Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ERROR ESTIMATION AND ADAPTIVITY FOR NONLINEAR FE ANALYSIS

An adaptive strategy for nonlinear finite-element analysis, based on the combination of error estimation and h-remeshing, is presented. Its two main ingredients are a residual-type error estimator and an unstructured quadrilateral mesh generator. The error estimator is based on simple local computations over the elements and the so-called patches. In contrast to other residual estimators, no flux splitting is required. The adaptive strategy is illustrated by means of a complex nonlinear problem: the failure analysis of a single-edge notched beam. The quasi-brittle response of concrete is modelled by means of a nonlocal damage model.
Comparative Statics and Perfect Foresight in Infinite Horizon Economies

Does a pure exchange economy with an infinite time horizon have determinate perfect foresight equilibria? When there is a finite number of infinitely lived agents equilibria are generically determinate. This is not true with overlapping generations of finitely lived agents. We ask whether the initial conditions together with the requirement of convergence to a steady state locally determine an equilibrium price path. In this framework there are many economies with isolated equilibria, many with continua of equilibria, and many with no equilibria at all. With two or more goods in every period not only can the price level be indeterminate but relative prices as well. Furthermore, such indeterminacy can occur whether or not there is fiat money and whether or not the equilibria are Pareto efficient. THIS PAPER CONSIDERS whether infinite horizon economies have determinate perfect foresight equilibria. This question is of crucial importance. If instead equilibria are locally indeterminate, not only are we unable to make comparative static predictions, but the agents in the model are unable to determine the consequences of unanticipated shocks. The idea underlying perfect foresight is that agents' expectations should be the actual future sequence predicted by the model; if the model does not make determinate predictions, the concept of perfect foresight is meaningless. We consider two extreme cases: the first with a finite number of infinitely lived consumers and the second with an infinite number of finitely lived consumers, an overlapping generations model. Both are models of stationary pure exchange economies. No production, including the storage of goods between periods, can occur. These models are unrealistic but are the easiest to study. Extensions of the results of this paper to models with production, infinitely lived assets, and mixtures of the two types of consumers are presented by Muller and Woodford [29]. When there is a finite number of infinitely lived consumers, we argue that equilibria are generically determinate. This is because the effective number of equations determining equilibria is not infinite, but equal to the number of agents minus one and must determine the marginal utility of income for all but one agent. Generically, near an equilibrium, these equations are independent and exactly determine the unknowns. When there are infinitely many overlapping generations, this reasoning breaks down: An infinite number of equations is not necessarily sufficient to determine
Diabetes Numeracy and Blood Glucose Control: Association With Type of Diabetes and Source of Care

IN BRIEF Limited diabetes numeracy may be an important factor affecting diabetes care and treatment adherence. This study assessed the relationship between the Diabetes Numeracy Test (DNT-15 score) and patient and treatment variables. Patients who had type 1 diabetes and those who received care from specialty centers had higher levels of numeracy, but this did not translate into improved glucose control.
The treatment of hyperthyroidism with radioactive iodine.

Roentgen treatment has been used for hyperthyroidism for many years. In 1923 Means and Holmes 1 pointed out that in this form of treatment about one third of the patients are cured, another third improved and another third not affected. Since 1923 ordinary iodine by mouth has been used as a preoperative method of quieting the hyperactive thyroid in preparation for surgery. Under iodine alone occasionally the patient and the doctor have been agreeably surprised to find that the symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism disappeared, and a permanent remission apparently was effected. That x-ray treatment and iodine treatment sometimes cure hyperthyroidism led to the hope that some day a more effective, nonsurgical agent would be found. Then the MacKenzies 2 and Astwood 3 discovered that several chemical compounds inhibit the function of the thyroid in hyperthyroidism as well as under other circumstances. Several of these agents have been investigated, and
Eurographics/ Acm Siggraph Symposium on Computer Animation (2006) Composition of Complex Optimal Multi-character Motions

This paper presents a physics-based method for creating complex multi-character motions from short single-character sequences. We represent multi-character motion synthesis as a spacetime optimization problem where constraints represent the desired character interactions. We extend standard spacetime optimization with a novel timewarp parameterization in order to jointly optimize the motion and the interaction constraints. In addition, we present an optimization algorithm based on block coordinate descent and continuations that can be used to solve large problems multiple characters usually generate. This framework allows us to synthesize multi-character motion drastically different from the input motion. Consequently, a small set of input motion dataset is sufficient to express a wide variety of multi-character motions.
Spasmodic Dysphonia and Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation: Long-term Observations, Possible Neurophysiologic Mechanism and Comparison of Unilateral Versus Bilateral Stimulation

The co-existence of essential tremor and spasmodic dysphonia has been reported in the literature. Spasmodic dysphonia is a primary focal dystonia manifested by loss of control of the vocal muscles during speech secondary to laryngeal muscle spasms. The pathophysiology is not well understood. Deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) for other focal dystonias has been well reported. Voice and laryngo-videostroboscopic examinations can aid in confirmation of spasmodic dysphonia as opposed to voice tremor due to the underlying essential tremor. We report the long term follow up of a patient who underwent bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation surgery for essential tremor and coincident spasmodic dysphonia, and report the effects of unilateral versus bilateral stimulation on her dysphonia. The topic literature is reviewed and the potential neuroanatomical pathophysiologic mechanisms of this finding are also discussed.
Drinking pattern and risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction: a population-based case-control study.

AIMS Alcohol consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease incidence and mortality. However, most studies have focused on an average volume per specific time period and have paid little attention to the pattern of drinking. The aim of this study was to examine the association between various drinking patterns and myocardial infarction (MI). DESIGN A population-based case-control study. METHODS Participants were 427 white males with incident MI and 905 healthy white male controls (age 35-69 years) selected randomly from two Western New York counties. During computer-assisted interviews detailed information was collected regarding patterns of alcohol consumption during the 12-24 months prior to interview (controls) or MI (cases). FINDINGS Compared to life-time abstainers, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for non-current and current drinkers were 0.66 (0.31-1.39) and 0.50 (0.24-1.02), respectively. Daily drinkers exhibited a significantly lower OR (0.41) compared to life-time abstainers. Participants who drank mainly without food had an OR of 1.49 (0.96-2.31) compared to those who drank mainly with food and 0.62 (0.28-1.37) compared to life-time abstainers. Men who reported drinking only at weekends had a significantly greater MI risk [1.91; (1.21-3.01)] compared to men who drank less than once/week, but not compared to life-time abstainers [0.91 (0.40-2.07)]. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that patterns of alcohol use have important cardiovascular health implications.
The performance of orthogonal multi-matching pursuit under RIP

The orthogonal multi-matching pursuit (OMMP) is a natural extension of orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP). We denote the OMMP with the parameter $M$ as OMMP(M) where $M\geq 1$ is an integer. The main difference between OMP and OMMP(M) is that OMMP(M) selects $M$ atoms per iteration, while OMP only adds one atom to the optimal atom set. In this paper, we study the performance of orthogonal multi-matching pursuit (OMMP) under RIP. In particular, we show that, when the measurement matrix A satisfies $(9s, 1/10)$-RIP, there exists an absolutely constant $M_0\leq 8$ so that OMMP(M_0) can recover $s$-sparse signal within $s$ iterations. We furthermore prove that, for slowly-decaying $s$-sparse signal, OMMP(M) can recover s-sparse signal within $O(\frac{s}{M})$ iterations for a large class of $M$. In particular, for $M=s^a$ with $a\in [0,1/2]$, OMMP(M) can recover slowly-decaying $s$-sparse signal within $O(s^{1-a})$ iterations. The result implies that OMMP can reduce the computational complexity heavily.
Klippel‐Feil Syndrome: CT and MR of Acquired and Congenital Abnormalities of Cervical Spine and Cord

We reviewed MR and CT myelographic studies in patients with the Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) to determine the patterns of associated congenital and acquired abnormalities of the spine and spinal cord and to correlate these radiologic findings with the manner of clinical presentation. Twenty-four consecutive patients with radiologically definite KFS were evaluated by a cross-sectional imaging technique (CT or MR) over a 6 year period. Radiologic images were blindly interpreted by a panel of three experienced neuroradiologists and then correlated with clinical history. Cervical spondylosis or disk herniations were the most common radiologic abnormalities encountered, seen in 10 (42%) of the 24 patients. While some clustering of these secondary degenerative changes occurred at levels immediately adjacent to the fused vertebrae, in most patients spondylotic changes were seen widely distributed throughout the lower cervical region. Coexisting congenital defects of the spinal cord or brain were encountered in seven patients, six of whom were female, consisting of cervical cord dysraphism or diastematomyelia (n = 5) and Chiari I malformations (n = 2). In only eight patients (33%) had the diagnosis of KFS been suspected clinically prior to imaging by the presence of short neck, limited cervical mobility, or low occipital hairline. In the remaining 16 patients, mostly adolescents or adults being evaluated for cervical sensory or motor syndromes, the diagnosis of KFS was made radiologically at the time of the imaging referral.
A novel bone cement impregnated with silver–tiopronin nanoparticles: its antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and mechanical properties

Post-operatory infections in orthopedic surgeries pose a significant risk. The common approach of using antibiotics, both parenterally or embedded in bone cement (when this is employed during surgery) faces the challenge of the rising population of pathogens exhibiting resistance properties against one or more of these compounds; therefore, novel approaches need to be developed. Silver nanoparticles appear to be an exciting prospect because of their antimicrobial activity and safety at the levels used in medical applications. In this paper, a novel type of silver nanoparticles capped with tiopronin is presented. Two ratios of reagents during synthesis were tested and the effect on the nanoparticles investigated through TEM, TGA, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Once encapsulated in bone cement, only the nanoparticles with the highest amount of inorganic fraction conferred antimicrobial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at concentrations as low as 0.1% w/w. No other characteristics of the bone cement, such as cytotoxicity or mechanical properties, were affected by the presence of the nanoparticles. Our work presents a new type of silver nanoparticles and demonstrates that they can be embedded in bone cement to prevent infections once the synthetic conditions are tailored for such applications.
Physics-Based Robot Swarms For Coverage Problems

One of the biggest issues preventing the acceptability of large, multi-robot systems (i.e., swarms) is the predictability of aggregate behavior. This is an especially thorny issue due to the current multi-robot philosophy of designing swarm behaviors that emerge spontaneously from local robot interactions, without the invocation of any global engineering principles. Although this paper agrees with the notion of emergent swarm behavior, it adopts a more rigorous approach to multi-robot system design that is based on physics principles. By using physics for multirobot design, traditional physics analysis techniques are easily applied to predict swarm behavior. This paper demonstrates that by using a physics-based swarm approach, one can design systems that are both effective on coverage tasks and predictable in the
Advances in 3D data acquisition, mapping and localization in modern large-scale warehouses

Today modern manufacturing and logistic processes rely in most instances on manual forklifts. Being known for low efficiency, high energy consumption and listed among the most frequent causes of severe accidents in factories, the SICK AG coordinated EU funded research project PAN Robots aims to replace them in large scale with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). One major obstacle for operators with current AGVs are high installation cost for localization-supporting infrastructure, e.g. reflectors and manual measurement which needs to be performed by highly trained professionals in order to create an accurate navigation map for AGVs. Consequently, the goal of PAN-Robots is to reduce the installation time and costs dramatically by semi-automated plant exploration and localization based on natural landmarks. In this paper, we present our current mapping and localization results based on measurement data acquired at the site of our project partner Coca Cola Iberian Partners in Madrid, Spain.
A theoretical framework for exploring the feasibility and fairness of using mediation to address bullying and harassment in UK workplaces.

Positioning itself within policy debates on the best way to deal with disputes in UK workplaces and the (potential) resultant increased interest in mediation, this thesis draws on literature from law, philosophy, psychology and management to add to the growing, but largely theoretically-underdeveloped research on workplace mediation. In this research, mediation refers to a voluntary and confidential process where parties to dispute seek a mutually agreed outcome. This process is facilitated by an impartial third-party mediator. The research offers an empirically-informed theoretical framework exploring the extent to which the use of mediation to deal with bullying and harassment is appropriate. In asking whether mediation is appropriate, it argues that it is necessary to consider whether its use is not only feasible but also fair.Using Rawls? s (2001) theory of justice as fairness to structure the discussion and focusing on cases involving sex, race and sexual orientation it constructs an argument for the use of fairness as a guiding concern for an understanding of mediation grounded in an appreciation of public values and notions of social cooperation. It explores tensions between the nature of mediation and of bullying and harassment to question the extent to which an emphasis on cost/efficiency and empowerment in mediation rhetoric may obscure questions of the privatisation and individualisation of systemic and structural problems. Within this discussion theoretical and practical questions are identified and are then explored through the use of a mixed method research design comprised of a small-scale questionnaire (N=108), interviews (N=20) and focus groups (Four groups, N=16). Samples were purposively recruited and consisted of those over 18 years old with six month? s work experience in a UK workplace (questionnaire/focus groups) and external workplace mediators (interviews). Answers to the questions are offered in the form of a framework comprised of a theoretical model and a practically-orientated schematic. It is argued that the reconciliation of potential conflicts between mediation and bullying and harassment are found in a greater understanding of the way mediation operates in practice. This understanding is guided by an appreciation that different standards of reasonableness apply to different behaviours and that individuals, organisations and the courts have differing levels of responsibility for setting and upholding these standards. In meeting this responsibility it is important an organisation is seen as a party to the mediation process since a threat to fairness arises not from privatisation per se but from a personalisation of problems of organisational and/or societal significance. Rather than reject the use of mediation in such situations it suggests the notion of ? tailored privatisation? offering a compromise between the concerns of privatisation and the purported benefits of mediation.
Positive serum crossmatch as predictor for graft failure in HLA-mismatched allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation

Background. Evaluation of patient sera for complement-fixing anti-donor antibodies (serum crossmatch [XM]) before allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation (BSCT) is routine in most centers. However, in contrast to kidney transplantation, the predictive value of a positive XM for outcome of BSCT is still unclear, and a positive XM is presently not regarded as an absolute contraindication to proceed to transplant. Methods. To clarify the role of a positive XM as predictor for overall survival (OS) and graft failure (GF) after BSCT, a retrospective, single-center, matched-pair analysis was performed. Enrolled were all XM-positive BSCT performed at our institution from 1985 to 2000 (n=30). Controls (n=30) were matched for disease, disease stage, patient age, period of transplant, conditioning regimen, protocol for prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and type of donor (related vs. unrelated, HLA-identical vs. HLA-mismatched). Results. Multivariate statistical analysis of all enrolled 60 transplants revealed GF as the all-dominating, independent risk factors for low OS (relative risk [RR]: 59.5, P <0.0001). Univariate (Kaplan-Meier) analysis could attribute inferior OS and high incidence of GF to the subgroup of HLA-mismatched, XM-positive transplants (P =0.01). Conclusions. A XM should always be performed in patients awaiting a BSCT from HLA-mismatched donors, because a positive XM is a predictor for inferior OS due to GF in BSCT.
Dyslexia in the UAE: Developing a framework for Screening and Support

This doctoral research has two primary objectives: to develop culturally-appropriate assessment methods for diagnosing Emirati students with dyslexia; and to examine a possible framework for intervention and support techniques that addresses the needs of Emirati students with dyslexia. Three major studies were carried out: Study 1: Translation and adaptation of the Dyslexia Adult Screening Test for the Arabic language (A-DAST). This involved translation of all eleven DAST tests from English to Arabic, adapting them where appropriate to the different cultural and linguistic environment. The A-DAST was then normed for Arabic Higher Education students through administration to a set of 280 students in the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), and appropriate norms derived and compared with DAST norms for UK populations. Results of the study revealed two factors through factor analysis: i) the literacy-related cognitive deficit and ii) non-linguistic mental speed. Comparison between the two cohorts on measures of literacy attainment revealed similar performance in both cohorts of these subtests. However, Emirati students showed poor performance in nonsense passage reading which is attributed to the irregular nature of Arabic orthography. Study 2: Assessment of counselling and support needs of Emirati dyslexics. A 75-item questionnaire was administered to the 280 HCT students. The questionnaire was divided into five sections which focused on counselling services in general, counselling staff, students’ academic problems, and students’ psychological, emotional, and social problems. Results showed that the students considered the counselling and support services in HCT were inadequate and lacked specialised programmes to address the academic, social and emotional needs of Emirati dyslexics. Study 3: Intervention and support programme for Emirati dyslexic students. Those students identified as dyslexic were invited to participate in a specially-developed intervention and support programme during which their academic progress was assessed prior to and after the intervention. The intervention and support programme focused on three elements: 1) Literacy training, 2) Enhancing learning strategies and building self-awareness, and 3) improving memory. Analysis of repeated measures of students’ self-assessment and teachers’ assessments yielded highly significant results. A substantial effect over time was observed from students’ and teachers’ responses. In addition, significant improvement was observed in students’ grades in Maths and English, and in their performance on dyslexia indicator sub-tests. Overall results demonstrate that the assessment method and the intervention and support programme helped Emirati dyslexic students to improve their academic performance in addition to their performance on dyslexia measures. Directions for further research are discussed.
Algebraic reconstruction techniques can be made computationally efficient [positron emission tomography application]

Algebraic reconstruction techniques (ART) are iterative procedures for recovering objects from their projections. It is claimed that by a careful adjustment of the order in which the collected data are accessed during the reconstruction procedure and of the so-called relaxation parameters that are to be chosen in an algebraic reconstruction technique, ART can produce high-quality reconstructions with excellent computational efficiency. This is demonstrated by an example based on a particular (but realistic) medical imaging task, showing that ART can match the performance of the standard expectation-maximization approach for maximizing likelihood (from the point of view of that particular medical task), but at an order of magnitude less computational cost.