Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
US-China joint task force on integrated structural health monitoring

In 2005 a working group was assembled under the direction of the NSF in the US and the NSFC in China, to formulate a research plan to accelerate the progression of structural health monitoring technology over the next decade. The goal of the group is to identify strategic technologies worthy of further development and validation through a formal collaboration. Many fundamental issues regarding the mechanisms needed to further US – China joint research are discussed. We present several overarching issues pertaining to the advancement of SHM research. Test beds will be the stage upon which all future work will take place, with five general structural types desired: signature bridges, large key structures (steel high rise, largespan domes, nuclear power facilities), offshore platforms, pre-cast girder bridges, lifeline systems, and the built environment.
Mediating effect of customer satisfaction on service quality and customer loyalty: A study of Goan personal grooming industry

Satisfying a customer is the ultimate goal of any B2C organization. An attempt has been made to study the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and also to find out whether customers are loyal to firms in the personal grooming sector. A high degree of correlation was seen between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty which indicates that customer satisfaction was the key for repurchase of services. It was also found that responsiveness from the employees was the main attribute of service quality. Further, the approach by Baron and Kenny (1986) was used to find the extent of mediation of customer satisfaction between service quality and customer loyalty in this industry.
A Note on the Warmth of Random Graphs with Given Expected Degrees

We consider the random graph model for a given expected degree sequence . Warmth, introduced by Brightwell and Winkler in the context of combinatorial statistical mechanics, is a graph parameter related to lower bounds of chromatic number. We present new upper and lower bounds on warmth of . In particular, the minimum expected degree turns out to be an upper bound of warmth when it tends to infinity and the maximum expected degree with .
Model Reference Adaptive Control for the Trajectory Tracking of a DC Motor with Pendular Load

A new design methodology for a model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) is presented, which is applied to a brushed direct current (DC) motor with pendular load, whose exact model is unknown. This controller is designed for the trajectory tracking control problem, and the respective convergence analysis is presented. In order to avoid singularities in the controller equations, projectors are used to delimit the region of possible values of the estimated parameters. A brief description of the experimental platform is given. The results of the real-time implementation are presented confirming the practical viability of the proposed control scheme.
The Effect of Neighbor Selection in Collaborative Filtering Systems

Collaborative filtering-based recommdender systems can aid online users to choose items of their preference by recommending items based on the preference history of other similar users. Similarity calculation plays a critical role in this type of systems, since the rating history of other users with higher similarity is given higher priority in recommendations. This study investigates qualifying conditions for choosing users to consult their rating histories. The conditions are addressed in two aspects: similarity between two users and the ratio of the number of items co-rated by two users. Through extensive experiments, thresholds yielding the best performance are obtained, thus the proposed strategy is found to achieve significant performance improvement.
Mental Health Link: the development and formative evaluation of a complex intervention to improve shared care for patients with long-term mental illness.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aims to develop an intervention and related conceptual framework for developing shared care for patients with long-term mental illness, and to provide a case study of the development of a complex intervention in primary care. METHODS A pragmatic iterative design involved a literature review and focus groups followed by a formative evaluation including reflection, questionnaires and interviews. General practices and associated community mental health teams in Southeast London were involved. Participants included community mental health workers, psychiatrists, practice nurses, general practitioners, managers and local experts with an interest in primary mental health care. RESULTS The model for shared care includes the core components of improved communication together with the development of a register and database with systems for review and recall. Local needs assessment, audit, training and guidelines are complimentary components. The intervention, Mental Health Link, is a facilitated quality improvement programme which aims to expedite the development of services by bringing the teams together to agree on a model of shared care suited to local needs, skills and interests, and by supporting the development of practice systems. CONCLUSIONS A model for shared care needs to take into account interdependencies of the components as well as the relationship with the context. The heterogeneity of primary and community care need to be reflected in the development of complex interventions designed to enhance shared care. It is possible to develop a generalizable complex intervention which is sensitive to local circumstances.
The business value of big data:a framework proposal for the financial services industry

Disclaimer This document contains a student thesis (bachelor's or master's), as authored by a student at Eindhoven University of Technology. Student theses are made available in the TU/e repository upon obtaining the required degree. The grade received is not published on the document as presented in the repository. The required complexity or quality of research of student theses may vary by program, and the required minimum study period may vary in duration.
Evaluation of learned helplessness, self-efficacy and disease activity, functional capacity and pain in Argentinian patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: To evaluate the association between learned helplessness (LH) and self-efficacy (SE) with disease activity, functional capacity, and level of pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to compare LH and SE between patients in remission and patients with active disease. Method: This multicentre, cross-sectional study included consecutive patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with RA according to 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) criteria. LH was measured by the Rheumatology Attitude Index (RAI), Spanish version; SE with the Arthritis Self-efficacy Scale (ASES), Spanish version; functional capacity with the Health Assessment Questionnaire, Argentinian version (HAQ-A); and perceived pain by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Disease activity was measured by the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Results: A total of 115 patients (82% females) with a mean (± sd) age of 58 ± 13 years were included. We found a significantly positive correlation between LH and perceived pain (p < 0.001), HAQ-A score (p < 0.001), and CDAI (p < 0.001) and a significantly negative correlation between SE and perceived pain (p < 0.001), HAQ-A score (p < 0.001), and CDAI (p < 0.001). We found greater levels of SE and lower grades of LH in patients in remission compared to those with active disease (median 76 vs. 58; p < 0.001 and 6 vs. 11; p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: LH and SE correlated significantly with disease activity, functional capacity, and perceived pain. Levels of SE were higher in patients in remission compared to those with active disease as opposed to levels of LH, which were lower in patients in remission compared to those with active disease. These results show that cognitive factors are related to disease activity and their modifications may have importance in the management of RA.
Minimal uterine serous carcinoma: diagnosis and clinicopathologic correlation.

The clinicopathologic features of uterine serous carcinoma (USC) lacking myometrial invasion, including its putative precursor lesion endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (EIC), have not been studied extensively. Some USCs may prove fatal even when myometrial invasion is apparently absent, whereas others may be cured with surgery alone. Accordingly, the authors studied eight cases of pure EIC (no invasion identified) and 13 superficial serous carcinomas (SSCs) in which invasion was limited to the endometrial stroma to clarify the behavior of these lesions. The review demonstrated that the most important feature in assessing prognosis is the presence or absence of extrauterine disease at presentation. Thirteen of 14 patients (93%) with EIC or SSC confined to the uterus (stage I or IIA) were disease free and one was dead of unrelated causes at 52 months, whereas seven women who presented with extrauterine disease, even if only microscopic, were either dead of disease or alive with recurrences. Accordingly, patients with EIC or SSC must undergo meticulous surgical staging at the time of hysterectomy. Because the distinction between EIC and SSC based on the identification of stromal invasion is difficult and these lesions share a unique pattern of clinical behavior, the authors regard EIC and SSC measuring 1 cm or less as "minimal uterine serous carcinoma. "
High conversion gain high suppression SiGe based balanced cascode frequency quadrupler at 60–77GHz

This paper demonstrates a frequency multiplier by four (quadrupler) with a cascade topology that exhibits a high conversion gain and high suppression for the 60–77 GHz. Most of the repotted balanced frequency multiplier at mmWave range are frequency doublers, which means that an additional stage have to be used in order to get higher frequency multiplication factor. An additional stage will come at the expense of chip area, power consumption and will have relatively low conversion gain due to the cascading of to multiplying stages. Typically an additional amplifying and filter will have to be used between the stages. Furthermore, each doubler stage has to be tuned for a different frequency range. Finally, the resulting conversion efficiency will be low, thus forcing us to add additional amplifying stages at the forth harmonic. [1]
IMPACT OF FINANCIAL HEALTH ON CONTINUITY OF A FIRM: THE CASE OF MUMIAS SUGAR COMPANY

The financial health of any company is critical for the achievement of the going concern objective. This can be easily evaluated through its profitability, liquidity, solvency and activity ratios. Ratio analysis is one of the most easiest and competent tool to evaluate the financial soundness of a company. Secondary data collected from Nairobi Securities Exchange was used. The data collected was evaluated using ratio analysis. Altman‘s Z score model was used to predict the chances of bankruptcy. The results of the study showed that Mumias Sugar Company has a strong short term liquidity position. The company also has an impressive profit earning position. However, the company is suffering from underutilization of its fixed assets as shown by the ratio of EBIT to total assets. Further, the company has over relied on debt to finance its fixed assets as shown by the high values of book value of equity to book value of debt. We therefore recommend that the working capital ratio be improved from the current 0.26, operational inefficiencies be eliminated, fixed assets be utilized to full capacity and the fluctuation in the firms‘ sales revenues be stabilized. Clearly, we realize the firm could be suffering more from management challenges than market challenges. The management of the company needs to be restructured so as to improve its performance. Further, the Nairobi Securities Exchange should incorporate in its reports the Z score values for all the listed firms periodically so as to assist the investors in making informed decisions
A cascaded adaptive UUV tracking control design with ocean current

This paper proposes a tracking control law design for unmanned underwater vehicles that take into account the hydrodynamic and the ocean current effects. In order to achieve this aim, a cascaded adaptive design with ocean current is designed. First, a kinematic controller is developed and the adaptive dynamic law is designed to extend the kinematics to the dynamics tracking. The system stability can be strictly guaranteed by Lyapunov stability theory. Then, in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed method, a typical adaptive law is added to do a comparative study. The experiment results show that the proposed method can deal with hydrodynamic and the ocean current effects quite well.
Causes and trends of water scarcity in food production

The insufficiency of water resources to meet the needs of food production is a pressing issue that is likely to increase in importance in the future. Improved understanding of historical developments can provide a basis for addressing future challenges. In this study we analyse how hydroclimatic variation, cropland expansion and evolving agricultural practices have influenced the potential for food self-sufficiency within the last century. We consider a food production unit (FPU) to have experienced green–blue water (GBW) scarcity if local renewable green (in soils) and blue water resources (in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, aquifers) were not sufficient for producing a reference food supply of 3000 kcal with 20% animal products for all inhabitants. The number of people living in FPUs affected by GBW scarcity has gone up from 360 million in 1905 (21% of world population at the time) to 2.2 billion (34%) in 2005. During this time, GBW scarcity has spread to large areas and become more frequent in regions where it occurs. Meanwhile, cropland expansion has increased green water availability for agriculture around the world, and advancements in agronomic practices have decreased water requirements of producing food. These efforts have improved food production potential and thus eased GBW scarcity considerably but also made possible the rapid population growth of the last century. The influence of modern agronomic practices is particularly striking: if agronomic practices of the early 1900s were applied today, it would roughly double the population under GBW scarcity worldwide.
Hierarchical power monitoring on NoC - a case study for hierarchical agent monitoring design approach

A case study is presented for hierarchical agent monitoring design approach, which provides a high level abstraction for designing monitoring functions on massively parallel and distributed systems. The case study features hierarchical power monitoring on NoC platforms, where each level of agents perform specific monitoring operations based on their granularity. The monitoring hierarchy and operations are specified by a formal language for consistent and non-ambiguous system design. Various benchmarks are mapped onto NoCs, running with hierarchical power monitoring agents. Quantitative evaluations are performed in terms of energy efficiency, communication latency, and silicon overhead.
Epidemiology of Poultry Salmonellosis : A Review

Salmonellosis is one of the major foodborne disease of significant public health concern. Salmonellosis is considered as one of the most wide spread foodborne zoonosis in industrialized as well as developing countries. It is commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals and has been commonly associated with foods such as raw meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Poultry and poultry products derived from poultry are believed to make up fifty percent of the total vehicle of transmission of salmonella. Typhoid and non-typhoid salmonellosis remain major public health problems and are clearly the most economically important food borne disease. In many countries, the incidence of salmonellosis has markedly increased; however, paucity of good surveillance data exists. Salmonella has five different pathogenicity islands that encodes the majority of the virulence genes used for invasion and evasion of the host. The purpose of this review is to discuss the epidemiology, salmonella pathogenicity islands, invasion, molecular diagnosis, and global regional control and prevention strategies.
The internationalisation of SMEs in South Africa : export capacity, capability and commitment

The difficulties of exporting require immense commitment on the part of owner-managers of SMEs. This article sought to investigate how the commitment of owner-managers to the export market influences the export capacity of SMEs in a developing country context such as South Africa. It found that export commitment influences export capacity indirectly by means of the SME’s export capabilities and confirms the importance of an experiential learning process in the case of SME exporters within developing countries. The article emphasises the importance of the SME owner-manager’s commitment to set upon the often difficult and energy sapping experiential learning process for developing export capacity. Up to now, much of the literature on SME internationalisation from developing countries addresses what factors contribute towards their internationalisation but not how they internationalise. We have integrated three concepts in the internationalisation literature - export commitment, export capability and export capacity - into a process model on how export capacity develops among SMEs.
Effects of elastomers modified with polar molecules on water tree resistance of cross-linked polyethylene

The paper evaluated the water tree resistance of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) by using an elastomer modified with polar molecules. Samples containing maleic anhydride grafted poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene] (SEBS-g-Ma) have been prepared by melt compounding and subsequent compression molding, respectively. Accelerated water tree aging of the samples was carried out under the combined stresses consisting of ionic aqueous and high frequency electrical stress. The results showed that the introduction of SEBS-g-Ma could improve the water-tree resistance of XLPE. The length of water trees in XLPE/SEBS-g-Ma blends shows the best water-tree resistance as the SEBS-g-Ma content is 5phr (The term "phr" means parts per hundred of total polyethylene, by weight). Starting at 10phr, however, the length of water trees in the SEBS/XLPE-g-MA blends increases as the SEBS-g-Ma content increases. The samples were also evaluated by means of Gel content testing, mechanical measurement, dielectric measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. It was found that SEBS-g-MA had little influences on the mechanical and dielectric properties of XLPE.
3-D Shaping of a Focused Aperture in the Near Field

The manipulation of the near-field (NF) is a challenging topic in electromagnetics, carrying essential importance for several applications. In this paper, we develop an algorithm capable of shaping the NF in 3-D domains according to given specifications. The algorithm is based on a set theoretic approach and a front-and-back iterative propagation scheme. The latter is realized using fast Fourier transforms (FFT), reducing the required computational time. The algorithm is applied on a focal shaping scenario. In this case, a full control of the depth of focus, spot diameter, and sidelobe level of the generated radiation is achieved. In particular, the proposed procedure is successfully adopted to control the normal component of a radiating aperture over a range of 12λ at 30 GHz. The derived aperture field distribution is then synthesized by a radial line slot antenna (RLSA) by means of an in-house method of moments (MoM) code. NF measurements have validated the proposed approach and prototype.
Combined resistance and endurance exercise training improves arterial stiffness, blood pressure, and muscle strength in postmenopausal women

Objective:Menopause is associated with increased arterial stiffness and reduced muscle strength. Combined resistance (RE) and endurance (EE) exercise training can decrease brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an index of arterial stiffness, in young men. We tested the hypothesis that combined circuit RE and EE training would improve baPWV, blood pressure (BP), and muscle strength in postmenopausal women. Methods:Twenty-four postmenopausal women (age 47-68 y) were randomly assigned to a "no exercise" control (n = 12) or to combined exercise training (EX; n = 12) group. The EX group performed concurrent circuit RE training followed by EE training at 60% of the predicted maximal heart rate (HR) 3 days per week. Brachial systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, baPWV, HR, and dynamic and isometric muscle strength were measured before and after the 12-week study. Results:Mean ± SE baPWV (−0.8 ± 0.2 meters/s), systolic BP (−6.0 ± 1.9 mm Hg), diastolic BP (−4.8 ± 1.7 mm Hg), HR (−4.0 ± 1.0 beats/min), and mean arterial pressure (−5.1 ± 1.6 mm Hg) decreased (P < 0.05), whereas dynamic leg strength (5.1 ± 1.0 vs 0.6 ± 1.0 kg for the EX and control groups, respectively) and isometric handgrip strength (2.8 ± 0.7 vs −0.6 ± 1.2 kg) increased (P < 0.05) in the EX group but not in the control group. Conclusions:Our findings indicate that a 12-week moderate-intensity combined circuit RE and EE training improves arterial stiffness, hemodynamics, and muscle strength in previously sedentary postmenopausal women. This study provides evidence that combined training may have important health implications for the prevention of hypertension and frailty in postmenopausal women.
Physical Adsorption Characterization of Nanoporous Materials

During recent years, major progress has been made in the understanding of the adsorption, pore condensation and hysteresis behavior of fluids in novel ordered nanoporous materials with well defined pore structure. This has led to major advances in the structural characterization by physical adsorption, also because of the development and availability of advanced theoretical procedures based on statistical mechanics (e.g., density functional theory, molecular simulation) which allows to describe adsorption and phase behavior of fluids in pores on a molecular level. Very recent improvements allow even to take into account surface geometrical in-homogeneity of the pore walls However, there are still many open questions concerning the structural characterization of more complex porous systems. Important aspects of the major underlying mechanisms associated with the adsorption, pore condensation and hysteresis behavior of fluids in micro-mesoporous materials are reviewed and their significance for advanced physical adsorption characterization is discussed.
Shading approach for artistic stroke thickness using 2D light position

classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author. SIGGRAPH 2014, August 10 – 14, 2014, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2014 Copyright held by the Owner/Author. ACM 978-1-4503-2958-3/14/08 Shading Approach for Artistic Stroke Thickness using 2D Light Position
Implementation of optical burst switching framework in Ptolemy simulator

We present an architecture for optical burst switching (OBS) node and the implementation of OBS for a discrete event simulator like Ptolemy. This implementation allows performance analysis of OBS. Currently we have implemented a just-in-time (JIT) reservation scheme. However the software implementation provides flexibility to use other reservation schemes.