Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lung function variability in children and adolescents (LUV study): protocol for a prospective interventional trial in healthy individuals and patients with asthma

Background Variability analysis of peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) has been used in research to predict exacerbations in adult individuals with asthma. However, there is a paucity of data regarding PEF and FEV 1 variability in healthy or asthmatic children and adolescents. The objective of the present study is the assessment of PEF and FEV 1 variability in: a) healthy children and adolescents, to define the normal daily fluctuation of PEF and FEV 1 and the parameters that may influence it, and b) children and adolescents with asthma, to explore the differences from healthy subjects and reveal any specific variability changes prior to exacerbation.Methods The study will include 100 healthy children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years (assessment of normal PEF and FEV 1 variability) and 100 children and adolescents of the same age with diagnosed asthma (assessment of PEF and FEV 1 variability in asthmatics). PEF and FEV1 measurements will be performed using an ultra-portable spirometer (MIR Spirobank Smart) capable to smartphone connection. Measurements will be performed twice a day between 07:00-09:00 and 19:00-21:00 hours and will be dispatched via email to a central database for a period of 3 months. PEF and FEV1 variability will be assessed by detrended fluctuation and sample entropy analysis, aiming to define the normal pattern (healthy controls) and to detect and quantify any deviations (asthmatics). The anticipated duration of the study is 24 months.Discussion Healthy children and adolescents may present normal short- and long-term fluctuations in lung function; the pattern of this variability may be influenced by age, sex and environmental conditions. Significant lung function variability may also be present in children and adolescents with asthma, but the patterns may differ from those observed in healthy children and adolescents. Such data would improve our understanding regarding the chronobiology of asthma and permit the development of integrated tools for assessing the level of control and risk of future exacerbations.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04163146. Registered on 14 November 2019
Hydraulic Design of the Pool-Type Fishway with V-Shaped Overfalls

The objective of th . is paper is to present a pool-type fishway and its hydraulic characteristics. This fishway, with V-shaped overfalls, is applied throughout the Netherlands, especially in small steep rivers: sometimes in the river itself, in other cases as a by-pass of the main river. The design discharges range from 0.35 m3/s to 5.50 m3/s. First a review of the Dutch fishways is given. Then the hydraulic design of the pool fishway with V-shaped overfalls based on hydraulic model investigations is presented. The paper concludes with design rules and recommendations for the improvement of the presented fishway. Key "fiords : fishllay hydraulics, pool fishllays, design rules, flot1 durat:ion curves, discharge capacit:ies.
An Ultra-Compact Design of Plasmonic Memristor with Low Loss and High Extinction Efficiency Based on Enhanced Interaction between Filament and Concentrated Plasmon

We present a numerical design of the plasmonic memristive switching device operated at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.55 μm, which consists of a triangle-shaped metal taper mounted on top of a Si waveguide, with rational doping in the area below the apex of the taper. This device can achieve optimal vertical coupling of light energy from the Si waveguide to the plasmonic region and, at the same time, focus the plasmon into the apex of the metal taper. Moreover, the area with concentrated plasmon is overlapped with that where the memristive switching occurs, due to the formation/removal of the metallic nano-filament. As a result, the highly distinct transmission induced by the switching of the plasmonic memristor can be produced because of the maximized interactions between the filament and the plasmon. Our numerical simulation shows that the device hasa compact size (610 nm), low insertion loss (~1 dB), and high extinction efficiency (4.6 dB/μm). Additionally, we point out that stabilizing the size of the filament is critical to improve the operation repeatability of the plasmonic memristive switching device.
Thermal Dose Based Monitoring Of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy For Prostate Cancer

The two most commonly used methods of treatment monitoring and prediction in thermal therapy are the temperature threshold method and the cumulative equivalent minutes at 43°C (CEM Data from an ongoing clinical trial for laser treatment of low-grade prostate cancer was used to test the consistency of all three methods. Firstly, threshold values required to match the post-treatment damage were predicted and the iCEM
How Many Studies Do You Need?

In this article, the authors outline methods for using fixed and random effects power analysis in the context of meta-analysis. Like statistical power analysis for primary studies, power analysis for meta-analysis can be done either prospectively or retrospectively and requires assumptions about parameters that are unknown. The authors provide some suggestions for thinking about these parameters, in particular for the random effects variance component. The authors also show how the typically uninformative retrospective power analysis can be made more informative. The authors then discuss the value of confidence intervals, show how they could be used in addition to or instead of retrospective power analysis, and also demonstrate that confidence intervals can convey information more effectively in some situations than power analyses alone. Finally, the authors take up the question “How many studies do you need to do a meta-analysis? ” and show that, given the need for a conclusion, the answer is “two studies,” because all other synthesis techniques are less transparent and/or are less likely to be valid. For systematic reviewers who choose not to conduct a quantitative synthesis, the authors provide suggestions for both highlighting the current limitations in the research base and for displaying the characteristics and results of studies that were found to meet inclusion criteria.
Place and route techniques for fpga architecture advancement

Efficient placement and routing algorithms play an important role in FPGA architecture research. Together, the place-and-route algorithms are responsible for producing a physical implementation of an application circuit on the FPGA hardware. The quality of the place-and-route algorithms has a direct bearing on the usefulness of the target FPGA architecture. The benefits of including powerful new features on an FPGA might be lost due to the inability of the place-and-route algorithms to fully exploit these features. Thus, the advancement of FPGA architectures relies heavily on the development of efficient place-and-route algorithms. The subject of this dissertation is the development of place and route techniques that could play an important role in FPGA architecture advancement. The work presented in this dissertation is divided into two topics: Architecture-Adaptive FPGA Placement. The first topic deals with the development of a universal placement algorithm (Independence) that adapts to the target FPGA architecture. We have successfully demonstrated Independence's adaptability to three different architectures. Our results also show that Independence is able to adapt to a class of routing-poor FPGA architectures. Pipelined Routing. The second topic focuses on the development of a routing algorithm (PipeRoute) that can be used to route application circuits on high-speed, pipelined FPGA architectures. In our experiments, PipeRoute was able to successfully route netlists on a coarse-grained pipelined architecture. The algorithm incurred a 20% overhead when compared to a realistic lower bound. We also used PipeRoute in an exploratory flow to find an architecture that was up to 19% better than a hand-architected pipelined architecture.
Size Matters: How Big Should a Military Design Team be?

Abstract : While the literature on the size of small groups and teams is extensive, there is little research on design team sizes and no formal research or analysis on the size of a military design team. This monograph investigates the optimal size and composition for the military design team. The monograph is a multidisciplinary survey that draws from design theory, organization theory, leadership theory, social psychology, psychology, and anthropology. The results of the survey indicate that the ideal size of a military design team is 5 to 6 people; however, the team can be effective up to a size of 9. The findings also demonstrate that 20 team members create an inefficient team. The use of cross-functional or X-team structures provides a basis for the team's structure and composition. The military design team will most likely be cross-functional in some manner due to the diverse educational background of its members and the joint and combined nature of military operations and organizations. However, the use of the X-team structure holds the most potential due to its external focus. This enables the design team to leverage resources external to the team and develop a design concept that provides the best fit to their unique operational context.
Application of OECD Guidance on the Material Flow Accounting(MFA): Case of the Republic of Korea

It is recognized that understanding the flow of materials into and out of the socio-economy is essential for reducing the stress to the environment, improving resource productivity and achieving sustainable development. Efforts are being made in the developed countries to develop the account of material flows, and OECD is preparing guidance manual on the material flow accounting to help countries with little experiences. Objective of this project is, based on the OECD guidance, to construct pilot material flow account, to analyze the progress toward sustainable development using indicators derived from the material flow accounting in comparison with EU countries and to make recommendations for further development of material flow accounting and related policies in Korea. The compiled national economy-wide material flow account by this project reveal the trend of total material input and consumption during the past 15 years in Korea. Total volume of material input and output increased by roughly 78% (0.72 billion tons) and 82% respectively during 19912005 period. Material use efficiency that means material input per GDP improved by 30% to 943 tons per million USD, but is still low when compared with average of EU countries. Material consumption per capita rose to 13.2 tons/year per person, which is close to EU average level. Overall, findings show the trend of relative dematerialization in which the rate of economic growth is bigger than that of material use, and the need of introducing vigorous decoupling policies that can reduce the material use while maintaining economic development. Accomplishments in this project will contribute to the future implementation of material flow accounting in Korea under the OECD guidance, with identified weaknesses in the current statistics system, areas of concern and related recommendations. Table of content
Language Learning Strategies Used by Year 4 Primary Pupils in Enhancing Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is the ability to comprehend text, understand its meaning, and to connect with what the reader already knows. This study aims to investigate language learning strategies used by Year 4 primary pupils of a national-type Chinese secondary school in enhancing reading comprehension. Purposive sampling was used in this study where 15 males and 15 female pupils in Year 4 from a primary school in Selangor's suburbs were involved. This study employed a quantitative approach using survey adapted from ‘Measuring ESL students reading strategies’ by Kouider Mokhtari and Ravi Sheorey (2002) as instrument. The data from the survey was analysed using descriptive statistics and the most used learning strategies in reading comprehension was a Problem-Solving Strategies which the average score is 1.12 compared to other strategies; Global Reading strategies (1.0) and Support Reading Strategies (1.11). The findings revealed that the majority of the participants chose to apply ProblemSolving Strategies. Therefore, teachers should encourage and expose students the available language learning strategies and encourage them to use the strategies according to their required necessity and suitability. Future researchers should look into the characteristics that influence language learning strategies employed in reading comprehension by lower primary school students.
Sustainable wool production and processing

Abstract: This chapter reviews the history and development of wool as a modern textile fibre and describes the systems that have been developed to overcome the inherent variability in the fibre production process. Wool is a natural and renewable protein fibre, with a complex physical micro- and nano-structure and a complex chemistry. Together these allow development of textile garments with unique comfort, performance and appearance characteristics. However, ‘natural’ does not automatically equate to ‘sustainable’ and the wool industry, like most other mainstream textile fibre industries, is examining its environmental performance. For Australian Merino wool, this is not being done as a marketing tool, but as a means to identify and confront the main environmental challenges and to direct future research. Three main production, processing and garment scenarios representative of Australian wool supply chains have been chosen for examination using life cycle assessment (LCA). Overall conclusions from the current study are that: biogenic methane is the major contributor to the carbon footprint, and the Australian industry is intensively developing tools to reduce enteric emissions; garment laundering accounts for most water consumption, and much energy (heating water and electrical drying); more research is needed to address the gaps in our background environmental knowledge, especially for electricity and energy production in Asia where the bulk of textile processing is currently performed.
Finding a positive me: Affective and neural insights into the challenges of positive autobiographical memory reliving in borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate whether people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can benefit from reliving positive autobiographical memories in terms of mood and state self-esteem and elucidate the neural processes supporting optimal memory reliving. Particularly the role of vividness and brain areas involved in autonoetic consciousness were studied, as key factors involved in improving mood and state self-esteem by positive memory reliving. METHODS Women with BPD (N = 25), Healthy Controls (HC, N = 33) and controls with Low Self-Esteem (LSE, N = 22) relived four neutral and four positive autobiographical memories in an MRI scanner. After reliving each memory mood and vividness was rated. State self-esteem was assessed before and after the Reliving Autobiographical Memories (RAM) task. RESULTS Overall, mood and state self-esteem were lower in participants with BPD compared to HC and LSE, but both the BPD and LSE group improved significantly after positive memory reliving. Moreover, participants with BPD indicated that they relived their memories with less vividness than HC but not LSE, regardless of valence. When reliving (vs reading) memories, participants with BPD showed increased precuneus and lingual gyrus activation compared to HC but not LSE, which was inversely related to vividness. DISCUSSION Women with BPD seem to experience more challenges in reliving neutral and positive autobiographical memories with lower vividness and less deactivated precuneus potentially indicating altered autonoetic consciousness. Nevertheless, participants with BPD do benefit in mood and self-esteem from reliving positive memories. These findings underline the potential of positive autobiographical memory reliving and suggest that interventions may be further shaped to improve mood and strengthen self-views in people with BPD.
Basis for Coupled 3-D Neutronics-Thermal-Hydraulics

The purpose of this seminar is first to discuss the basis of the coupling between 3-D Neutron- Kinetics and Thermal-Hydraulics codes, including the control and 3-D variables to interchange, the transform of the 3-D NK and TH core nodalizations, and the schemes for temporal coupling and time-step control. As representative examples of the NK-TH core coupling, we discuss first the integration of a 3-D NK nodal code with a TH subchannel code, for detailed transient core analysis; and second the coupling of 3-D NK nodal codes with TH system codes, for general transient and safety analysis. In chapter 2, we analyze several prototype model transients in PWR, where large 3-D core asymmetries are found and the NK-TH coupling is quite significant, including loss-of-flow and symmetric and asymmetric core cooling, considering the effects on the responses of the excore detectors. In chapter 3, we discuss the analysis of an increase-of-flow transient actually occurred in an operating PWR and the comparison with the measured data. In chapter 4, we summarize the phenomena and results of the calculations of the NEA/NSC Benchmark on the main steam line break (MSLB) transient in a PWR. Finally, we will discuss the state-of-the-art issues in LWR coupled NK-TH 3-D transient analysis and ongoing and planned computational developments.
Teaching Wearables

Wearables is a novel area in education, products and production. This cross-domain field is interesting from a teaching point of view. Students must learn and succeed in different areas such as jewellery design, programming and prototyping. In this paper we present our planning and teaching of Wearables classes since 2014. The paper reveals some failures which we have learned from. However, the focus of the paper is on the success of wearables teaching. We reveal our recipe to teach this very versatile, novel and challenging subject. The spark we get from teaching wearables derives from its multidisciplinary qualities. Wearables does not necessarily fit any established domain, yet it has touchpoints in many. We have a mix of students from Jewellery Design and Computer Science in our classes. However, in this intersection lie many vital domains as jewellery, fashion, crafts, design, programming and electronics. Students with knowledge from these different domains worked in teams in our Wearables classes. In addition to having learned about their own domains, the students learned about user involvement in the design process, prototyping and pitching the concept.
Disengaging punishment avoidance is difficult for humans

Managing multiple goals is essential to wellbeing, yet we are only beginning to understand the computations by which we navigate this resource-demanding balancing act. Here, we sought to elucidate algorithms humans use to balance reward seeking and punishment avoidance goals, and to examine how these algorithms are affected in anxious individuals. To do so, we developed a novel multigoal pursuit task that includes trial-specific instructed goals to either pursue reward (without risk of punishment) or avoid punishment (without the opportunity for reward). Participants (n=192) in general were less flexible in avoiding punishment than in pursuing reward. Thus, when instructed to pursue reward, they often persisted in avoiding features that had previously been associated with punishment, even though at decision time these features were unambiguously benign. Participants also showed no significant downregulation of punishment avoidance when punishment avoidance goals became less abundant in the task. Importantly, individuals with chronic worry had particular difficulty disengaging punishment avoidance during instructed reward seeking. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that people avoid punishment less flexibly than they pursue reward, and this difference is pronounced in individuals with chronic worry.
The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Digital Media

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online. For more information, please read the site FAQs.
Biocolorants Production by Pigment-Producing Bacteria Isolated from Soil

Background: The use of synthetic organic colors has been acknowledged for many years as the most reliable and economical method of restoring some of the food’s original shade to the processed products. However, from the health safety point of view, they are not accepted by consumers because they produce skin allergies, less stable and also produce highly toxic wastes that pose a threat to the environment. The Aim of the Study: The aim was to isolate and identify pigment-producing bacteria from soil and to study various growth parameters for their pigment production. Materials and Methods: Soil samples were collected from different site within Sokoto State metropolis and were screened on nutrient agar for isolation of pigment-production bacteria. The isolated pigment-producing bacteria were subjected morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization. The phylogenetic analyses of bacterial isolates were carried out using Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA 6 software). Ethanol, methanol and chloroform were used for pigments extraction and the extracted pigments were characterized using Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The effects of growth medium, pH, temperature, incubation time, shaking and static conditions on pigments production was determined. The stability of the pigments was tested toward pH and temperature. Results: Three (3) isolates that showed purple, orange and blue-green pigment were selected for pigment productions. The isolates were identified as Chromobacterium violaceum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salinococcus roseus. The optimization studies revealed that the Chromobacterium violaceum produced highest purple pigment in nutrient broth at pH 8 for 96 hours of incubation at 35°C under shaking condition while Pseudomonas aeruginosa produced green pigment in nutrient broth at pH 7, 72 hours of incubation at 37°C under shaking condition and Salinococcus roseus produced highest orange pigment on nutrient broth at pH 7, after 96 hours of incubation at 40°C under shaking condition. The characteristics of the pigments corresponded to that violacein, pyocyanin and zeaxanthin based on their FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy and TLC results. It was found that all the pigments showed good stability at the temperatures of 200°C and fairly stable at lower pH (2). Conclusion: It therefore concluded that the soil could be the source for isolating pigment-producing bacteria that would offer various industrial applications such textile industries.