Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remarks on evolution of spacetimes in 3 + 1 and 4 + 1 dimensions

A large class of vacuum spacetimes is constructed in dimension 4 + 1 from hyperboloidal initial data sets which are not small perturbations of empty space data. These spacetimes are future geodesically complete, smooth up to their future null infinity ℐ+ and extend as vacuum spacetimes through their Cauchy horizon. Dimensional reduction gives non-vacuum spacetimes with the same properties in 3 + 1 dimensions.
Acceleration Techniques for Sparse Recovery Based Plane-wave Decomposition of a Sound Field

Plane-wave decomposition by sparse recovery is a reliable and accurate technique for plane-wave decomposition which can be used for source localization, beamforming, etc. In this work, we introduce techniques to accelerate the planewave decomposition by sparse recovery. The method consists of two main algorithms which are spherical Fourier transformation (SFT) and sparse recovery. Comparing the two algorithms, the sparse recovery is the most computationally intensive. We implement the SFT on an FPGA and the sparse recovery on a multithreaded computing platform. Then the multithreaded computing platform could be fully utilized for the sparse recovery. On the other hand, implementing the SFT on an FPGA helps to flexibly integrate the microphones and improve the portability of the microphone array. For implementing the SFT on an FPGA, we develop a scalable FPGA design model that enables the quick design of the SFT architecture on FPGAs. The model considers the number of microphones, the number of SFT channels and the cost of the FPGA and provides the design of a resource optimized and costeffective FPGA architecture as the output. Then we investigate the performance of the sparse recovery algorithm executed on various multithreaded computing platforms (i.e., chip-multiprocessor, multiprocessor, GPU, manycore). Finally, we investigate the influence of modifying the dictionary size on the computational performance and the accuracy of the sparse recovery algorithms. We introduce novel sparse-recovery techniques which use non-uniform dictionaries to improve the performance of the sparse recovery on a parallel architecture.
Radiographic Atlas of Skeletal Development of the Hand and Wrist

This Atlas is principally based on the Brush Foundation Study of Human Growth and Development, conceived in 1929 by Professor T. Wingate Todd of Western Reserve University School of Medicine. This intensive study collected data on the maturation of human anatomy through the meticulous X-raying of a series of research subjects enrolled in the study as juveniles-some as young as three months-and thereafter routinely weighed and measured at three-month to one-year intervals, depending on their age. This Atlas utilizes not only the X-ray films to which Todd had access but, also, those which were obtained in the six years subsequent to Todd's publication of his Atlas of Skeletal Maturation of the Hand. The X-ray standards in the present volume are, therefore, the first to be based exclusively on the research of the Brush Foundation Study.
Multistage Logistic Regression Model for Analyzing Survival from Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer, which is also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the third most common cancer worldwide, and the second most common in Malaysia. In most situations, the tumor/cancer may return even after the tumor removal. The impact of the type of surgery performed for tumor removal on the occurrence of a new tumor and the impact of a patient’s state at previous follow-up on the occurrence of a new tumor in the next follow-up are of interest. Thus, the probability of surviving with no tumor recurrence, the probability of surviving but with tumor recurrence, and the probability of not surviving can be obtained. A multistage logistic regression, which was designed for longitudinal data, was used. Data from 161 colorectal cancer patients who experienced tumor removal through surgery and were followed-up for two years were used in this study. The results showed that in the first year after tumor removal surgery, regardless of whether the patients had undergone elective or emergency surgery, the chance of patient survival with no tumor was approximately five times higher than the chance of dying; meanwhile, the chance of dying was approximately three times higher than the chance of developing a new tumor. Similar results have also been obtained for a period of 2 years after the tumor removal surgery.
Excited states of XH2+ (X=C, N, O, S) ions: a combined experimental and theoretical study

Excited electronic states of doubly charged molecular ions of the diatomic hydrides CH2+, NH2+, OH2+ and SH2+ are investigated by means of high-resolution translational energy spectrometry. Long-lived states of CH2+, NH2+ and SH2+ (but not OH2+) are observed. Potential energy functions are calculated using a semi-empirical molecular-orbital technique as well as a high-level ab initio method using large basis sets of at least double zeta plus polarisation quality. Translational energy spectra of singly charged hydride ions are also presented.
The IPC as a change-maker? Insights from the institutional theory

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) increasingly becomes a key actor in the sport movement, yet its organizational development remains under-researched. This paper explores how the IPC, since its creation in 1989, emerged from the margins of the “able-bodied” sport movement and developed new sport opportunities for para-athletes. To do so, the literature in institutional entrepreneurship is investigated as well as the two concepts of institutional boundaries and practices. Methodologically, the research is based on content analysis of archival records. The study reveals two main stages during which the IPC significantly transformed the legitimated boundaries and practices within the sport movement. Based on this analysis, some of the key institutional challenges the IPC is currently facing are highlighted and discussed.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK ABILITY IN NURSING AND MINOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la asociacion entre trastornos psiquicos menores y la reduccion de la capacidad de trabajo en los profesionales de enfermeria. Estudio epidemiologico transversal con 498 (84,1%) profesionales de un hospital universitario en el Estado de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Fueron utilizadas versiones brasilenas del Indice de Capacidad de Trabajo y del Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20, con el analisis descriptivo y multivariado. La prevalencia de los trastornos psiquicos menores y la reduccion de la capacidad de trabajo fueron 33,7 % y 43,3 %, respectivamente. Los analisis mostraron que los profesionales con sospecha de trastornos psiquicos menores tuvieron dos veces mas posibilidades de tener la capacidad de trabajo reducida comparados con los de sin sospecha de trastornos psiquicos menores. Se concluye que existe una asociacion positiva entre trastornos psiquicos menores y reduccion de la capacidad de trabajo en los profesionales investigados. Se necesitan medidas para disminuir las exigencias mentales y que potencialicen la capacidad para el trabajo.
The c2d Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey of Ices around Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects. II. CO2

This paper presents Spitzer IRS λ/Δ λ ∼ 600 spectroscopy of the CO2 15.2 μm bending mode toward 50 embedded young low-mass stars, taken mostly from the “Cores to Disks” (c2d) Legacy program. The average abundance of solid CO2 relative to water in low-mass protostellar envelopes is 0.32 ± 0.02, significantly higher than that found in quiescent molecular clouds and in massive star-forming regions. A decomposition of the observed CO2 bending mode profiles requires a minimum of five unique components. Roughly of the CO2 ice is found in a water-rich environment, while most of the remaining is found in a CO environment with strongly varying relative concentrations of CO2 to CO along each line of sight. Ground-based observations of solid CO toward a large subset of the c2d sample are used to further constrain the CO2:CO component and suggest a model in which low-density clouds form the CO2:H2O component and higher density clouds form the CO2:CO ice during and after the freezeout of gas-phase CO. The abundance of the CO2:CO component is consistent with cosmic-ray processing of the CO-rich part of the ice mantles, although a more quiescent formation mechanism is not ruled out. It is suggested that the subsequent evolution of the CO2 and CO profiles toward low-mass protostars, in particular the splitting of the CO2 bending mode due to pure, crystalline CO2, is first caused by distillation of the CO2:CO component through evaporation of CO due to thermal processing to ~20-30 K. The formation of pure CO2 via segregation from the H2O rich mantle may contribute to the band splitting at higher levels of thermal processing (≳50 K) but is harder to reconcile with the physical structure of protostellar envelopes around low-luminosity objects.
Internal Defect Detection in Hardwood Logs With Fast Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Identification of defects such as knots in logs before the cutting operation would allow lumber mills to maximize the value of lumber from each log. This dissertation presented images obtained from scanning an oak log with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The unique characteristics of MRI images o f hardwood logs were noted and were used to derive a quick algorithm to isolate defects. Defect regions had some pixels that varied considerably in intensity from their neighborhood, providing a seed for initiating the defect region. There was an overlap between the pixel gray level o f the defects and clear wood. Therefore, traditional thresholding techniques did not cleanly separate these regions. In this study, region-growing methods were used to extract the defects. The algorithm grew the defect region seed until the border-pixel gray levels approached the average level o f the neighborhood. The region-growing methods obtained more accurate defect regions than thresholding methods because o f the simultaneous consideration of gray level and adjacency information. Two methods o f MRI imaging were considered: spin-echo and echo-planar. Spinecho imaging provided clear, detailed images but required about 20 seconds of acquisition time, which was too slow to be used in a production environment. Echoplanar images could be acquired in about 1/2 second, which was fast enough for production, but the images were fuzzy and noisy. The dissertation presented an algorithm that found the defect regions in spin-echo images. Region-growing methods use a number o f parameters and the best parameters
Errors due to the truncation of the computational domain in static three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography

In electrical impedance tomography (EIT), an approximation for the internal resistivity distribution is computed based on the knowledge of the injected currents and measured voltages on the surface of the body. The currents spread out in three dimensions and therefore off-plane structures have a significant effect on the reconstructed images. A question arises: how far from the current carrying electrodes should the discretized model of the object be extended? If the model is truncated too near the electrodes, errors are produced in the reconstructed images. On the other hand if the model is extended very far from the electrodes the computational time may become too long in practice. In this paper the model truncation problem is studied with the extended finite element method. Forward solutions obtained using so-called infinite elements, long finite elements and separable long finite elements are compared to the correct solution. The effects of the truncation of the computational domain on the reconstructed images are also discussed and results from the three-dimensional (3D) sensitivity analysis are given. We show that if the finite element method with ordinary elements is used in static 3D EIT, the dimension of the problem can become fairly large if the errors associated with the domain truncation are to be avoided.
Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in an Elliptical Galaxy with the Most Updated AGN Physics. I. Low Angular Momentum Case

We investigate the effects of AGN feedback on the cosmological evolution of an isolated elliptical galaxy by performing two-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamical numerical simulations. The inner boundary of the simulation is chosen so that the Bondi radius is resolved. Compared to previous works, the two accretion modes—namely, hot and cold, which correspond to different accretion rates and have different radiation and wind outputs—are carefully discriminated, and the feedback effects by radiation and wind in each mode are taken into account. The most updated AGN physics, including the descriptions of radiation and wind from the hot accretion flows and wind from cold accretion disks, are adopted. Physical processes like star formation and SNe Ia and II are taken into account. We study the AGN light curve, typical AGN lifetime, growth of the black hole mass, AGN duty cycle, star formation, and X-ray surface brightness of the galaxy. We compare our simulation results with observations and find general consistency. Comparisons with previous simulation works find significant differences, indicating the importance of AGN physics. The respective roles of radiation and wind feedback are examined, and it is found that they are different for different problems of interest, such as AGN luminosity and star formation. We find that it is hard to neglect any of them, so we suggest using the names “cold feedback mode” and “hot feedback mode” to replace the currently used ones.
Electron diffusion in the fast-axial-flow CO2 laser

It is pointed out that the electron diffusion driven by collisions between electrons and neutral molecules cannot explain the radial profiles of electron concentrations observed in the fast-axial-flow continuous wave industrial CO2 laser plasma. Based on the approximations of the k- epsilon turbulence model, a simplified model of the turbulent electron diffusion is developed. Predicted radial profiles of electron concentration in the laser cavity and experimentally observed profiles are shown to be in reasonable agreement if we assume that the electron density at the boundary is equal to about 0.6 of the maximum electron density.
Knowledge and utilization of HIV counseling and testing services among students of a tertiary institution in Abia State, South East Nigeria

Introduction: In Nigeria, despite increasing availability HIV counseling and testing (HCT) services, uptake of HCT among youths has remained significantly low. Although, youths are at greater risk of HIV infection many of them do not access HCT services. Consequently, this study is aimed at ascertaining knowledge and level of uptake of HCT services among students in tertiary institution in South East Nigeria. Methodology: The study is a cross-sectional, descriptive survey involving a total of 312 students selected by multi-staged sampling technique. Responses were elicited from them using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire on bio-data, knowledge of HCT, desire for HIV testing, risk perception, access and utilization of HCT services. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 17. Findings: Analysis of the data showed that 184 (59%) of the students were aware of HCT, with a slightly greater male preponderance than females. Common sources of information on HCT were media (49.5%), friends (25.0%), and health worker (20.7%). Majority (78%) of them desired to be desired for HIV; however, only 138 (44.2%) had ever been tested for HIV, among which 86 (62%) were tested voluntarily. Most common reasons for testing for HIV were, to know their status (51.4%), admission into school (17%), blood transfusion (9%) and during illness (7%). Common reasons for not desiring to be tested were - not aware of any HCT center (37.1%), fear of test result (22.9%), distance (8.6%) and stigma (8.6%). One hundred and ninety-three (62%) students felt that they have a high chance of acquiring HIV infection. Conclusion: Despite high awareness and desire to be tested for HIV, uptake of HCT services remains low among students in tertiary institution, therefore adoption of youth-friendly approaches will improve uptake of HIV testing among them.
Influence of Production Considerations on Balanced Mixture Designs

Measuring or predicting mixture performance prior to placement has become essential for many state transportation agencies due to incorporation of more recycled materials into mixtures, utilization of binders formulated with various modifiers, and utilization of new and unproven technologies. Mixtures designed incorporating these elements in accordance with the current Superpave mixture design method have unknown performance as Superpave was never designed to compensate for them. Thus, agencies have interest in implementing the balanced mixture concept that requires testing for acceptable mixture performance during the design phase. The effect of production considerations on a balanced mixture design is not known. It is unknown if a mixture remains performance balanced during production due to factors like asphalt content, gradation and binder source variations. This study was undertaken to understand the influence of these production considerations on a balanced mixture design. Two Superpave mixtures, a 9.5 mm and 12.5 mm, were developed using the balanced mixture design approach using volumetric properties, one rutting test and one cracking test. These mixtures were then modified to represent production variations in asphalt binder content, gradation passing the No. 200 sieve, and asphalt binder source. All mixtures remained performance balanced when examining the production considerations in terms of rutting and cracking using the selected tests. Examination of other performance results, like moisture susceptibility, suggest it is possible to effectively unbalance the mixture design during production. This underscores the importance of proper selection of performance tests to address the performance needs of the agency.
Uniqueness in inverse problems for an elasticity system with residual stress by a single measurement

In this paper we consider an elasticity system with residual stress. The constitutive equation of this elasticity system differs from that of the isotropic elasticity system by R + (∇u)R, where R is the residual stress tensor. This system is not isotropic due to the existence of the residual stress R. Thus, it is not possible to reduce the principal part of the system to uncoupled wave operators as we have for the isotropic elasticity system. Here we investigate inverse problems of identifying the force term or the density by a single measurement of the lateral boundary. We establish uniqueness results by means of Carleman estimates when the residual stress is small.
Equation of motion of the triple contact line along an inhomogeneous surface

The wetting flows are controlled by the contact line motion. We derive an equation that describes the slow time evolution of the triple solid-liquid-fluid contact line for an arbitrary distribution of defects on a solid surface. The capillary rise along a partially wetted infinite vertical wall is considered. The contact line is assumed to be only slightly deformed by the defects. The derived equation is solved exactly for a simple example of a single defect.
Evaluation of Histopathological Effects of Contaminated Unexpired Gentamicin and Penicillin G Injections on the Kidney Tissues of Juvenile Wistar Rats

The histo-pathological effects of contaminated unexpired gentamicin and penicillin G injections on the kidney tissues of juvenile Wister rats have been investigated using standard microbiological and histo-pathological techniques. A total of ten (10) samples (eight (8) drug samples and two (2) control drugs) were obtained from patent medicine stores in Calabar, Cross River State-Nigeria. Experimental animals were eight (8) juvenile Wistar rats which weighed between 80g and 150g. These animals were subjected to intramuscular drug treatment by injecting 2 mL of 360 mg of penicillin and 58 mg of gentamicin injections for 6 days at 12 hourly intervals. The animals were sacrificed after two days of drug administration. The mean total heterotrophic count ranged between 3.80 ± 0.35 cfu/mL and 1.53 ± 0.26 cfu/mL. There was a significant difference at p < 0.05 as compared with control. Similarly, the mean coliform count was 2.16 ± 0.68 cfu/mL and 0.91 ± 0.33 cfu/mL. There was no mould isolate. Certain drug spoilage microorganisms isolated from the drug samples were identified as, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, etc. The freeze-dried and heat fixed thin sections of Wister rats’ kidney were observed under the microscope using x10, x40 and x100 magnifications. Results obtained revealed marked necrosis and erosion of proximal borders especially the focal epithelium of proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) of the kidney, with the retention of cyto-architecture. Plasmolysis was observed in the epithelial cells of the distal convoluted tubules (DCT) when treated with contaminated unexpired gentamicin and penicillin g samples as compared with control. Glomerular hypoplasia and fibrosis of the Bowman’s space occurred in the kidney when compared with the control. Similarly, interstitial oedema occurred in the medulla, leading to focal tubular fibrosis as a result of microbial activity. Interstitial hemorrhage which led to complete tubular necrosis with loss of defined tubular cyto-architecture was also observed. This effect made the tissue fibrous resulting in non-functional or shrunken kidney as compared to control. Results obtained from this work have raised serious health concerns, considering the risks posed by treatment of patients with contaminated drugs.
User Onboarding An investigation in how to increase the activation of new customers using design

This thesis have surrounded the topic of user onboarding, the process of letting new users acquire the necessary skills in order to become an active customer. In this case, an online accounting platform have been the object in focus. This have been accomplished by using an tailored design process consisting of elements from Human-Centered Design and Goal-Directed Design. The overall goal was to develop and implement a set of onboarding methods, which later would be evaluated using A/B experiments - an evaluation method where real and unaware users are involved. The result gave an indication that an assisted tour throughout the important features of the application could be beneficial in order to convert users to becoming active. However, the results of the three conducted experiments didn’t exhibit enough differences to conclude the superior onboarding method. Therefore, it became clear that quantitative A/B experiments isn’t a recommended method when performing labour of this kind. The work would have benefited from performing quicker iterations and to constantly include opinions from users.