Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance on a Motor Control Test in an Asymptomatic Adolescent Population

Background Low back pain is a condition present during both adulthood and adolescence. Adolescents with low back pain may benefit from treatment focused on improving abdominal muscle performance and motor control. The supine double leg lowering test (SDLLT) may be a reliable measure to assess core stability in adults, but adolescent performance on the SDLLT has not yet been established in the literature. Purpose To examine performance on the SDLLT in healthy adolescents ages 13 to 18 years and describe influences of gender, age, body mass index, and participation in sport. Study Design Cross-Sectional Study Methods Four licensed physical therapists administered the SDLLT with a Stabilizer pressure biofeedback cuff and inclinometer in 90 adolescents without low back pain (females = 41, males = 49) from three schools in a mid-western metropolitan area. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, two-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients were utilized to analyze the data. Results Average SDLLT score was 72.36 +/- 12.54 degrees. A significant difference between SDLLT score was present between genders with males performing better than females. No interactions between performance and involvement in sport were demonstrated. Conclusions Female and male adolescents appear to perform differently on the SDLLT with a stabilizer and appear to perform worse than scores recorded for adults. The SDLLT may be used to measure motor control in adolescents, but clinicians should utilize age-appropriate data for clinical decision making. Levels of Evidence Level 2c
EFFECTS OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETING ON PERFORMANCE OF EVENT MANAGEMENT FIRMS IN OSUN STATE NIGERIA

Relationship marketing can be defined as a managerial strategy that focuses on building long term relationships that are beneficial to customers and event firms. Thus, measuring the effects of relationship marketing on performance of event management firms in Osun State, Nigeria became expedient, as recent growth of event firms around the globe is increasing. The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of relationship marketing on the performance of event management firms in Osun state, while specific objectives are used to determine how complaints handling, commitment, trust and communication influences customer loyalty. A descriptive survey design is used and a self-structured questionnaire was administered to obtain primary data from 390 respondents randomly drawn from 30 local government areas of the State. Data was analysed using Partial Least Square method with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling. The study revealed that relationship marketing has a significant positive effect on the performance of event management firms in Osun state with p<0.000, 0.239, 0.003 and 0.001, jointly and significantly affecting customer loyalty at (r=0.351, Adj. R2 =35%). Strategically, the study recommends that event firms that have not adopted proper and prompt complaints handling, show appreciable organizational commitment, built its trust in the mind of customers, and maximize its communication system effectively, should please do so in order to acquire, retain and increase loyal customers. Lastly, continuous training programs that enhance customer loyalty should systematically be put in place.
Reduction of Environmental Stress through Spatial Arrangements and Different Choices of Body Positions in Indoor Environment

The paper is aimed at analyzes of environmental stressors in indoor environment such as incorrect spatial arrangement or improper setting of limits and less control of own territory /personal space and diminished choice of body positions. There is emphasized the topic of body positions/postures in standard office working environment whereas more choices of body position is a instrument for reduction of stress and increasing of well–being and chance to get new perspectives, approaches and outputs from human resources as well . Nowadays there is a strong need to incorporate a non-formal working style which is also related to non-formal spatial design that can be then occupied by different body positions and using of space in more dynamic way which we can call dynamisation of space. There are also analyzed its main strategies In the paper there are shown theoretical assumptions of relation between work efficiency, creativity and body working position.There is analyzed process of setting methodology for measuring environmental stress through physiological parameters. It shows results of first experimental tests of biometric responses by different working postures by simulation of standard non-industrial working environment. There we chosen 5 working locations – standard set, dynamic seat, stand, perching and reclining. The paper presents results of the pilot test and shows further perspectives of this research.
Discomforting pedagogies and affective learning processes in diversity & social justice courses

ABSTRACT Social work education prepares students to ethically engage historically stigmatized populations. The importance of including diversity in the social work curriculum and preparing culturally competent social workers has been established. However, little is known about how social work educators utilize the syllabus as a tool to prepare students to develop the stamina to attend to and cope with emotional reactions that may result from engaging in critical self-discovery and difficult conversations regarding diversity and social justice. Guided by the Discomforting Pedagogy Educational framework, this study consists of a review of a nationwide sample of syllabi identified from first-year, stand-alone, required diversity-related social justice courses within MSW programs. This study explored the extent to which course expectations included affective learning processes (one’s emotion, beliefs, ethics, self-awareness, and attitudes) in the course syllabi that support discomforting learning experiences. The results highlight that most instructors communicate expectations regarding conduct based on respect and valuing diverse perspectives, but instructors can more explicitly support students’ examination of their positionality and bias and how to handle these emotional reactions. Based on the findings, we offer several strategies for supporting social work students in challenging their existing views and working through discomforting learning experiences.
Functional Role of Mitochondrial DNA in Cancer Progression

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been identified as a significant genetic biomarker in disease, cancer and evolution. Mitochondria function as modulators for regulating cellular metabolism. In the clinic, mtDNA variations (mutations/single nucleotide polymorphisms) and dysregulation of mitochondria-encoded genes are associated with survival outcomes among cancer patients. On the other hand, nuclear-encoded genes have been found to regulate mitochondria-encoded gene expression, in turn regulating mitochondrial homeostasis. These observations suggest that the crosstalk between the nuclear genome and mitochondrial genome is important for cellular function. Therefore, this review summarizes the significant mechanisms and functional roles of mtDNA variations (DNA level) and mtDNA-encoded genes (RNA and protein levels) in cancers and discusses new mechanisms of crosstalk between mtDNA and the nuclear genome.
Low-pT μ+μ− pair production in Au+Au collisions at √SNN = 200 GeV at STAR

We report the measurements of μ+μ− pair production for pT < 0.10 GeV/c in 40-80% Au+Au collisions at √SNN = 200 GeV at STAR. A significant enhancement with respect to the hadronic cocktail is observed. The pT2 and ∆ϕ distributions of the excess yields are also reported and compared with model calculations. The EPA-QED calculations can describe the data very well within uncertainties.
Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Loaded with Pt Catalysts

Coating the catalyst with a nanoporous layer has been demonstrated to be an effective approach to improve catalyst stability. Herein, we systematically investigate two types of core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a platinum nanocatalyst using a variety of characterization methods. One of the mesoporous particles has a unique amine ring structure in the middle of a shell (Ring-mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2), and the other one has no ring structure (mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2). Brunauer–Emmett–Teller/Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BET/BJH) presented a similar surface area for both particles, and the pore size was 2.4 nm. Ultra-Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS)/ Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) showed the size of mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2 and Ring-mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2 were 420 nm and 272 nm, respectively. It also showed that the ring structure was 30 nm above the silica core. Using high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), it was found that the platinum nanoparticles are loaded evenly on the surface of the silica. In situ SAXS heating experiments and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) indicated that the mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2 were more stable during the high temperature, while the Ring-mSiO2/Pt-5.0/SiO2 had more change in the particle.
Diferencias en la planificación de estrategias en voleibol entre jugadoras expertas y noveles Differences Between Expert and Novice Women Volleyball Players in Strategy Planning

Differences Between Expert and Novice Women Volleyball Players in Strategy Planning The purpose of our study was to find out about the influence of experience in strategy planning by women volleyball players. The study sample was made up of 16 volleyball players: 8 experts (more than 10 years of experience) and 8 novice players (4 years of experience). The strategy planning of spikers in competition was analyzed using the second question in the post-match interview drawn up by McPherson (2000), obtaining information about current thoughts, action possibilities for subsequent points and performance assessment. The codification system devised by McPherson (2000) was used, which consists of three levels of analysis: conceptual content, conceptual sophistication and conceptual structure. The findings showed that the expert players had better thinking processes, greater procedural knowledge, more sophisticated verbalizations and complex structures. Our results have been confirmed by a range of research based on the study of knowledge, sports skill and volleyball.
Gewinnung und Verarbeitung hyperspektraler Fluoreszenzbilder zur optischen Mineralklassifikation

Zusammenfassung Auf der Suche nach schnellen, zuverlässigen und kostengünstigen Verfahren zur industriellen Mineralsortierung werden neue Wege beschritten. Wir stellen ein bisher noch nicht untersuchtes Verfahren vor: die Analyse der Mineralfluoreszenz mittels hyperspektraler Bildaufnahmen. Dabei werden die Minerale mit ultraviolettem Licht angeregt und deren Fluoreszenzantwort im sichtbaren Wellenlängenbereich spektral und örtlich aufgelöst untersucht. Es werden die hyperspektralen Aufnahmen sowie durch Bildglättung verbesserte Klassifikationsergebnisse präsentiert.
Online vehicles license plate detection and recognition system using image processing techniques

A growing demand for traffic data concerning traffic flow and automatic vehicle identification, led researchers around the world to adopt advanced electronic and computer vision technologies to monitor and control traffic. Increasing levels of road traffic ask for real time analysis of a moving car in order to extract important data, in this case the vehicle registration number. This paper describes a system based on image processing technology to meet the increasing needs of efficient traffic management. System detects and recognizes a license plate of the car registered in NWFP province of the Pakistan. It performs the recognition in almost real-time, watching cars slowing down in front of video recording device. Beauty of the system lies in a fact that it is using very low cost devices to accomplish this task even in real time.
Personalization of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Subjective Tinnitus

Background: Personalization of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for tinnitus might be capable to overcome the heterogeneity of treatment responses. The assessment of loudness changes after short rTMS protocols in test sessions has been proposed as a strategy to identify the best protocol for the daily treatment application. However, the therapeutic advantages of this approach are currently not clear. The present study was designed to further investigate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of personalized rTMS as compared to a standardized rTMS protocol used for tinnitus. Methods: RTMS personalization was conducted via test sessions and reliable, sham-superior responses respectively short-term reductions in tinnitus loudness following active rTMS protocols (1, 10, 20 Hz, each 200 pulses) applied over the left and right temporal cortex. Twenty pulses at a frequency of 0.1 Hz served as a control condition (sham). In case of a response, patients were randomly allocated to ten treatment sessions of either personalized rTMS (2000 pulses with the site and frequency producing the most pronounced loudness reduction during test sessions) or standard rTMS (1 Hz, 2000 pulses left temporal cortex). Those participants who did not show a response during the test sessions received the standard protocol as well. Results: The study was terminated prematurely after 22 patients (instead of 50 planned) as the number of test session responders was much lower than expected (27% instead of 50%). Statistical evaluation of changes in metric tinnitus variables and treatment responses indicated only numerical, but not statistical superiority for personalized rTMS compared to standard treatment. Conclusions: The current stage of investigation does not allow for a clear conclusion about the therapeutic advantages of personalized rTMS for tinnitus based on test session responses. The feasibility of this approach is primarily limited by the low test session response rate.
Design and Performance Analysis of Anti-Surge Control Mechanism for Compressor System using Neural Networks

The compressor system is caused by the surge, which is an instability occurrence in most gas-process and oil industries. These issues are solved by using a recycle valve that avoids the surge and provides higher mass flow in the compressor system. An advanced controller-based anti-surge control mechanism is a need in the compressor system to improve the stability and surge issues. In this manuscript, an efficient, Neural-network predictive controller (NNPC) based variable speed compressor recycle system is modeled with an anti-surge control mechanism. When the mass flow is deficient, the recycle system is introduced, acts as a safety system, and feeds the compressed gas back to the upstream system. The different controllers like Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller, Fuzzy logic controller (FLC), and Neuro-fuzzy controller (NFC) based anti-surge control mechanism are also used in Compressor recycle system to compare the stability and performance metrics with NNPC. The NNPC based compressor system provides a better operating position and dynamic response with less error than other controllers-based compressor systems. Keywords—Anti-surge; fuzzy logic controller (FLC); neurofuzzy controller (NFC); compressors; neural-network
The role of environmental sustainability in marketing of small architectural design practices

Environmental sustainability in construction is a pressing concern. Despite their importance to the industry, and evident differences from large organizations in business strategy, markets and challenges, the literature has little to say about how small architectural design firms view the marketing potential of improved environmental sustainability. The aim is to address this gap by examining practitioner experience of sustainability and marketing in small architectural design practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 such practices. A critical interpretive stance was adopted in analysis, drawing on the theoretical framings of service-dominant logic (SDL) and relationship marketing. Sustainable design is part of the co-creation of value in architecture, enhancing the value proposition beyond a cost basis. Its inclusion contributed to business development through referrals. Taken together, co-creation of value and asymmetry of knowledge between professional and client drive the conclusion that the architectural designer has primary responsibility in guiding clients towards greater environmental sustainability. This responsibility and the role of sustainability in business development were not necessarily recognized by the designers. Insights from SDL challenge assumptions that cost and lack of client demand prevent greater sustainability in design.
Novel Optical Scattering-Based V2V Communications With Experimental Analysis

Taking advantage of the proliferation of optical wireless communications, this paper proposes a new paradigm of optical scattering (or ultraviolet) vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication with experimental analysis based on extensive channel measurements at a wavelength of 266 nm. This new optical scattering-based V2V technology can ease a fundamental requirement of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) commonly found in conventional optical V2V systems and can also provide an additional robust capability of efficient non-line-of-sight (NLOS) V2V transmission. Based on the experiments, it is demonstrated that in a mobile V2V channel where the dynamics are changing rapidly, the scattering of the UV photons in the upper atmosphere produces some unique characteristics, resulting in greater randomness and severe fading. From the experimental results, we characterize the channel by a non-stationary time-frequency-selective fading channel with a statistical description of the time-frequency-varying power profile. An examination of the measured data reveals that the distribution of the fading statistics follows the Rayleigh distribution but a departure from the Rayleigh distribution is also observed. In addition, to facilitate the real-time capture of the dynamic behavior of the UV-based V2V channel, a Kalman filter-based algorithm is presented to estimate the time-varying optical scattering channel parameters. Finally, some open issues and challenges in the optical scattering-based V2V technology are presented.
Determining moments of inertia of small UAVs: A comparative analysis of an experimental method versus theoretical approaches

This paper presents a procedure to experimentally determine the moments of inertia of a small quadrotor, using a two-axis motion simulator with predefined rotational motion and a six-component force/torque sensor. The inertia properties of the flying vehicle were also determined analytically using two modeling approaches: point mass analysis and assumption of simple geometric shapes. The results show that, although commonly used in engineering practices, point mass analysis can lead to erroneous inertia estimation (deviation of 20-30% from the real value), thus resulting in a significant model mismatch. The experimental and simple shapes assumption methods rendered very similar results, which strongly indicates not only that the experimental method proposed is valid, but also that the assumption of simple geometric shapes can be used as a reliable and cost-effective method to determine moments of inertia of small UAVs. I. Introduction Quadrotor helicopters are a popular rotorcraft concept for unmanned aerial vehicle platforms. With four rotors placed horizontally in the same plane, these types of machines are used for a variety of applications due to their agile capabilities. The study presented in this paper was motivated by a project involving a quadrotor, in which the goal was to develop a vision-based system for autonomous landing on floating platforms. One of the key aspects of this project was to develop a dynamic model of the quadrotor in order to facilitate controller design tasks and to allow validation of the design concepts through simulations. Specifically, to accurately describe the rotational motion of the flying vehicle, its exact inertia properties were required. Therefore, a method was developed for determining such properties and the results are presented
Tension Control of Wire-traveling System for Multi-wire Saw

With rapid development of integrate circuit and photovoltaic industry,silicon material processing technology is becoming more and more appreciated.Especially slicing is a key procedure in silicon material processing.Overall structure of wire-traveling system for multi-wire saw is introduced and its working principle is explained.The kinematics equation of tension control structure for pay-off system is established.The reasons for tension fluctuation are analyzed,and corresponding solution is proposed.After a hardware platform of tension control system is built,indirect tension control is carried out through multi-motor synchronization control.A multi-motor synchronization control method is proposed on the basis of adjacent axis error through definition of tracking error and synchronization error.The integral sliding mode surface is defined for designing control torque,and multi-motor synchronization motion is guaranteed,tension fluctuation is reduced and tension stability is ensured.Experimental results show that the proposed tension control method is very effective.This tension control system has the merits of small tension fluctuation range,high-precision control and convenient adjustment.
Study of Hoist Performance during Peak Hours for Tall Building Construction

The increasing height of urban buildings creates challenges in the vertical delivery of essential resources during construction phase, which makes the efficient use of construction hoists crucial in building construction. The inappropriate arrangement of temporary hoists can result in a loss of productivity, especially during peak-hours when a large number of specialty trades requires hoists simultaneously. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a discrete-event simulation model that can assist in examining the impact of different lifting strategies on workers’ delay during peak-hours. The application of the proposed model in high-rise building projects shows a potential for minimizing workers’ idle time and increase labour productivity.
Analysis of Adaptive Strategy Selection within Differential Evolution on the BBOB-2010 Noiseless Benchmark

This document presents an empirical analysis of the Fitness-based Area-Under-Curve - Bandit (F-AUC-Bandit), an adaptive strategy (or operator) selection method recently proposed in the context of Genetic Algorithms. It is here used to select, while solving the problem, the strategy to be applied for the next offspring generation based on the recent known performance of each of the available ones, within a Differential Evolution algorithm applied to contin- uous optimization problems. Experimental results are obtained on a testbed of single-objective noiseless functions. The performance gain achieved by the use of adaptive strategy selection methods is shown by comparing F-AUC-Bandit with what would be the common naive choices: the use of a single strategy or the uniform selection between a sub-set of available strategies. F-AUC-Bandit is also compared to previously proposed adaptive schemes, showing a significantly better performance (w.r.t. expected running time to achieve a target solution) on most of the functions, while presenting a robust hyper-parameter setting. Although still being not competitive with state-of-the-art continuous optimizers such as the CMA-ES (to which an empirical comparison is also presented), a big enhancement is achieved over the use of the basic Differential Evolution, while also improving over both naive and existent adaptive methods.