Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Karez versus tubewell irrigation: the comparative social acceptability and practicality of sustainable groundwater development in Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract This article presents the results of a field study undertaken in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan, to understand the experience and impact of an ongoing programme of transitioning from karez (an ancient mode of tapping groundwater) to tubewell irrigation on social equity, livelihoods, community cohesion and environmental quality. The article explores how changes in water management techniques and technologies are influenced by and, in turn, impact social power relations at various scales. Analyses of the field study results and policy context of groundwater management in Balochistan reveals that the transition from karez to tubewell irrigation was neither inevitable nor necessarily more advantageous but, rather, the outcome of deliberate policy choices by the government. The diffusion of tubewells is putting traditional communal modes of power in communities under stress and, in places, replacing them with the power of large farmers. At the policy level, the differential power of the discourse of modernization, coupled with the compensatory power of large farmers, is facilitating the rapid diffusion of tubewells in Balochistan. The transition from karez to tubewell irrigation also is having negative consequences for social equity and environmental quality. The article concludes by proposing specific policy initiatives that may help save and rehabilitate the rapidly dwindling karez irrigation in Balochistan.
Two-Commodity Multiroute Maximum Flow Problem

We consider a two-commodity multiroute maximum flow problem in an undirected netwo rk— a generalization of the standard two-commodity maximum flow problem. An efficien t ombinatorial algorithm, which always guarantees a quarter-integer solution w he the capacities are integers, is devised to solve a special case based on a novel extens ion of the augmentingpath technique. Partial results are reported and the difficulties in applying the augmenting-path technique to the general case are explained.
On the edge of language acquisition: inherent constraints on encoding multisyllabic sequences in the neonate brain.

To understand language, humans must encode information from rapid, sequential streams of syllables - tracking their order and organizing them into words, phrases, and sentences. We used Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine whether human neonates are born with the capacity to track the positions of syllables in multisyllabic sequences. After familiarization with a six-syllable sequence, the neonate brain responded to the change (as shown by an increase in oxy-hemoglobin) when the two edge syllables switched positions but not when two middle syllables switched positions (Experiment 1), indicating that they encoded the syllables at the edges of sequences better than those in the middle. Moreover, when a 25 ms pause was inserted between the middle syllables as a segmentation cue, neonates' brains were sensitive to the change (Experiment 2), indicating that subtle cues in speech can signal a boundary, with enhanced encoding of the syllables located at the edges of that boundary. These findings suggest that neonates' brains can encode information from multisyllabic sequences and that this encoding is constrained. Moreover, subtle segmentation cues in a sequence of syllables provide a mechanism with which to accurately encode positional information from longer sequences. Tracking the order of syllables is necessary to understand language and our results suggest that the foundations for this encoding are present at birth.
Laparoscopic tension-free repair of large paraesophageal hiatal hernias with a composite A-shaped mesh: two-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND Surgical repair of large hiatal hernias is associated with a high recurrence rate when the repair is made by simple cruroplasty. The use of a mesh goes from a reinforcement of a simple cruroplasty to a tension-free repair. We discuss the evolution of this approach and evaluate the outcomes of 27 patients with type II (n = 9), type III (n = 16), and type IV (n = 2) hiatal hernias treated laparoscopically. METHODS Between November 1999 and October 2003, 27 patients (18 women and 9 men) received laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias by means of an A-shaped polypropylene-polytetrafluoroethylene mesh. A total or a partial fundoplication was associated in all cases. The mean age was 60.1 years (range, 36-76 years). The patients presented with symptoms of 2 months to 10 years in duration. Preoperative assessment included an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, esophageal manometry, 24 hour pH monitoring, and barium swallow. Concomitant esophagitis was found in 16 patients and impaired esophageal peristalsis in 2 patients. Four patients had concomitant gallbladder disease treated at the same time. RESULTS No conversions occurred in our series. There was no perioperative mortality, and morbidity was low. Follow-up averaged 27 months (range, 6-46 months). There has been 1 recurrence (3.7%), prolonged dysphagia in 4 cases, and no mesh erosion. CONCLUSION Early results confirm the feasibility of the tension-free repair of large hiatal hernias and the effectiveness of the composite A-shaped mesh. Long-term follow-up for all patients is necessary to determine the real incidence of recurrence.
Donor hemodynamic profile presages graft survival in donation after cardiac death liver transplantation

Obligatory exposure to a period of warm ischemia is the defining feature of liver allografts from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors. We explored novel methods for characterizing the dynamic aspects of donor warm ischemia that might be useful in assessing organ quality. The hemodynamic profile during donor warm ischemia was retrospectively studied for 110 Maastricht category III DCD donors. Three methods were used to summarize the hemodynamic changes after extubation: (1) the area under the systolic blood pressure curve (AUCSBP), (2) the slope of the systolic blood pressure regressed onto the time from extubation until cross‐clamping, and (3) the slope of the systolic blood pressure regressed onto the time from extubation but calculated with only the values during the first 10 minutes after extubation (SBP10). Stepwise multivariate Cox models were created to study the association of these measures with graft survival. The duration of the donor warm ischemia time (23.6 ± 8.5 minutes) was not associated with graft survival (P = 0.35), although AUCSBP and SBP10 demonstrated significant associations (P = 0.02 and P = 0.05, respectively) in a univariate analysis. Multivariate regression models incorporating donor and recipient covariates indicated that among all covariates, SBP10 had the closest association with graft survival (hazard ratio = 1.08, P = 0.01). This association was even stronger when SBP10 was dichotomized into values above or below the median (−7.2 mm Hg/minute). Patients with SBP10s steeper than the median had an estimated 5‐year graft survival rate of 76%, whereas patients with slopes less than the median had a 5‐year survival rate of 45% (P < 0.007). In conclusion, the incorporation of novel methods for characterizing the donor warm ischemia time may help in selecting DCD liver allografts with favorable outcomes. Liver Transpl 20:165‐172, 2014. © 2013 AASLD.
Optimizing Replenishment Intervals for Two-echelon Distribution Systems with Stochastic Demand

We consider a periodic-review inventory system with one warehouse and N non-identical retailers. Each location replenishes inventory according to a base-stock policy in a fixed time interval. A fixed cost is incurred for each inventory reorder. The warehouse fills the retailers’ orders in the same sequence as the original demand. The objective is to minimize the long-run average system cost per period. This paper provides an approach to obtain the optimal base-stock levels and reorder intervals. Specifically, for fixed reorder intervals, we show that the optimal base-stock levels can be obtained by generalizing a result in the literature. To find the optimal reorder intervals, we derive solution bounds by constructing bounds for the cost of each stage. The optimal reorder intervals can therefore be found by a complete enumeration. To reduce the computation, we prove a useful property: If the optimal policy is an integer-ratio policy, the optimal reorder interval of the warehouse is no shorter than the minimum of those of the retailers. A numerical study suggests that the optimal policy tends to be an integer-ratio policy and that the power-of-two solution generated from the corresponding deterministic model may perform poorly under some conditions.
The Province of Diffusion of Innovations: Usable Social Theory for Information Systems Research

Since the dawn of computerization the adoption of information technology has been an area of substantial research; but efforts to date have led to mixed outcomes. Many social theories have been used in these studies. Some include the theory of reasoned action, Ajzen & Fishbein (1975); diffusion of innovations, Rogers (1983); economics of technology, Arthur (1985), social cognitive theory, Bandura (1986) and technology acceptance model, Davis, Bogozzi & Warshaw (1989). However, investigations to date have been inconclusive about the ability of any of these theories to be conclusive about all the complexities found in the innovation decision-making process of adoption of information technology within an organization. In this study we further investigate one heretofore unapprised aspect of the theory of diffusion of innovations. We re-present Everett M. Rogers’ theoretical model and test his perceived characteristics of innovations (PCIs) along with others more recent contributions to this area at pre-diffusion stage to explore the theories fuller predictive ability for developing rates of acceptance of innovations. We select innovative licensing agreements developed by extreme social groups known as “Free Software or Open Source Software projects,” e.g. GPL, LGPL, BSD and MIT agreements. We conduct a survey of Linux Users Groups for perceptions with the same instrument used for testing other innovations by Moore & Benbasat (1991), Agarwal & Prasad (1997) and Van Slyke, Lou & Day (2002). We include in our instrument the validated intention to use (ITU) measure developed by Van Slyke, Lou & Day, (2000). We conduct a pilot study. We make adjustment to the instrument for clarity and presentation. Then we conduct a final survey. This research in process study identifies our theoretical foundation and the methodology of our research for re-presenting Rogers (1983), Moore & Benbasat (1991), Agarwal & Prasad (1997) and Van Slyke, Lou & Day enhanced model at pre-diffusion stage of innovations.
Optimization Assessment of a New Extended Multilevel Converter Topology

In this paper, a novel general circuit for multilevel converter is presented. To produce all voltage levels, two methods are provided for selecting the amplitudes of sources. The proposed cascade structure is optimized for producing maximum levels with the least number of IGBTs, drivers, and dc sources. The proposed circuit is compared with other recommended multilevel converters. The comparison results prove the merits of proposed structure in terms of utilizing the least number of IGBTs and gate drivers. Also, the value of blocking voltage of all switches in the presented topology is low. The performance of the presented multilevel converter is indicated through simulated and experimented circuits.
Interaction and UV-Stability of Various Organic Capping Agents on the Surface of Anatase Nanoparticles

Anatase nanoparticles synthesized by the sol-gel method were surface-functionalized with long alkyl chain coupling agents as compatibilizers for a nonpolar environment, containing different anchor groups for surface interaction namely phosphonate (dodecyl phosphonate), carboxylate (dodecanoic acid), sulfate (sodium dodecyl sulphate), and amine (dodecyl amine). It was shown that the surface of the nanoparticles can be functionalized with the various surface groups applying similar reaction conditions. The kind of surface interaction was analyzed applying FTIR spectroscopy. The phosphonate and the carboxylate groups interact with the surface via quite strong covalent or coordinative interactions, respectively. The sulfate and amine based coupling agents on the other hand exhibit electrostatic interactions. UV stability studies of the surface bound groups revealed different degradation mechanisms for the various functionalities and moreover showed that phosphonates are the most stable among the investigated surface capping groups.
Classified comfort noise generation for efficient voice transmission

Comfort noise insertion during speech pause has been applied to Voice-over-IP and wireless networks for increasing bandwidth efficiency. We present two classified comfort noise generation (CCNG) schemes using Gaussian Mixture classifiers (GMM-C). Our first scheme employs a classified prototype background noise codebook with the prototype noise waveform chosen using a GMM-C. The second scheme utilizes a classified enhanced excitation codebook. The new CCNG algorithms provide better comfort noise during speech pauses and a smaller misclassification rate. We have retrofitted the scheme into existing speech transmission system, such as ITU-T G.711/Appendix II and G.723. 1/Annex A. The perceived quality of a voice conversation of the novel system has been noticeably enhanced for car and babble noise. For the G.711 system, a large improvement is obtained for car noise while the largest amelioration is for babble noise in the G.723. 1 system.
Biological Cell Injection Using an Autonomous MicroRobotic System

Recent advances in microbiology, such as cloning, demonstrate that increasingly complex micromanipulation strategies are required for manipulating individual biological cells. In this paper, we present a microrobotic system capable of conducting automatic embryo pronuclei DNA injection (cell injection). Conventionally, cell injection has been conducted manually, however, long training, low success rates from poor reproducibility in manual operations, and contamination all call for the elimination of direct human involvement. To automate cell injections, a microrobotic system is developed that is capable of performing automatic embryo pronuclei DNA injection autonomously through a hybrid visual servoing control scheme. A Hough transform is used to detect the nuclei of embryos. Sum-of-squared-differences optical flow is used to track injection pipette motion, and auto focusing is implemented to determine the relative depth of subcellular structures. A hybrid control scheme is developed to fulfill the cell injection task. Upon the completion of injection, the DNA injected embryos are transferred into a pseudo-pregnant foster female mouse to reproduce transgenic mice for cancer studies. The experimental result shows that the injection success rate is 100%.
Computation of Irradiance from Triangles by Adaptive Sampling

We introduce an algorithm for sample positioning in a planar triangle, which can be used to make numerical integration of an arbitrary function defined on it. This algorithm has some interesting properties which make it suitable for applications in the context of realistic rendering. We use an adaptive triangle partitioning procedure, driven by an appropriate measure of the error. The underlying variance is shown to be bounded, and in fact it can be controlled, so that it approaches the minimum possible value. We show results obtained when applying the method to irradiance computation, in the context of final‐gather algorithms. We also describe a C++ class which offers all required functionality, and we made available its source code.
Oxidative Stress–Induced Afterdepolarizations and Calmodulin Kinase II Signaling

In the heart, oxidative stress caused by exogenous H2O2 has been shown to induce early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and triggered activity by impairing Na current (INa) inactivation. Because H2O2 activates Ca2+/calmodulin kinase (CaMK)II, which also impairs INa inactivation and promotes EADs, we hypothesized that CaMKII activation may be an important factor in EADs caused by oxidative stress. Using the patch-clamp and intracellular Ca (Cai) imaging in Fluo-4 AM–loaded rabbit ventricular myocytes, we found that exposure to H2O2 (0.2 to 1 mmol/L) for 5 to 15 minutes consistently induced EADs that were suppressed by the INa blocker tetrodotoxin (10 &mgr;mol/L), as well as the ICa,L blocker nifedipine. H2O2 enhanced both peak and late ICa,L, consistent with CaMKII-mediated facilitation. By prolonging the action potential plateau and increasing Ca influx via ICa,L, H2O2-induced EADs were also frequently followed by DADs in response to spontaneous (ie, non–ICa,L-gated) sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca release after repolarization. The CaMKII inhibitor KN-93 (1 &mgr;mol/L; n=4), but not its inactive analog KN-92 (1 &mgr;mol/L, n=5), prevented H2O2-induced EADs and DADs, and the selective CaMKII peptide inhibitor AIP (autocamtide-2–related inhibitory peptide) (2 &mgr;mol/L) significantly delayed their onset. In conclusion, H2O2-induced afterdepolarizations depend on both impaired INa inactivation to reduce repolarization reserve and enhancement of ICa,L to reverse repolarization, which are both facilitated by CaMKII activation. Our observations support a link between increased oxidative stress, CaMKII activation, and afterdepolarizations as triggers of lethal ventricular arrhythmias in diseased hearts.
Stimulus duration and diversity do not reverse the advantage for superordinate‐level representations: the animal is seen before the bird

Basic‐level categorization has long been thought to be the entry level for object representations. However, this view is now challenged. In particular, Macé et al. [M.J.‐M. Macé et al. (2009) PLoS One, 4, e5927] showed that basic‐level categorization (such as ‘bird’) requires a longer processing time than superordinate‐level categorization (such as ‘animal’). It has been argued that this result depends on the brief stimulus presentation times used in their study, which would degrade the visual information available. Here, we used a go/no‐go paradigm to test whether the superordinate‐level advantage could be observed with longer stimulus durations, and also investigated the impact of manipulating the target and distractor set heterogeneity. Our results clearly show that presentation time had no effect on categorization performance. Both target and distractor diversity influenced performance, but basic‐level categories were never accessed faster or with higher accuracy than superordinate‐level categories. These results argue in favor of coarse to fine visual processing to access perceptual representations.
Conflict-Handling Behavior in Work Groups

Using theoryfrom both small group and conflict management research, this study examined how conflict is managed within work groups performing decision-making tasks. It was proposed that larger and more cohesive groups would show less competing and more avoidance, compromise, and accommodation in response to conflict. We assessed whether conflict would be handled differently depending on whether the group is focused on problem analysis, solution evaluation, or group process management, and whetherconflict handling would change as afunction of time. Contingency analyses of 25 group decisions content-codedfor conflict-handling behavior, task achievementfunction, group size, cohesiveness, and temporalphase indicated mixed supportforour expectations. Conflict-handling behaviors reflecting high concern for others occurred mostfrequently, whereas behaviors representative of low concern for others occurred leastfrequently. Results are discussed in terms of hypothesis generation and suggestionsforfuture research thatcould continue linking these two literatures.
An investigation into four different sit–stand workstation use schedules

Abstract Twelve office workers participated in a study investigating effects of four sit/stand schedules (90-min sit/30-min stand, 80/40, 105/15, and 60/60) via several objective and subjective measures (muscle fatigue, foot swelling, spinal shrinkage, and self-reported discomfort). Results showed that there were no significant differences in shoulder and low back static muscle activities between sitting and standing. Muscle fatigue was developed during workday under all schedules. The longest standing schedule seemed to have a tendency of reducing muscle fatigue. None of the schedules helped or worsened foot swelling and spinal shrinkage. More active break-time activities seemed reducing muscle fatigue and foot swelling. While the self-reported bodily discomfort levels were generally low, the preferred schedules among the participants were varied, although the least standing schedule was the least preferred. We may conclude that effects of using sit–stand workstation to improve musculoskeletal health may be limited but promoting more active break-time activities can help. Practitioner Summary: Sit–stand workstations are used to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This study shows that office workers prefer sit/stand durations in the range between 1:1 and 3:1. Longer standing may have the potential to reduce muscle fatigue. However, active break-time activities may be more effective in reducing muscle fatigue and foot swelling.
Determination of vagal baroreflex sensitivity in normal subjects

Introduction: The Valsalva maneuver (VM) is used widely to quantify the sensitivity of the vagal baroreflex loop (vagal baroreflex sensitivity, BRS_v), but most studies have focused on the heart rate (HR) response to blood pressure (BP) decrement (BRS_v↓), even though the subsequent response to an increment in BP after the VM (BRS_v↑) is important and different. Methods: We evaluated recordings of HR and BP in 187 normal subjects during the VM and determined both BRS_v↑, as determined by relating HR to the BP increase after phase III and BRS_v↓. Results: BRS_v↑ was related inversely to age. In addition, BRS_v↓, age, and magnitude of phase IV were independent predictors of BRS_v↑ in a multivariate model, accounting for 47% of the variance of BRS_v↑. Conclusions: The results indicate that both BRS_v↑ and BRS_v↓ become blunted with increasing age and that these indices relate to each other. Muscle Nerve 50: 535–540, 2014
An assessment of hair cortisol among postpartum Brazilian mothers and infants from a high‐risk community in São Paulo: Intra‐individual stability and association in mother–infant dyads

This study examined maternal-infant synchrony of hair cortisol at 12 months after birth and the intra-individual stability of maternal hair cortisol in the postpartum period. Participants were selected from an ongoing São Paulo birth cohort project, where families are considered to be "high-risk" due to their chronic stress experiences, with the majority living in slums (favelas). Cortisol was collected through 3-cm segments of hair samples, with values representing approximate levels of cortisol from 9 to 12 months for mothers and children and 6 to 12 months for mothers. Maternal and infant cortisol values reflecting chronic stress 9-12 months after birth were highly correlated (r = .61, p < .001); earlier maternal cortisol levels (6-9 months) and child cortisol levels at 9-12 months (r = .51, p < .001) were also correlated. Maternal cortisol values showed stability over time (r = .79, p < .001). These maternal-infant correlations are high compared to the existing literature on hair cortisol in other mother-child dyads, suggesting stronger synchrony under high-risk contexts where families are faced with challenging circumstances.