Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A life-cycle cost analysis of resilient flooring materials in acute-care facilities

Objective: This study compares the impact of maintenance protocols on coated and non-coated resilient flooring materials over the building life of an acute-care facility. The purpose of this study is to provide healthcare administrators, facility managers and designers with evidence regarding the total cost of ownership of different resilient flooring materials.Methods: Utilizing a life-cycle costing analysis (LCCA), a two-phase economic evaluation was conducted using both industry and real-time data collected from four health systems across three distinct geographic regions in the U.S. to evaluate the impact of coated and non-coated resilient flooring materials over the usable life of an acute-care facility.Results: Findings from both the first and second phase LCCA suggest that maintenance protocols can have a substantive impact on the total cost of ownership for resilient flooring materials due to the increase in operations and maintenance costs associated with a coated maintenance protocol. The point in time at which the factory applied finish failed for a non-coated flooring material was also shown to greatly contribute to the total cost of ownership.Conclusions: The use of real-time data, coupled with a systematic evaluation provided contextual information that proved essential to understanding some of the intricacies involved in resilient flooring maintenance protocols that can greatly influence economic outcomes. This approach supports an evidence-based decision making process for healthcare executives and environmental services staff to not only effectively evaluate new resilient flooring material selections, but to also proactively evaluate current maintenance protocols for increased monetary savings.
BOUNDARY LAYER STATE AND FLOW FIELD STRUCTURE ON WIND TURBINE BLADES

Blade rotation routinely and significantly augments aerodynamic forces during zero yaw horizontal axis wind turbine operation. To better understand the flow physics underlying this phenomenon, three-dimensional and rotational viscous effects on wind turbine blades are investigated by means of 3-D boundary layer model. The governing equations of the model are derived from 3-D primitive variable boundary-layer equations written in cylindrical coordinates in the rotating frame of reference. The latter are integrated along the peripheral direction with the radial distance as parameter for a particular external flow. The skin friction coefficient is used to identify boundary layer separation and shear layer reattachment locations, Separation and reattachment kinematics shows at inboard locations that while the separation point location is not really affected and remains near the leading edge, the reattachment point advances forward rapidly on the blade chord from the trailing edge as radial distance decreases. It is concluded that the rotational augmentation is linked to specific separation and reattachment state strictly determined by the Coriolis forces.
Efecto de la fermentación sobre la composición proximal y calidad proteica del Dolichos lablab Effect of fermentation on proximate composition and protein quality of Dolichos lablab

El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar el efecto de la fermentacion natural e inducida sobre la composicion proximal y calidad proteica de harinas y granos enteros de Dolichos lablab. Durante el proceso de fermentacion se evaluo el pH, acidez titulable y se cuantificaron los microorganismos fermentativos y adulterantes que pudieran afectar el proceso de fermentacion, se determino la composicion proximal, la digestibilidad proteica in vitro y la actividad de inhibicion de tripsina (ATI) en los granos y harinas fermentados. Se observaron diferencias significativas en el pH y acidez al fermentar de forma natural o inducida a granos o harinas; en promedio la disminucion del pH fue de 29% y el aumento de la acidez titulable fue de 34% en el caldo de fermentacion. La poblacion de coliformes, hongos y levaduras disminuyo significativamente, mientras que las bacterias acido lacticas (BAL) aumentaron en forma progresiva durante las 48 h del bioproceso. En relacion a la composicion proximal la fermentacion de los granos produjo una disminucion del 4% en el contenido de cenizas, respecto al grano crudo, mientras que al fermentar harinas hubo una disminucion en promedio del 15% en contenido de proteina, respecto al grano crudo. Por otro lado, la fermentacion inducida de granos y harinas produjo un aumento de la calidad proteica del D. lablab, ya que se observo una disminucion en la AIT del 27,4% y 40,5% respectivamente y aumento en la digestibilidad proteica en 8,4% y 14%, respectivamente. Palabras clave: Fermentacion, Dolichos lablab, calidad proteica, composicion proximal, BAL.
On the effect of image denoising on galaxy shape measurements

Weak gravitational lensing is a very sensitive way of measuring cosmological parameters, including dark energy, and of testing current theories of gravitation. In practice, this requires exquisite measurement of the shapes of billions of galaxies over large areas of the sky, as may be obtained with the EUCLID and WFIRST satellites. For a given survey depth, applying image denoising to the data both improves the accuracy of the shape measurements and increases the number density of galaxies with a measurable shape. We perform simple tests of three different denoising techniques, using synthetic data. We propose a new and simple denoising method, based on wavelet decomposition of the data and a Wiener filtering of the resulting wavelet coefficients. When applied to the GREAT08 challenge dataset, this technique allows us to improve the quality factor of the measurement (Q; GREAT08 definition), by up to a factor of two. We demonstrate that the typical pixel size of the EUCLID optical channel will allow us to use image denoising.
Hydrothermal Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vitro Drug Adsorption Studies of Some Nano-BioMOFs

Three new nano-bioMOFs (NBMOFs) (copper serinate, copper prolinate, and copper threoninate) have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Molecular masses of these nanomaterials have been obtained by mass spectrometric studies. Successful in vitro drug adsorption of rosuvastatin drug has been carried out in these three nanosized materials. The amount of rosuvastatin adsorbed in these materials and its slow release after intervals have been monitored by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). TGA and PXRD spectra of all these materials in pure form and after rosuvastatin adsorption have also been recorded to elaborate the phenomenon of in vitro drug adsorption in these materials.
Estimation of the nesting season of marine turtles from incomplete data: statistical adjustment of a sinusoidal function

Because of logistical and financial constraints, nest counts of marine turtles are often limited in time and space. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a numerical model that fits the seasonal pattern of marine turtles nesting from complete or fragmented datasets. The duration of the main nesting season, the position and amplitude of its maximum as well as the residual number of nests, outside of the main season are obtained numerically by a least square adjustment. For the seven complete time series at our disposal (Dermochelys coriacea and Lepidochelys olivacea turtles, coast of French Guiana), the model reproduces the seasonal pattern with a correlation of r≥0.97. When applied on a fragmented dataset, the model accuracy depends on the duration and on the temporal distribution of the monitoring (effort equally distributed during the entire season or concentrated on a part of it only). As a result of this study, we clearly advocate a strategy of monitoring distributed all over the nesting season. Following this recommendation, the model estimates the annual number of nests with a median error lower than 10% when considering only 50 days of monitoring.
Camera trapping ocelots: an evaluation of felid attractants

Ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ) and other wild cats are often surveyed using camera traps to identify individuals for density estimation via capture-recapture analyses or estimate occupancy via detection/non-detection analyses. Though attractants are sometimes used in such surveys, there have not been any evaluations of the effectiveness of common visual and olfactory attractants in field settings. As part of a medium and large mammal camera survey in the San Juan – La Selva Biological Corridor, Costa Rica, we integrated camera trap data within an occupancy modelling framework to estimate the effects of hanging compact disks (visual), cologne (olfactory), and sardines in oil (olfactory) on ocelot detection probabilities. Compact disks appeared to have the most information-theoretic model support, whereas cologne received less model support. The use of compact disks in surveys was also less time-consuming and less expensive than the olfactory attractants. Ocelots are visual hunters and using visual attractants can increase detection probabilities and therefore reduce uncertainty and/or reduce survey effort to obtain robust population or occupancy estimates, although using cologne might also have similar effects. Depending on logistic constraints, we recommend employing several attractants as the most appropriate way to survey ocelots and other rare felids in the future when detection biases are assumed to be strong, particularly as part of mammal community surveys. Download the complete issue.
MACRM: A Multi-agent Cluster Resource Management System

The falling cost of cluster computing has significantly increased its use in the last decade. As a result, the number of users, the size of clusters, and the diversity of jobs that are submitted to clusters have grown. These changes lead to a quest for redesigning of clusters’ resource management systems. The growth in the number of users and increase in the size of clusters require a more scalable approach to resource management. Moreover, ever-increasing use of clusters for carrying out a diverse range of computations demands fault-tolerant and highly available cluster management systems. Last, but not the least, serving highly parallel and interactive jobs in a cluster with hundreds of nodes, requires high throughput scheduling with a very short service time. This research presents MACRM, a multi-agent cluster resource management system. MACRM is an adaptive distributed/centralized resource management system which addresses the requirements of scalability, fault-tolerance, high availability, and high throughput scheduling. It breaks up resource management responsibilities and delegates it to different agents to be scalable in various aspects. Also, modularity in MACRM’s design increases fault-tolerance because components are replicable and recoverable. Furthermore, MACRM has a very short service time in different loads. It can maintain an average service time of less than 15ms by adaptively switching between centralized and distributed decision making based on a cluster’s load. Comparing MACRM with representative centralized and distributed systems (YARN [67] and Sparrow [52]) shows several advantages. We show that MACRM scales better when the number of resources, users, or jobs increase in a cluster. As well, MACRM has faster and less expensive failure recovery mechanisms compared with the two other systems. And finally, our experiments show that MACRM’s average service time beats the other systems, particularly in high loads.
A Benchmark of Force Quality in Haptic Rendering

Several haptic rendering algorithms have been developed in the last years and a comparative study is needed to select the appropriate algorithm for each application. This work presents a set of testing scenarios and indicators for benchmarking haptic rendering algorithms using synthetically generated and recorded realistic assembly paths. Synthetic scenarios aim to objectively evaluate haptic rendering algorithms by comparing their response with expected analytical behaviors. Real assembly scenarios are oriented to evaluate the algorithms in complex environments. Examples of the benchmark are given using an improved version of the Voxmap-PointShell Algorithm.
Cell Culture: History, Development and Prospects

A B S T R A C T Since its inception, the animal cell culture in the twentieth century is related to its usefulness in research. Early methods such as Harrison culture of the inverted drop, Carrel's and Lindbergh's innovations made with the introduction of the use of the infusion pump, the culture of HeLa cells and vaccine design using animal cell cultures are approach which revolutioned the implementation and study of the cell culture. One of the important steps in this technique is the selection of the culture media, which provides the physical and chemical conditions close to those occurring in the natural environment for cell growth, which are crucial for the adhesion, proliferation and cell survival in vitro. In this review, the essential aspects that define this technique are shown, offering a historical overview of the most relevant events and the current prospect in the development of the cell culture, that have been enabled the progress in both, basic and applied research.
Can formal home care reduce the burden of informal care for elderly dependents? Evidence from France

This paper focuses on the trade-off between formal and informal care for elderly dependents living at home in France. Using the French 2008 household Disability - Healthcare data and a newly built indicator of formal home-care prices in each French Council District, we wonder if fi nancial incentives to use more formal home care could relieve informal caregivers. We estimate a bivariate Tobit model to account for both the censor and the endogeneity of our formal home-care variable. Our results con firm that the volume of informal care provided would decrease if the elderly dependents were faced with lower formal home-care prices. Moreover, informal caregivers are shown to be much more sensitive to public subsidizes for skilled formal home care than for the low-skilled one. Subsidizing for skilled formal home care would make informal caregivers more effcient to perform lighter low-skilled tasks. Eventually, acting on formal home care prices could help French public administrators sustain the well-being of both care receivers and informal caregivers.
Radio frequency identification and its application in e-commerce

This chapter presents Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which is one of the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies (Wamba and Boeck, 2008) and discusses the application of RFID in E-Commerce. Firstly RFID is defined and the tag and reader components of the RFID system are explained. Then historical context of RFID is briefly discussed. Next, RFID is contrasted with other AIDC technologies, especially the use of barcodes which are commonly applied in E-Commerce. Lastly, RFID applications in E-Commerce are discussed with the focus on achievable benefits and obstacles to successful applications of RFID in E-Commerce, and ways to alleviate them.
The Effects of Election Advertising Spending and Incumbency on the General Election Results in Great Britain

This paper attempts to estimate the effect of campaign advertising expenditures on vote outcomes in Great Britain? s general election over 1992-2001. It uses an empirical method to estimate the impact of electoral campaign expenditures on votes, but also attempts to develop a signaling model in the election by estimating the relationship between campaign spending and quality signaling through incumbency status. Specifically, this paper examines an empirical analysis of the impact of campaign expenditures on votes cast in the general elections in Great Britain. It extends Lee (2010) to incorporate the incumbency and interactive effect. First, it includes candidate and party incumbency status into the benchmark model so as to estimate incumbency effects. Second, it includes an interaction term between candidate incumbency and candidate spending to estimate interactive effects. The main features of the estimation model are to assess the impact of campaign expenditures on votes by estimating incumbency and interactive effects on votes.
Analysis of the Global Swell and Wind Sea Energy Distribution Using WAVEWATCH III

Over the past several decades, an increasing number of studies have focused on the global view of swell and wind sea climate. However, our understanding of wind sea and swell is still incomplete as is the lack of an integrated description for all the wave components. In this paper, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Era-medium wind data is used to run the WAVEWATCH III model and the global wave fields in 2010 are reproduced. Using the spectra energy partition (SEP) method, two-dimensional wave spectra were separated and detailed information for the components of wind sea and swell was obtained. We found that the highest seasonal mean energy of swell and wind sea are distributed in the respective winter hemispheres. In most seas, swell carries a large part of the wave energy with being higher than 50%. Compared to swell, the global distribution of wind sea energy is highly affected by the seasons. We also established a link between inverse wave age and the ratio of swell energy to total wave energy. This study aims to improve our understanding of surface wave energy composition and thus the parameterization of global-scale wind-wave interaction and air-sea momentum flux.
ARTISTIC RESEARCH TRAINING IN MUSIC: PERSPECTIVES ON PEDAGOGY, HIGHER DEGREES AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

The rise of professionally-oriented research degrees has been a notable feature of the higher education sector in the last decades (Brennan, 1998; Tuning, 2004) and in Australia this has been most visible in practice-led disciplines including education, nursing and jurisprudence. Most recently, creative artists are enrolling in research programmes in ever greater numbers where the boundaries between professional practice, research and its outcomes increasingly take on new forms and meaning. The idea of 'artistic research' now has currency and significant trajectory while research training pedagogies continue to evolve in response to these events (Borgdorff, 2012). This paper examines the processes of defining and teaching artistic research in this emerging landscape through the experiences of supervisors, students and graduates at an Australian conservatorium of music. In particular, we details aspects of second and third cycle studies in the Master of Music (M.Mus) and the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) programmes. Central to the project are important relationships between creative products and accompanying exegetical writing - together as 'dissertation'. Because these programmes respond to the differing relationships between research and practice, blended learning frameworks are often deployed as a mechanism to respond to students' professional commitments or distance candidatures, and also to frame authoring and display considerations for time-based and/or digital works (Carter, 2005). On the exegetical writing side of the equation, we also examine pertinent issues including: reflective thinking; validity; analytical models; and the examination expectations for both art works and text. To do so, the paper utilises a multiple case study methodology in order to probe indicative artistic research projects. In this we unpack issues relating to student progression, scaffolding and coursework support to the dissertation as seen from the perspective of the actors indicated above. The investigation highlights particular milestones in the higher degree lifecycle in order to ascertain the efficacy of the pedagogy in question, and in particular, as to how the balance of creative content paired with scholarly writing may or may not translate to on-going portfolio careers or otherwise. Overall, we seek to understand what has been achieved to date, what has worked, and what may not be working as well as it might. This frames answers to the questions: on this basis, how will these research programmes continue to improve and adjust and what forms might they take in the future?
Antihyperlipidemic And Glucose Lowering Effect Of Extract Of Bioregulator Treated Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus L.) Fruits in Triton-Induced Hyperlipidemia Rats

Extracts from okra have been used to alleviate not only hyperglycemia but also hyperlipidemia in diabetic mice induced by alloxan and streptozocin. However, its hypolipidemic activity has not yet been clearly studied. This study was aimed to study the antihyperlipidemic potential of bioregulator treated okra fruit in triton-X induced hyperlipidemic rats. Hyperlipidemia was induced in rats by administration of triton-X (100mg/kg i.p.). After 14 days of induction, hyperlipidemic rats received AWB (okra extract treated with bioregulator, AWOB (okra extract without bioregulator) and atorvastatin up to 28 days. The extracts activities were assessed on serum blood glucose, lipid profiles, carbohydrate enzymes, antioxidant and non-enzymes antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde level, and HMG-CoA reductase activity of control and drug-treated rats. The extract exhibited a strong dose-dependent antihyperlipidemic activity and at dose level 400mg/kg (AWB) p.o. the extract showed a significant (P≤0.05) decrease in blood glucose, TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, MDA, gluconeogenic enzymes and significant (P≤0.05) increase in HDL-C, glycogenic enzymes, antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymes antioxidant in a dosedependent manner comparing with standard atorvastatintreated group. The present study demonstrated that the extract of bioregulator treated okra exhibits a potent lipid lowering activity and well compared with the atorvastatin than extract without bioregulator.
Zingiber officinale and Curcuma longa as potential functional foods/ingredients.

Background: Zingiberofficinale and Curcuma longa are rhizomes used as traditional medicine for gastrointes- tinal illnesses, motion sickness and inflammatory diseases. However, there is scarcity of data regarding its nutritional com- position and functions. Objective:To characterize Zingiberofficinale and Curcuma longa as potential functional food/ in- gredients Materials and Methods: Zingiberofficinale and Curcuma longa were analyzed for proximate composition, minerals, dietary fiber and phytonutrients. Mineral availability and fermentability in vitro, and antioxidant activity was also determined. Results: Curcuma longa has greater ash, fat, protein, carbohydrates and dietary fiber while Zingiberofficinale has greater moisture and s-carotene. Both samples were good sources of dietary fiber and when fermented in vitro, the only short chain fatty acid produced was propionate. Zingiberofficinale has significantly greater iron and calcium content.The availability of zinc (11.9±0.4%) and calcium (56.9±4.7%) for absorption was significantly higher in Curcuma longa but not iron (1.7±0.1%; P<0.05). Iron availability was significantly greater in Zingiber officinal (21.5±3.3%). Curcuma longa has significantly greater total polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanidins and anti-oxidant activity. Conclusion: Zingiberoficinale and Curcoma longa are potential functional food/ingredients Food supplementation with Zingiberofficinale and Curcumin longa may be considered as a novel nutritional approach to reduce chronic diseases and mineral deficiency.