Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performative connections: translating sustainable energy transition by local communities†

Italian policies in the field of sustainable energy transition have supported mainly the deployment of large-sized renewable energy plants. At the same time the transition was fostered also through small or medium plants and in rural and mountain areas. In this paper we present the case study of Sasso di Castalda, a little mountain municipality located in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy), one of the poorest and the most sparsely populated areas of Italy. The main theoretical assumption is that the sustainable energy policies designed by National (or supra-National) institutions are translated in practice at the local level through “performative connections”. The sociology of translation (Callon) is adopted to investigate how ecological modernization is fostered in the energy field at the local level in disadvantaged contexts. This research focuses on the connections which shaped the sustainable transition in the community, considering environmental governance and regulations as well as local social practices. What the research shows is the relevance of the performative relations enacted in a multilevel and heterogeneous network. Indeed, within this pattern diversified skills were activated, along with specific technological and organizational configurations.
Three‐dimensional moment arms and architecture of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) leg musculature

The muscular and skeletal morphology of the chimpanzee ankle and foot differs from that of humans in many important respects. However, little information is available on the moment arms and architecture of the muscles that function around chimpanzee ankle and foot joints. The main goals of this study were to determine the influence of changes in leg and foot position on the moment arms of these muscle–tendon units (MTUs), and provide new measurements of their architecture. Three‐dimensional moment arm data were collected from two adult, cadaveric Pan troglodytes specimens for 11 MTUs that cross the ankle and foot joints. Tendon‐excursion measurements were made throughout the full range of plantarflexion–dorsiflexion (PF–DF) and eversion–inversion (EV–IN), including repeated measurements for mm. gastrocnemius at 0 °, 45 °, 90 ° and 135 ° of knee flexion. The total range of motion was calculated from three‐dimensional joint motion data while ensuring that foot movement was restricted to a single plane. Measurements of muscle mass, fascicle length, pennation angle and physiological cross‐sectional area were then collected for each MTU. Our results demonstrate that joint position has a significant effect on moment arm lengths, and that in some cases this effect is counterintuitive. These new data contribute to filling a significant gap in previously published chimpanzee moment arm data, providing a comprehensive characterization of the MTUs that move the chimpanzee ankle and foot joints. They also provide empirical support to the notion that chimpanzees have larger ranges of motion at these joints than humans. Comparison of osteometric estimates of moment arm lengths to direct tendon‐excursion measures provides some guidance for the use of skeletal features in estimations of PF–DF moment arms. Finally, muscle architecture data are consistent with the findings of previous studies, and increase the sample size of the chimpanzee data that are currently available.
Register allocation and spilling via graph coloring

In a previous paper we reported the successful use of graph coloring techniques for doing global register allocation in an experimental PL/I optimizing compiler. When the compiler cannot color the register conflict graph with a number of colors equal to the number of available machine registers, it must add code to spill and reload registers to and from storage. Previously the compiler produced spill code whose quality sometimes left much to be desired, and the ad hoc techniques used took considerable amounts of compile time. We have now discovered how to extend the graph coloring approach so that it naturally solves the spilling problem. Spill decisions are now made on the basis of the register conflict graph and cost estimates of the value of keeping the result of a computation in a register rather than in storage. This new approach produces better object code and takes much less compile time.
Interscan variation in coronary artery calcium quantification in a large asymptomatic patient population.

OBJECTIVE We evaluated interscan variation in coronary artery calcium scores in a large screening population as determined by electron beam CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS One thousand patients (average age, 53 years; age range, 18-85 years) who were asymptomatic for coronary artery disease underwent two consecutive scans of the heart on an electron beam CT scanner. Scans were performed with ECG gating, breath-hold, 3-mm collimation, and 100-msec exposure. Two contiguous pixels with density values greater than 130 H were used as the minimum criterion for a calcific lesion. The calcium score was determined on a vessel-by-vessel basis for both scans of each patient. Interscan variation in calcium and vessels involved with calcification was evaluated on the basis of age, sex, and average calcium score. RESULTS The percentage of difference between calcium scores in scans was 28.4% and 43.0% for women and men, respectively. For the individual epicardial arteries (left main, left anterior descending, circumflex, and right coronary), the percentage of difference for calcium scores was 20.2-24.2% for women and 30.5-44.9% for men. A difference between the two scans in at least one vessel of the total coronary arteries identified with calcium was noted in 31% of patients. CONCLUSION Interscan variability in calcium scores may be important in the determination of risk stratification. Subjects with a nonzero calcium score may benefit from undergoing two scans at the time of initial imaging.
Impact of central haemodynamics on left ventricular function in individuals with an exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise

Objective: The impact of exaggerated blood pressure response (EBPR) to exercise on left ventricular function and the mechanism of its association are poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of arterial stiffening on left ventricular function in individuals with an EBPR to exercise. We hypothesized that individuals with low pulse pressure (PP) amplification during exercise would have worse left ventricular function than those with high PP amplification in individuals with an EBPR to exercise. Methods: Fifty-nine individuals with an EBPR to exercise (18 men, age 57 ± 12 years) and 59 age and sex-matched controls were studied. Radial artery tonometry was performed at rest and immediately after exercise during supine bicycle exercise echocardiography. Results: There were no differences in left ventricular structure or function between individuals with an EBPR to exercise and controls. When individuals with an EBPR to exercise were divided into two groups on the basis of PP amplification after exercise [Group 1 (n = 30), high PP amplification after exercise; Group 2 (n = 29), low PP amplification after exercise], group 2 showed larger left atrial volume and lower early diastolic (e’) and systolic (S’) mitral annular velocities. Left ventricular apical rotation was also exaggerated in group 2. In multiple regression, PP amplification after exercise was an independent determinant of e’ (&bgr; = 0.16, P = 0.019) and S’ (&bgr; = 0.25, P = 0.009) in individuals with an EBPR to exercise. Conclusion: In individuals with an EBPR to exercise, the degree of left ventricular dysfunction is variable. EBPR to exercise in the presence of arterial stiffening contributes to the deterioration of left ventricular function.
Large-signal network analysis

According to Mike McKinley of Georgia Tech, it's "the holy grail of microwave instrumentation and measurements," it's "a new measurement science" according to Don DeGroot of Connected Community Networks and "an enabling path to taking nonlinear models to a higher level of fidelity and value" says Larry Dunleavy of Modelithics. I prefer to call it large-signal network analysis (LSNA). Today, LSNA is undoubtedly still in its infancy. A small community knows about the theoretical concepts, and a happy few have access to LSNA hardware. This community is growing rapidly, however, and I have no doubt that the people of this community will soon revolutionize the microwave measurement business as profoundly as S-parameter technology did in the 1980s. I hope with this article to inspire you to join this rapidly growing LSNA community that is improving microwave measurements and is on its way to building a multimillion dollar business.
Well-defined nanoclusters as fluorescent nanosensors: a case study on Au(25) (SG)(18).

The fluorescence of nanoparticles has attracted much attention in recent research, but in many cases the underlying mechanisms are difficult to evaluate due to the polydispersity of nanoparticles and their unknown structures, in particular the surface structures. Recent breakthroughs in the syntheses and structure determinations of well-defined gold nanoclusters provide opportunities to conduct in-depth investigations. Devising well-defined nanocluster sensors based on fluorescence change is of particular interest not only for scientific studies but also for practical applications. Herein, the potential of the glutathionate (SG)-capped Au(25) nanocluster as a silver ion sensor is evaluated. The Ag(+) detection limit of approximately 200 nM, based on the fluorescence enhancement and good linear fluorescence response in the silver ion concentration range from 20 nM to 11 μM, in combination with the good selectivity among 20 types of metal cations, makes Au(25) (SG)(18) a good candidate for fluorescent sensors for silver ions. Further experiments reveal three important factors responsible for the unique fluorescence enhancement caused by silver ions: 1) the oxidation state change of Au(25) (SG)(18) ; 2) the interaction of neutral silver species (Ag(0) , reduced by Au(25) (SG)(18) (-) ) with Au(25) (SG)(18) ; and 3) the interaction of Ag(+) with Au(25) (SG)(18.) Experiments demonstrate the very different chemistry of hydrophobic Au(25) (SC(2) H(4) Ph)(18) and hydrophilic Au(25) (SG)(18) in the reaction with silver ions. This work indicates another potential application of gold nanoclusters, offers new strategies for nanocluster-based chemical sensing, and reveals a new way to influence nanocluster chemistry for potential applications.
Psychometric evaluation of the primary health-care satisfaction scale in Turkish women.

OBJECTIVE This paper reports an adaptation of the English version of the primary health-care satisfaction scale for use with Turkish women and an evaluation of its psychometric properties. DESIGN A psychometric study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A convenience sample of 381 women at a primary health-care centre completed a structured questionnaire including demographic characteristics and the primary health-care satisfaction scale for women in 2008. Item analysis, principal components analysis, internal consistency reliability and Cronbach's alpha were used to measure the psychometric properties of the items of the scale. RESULTS In the assessment of construct validity, three factors were identified with a: (1) administration and office procedures, (2) communication, (3) care coordination and comprehensiveness. These factors together explained 54.8% of the total variance. Internal reliability coefficients of these three factor-based scales were 0.80 and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides evidence of the primary health-care satisfaction scale's validity, reliability and acceptability. This scale should be further evaluated with a larger representative sample of women seeking primary care in Turkey and diverse populations of the world. The scale has potential applications for use in research. The scale may be used both in studies to evaluative alternative models of primary care delivery for women and in quality improvement programs in women's primary care.
Unsteady hydromagnetic forced convective heat transfer flow of a micropolar fluid along a porous wedge with convective surface boundary condition

In this paper we analyze unsteady two dimensional hydromagnetic forced convective heat transfer flow of a viscous incompressible micropolar fluid along a permeable wedge with convective surface boundary condition. The potential flow velocity has been taken as a function of the distance x and time t. The governing time dependent non-linear partial differential equations have been reduced to a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations by introducing a new class of similarity transformations. Comparisons with previously published work are performed, and the results are found to be in excellent agreement. The resulting local similarity equations for unsteady flow have been solved numerically by applying NachtsheimSwigert shooting iteration technique along with sixth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme.Numerical results in the form of nondimensional velocity, microrotation and temperature profiles are presented graphically and discussed for different material parameters entering into the analysis. The effects of the pertinent parameters on the local skinfriction coefficient, plate couplestress and the rate of heat transfer are also displayed in tabulated form and discussed them from the physical point of view. The obtained numerical results show that the rate of heat transfer increases with the increase of the unsteadiness parameter and decreases with the increase of the surface convection parameter.
PAC1 receptor (ADCYAP1R1) genotype and problematic alcohol use in a sample of young women

Background Recent studies revealed the role of the PAC1 (ADCYAP1R1) gene variability in vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder in women. Due to the relatively high comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, we hypothesized about possible associations between PAC1 gene and problematic alcohol use. Method The sample studied consisted of 491 women aged 18–28 years (mean age =21.76 years; SD =1.83) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to assess drinking problems. We successfully genotyped 17 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the PAC1 gene. Results Single locus analysis revealed a significant (after correction for multiple testing) association between intronic polymorphism rs2302475 and problematic alcohol use (P=0.00048; recessive model). This result was strengthened by the haplotype analysis (P=0.00379). Conclusion Our results suggest that the PACAP/PAC1 signaling system is implicated in the development of problematic alcohol use in women.
Leadership, trust in management and acceptance of change in Hong Kong’s Civil Service Bureau

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether trust in management mediates the relationships between two types of leadership (transactional and transformational) and acceptance of change in the Hong Kong public sector. Design/methodology/approach Data from 68 civil servants in the Hong Kong SAR Government were used in the partial least squares analysis. Findings The findings from civil servants show that although trust in management mediates the relationship between both types of leadership and acceptance of change, transformational leadership is more effective in increasing both trust and acceptance of change. Research limitations/implications The strong support for the mediation hypotheses highlights the need for leaders to be trusted by their followers if followers are to accept and support the change process. Trust in management is what ultimately reduces resistance to change. Practical implications The findings from this study have demonstrated that one strategy available to leaders in the Hong Kong public sector is to concentrate on developing perceptions of trustworthiness by utilising both transactional leadership and transformational leadership but especially transformational leadership. Originality/value This paper provides a unique and nuanced view of leadership and trust, and their effect on the acceptance of change in Hong Kong’s civil service bureau that operates in a turbulent environment. Public sector organisations in Hong Kong are unique in that they contend with pressures from Hong Kong nationals and also with pressures from the Government of Mainland China.
The Current Limits of Calorie Labeling and the Potential for Population Health Impact

By mid-2018, federal policy will require chain restaurants with more than 20 U.S. locations to include calorie information on their menus. Despite high expectations that this policy would encourage healthier eating, most studies of local policies to mandate calorie labels have demonstrated little impact on consumer choice. In this article, the authors adapt Burton and Kees's (2012) conceptual framework for eating behavior change to better understand the limited impact of these policies thus far. Using two surveys of fast-food consumers in Philadelphia, the authors estimate the percentage who might reasonably be expected to respond to calorie labels given the requirements of the Burton and Kees model. They find that as few as 8% of fast-food consumers meet all the model's requirements and, therefore, would be expected to change their eating behavior as a result of calorie information. The authors use the model and findings to consider how calorie-labeling policy could be improved for greater impact.
A Guided Tour of Literature Review: Facilitating Academic Paper Reading with Narrative Visualization

Reading academic paper is a daily task for researchers and graduate students. However, reading effectively can be challenging, particularly for novices in scientific research. For example, when readers are reading the related work section that cites a fair number of references in limited page space, they often need to flip back and forth between the text and the references and may also frequently search elsewhere for more information about the references. This increases the difficulty of understanding a paper. In this paper, we propose a narrative visualization system that helps the reading of academic papers. As a first step, we adopt narrative visualization to present literature review as interactive slides. Specifically, we propose a narrative structure with three levels of granularities that the reader can drill down or roll up freely. The logic flow of a slideshow can be organized based on the paper's presentation or citations. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system through several case studies and user studies. The results show that the system allows users to quickly track and glance related work, making paper reading more effective and enjoyable.
Perceived relevance mediates the relationship between professional identity and attitudes towards interprofessional education in first-year university students

ABSTRACT The strength of health science students’ identification with their chosen profession is associated with their attitudes towards interprofessional education (IPE). However, little is known about the factors that might mediate this relationship. In this article, we examine the relationships between professional identification, communication and teamwork skills, perceived relevance of IPE, and positive and negative attitudes towards IPE. A sample of 444 first-year university students from 25 health science professions enrolled in a first-year interprofessional program participated in this research by completing a questionnaire. Data were analysed using path analysis. Positive IPE attitudes were more strongly endorsed than negative IPE attitudes. Perceived relevance of IPE to future careers was the strongest predictor of both positive and negative attitudes to IPE, and fully mediated the effect of professional identity. Self-reported communication and teamwork skills were a significant negative predictor of negative attitudes to IPE only, and the effect was not mediated by perceived relevance. These findings indicate that IPE may be particularly challenging for students who do not have confidence in their abilities to communicate and work effectively in teams. Building these skills through alternative communication technologies may decrease negative attitudes. In order to maintain or increase positive attitudes towards IPE in introductory programs that span professions, the curriculum needs to be designed to demonstrate relevance to the future careers of participating students.
The Research of AFDX System Simulation Model

AFDX is a new generation network system of airborne devices. It is superior to use the simulation technology of network to research the real-time and deterministic performance in the AFDX system. For realizing the simulation of AFDX system, the simulation model of AFDX system should be built at first. Therefore, modeling has become the core issue about the simulation of AFDX system. After briefly introduced the AFDX system and its composition, on the basic of analyzing various function demands of different parts, the simulation models of AFDX End System, Switch and Virtual Link have been researched and built combined with the queuing theory. In accordance with the established models, a simulation of AFDX network system has been realized, and the deterministic problem of the AFDX network has been researched.
Evaluation of Fully-Integrated Switching Regulators for CMOS Process Technologies

This paper presents a feasible study of fully-integrated switching voltage regulators for power-optimized systems-on-chip (SoCs). In order to evaluate the power efficiency across a number of design variables, a compact macro-model of a regulator is created and validated. A key focus of the study is on the characteristics of the active and passive devices that are needed in order to maximize the efficiency of an on-chip regulator. With the macro-model, geometric programming is used to find the optimal characteristics for a given set of constraints such as load condition, process technology, and area. The achievable efficiencies for various current loads and across a range of technologies from 0.35-mum to 90-nm CMOS process are analyzed. The power efficiency is found to be strongly dependent on the inductor technology and over 70% efficiency is possible with advanced inductor technologies.