Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of waters status on the area of the waste landfill – case study Piškornica

The remediation of the municipal waste landfill reduces the harmful effects of inadequately disposed waste in the environment and reduce the risks on human health. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of the remediation (2005 to 2012) of waste landfill of Piškornica. Groundwater from piezometers (P2, P3, P4 and P5) at Piškornica and surface water from the Gliboki stream (upstream and downstream) were analyzed, before and after the remediation. The results of the analyzed parameters (KPK, BPK5, electroconductivity, iron) showed significant decrease in values (p <0.05) and up to 82% (BPK5 in P5) after remediation. The most significant decrease in the value of the indicators was determined in the P5, which is nearest and downstream from the landfill body. Significant difference (p <0.05) was not found at the upstream and downstream locations of the Gliboki stream basin before and after remediation. The numerical model of the groundwater flow shows that groundwater pollution will not occur even in the worst scenario (the largest possible pumping of 420 l/s) of the current capacity of the Ivanščak source. The results contributed to decisions on water management and further monitoring of water plans on landfill area.
Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D levels in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

Background Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) have been described as one of the possible environmental factors involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiopathogenesis. Objectives To study epidemiology of MS and 25(OH)D serum levels of patients in Lanzarote (29°02′06″N), a region with high ultraviolet radiation values during the whole year which is located far apart from Iberian Peninsula (36°–43°N), but without genetic/ethnic differences with it. Methods Incidence in Lanzarote was assessed according to McDonald 2005 criteria between January 2008 and December 2015 and prevalence date was 12/31/15. For 25(OH)D serum levels analyses, samples from 60 MS patients and 60 healthy donors (HD) were collected monthly in a one-year prospective study. Results The prevalence of MS in Lanzarote was 50.0/100,000 and the incidence per year was 2.5/100,000. Median 25(OH)D levels values were 29.1 ng/ml for MS patients (maximum = 36.1 ng/ml, minimum = 22.5 ng/ml) and 27.1 ng/ml for HD (maximum = 34.8 ng/ml, minimum = 22.8 ng/ml). There were no significant differences between 25(OH)D serum levels between MS patients and HD. Conclusions Lanzarote possesses lower prevalence and incidence values than peninsular Spain. Moreover, 25(OH)D serum levels do not differ between MS patients and HD.
CROSS-INDUSTRY TFP GROWTH DIFFERENCES WITH ASYMMETRIC INDUSTRIES AND THE ENDOGENOUS MARKET STRUCTURE

I develop a multi-industry endogenous growth model with the endogenous market structure. Industries are heterogeneous in production unit costs, research and development (R&D) productivities, fixed operating costs and industry level market sizes. The endogenous market structure allows an empirically realistic and theoretically important determination of the individual firms’ market sizes and distinguishes the model from the previous literatures. There are two sets of results. First, the balanced growth rate depends positively on R&D productivities and firm market size of both industries but not industry market size. Surprisingly, the steady state total factor productivity (TFP) level ratio between industry 1 and 2 depends negatively on R&D productivity and fixed costs in industry 1 and positively on those parameters in industry 2. Second, industry differences in both TFP growth and R&D intensity mainly reflect differences in quality-adjusted gross profits and R&D productivities. Such differences depend on R&D productivities and fixed operating cost parameters in general equilibrium. The industry with a higher R&D productivity and fixed cost has a lower TFP growth and research intensity compared to the other industry. Differences in production unit costs and industry level market sizes do not to contribute to cross-industry TFP growth differences. These results are substantially different from what is found in the existing literature. Model also offers novel explanations for directed technical change and structural change, and it offers a structure for analyzing the interaction between trade and growth.
Author’s response to reviews Title: Hip stability after total hip arthroplasty predicted by intraoperative stability test and range of motion: a cross-sectional study Authors:

Title: Hip stability after total hip arthroplasty predicted by intraoperative stability test and range of motion: a cross-sectional study Authors: Hiromasa Tanino (tanino@asahikawa-med.ac.jp) Tatsuya Sato (s-tatsu@zd5.so-net.ne.jp) Yasuhiro Nishida (nishiday@asahikawa-med.ac.jp) Ryo Mitsutake (mitutake@asahikawa-med.ac.jp) Hiroshi Ito (itohiro@asahikawa-med.ac.jp) Version: 3 Date: 23 Sep 2018 Author’s response to reviews: AUTHORS’ RESPONSE TO EDITOR AND REVIEWERS’ COMMENTS 9/23/2018
Università di Milano – Bicocca Quaderni di Matematica Cohomogeneity One Einstein-Sasaki 5-manifolds

We consider hypersurfaces in Einstein-Sasaki 5-manifolds which are tangent to the characteristic vector field. We introduce evolution equations that can be used to reconstruct the 5-dimensional metric from such a hypersurface, analogous to the (nearly) hypo and half-flat evolution equations in higher dimensions. We use these equations to classify Einstein-Sasaki 5-manifolds of cohomogeneity one. MSC classification (2000): Primary 53C25; Secondary 53C30, 57S15
Experimental bifurcation analysis of a wing profile

The prediction of flutter instabilities is very critical in aeroelstic wing design, as it limits the aircraft operational envelope. Aeroelastic structures that have nonlinear characteristics, as in highly flexible wings, can exhibit limit cycle oscillations in the vicinity of the flutter boundary. However, comprehensive characterization of these nonlinear oscillations can be challenging without a well established nonlinear mathematical or numerical model. In the present paper, control-based continuation (CBC) technique is used to characterize the nonlinear oscillatory dynamics of a physical aeroelastic system undergoing pre and post flutter oscillations, without the use of a mathematical model. The aeroelastic system was represented by a two-dimensional wing with pitch and heave degrees of freedom, tested in the low turbulence wind tunnel of the University of Bristol. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the capability of the CBC technique to trace unstable periodic behavior through stabilizing unstable limit cycle oscillations. The results allowed to produce a full bifurcation diagram for a fluttering wing profile, despite the noisy turbulent flow environment of the wind tunnel.
PROM_A_168095 373..384

Osman Ozel 1 Caila B Vaughn 1 Svetlana P Eckert 1 Dejan Jakimovski 2 Alexis A Lizarraga 1 Bianca WeinstockGuttman 1 1Jacobs MS Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA; 2Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA Abstract: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a commonly prescribed oral medication for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) with a wide range of hypothesized downstream mechanisms of action. Randomized clinical trials have established its clinical efficacy by using standard objective clinical measures. However, MS is a chronic disease that, apart from physical ailments, can affect an individual’s mood, psychosocial status, and quality of life which cannot be captured by using only objective assessment tools. Given the challenge of determining the efficacy of the treatment in a real-world clinical setting, the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may help us to better address these aspects of patient care and establish a more patient-centered approach to MS care. To date, a review of PubMed identified six studies which reported on PROs in patients who are taking DMF. In total, twelve different kinds of PRO measures were utilized and 6359 patients provided at least one form of PRO in these studies. Upon review of these studies, we were able to conclude that people with MS had decreased quality of life compared to the healthy population in the US. MS patients on DMF, however, had better health-related quality of life assessment scores compared to those using a placebo. Previous studies also suggested that DMF decreased work productivity impairment scores after one year of use compared to baseline. DMF was associated with less impairment in fatigue and depression scales along with improved treatment quality assessment and adherence scores. This review will present a brief synopsis of the published literature and will provide indications for future directions with respect to PROs and DMF in people with MS.
Feature Normalization Effect in Emotion Classification based on EEG Signals

Normalization of data in classification-based problem is a fundamental task where binary or multi classifier systems integrate it as a sub-system. Normalization can be thought as a mapping function that makes a transformation from one space to another space. Different types of normalization methods are proposed depending on the data content. Recently, researches are carried out on whether this process is really necessary. In this paper, the performances of the different normalization methods for Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal based emotion classification are evaluated. Support vector machine based binary classifier is used in emotion classification. Different kernel functions for support vector machine are also considered. Although the experimental findings may not reveal a significant performance difference between different types of normalization, the normalization process increases classification performance of the emotion recognition, in general.
Evaluation of Chitosan Hydrogel for Sustained Delivery of VEGF for Odontogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells

The pulpotomy with pulp capping is aimed at retaining vital pulp with reparative dentin formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in dentin regeneration; however, its constant administrations in the human body is still problematic. Chitosan was widely studied as an effective carrier to deliver bioactive molecules in regenerative medicine. In this study, we conducted a chitosan/β-glycerophosphate (CS/β-GP) hydrogel as a VEGF-sustained release system and explored its effects on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). CS/β-GP hydrogel was manufactured using a sol-gel method. SEM assay showed the spongy and porous microstructure of the lyophilized hydrogels. DPSCs cultured in the CS/β-GP hydrogel kept adhesion and vitality. CCK-8 assay tested the promoted proliferation activity of DPSCs on the hydrogel. Besides, the added VEGF protein could continually release from VEGF/CS/β-GP hydrogel. The VEGF/CS/β-GP hydrogel could promote the odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs better than VEGF treatment without hydrogel. Our results suggested that CS/β-GP hydrogel could continually release VEGF and contribute to odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs, thus may become a potential carrier of bioactive molecules in pulp capping therapy.
Ice Sheet Elevation Change in West Antarctica From Ka‐Band Satellite Radar Altimetry

Satellite altimetry has been used to track changes in ice sheet elevation using a series of Ku‐band radars in orbit since the late 1970s. Here, we produce an assessment of higher‐frequency Ka‐band satellite radar altimetry for the same purpose, using SARAL/AltiKa measurements recorded over West Antarctica. AltiKa elevations are 3.8 ± 0.5 and 2.5 ± 0.1 m higher than those determined from airborne laser altimetry and CryoSat‐2, respectively, likely due to the instruments' coarser footprint in the sloping coastal margins. However, AltiKa rates of elevation change computed between 2013 and 2019 are within 0.6 ± 2.4 and 0.1 ± 0.1 cm/year of airborne laser and CryoSat‐2, respectively, indicating that trends in radar penetration are negligible. The fast‐flowing trunks of the Pine Island and Thwaites Glaciers thinned by 117 ± 10 and 100 ± 20 cm/year, respectively, amounting to a 9% reduction and a 43% increase relative to the 2000s.
‘If p? Then What?’ Thinking within, with, and from cases

The provocative paper by John Forrester ‘If p, Then What? Thinking in Cases’ (1996) opened up the question of case thinking as a separate mode of reasoning in the sciences. Case-based reasoning is certainly endemic across a number of sciences, but it has looked different according to where it has been found. This article investigates this mode of science – namely thinking in cases – by questioning the different interpretations of ‘If p? ’ and exploring the different interpretative responses of what follows in ‘Then What? ’. The aim is to characterize how ‘reasoning in, within, with, and from cases’ forms a mode of scientific investigation for single cases, for runs of cases, and for comparative cases, drawing on materials from a range of different fields in which case-based reasoning appears.
Earnings Management Through Classification Shifting: Evidence in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia

The extent of information about accounting figures and its correlation with accounting standards provoke controversy among academicians nowadays. A low level of information asymmetry among investors, management, and other users represents high quality financial statements which is captured on proper earnings management. The issue of earnings management through classification shifting is closely related to the fact revealed by researchers, i.e. that analysts and investors are paying greater attention to core earnings, whether it can mislead about the ability to estimate the income. In this research, the sample consisted of extraordinary items of all companies listed on the stock exchange in each country.
Voltage Regulation of DC-DC Series Resonant Converter Operating in Discontinuous Conduction Mode: The Hybrid Control Approach

Dynamic modeling and control of dc-dc series resonant converter (SRC) especially when operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) is still a challenge in power electronics. Due to semiconductors switching, SRC is naturally represented as a switched linear system, a class of hybrid systems. Nevertheless, the hybrid nature of the SRC is commonly neglected and it is modeled as a purely continuous dynamics based on the sinusoidal approximation and averaging. However, an SRC may be purposely designed to operate in DCM so the sinusoidal approximation is no longer acceptable. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the stability using a more sophisticated model. This paper presents a novel hybrid control strategy for the output voltage regulation of the SRC operating in DCM. Neither sinusoidal nor averaging is used. The stability of the closed-loop system is systematically fulfilled by satisfying some linear matrix inequalities. The proposed hybrid control approach has simple hardware implementation which does not require fast sampling of the resonant tank waveforms and external voltage-controlled oscillator. A prototype of the SRC is constructed and the hybrid controller is realized on a TMS320F2812 DSP core. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulation and experimental results.
ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM

This research investigates racial discrimination in the labour market. Specifically, the difference in wage between white and black football players in the Italian Serie A. The expectation is that white players make more money than their black peers, while their performance characteristics are the same. This is tested with a dataset containing 469 players in a period from 2010 to 2015. In total there are 1585 observations. This data comes from different websites containing information about football players, like their age and different performance characteristics (goals scored and assists). From the ordinary least squared regressions with fixed effects and multiple matching methods follows that it is likely that black players earn less money, but the difference is not significantly different from zero. In conclusion, there is no hard evidence for wage discrimination in the Italian Serie A but there is a possibility that players get discriminated against in other parts of the labour market than the wage. This is in line with research in different football competitions. The views stated in this thesis are those of the author and not necessarily those of Erasmus School of Economics or Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Bubbly drag reduction using a hydrophobic inner cylinder in Taylor–Couette turbulence

In this study we experimentally investigate bubbly drag reduction in a highly turbulent flow of water with dispersed air at $5.0\times 10^{5}\leqslant Re\leqslant 1.7\times 10^{6}$ over a non-wetting surface containing micro-scale roughness. To do so, the Taylor–Couette geometry is used, allowing for both accurate global drag and local flow measurements. The inner cylinder – coated with a rough, hydrophobic material – is rotating, whereas the smooth outer cylinder is kept stationary. The crucial control parameter is the air volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ present in the working fluid. For small volume fractions ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}<4\,\%$), we observe that the surface roughness from the coating increases the drag. For large volume fractions of air ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}\geqslant 4\,\%$), the drag decreases compared to the case with both the inner and outer cylinders uncoated, i.e. smooth and hydrophilic, using the same volume fraction of air. This suggests that two competing mechanisms are at play: on the one hand, the roughness invokes an extension of the log layer – resulting in an increase in drag – and, on the other hand, there is a drag-reducing mechanism of the hydrophobic surface interacting with the bubbly liquid. The balance between these two effects determines whether there is overall drag reduction or drag enhancement. For further increased bubble concentration $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=6\,\%$ we find a saturation of the drag reduction effect. Our study gives guidelines for industrial applications of bubbly drag reduction in hydrophobic wall-bounded turbulent flows.
Comparative Genomic Analysis of Two Chilean Renibacterium salmoninarum Isolates and the Type Strain ATCC 33209

Renibacterium salmoninarum, a slow-growing facultative intracellular pathogen belonging to the high CþG content Actinobacteria phylum, is the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease, a progressive granulomatous infection affecting salmonids worldwide. This Gram-positive bacterium has existed in the Chilean salmonid industry for >30 years, but little or no information is available regarding the virulence mechanisms and genomic characteristics of Chilean isolates. In this study, the genomes of two Chilean isolates (H-2 and DJ2R) were sequenced, and a search was conducted for genes and proteins involved in virulence and pathogenicity, and we compare with the type strain ATCC 33209 T genome. The genome sizes of H-2 and DJ2R are 3,155,332 bp and 3,155,228 bp, respectively. They genomes presented six ribosomal RNA, 46 transcription RNA, and 25 noncodingRNA, and both had the same 56.27% GþC content described for the type strain ATCC 33209 . A total of 3,522 and 3,527 coding sequences were found for H-2 and DJ2R, respectively. Meanwhile, the ATCC 33209 T type strain had 3,519 coding sequences. The in silico genome analysis revealed a genes related to tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolysis, iron transport and others metabolic pathway. Also, the data indicated that R salmoninarum may have a variety of possible virulence-factor and antibiotic-resistance strategies. Interestingly, many of genes had high identities with Mycobacterium species, a known pathogenic Actinobacteria bacterium. In summary, this study provides the first insights into and initial steps towards understanding the molecularbasis of antibiotic resistance, virulence mechanisms andhost/environment adaptation in twoChileanR. salmoninarum isolates that contain proteins of which were similar to those of Mycobacterium. Furthermore, important information is presented that could facilitate the development of preventive and treatment measures against R. salmoninarum in Chile and worldwide.
Multi-horizon comparison of multivariate inflation forecasting

This paper applies the multi-horizon comparison methodology from Quaedvlieg (2019) to assess the forecasting performance of direct and iterative multivariate inflation forecasts, with both highand low lagorders. We use variousmacroeconomic indicators ina GETS restricted estimation to forecastUSinflation and show that high orderVARs on average prefer iterative forecasts, while low order VARs on average prefer the direct forecasts. Finally, we provide evidence that the best high order multivariate forecasts outperform the best low order multivariate forecastson every individual horizon(uniform superior predictive abilities). Thisimpliesthat in this setting, inflation forecasts are most accurately forecasted with a high orderVAR using an iterativeapproach.
An Algorithm for inferring consumer-to-consumer trust on twitter

iii List of Figures . ix List of Tables . x List of Abbreviations . xi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Background to the study . 1 1.2 Problem Statement . 2 1.3 Aim . 3 1.4 Specific Objectives . 3 1.5 Research Questions . 3 1.6 Justification . 3 1.7 Scope and Limitation . 4 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 5 2.
Service-Led Model for the Activation of Smart TV: Case Study in Korea

Purpose: This study explores the characteristics of STV service to empirically examine effects of the services on adoption and usage of STV to lead sustained growth of the STV industry. Methodology/Approach: This study employs structural equation modeling as a quantitative approach, to examine causal relationships between service characteristics and user intentions. The survey collects 212 data only from actual users of STV, who have experienced STV functions or services, in South Korea. Findings: The results of service-oriented model based on extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) indicate that ‘interactivity’, ‘content quality’, and ‘simplicity’ as service characteristics influence intention to use STV. Research Limitation/implication: First, the STV industry should establish a distribution structure that generates sufficient profits for content providers as done in Smartphone market. Second, Services of STV should be provided to allow two-way communication and to allow users to engage in active interactions with other users. Originality/Value of paper: This study makes contributions to research on both new products and service adoption by providing richer explanations of the mechanisms acting on the actual use of STV. Given that STV is considered a key appliance for the next generation of social media and smart appliance, our findings offer new directions on how to realize high quality services in the STV industry.