of 1740 students from seven colleges in China was analyzed. Bivariate correlation and structural equations analysis showed that passive social media use was positively correlated with social anxiety. Active social media use was negatively correlated with social anxiety. Communication capacity partially mediated the relationship between social media use (passive/active) and social anxiety. Active social media use may reduce social anxiety by positively mediating communication capacity, while improved communication capacity may reduce the contribution of passive use to social anxiety. The differences in the effects of different social media use on social anxiety deserve the attention of educators. Developing communication capacity education around college students may help reduce their social anxiety.
Recent advances of Phosphodiesterase 4B in cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction Phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) is a crucial enzyme in the phosphodiesterases (PDEs), acting as a regulator of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). It is involved in cancer process through PDE4B/cAMP signaling pathway. Cancer occurs and develops with the regulation of PDE4B in the body, suggesting that PDE4B is a promising therapeutic target. Areas covered This review covereed the function and mechanism of PDE4B in cancer. We summarized the possible clinical applications of PDE4B, and highlighted the possible ways to develop clinical applications of PDE4B inhibitors. We also discussed some common PDEs inhibitors, and expected the development of combined targeting PDE4B and other PDEs drugs in the future. Expert opinion The existing research and clinical data can strongly prove the role of PDE4B in cancer. PDE4B inhibition can effectively increase cell apoptosis, inhibit cell proliferation, transformation, migration, etc., indicating that PDE4B inhibition can effectively inhibit the development of cancer. Other PDEs may antagonize or coordinate this effect. As for the further study on the relationship between PDE4B and other PDEs in cancer, it is still a challenge to develop multi-targeted PDEs inhibitors.
On commuting approximation properties of Banach spaces

Let a, c ≥ 0 and let B be a compact set of scalars. We show that if X is a Banach space such that the canonical projection π from X*** onto X* satisfies the inequality and 1 ≤ λ < max |B| + c, then every λ-commuting bounded compact approximation of the identity of X is shrinking. This generalizes a theorem by Godefroy and Saphar from 1988. As an application, we show that under the conditions described above both X and X* have the metric compact approximation property (MCAP). Relying on the Willis construction, we show that the commuting MCAP does not imply the approximation property.
NUF2 Promotes Breast Cancer Development as a New Tumor Stem Cell Indicator

Multiple new subtypes of breast cancer (BRCA) are identified in women each year, rendering BRCA the most common and rapidly expanding form of cancer in females globally. NUF2 has been identified as a prognostic factor in various human cancers, regulating cell apoptosis and proliferation. However, its role in BRCA prognosis has not been clarified. This study explored the role of NUF2 in breast cancer development and prognosis using informatic analysis combined with in vivo intracellular studies. Through the online website TIMER, we evaluated the transcription profile of NUF2 across a variety of different cancer types and found that NUF2 mRNA was highly expressed in BRCA patients. Its transcription level was found to be related to the subtype, pathological stage, and prognosis of BRCA. The R program analysis showed a correlation of NUF2 with cell proliferation and tumor stemness in the BRCA patient samples. Subsequently, the association between the NUF2 expression level and immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the XIANTAO and TIMER tools. The results revealed that NUF2 expression was correlated with the responses of multiple immune cells. Furthermore, we observed the effect of NUF2 expression on tumor stemness in BRCA cell lines in vivo. The experimental results illuminated that the overexpression of NUF2 statistically upregulated the proliferation and tumor stemness ability of the BRCA cell lines MCF-7 and Hs-578T. Meanwhile, the knockdown of NUF2 inhibited the abilities of both cell lines, a finding which was verified by analyzing the subcutaneous tumorigenic ability in nude mice. In summary, this study suggests that NUF2 may play a key role in the development and progression of BRCA by affecting tumor stemness. As a stemness indicator, it has the potential to be one of the markers for the diagnosis of BRCA.
Towards effective wildlife protection law for marine species in China: A stakeholders’ perspective

Introduction As one of the megadiverse countries, the effectiveness of wildlife protection in China is of great significance to global biodiversity conservation. With continued evolution and revisions, China’s Wildlife Protection Law has listed over 140 marine species; however, it is still inclined toward terrestrial animals. Methods To narrow the gap between compliance and enforcement, we collected 1,309 effective responses from various coastal cities of China through an anonymous online questionnaire survey, to investigate their exposure, understanding and attitudes toward Wildlife Protection Law for marine species (mWPL). Results Most respondents demonstrated an overall good understanding about the context, necessity and effectiveness of mWPL. The fisher communities were found to be more aware of the dissemination and implementation of mWPL. However, they understood less of the penal system, and exhibited negative attitudes toward the necessity and punishment of the legislation, probably due to the conflicts between resource utilizations and legislative interventions. The participants also indicated that seahorses, horseshoe crabs and corals were commonly subjected to illegal exploitations. Discussion While most respondents suggested greater fines, tighter laws and better public enforcement, we advocate the exploration of bottom-up options such as community engagement and environmental education to improve compliance and implementation of mWPL for the benefit of marine wildlife conservation in China.
Project Management Maturity in Renovation and Remodelling Construction Firms

Project Management Maturity Models (PMMM) are considered practical tools to deal with poor Project Management (PM) performance, an issue that concerns academics and practitioners. However, the models that exist are something close to “one size fits all”. This means that those models might not be suitable for activity sectors with specific requirements, such as construction, in particular, the renovation and remodelling construction firms. The present research proposes a PMMM to assess the PM capabilities of Portuguese renovation and remodelling Project-Based Firms (PBF). To achieve this goal, the authors developed documental research, followed by exploratory research through qualitative analysis. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and performed a content analysis of the fully transcribed interviews. Compared with the literature review’s findings, qualitative analysis results made it possible to find closure on previous research that indicated two models to have the best fit for an assessment project on construction PBFs: the OPM3 from the PMI and the MMGP-Prado. Based on those findings, the latter has the best fit for an assessment project on construction PBF. However, the model needs adjustments to fit the Portuguese context of renovation and remodelling organisations. This article presents a new PMMM for Portuguese renovation and remodelling construction firms based on obtained results. Furthermore, regarding construction PM, this article is among the few that studied PMMM on renovation and remodelling construction companies. Unlike large construction companies, these are small organisations that academics do not target for research.
Does Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem Play a Role in the Stress to Impaired Control Pathway to Alcohol-Related Problems in a College Student Sample?

The Appraisal-Disruption Model (ADM) suggests that individuals use alcohol as a means of dampening negative self-talk. Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from validating one’s self-esteem depending on one’s romantic relationship(s) and is known to predict alcohol-related problems. We hypothesized that RCSE indirectly predicts drinking outcomes through the mediating mechanism(s) of stress and impaired control over alcohol (IC; drinking to excess beyond one’s own intentions). We fit a multiple-group structural equation model with self-report survey data from 479 college students. We used a 20,000 bootstrap technique to examine possible mediated pathways. Consistent with evolutionary theory, our model was moderated by sex: more variance in alcohol-related problems was explained for women (R2 = 0.479) than for men (R2 = 0.280). RCSE was directly linked to more stress. Furthermore, higher levels of RCSE were indirectly linked to more IC through increased stress, and in turn, more heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems for both men and women. Consistent with the ADM, those with higher levels of RCSE experienced more stress and, in turn, more IC and subsequent adverse alcohol outcomes. Thus, therapists targeting alcohol use disorders (AUDs) may wish to determine if their client’s self-esteem changes dramatically based on their moment-to-moment appraisal of their intimate relationships.
On the road coloring problem

Let G=(V, E) be a strongly connected, aperiodic, directed graph having outdegree 2 at each vertex. A red-blue coloring of G is a coloring of the edges with the colors red and blue such that each vertex has one red edge and one blue edge leaving it. Given such a coloring, we define R:V→V by R(v)=w if there is a red edge from v to w. Similarly we define B:V→V. G is said to be collapsible if some composition of R's and B's maps V to a single vertex. The road coloring problem is to determine whether G has a collapsible coloring. The adjacency matrix, A, of G has a positive left eigenvector w=(w(v 1 ),. , w(v n )) with eigenvalue 2. We can assume that w's components are integers with no common factor. We call w(v) the weight of v. Let W≡Σ v∈V w(v), defined to be the weight of the graph. We prove that if G has a simple cycle of length relatively prime to W, then G is collapsibly colorable
Ultrawide-band coherent processing

In this paper, we develop an approach for estimating the ultrawide-band (UWB) radar signature of a target by using sparse subband measurements. First, we determine the parameters of an appropriate signal model that best fits the measured data. Next, the fitted signal model is used to interpolate between and extrapolate outside of the measurement subbands. Standard pulse-compression methods are then applied to provide superresolved range profiles of the target. The algorithm can automatically compensate for lack of mutual coherence between the radar subbands, providing the potential for UWB processing of real-world radar data collected by separate wide-band radars, because the processing preserves the phase distribution across the measured and estimated subbands, extended coherent processing can be applied to the UWB compressed radar pulses to generate superresolved radar images of the target. Applications of this approach to static test range and field data show promising results.
Standardized Nursing Diagnoses in a Surgical Hospital Setting: A Retrospective Study Based on Electronic Health Data

Introduction In electronic health records (EHRs), standardized nursing terminologies (SNTs), such as nursing diagnoses (NDs), are needed to demonstrate the impact of nursing care on patient outcomes. Unfortunately, the use of NDs is not common in clinical practice, especially in surgical settings, and is rarely included in EHRs. Objective(s) The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence and trend of NDs in a hospital surgical setting by also analyzing the relationship between NDs and hospital outcomes. Methods A retrospective study was conducted. All adult inpatients consecutively admitted to one of the 15 surgical inpatient units of an Italian university hospital across 1 year were included. Data, including the Professional Assessment Instrument and the Hospital Discharge Register, were collected retrospectively from the hospital's EHRs. Results The sample included 5,027 surgical inpatients. There was a mean of 6.3 ± 4.3 NDs per patient. The average distribution of NDs showed a stable trend throughout the year. The most representative NANDA-I ND domain was safety/protection. The total number of NDs on admission was significantly higher for patient whose length of stay was longer. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the number of NDs on admission and the number of intra-hospital patient transfers. Additionally, the mean number of NDs on admission was higher for patients who were later transferred to an intensive care unit compared to those who were not transferred. Conclusion NDs represent the key to understanding the contribution of nurses in the surgical setting. NDs collected upon admission can represent a prognostic factor related to the hospital's key outcomes.
Algebraic multilevel iteration method for lowest order Raviart–Thomas space and applications

An optimal order algebraic multilevel iterative method for solving system of linear algebraic equations arising from the finite element discretization of certain boundary value problems, that have their weak formulation in the space H(div), is presented. The algorithm is developed for the discrete problem obtained by using the lowest‐order Raviart–Thomas space. The method is theoretically analyzed and supporting numerical examples are presented. Furthermore, as a particular application, the algorithm is used for the solution of the discrete minimization problem which arises in the functional‐type a posteriori error estimates for the discontinuous Galerkin approximation of elliptic problems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On Hyperbolic Triangularization: Stability and Pivoting

This paper treats the problem of triangularizing a matrix by hyperbolic Householder transformations. The stability of this method, which finds application in block updating and fast algorithms for Toeplitz-like matrices, has been analyzed only in special cases. Here we give a general analysis which shows that two distinct implementations of the individual transformations are relationally stable. The analysis also shows that pivoting is required for the entire triangularization algorithm to be stable.