Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Variation and Versatility of an Effective Environment in Resident’s Satisfaction of Residential Complexes (Case study: Isfahan Zeytun Residential Complex)

The development of modern housing has been accompanied by less attention paid to the versatility and the variation of the living spaces. The quality of residential spaces has declined to a degree that the home has merely become a place to meet physical needs and many psychological problems have been neglected. Recognizing the factors affecting the environmental capabilities of today’s housing and design for improving the quality of life can create a desirable effect on the residents’ satisfaction. The present study was conducted to achieve the satisfaction of residents with creating a diversified and versatile (adaptable) space and investigate the effect of flexibility components on their satisfaction level. For this purpose, a residential complex in Isfahan (an Iranian city) was selected as the case study. This qualitative research was performed using library studies, field survey, and questionnaire. By examining the concepts of flexibility, the theoretical framework of the research was extracted. Then, according to the research’s background, the valuation of housing units was done in 7 plan types and three plan types with the highest average score were sampled. Finally, 38 residents of these units were questioned. The results showed that among 9 components effective on the concept flexibility, three factors of visual diversity, air moderation, and spatial hierarchy in all studied units are most important in terms of listener’s questions and play a significant role in the satisfaction of the residents of the flexible atmosphere.
EFFICACY OF MANDIBULAR ADVANCEMENT APPLIANCE IN EDENTULOUS PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and compliance of mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, under patient-care driven protocol on completely edentulous patients. Methods: Thirty non denture wearer patients aged between 45-60 years with BMI (Body Mass Index) more than 25 were enrolled for the sleep study based on the sleep questionnaire and pre-operative Epworth sleepiness score (ESS). Out of thirty, twenty three patients who had mild to moderate apnea hypopnea index (AHI) score were chosen to receive a MAA which was fabricated at physiologic rest position. Five patients having severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were referred for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Subjective and objective evaluations of the patient were done using a 4 channel sleep study for continuous six nights and the quality of life questionnaire was assessed before and after the treatment. Results : Frequency of respiratory events, AHI score, daytime sleepiness, patient’s sleep quality and ESS improved significantly with the MAA. The mean values of pre-operative ESS and AHI were found to be 14.0000 and 17.5728, respectively. However, after insertion of the device for 30 days, the mean values of post-operative ESS and AHI were noted to be 7.2800 and 12.1080, respectively. Side effects and patient complains were minor and transitory. No serious side effects or pathological aggravation were observed. Conclusion: This study confirms that 4 weeks of MAA therapy along with behaviour modification improved the quality of life (ESS scores) and sleep value parameters (AHI) in completely edentulous patients with mild to moderate OSA. Hence, the MAA treatment under a simple patient driven protocol of care with control of efficacy by the nocturnal 4 channel study is appropriate in dental practice for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Modeling monotone nonlinear disease progression and checking the correctness of the associated software

Management of chronic diseases often involves monitoring one or more outcomes over time. Modeling long term disease progression in untreated patients can be useful for drug development as well as patient monitoring. The outcomes of interest in chronic diseases often have expected monotone or approximately monotone progression over time, possibly preceded by a period during which the outcome measurement is relatively constant. Many diseases have some treatment available for current patients, if only to relieve some symptoms or to slow progression, making disease modeling in untreated current patients difficult. Then historical data can often be useful for developing models for disease progression without treatment. The first part of this thesis presents a model for disease progression in untreated patients suffering from Fabry disease, an X-linked recessive disorder. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical random effects regression model for serum creatinine, a critically important blood measurement for Fabry patients, using a historical data base compiled from medical records and patient registries. We then use this model and results from the historical patients' data to aid in multiply imputing missing placebo data from a clinical trial for a new drug specifically developed to treat Fabry disease; data are missing when placebo patients drop out or switch to the new drug, and thus imputation using only the current untreated patients would rely solely on extrapolation. The second and third parts of this thesis expand upon two topics encountered in developing the disease progression models considered in Part One. Part Two outlines a general strategy for testing the correctness of software for fitting Bayesian models, capitalizing on properties of Bayesian posterior distributions. Software testing becomes a critically important enterprise with models fit using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Part Three presents a method for constructing vague prior distributions for complex Bayesian models, based on the asymptotic normality of the likelihood function. Throughout, we illustrate concepts and techniques using the disease progression model developed in Part One.
HOW DID SPAIN PERFORM IN PISA 2018? NEW ESTIMATES OF CHILDREN’S PISA READING SCORES

International large-scale assessments have gained much attention since the beginning of the 21st century, influencing education legislation in many countries. This includes Spain, where they have been used by successive governments to justify education policy change. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the PISA 2018 reading scores for this country, meaning the OECD has thus far refused to release the results. This has caused much frustration amongst policymakers and other interest groups in Spain, particularly as reading was the subject of focus. Therefore, in this paper we attempt to estimate the likely PISA 2018 reading scores for Spain, and for each region within. We find that Spanish reading scores are likely to have fallen to between 475 and 483 test points in 2018, a decline of around 13 to 21 points (approximately 0.13-0.21 standard deviations) compared to 2015.
The Effect of Tai Chi on the Low Back Pain and Disability Among Older Adults

-Low back pain (LBP) is a therapeutically demanding condition among older adults. This quasiexperimental study aimed to determine the effect of tai chi, a non-pharmacologic intervention for pain, on older adults’ degree of LBP and disability. A sample of 90 older adults was non-randomly divided into experimental group (n=45) and control group (n=45). The former received tai chi sessions for 14 days (40 minutes daily), with degree of LBP (Visual Analogue Scale) and disability (The Revised Oswestry Disability Index) examined at baseline and at 2 nd week. Both groups also accomplished daily activity logs. T-test analysis revealed a significant decrease in the degree of LBP in both groups but experimental group’s improvement was greater (p<0.05). Additionally, only the experimental group demonstrated a significant reduction in disability index scores (p<0.05). In conclusion, tai chi is an effective complementary management of LBP that promotes independence in the performance of ADLs among older adults.
Assessment of the Head Nurses Performance Regarding Staff Management at the Units of Al-Najaf AL-Ashraf City Hospitals

Objective(s): The objective of the study to assess the head nurses performance regarding staff management at the units of Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf city hospitals.Methodology: Analytic Cross-Sectional study was carried out throughout the present study to assess the head nurses performance regarding staff management at the units of Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf city hospitals. Quantitative research design was utilized to conduct the study. This study started from November 11th 2015 to July 2nd 2016. The target population for this study was all head nurses (n=86) included at previously mentioned setting (Al-Najaf AL-Ashraf City Hospitals). Through an extensive review of relevant literature, a questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study. The data was collected through the utilization of a developed questionnaire (Arabic version) and by means of interview with each head nurse included in the present study. The data collection process started from March. 20th, 2016 to April 21th, 2016. The statistical data analysis were conducted using the statistical package (SPSS). The conducted statistical analysis included analysis of variance (one way ANOVA), Cronbach Alpha to test the reliability of questionnaire (Internal consistency) and Pearson's correlation.Results: The findings of the study found that the head nurses performance was good and there was no significant difference between demographic data and performance of the head nurse whereas there was significant correlation with level of education.Conclusion: The study concluded the head nurses require a higher education level when nursing staff development is taken into consideration.Recommendations: The study recommends that head nurses should be encouraged and motivated for the serious participation in training courses inside and outside of Iraq. Concentration on highly qualified nurses with minimum of baccalaureate degree graduates to fill the three nursing management levels.
Autonomous bioluminescent systems: prospects for use in the imaging of living organisms

Bioluminescent systems are increasingly being used for the development of highly sensitive optical imaging techniques in vivo. However, it is necessary to inject expensive and unstable synthetic substrates (luciferins) before each analysis for most of the systems applied. Autonomous bacterial and fungal bioluminescent systems, that recently have become available for implementation in eukaryotic cells, in our opinion, may be developed into an effective tool in new technologies of bioluminescent imaging.
Environmental factors influencing expression of bilateral symmetrical traits

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a kind of asymmetry used to assess the stability of development, as the body’s ability to regulate its development on the phylogenetic level. Phenotypic plasticity helps plants to overcome negative effects of temperature variability, and allow to adjusting traits to adverse conditions. The aim of the study is to evaluate the level of plasticity and fluctuating asymmetry in leaf blade under influence of environmental factors. The leaf blades from urban population linden, Tilia spp. located in Moscow region, Russia were used. Fluctuating asymmetry was measured as FA = L – R / (L + R) in absolute value (L and R – left and right value of bilaterally symmetrical metric trait. Plastic variability was measured as PL = 1 – x/X (x and X – smallest and largest value of trait size). When some traits of a leaf blade had a high plasticity, other ones exposed instability of development with an increased FA value. The correlation PL - FA was changeable. In one site correlation r was – 0.69 (p<0.05; 2014; high temperature in May, up to 60% higher norm). The cold and humid vegetative season in 2017 revealed an increase in the plastic dimensions of leaf blades of the broad-leaved linden (Tilia platyphyllos Scop.) with increasing plastic variability of bilateral traits. We attribute results to the phenotypic deviation caused by low temperatures. The predominance of one type of variability was compensating by the weakness of other type variability most likely due to genetic epistasis.
The Effects of Telenursing Aiming to Prevent Postsurgical Complications and Improve Quality of Life among Patients with Prostate Cancer

Background: Over 90% of patients undergoing prostate cancer surgery report symptoms of urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction. Complications after surgery reduce the self-esteem of prostate cancer patients and impair their social function. Objective: Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled study to examine whether 3 months of telenursing could reduce complications in prostate cancer patients. Interventions/Methods: The participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Using a tablet computer, the participants were asked to provide information on various items, including urinary frequency, number of incontinence pads used, and presence of sexual desire and erections. Both the participants and researchers monitored automatically-graphed time-dependent changes in symptoms, and the researchers could propose concrete measures to reduce patients' complications. The control group received ordinary care. The intervention period for both groups was 3 months. If there was a problem reported after discharge from hospital, the intervention was stopped and the hospital was contacted. The primary endpoint was an improved score on the expanded prostate cancer index composite and improved urinary incontinence based on a positive stress test. The secondary endpoint was an evaluation of self-care responses to the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) instrument. Results: The results showed that urinary function, urinary bother, and sexual bother improved in the intervention group. Conclusions: Furthermore, significant improvements were seen in physical, emotional, and functional wellbeing improved on the FACT-G. Implications for Practice: These findings suggest that telenursing can reduce postoperative complications and sense of burden in patients with prostate cancer.
Aerodynamic Performance and Interaction Effects of Circular and Square Ducted Propellers

Ducted propellers constitute an efficient propulsion-system alternative to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft. These systems are able to increase the thrust-to-power ratio of a propeller system by both producing thrust and by lowering tip losses of propellers. In this research, steady and unsteady RANS CFD simulations were used to analyze the possible impact of modifying a propeller duct shape from a circular to a square geometry. Initially, the two duct designs and the propeller were studied separately, in order to estimate the numerical errors and to compare with existing data. In the installed simulations, the propeller was first modelled as an actuator disk, and afterwards with a full blade model, in order to understand the time-averaged influence of the propeller on the duct before studying the complete unsteady propeller-duct interaction. In the current design, the square duct corners were found to be prone to separation, and to contribute towards the generation of strong vortices. Furthermore, due to the reduced leading-edge suction on the square duct, the square ducted system was found to be 4.5% less efficient than the circular one, for the conditions tested. By relating the aerodynamic interaction phenomena to the performance of the system, this study provides and important basis for the design of unconventional ducted systems.
'We Haven’t Got But One More Day': The Cuban Missile Crisis as a Dynamic Chicken Game

Brinkmanship is a “threat that leaves something to chance” – creating a risk of catastrophe that is high enough to deter the adversary but low enough to be acceptable to oneself. The Cuban missile crisis is offered as a classic example. We argue that in that crisis both sides lost control over the risk. We build a dynamic model of a chicken game, and use parameters based on historical narrative studies. We find that over the thirteen days of the crisis, the probability of a nuclear war got as high as 60%.
EAAT: Environment-Aware Adaptive Transmission for Split-Screen Video Streaming

With the tremendous growth of video contents and mobility demands, there is a need to develop more personalized video services. Split-screen services, such as picture in picture become more and more popular. Furthermore, the user’s viewing environment affects the user’s quality of experience (QoE). Therefore, video transmission of split-screen services face several major challenges, such as to quantify the impact of environmental factors on user’s QoE; how to assess the user’s QoE of the split-screen services; how to choose the bit-rate of each video stream to maximize user’s QoE of the split-screen services. To address these challenges, in the paper, an environment-aware adaptive transmission (EAAT) scheme for split-screen video streaming is first presented. Then, we introduce a mathematical model for characterizing user’s QoE to be affected by environmental factors in the proposed EAAT. In the model, the QoE of user’s relationship with the viewing environment is proposed. Based on the model, a problem of maximizing user’s QoE is formulated, and we develop a heuristic algorithm to solve the optimization problem. In addition, we conduct various trace-bandwidth experiments to rigorously evaluate the proposed EAAT scheme in different network environments, and show that EAAT can enrich the video quality while saving network resources.
Service Quality Of Industrial Parks In The View Of Foreign Direct Investment Firms

This research aims to assess the service quality of industrial parks (IP) in the view of FDI (foreign direct investment) firms in Vietnam. Data was collected from 270 FDI firms in Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) in Vietnam. The proposed research model was based on researches on service quality. Cronbach's Alpha Average Variance Extracted (Pvc),rho (ρA), and Composite Reliability (Pc) tested the reliability and validity of the scale. The analysis results showed that four factors were affecting the servicequality of industrial park in Vietnam being tangibleof VSIP, reliability of VSIP, the empathyof FDI investors, and their assurance. The responsivenessof VSIP did not affect the servicequality of the industrial park. Contents of the article focus on two main issues: the analysis framework of the quantitative model and implicating results todevelop the industrial park services. The limitation of the research was only in VSIP in Vietnam.
Colloidal and rheological characterization of SWCNT in biological media

ABSTRACT We report on the colloidal and rheological characterization of suspensions of commercial single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and oxidized single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT-oxi24h), in water and fetal bovine serum (FBS). The effects of two surfactants, dodecyl-benzene sodium sulfonate (SBDS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at different concentrations (0.5–2.0%) on the zeta potential and the rheology of the suspensions is also investigated. SWCNT suspensions were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The colloidal stability was determined by measurements of zeta potential in the physiological pH range 6.0 < pH <8.0. Rheological measurements were implemented at concentrations of 1 and 1.5 mg/ml, and temperatures of 25°C, 30°C, and 37°C. The results obtained show that SWCNT suspensions in FBS, with and without addition of surfactants, depict a high tendency to aggregate with the bovine serum albumin (BSA), a process we could further characterize using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation. SWCNT suspensions in aqueous media show a negative zeta potential between −60 and −80 mV, whereas in FBS the stability is lower, with values of-20 mV. We observed no significant changes in the zeta potential with the different surfactants. The viscosity values obtained are smaller in water than in FBS, demonstrating the higher stability in water. Graphical Abstract
Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model

Abstract. Stratospheric water vapour (SWV) is a climatically important atmospheric constituent due to its impacts on the radiation budget and atmospheric chemical composition. Despite the important role of SWV in the climate system, the processes controlling the distribution and variation in water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are not well understood. In order to better understand the mechanism of transport of water vapour through the tropopause, this study uses the high-resolution Global Environmental Multiscale model of the Environment and Climate Change Canada to simulate a lower stratosphere moistening event over North America. Satellite remote sensing and aircraft in situ observations are used to evaluate the quality of model simulation. The main focus of this study is to evaluate the processes that influence the lower stratosphere water vapour budget, particularly the direct water vapour transport and the moistening due to the ice sublimation. In the high-resolution simulations with horizontal grid spacing of less than 2.5 km, it is found that the main contribution to lower stratospheric moistening is the upward transport caused by the breaking of gravity waves. In contrast, for the lower-resolution simulation with horizontal grid spacing of 10 km, the lower stratospheric moistening is dominated by the sublimation of ice. In comparison with the aircraft in situ observations, the high-resolution simulations predict the water vapour content in the UTLS well, while the lower-resolution simulation overestimates the water vapour content. This overestimation is associated with the overly abundant ice in the UTLS along with a sublimation rate that is too high in the lower stratosphere. The results of this study affirm the strong influence of overshooting convection on the lower stratospheric water vapour and highlight the importance of both dynamics and microphysics in simulating the water vapour distribution in the UTLS region.
Atmospheric Forcing Drives the Winter Sea Ice Thickness Asymmetry of Hudson Bay

Recently, we highlighted the presence of a strong west‐east asymmetry in sea ice thickness across Hudson Bay that is driven by cyclonic circulation. Building on this work, we use satellite altimetry and a unique set of in situ observations of ice thickness from three moored upward looking sonars to examine the role of atmospherically driven ice dynamics in producing contrasting regional ice thickness patterns. Ultimately, north‐northwesterly winds coupled with numerous reversals during winter 2016/2017 led to thicker ice in southern Hudson Bay, while enhanced west‐northwesterly winds during winter 2017/2018 led to thicker ice in eastern Hudson Bay that delayed breakup and onset of the summer shipping season to coastal communities. Extending the analysis over the 40‐year satellite observation period, we find that these two different patterns of atmospheric forcing alter the timing of breakup by 30 days in eastern Hudson Bay and offer some skill in seasonal predictions of breakup. Plain Language Summary The seasonal ice cover of Hudson Bay is characterized by a pronounced east‐west asymmetry in ice thickness that is created by the regional pattern of ice drift. However, this asymmetry varies from year to year. Using in situ and remotely sensed observations of ice thickness, we contrast the two winters of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 and investigate the role of atmospheric forcing in creating this asymmetry by deforming and thickening the ice cover in certain regions of Hudson Bay. It was found that stronger westerly winds increase ice thickness in eastern Hudson Bay by up to 50 cm at the end of winter. This in turn delays the breakup of the ice cover in eastern Hudson Bay, allowing ice to persist longer into summer, delaying the start of the open water shipping season and the summer resupply to coastal communities.