Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High current interruption in vacuum circuit breakers

A great number of interruption experiments were made in a vacuum chamber with the contact materials Cu, CuCr (50/50) and AgWC. The currents to be interrupted varied from 2.5 to 32 kA. The rate of change of current and recovery voltage were kept at a fixed value immediately after current zero. Many reignitions of the dielectric type were observed but only a few of the thermal type. No evidence of strong anode spot melting was found. At 5 to 10 /spl mu/s after post arc current, a "second" post arc current also appeared.
An Uncooled LWIR-Detector With LSPR Enhancement and Selective Narrow Absorption

An uncooled plasmonic infrared photodetector with selective narrow absorption band in long-wave-infrared was demonstrated. The hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) with high temperature coefficient of resistance characteristic was adopted as a detection layer in the plasmonic photodetector. A tri-layer gold/a-Si:H/gold arrangement with metallic gold strip was designed to sustain localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). By altering the metallic linewidth and the dielectric thickness, the LSPRs can be adjusted freely. Therefore, the incoming infrared with specific wavelength corresponding to LSPRs will heat up the cavity directly, leading to the reduction of a-Si:H resistance along the current path and the signal would be detected. The optical and electrical characteristics of the photodetector were studied. The responsivity and perpendicular photoresponse ratio without suspended structure was enhanced by LSP resonances and directly heat up process.
CBF: circular binary features for robust and real-time pupil center detection

Modern eye tracking systems rely on fast and robust pupil detection, and several algorithms have been proposed for eye tracking under real world conditions. In this work, we propose a novel binary feature selection approach that is trained by computing conditional distributions. These features are scalable and rotatable, allowing for distinct image resolutions, and consist of simple intensity comparisons, making the approach robust to different illumination conditions as well as rapid illumination changes. The proposed method was evaluated on multiple publicly available data sets, considerably outperforming state-of-the-art methods, and being real-time capable for very high frame rates. Moreover, our method is designed to be able to sustain pupil center estimation even when typical edge-detection-based approaches fail - e.g., when the pupil outline is not visible due to occlusions from reflections or eye lids / lashes. As a consequece, it does not attempt to provide an estimate for the pupil outline. Nevertheless, the pupil center suffices for gaze estimation - e.g., by regressing the relationship between pupil center and gaze point during calibration.
Epidemiology of venous thromboembolism in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is among the three major causes of cardiovascular diseases worldwide after ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Knowledge on the global epidemiology of this condition is deficient in Africa. Accurate data are needed to evaluate the burden of VTE in Africa to design effective preventive and treatment strategies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to summarise epidemiological data on VTE in Africa and to evaluate the use of prophylaxis in African patients at risk of VTE. Methods and analysis Medline, Embase, Scopus and African Journal Online will be searched for relevant abstracts of studies published between 1 January 1986 and 5 December 2016, without language restriction. After a screening of abstracts, study selection, data extraction and assessment of the risk of bias, we shall assess studies individually for clinical and statistical heterogeneity. Appropriate meta-analytic technics will then be used to pool studies judged to be clinically homogeneous. Funnel-plots analysis and Egger’s test will be used to detect publication bias. Results will be presented by geographical region (Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Africa). This systematic review will be reported according to the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Guidelines. Ethics and dissemination The current study will be based on published data, and thus ethics consideration is not required. This review is expected to provide relevant data to help in quantifying the magnitude of this disease in Africa. The final report of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and the findings will be submitted to relevant health authorities. Trial registration number The protocol for this review has been published in the International Prospective Register of systematic reviews (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO), registration number: PROSPERO CRD42017056253.
A Stick with a Handle at Each End: Socially Implicated Work Objects for Design of Collaborative Systems

We propose an analytic approach – Socially Implicated Work Objects (SIWOs) – to describe and unify diverse shared virtual objects and work practices in organizations. SIWOs are virtual objects that connect two or more people. SIWOs provide support to coordinate work, especially across distances. Examples of relevant types of work include collaborative scheduling through calendars, collaborative task management, collaborative request management, and co-authoring of documents. Beginning with familiar features from calendars, we build the more general case for SIWOs as a strong concept describing an under-supported class of coordinative artifacts in organizations. With a theoretical background combining Schmidt’s work on coordinative practices with Bjørn’s and Chistensen’s concept of relation work, we explore how work practices and work virtual objects could be configured and interrelated through a common and extensible abstraction.
Gain Characteristic Maintained, Miniaturized LPDA Antenna Using Partially Applied Folded Planar Helix Dipoles

The miniaturization of a compact planar log-periodic dipole array (LPDA) antenna usually comes with a side effect of the gain deterioration phenomenon. To address this issue, a folded planar helix (FPH) dipole is designed as a miniaturized radiating element to replace parts of a conventional LPDA antenna composed of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda /2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dipoles in this paper. The FPH dipole has a radiation resistance and efficiency close to those of a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda /2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dipole with 39% reduced size and shows a higher radiation quality factor. The LPDA antenna with the longest <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda /2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dipole replaced by the FPH element and the LPDA antenna with the longest and third-long <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda /2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dipoles replaced by the FPH elements are examined. A conventional LPDA antenna can be miniaturized while avoiding gain degradation in the operation band of 400–800 MHz. The lowest impedance matched frequency and the frequency where the directional beam starts to appear are about the same for the proposed miniaturized LPDA antenna. Moreover, the front–back ratio can be improved by the proposed method. The prototype of the two-FPH-element applied LPDA antenna is built, and the design concept is verified experimentally. A size reduction of 39% and an average gain deterioration of −0.2 dB are achieved by the prototype in comparison with a conventional LPDA antenna. The proposed antenna can be utilized in the mobile radio wave direction-finding system.
Deep cerebral microbleeds are associated with the severity of lacunar infarcts and hypertension

Abstract Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and lacunar infarcts are common manifestations of cerebral small vessel disease. However, the association between the location of CMBs and lacunar infarcts is unclear. Our study aimed to clarify the relationship between the location of CMBs and lacunar infarcts. This study retrospectively analyzed 166 patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks admitted in the Geriatric Neurology Department of Chinese PLA General Hospital between February 2010 and December 2012. We collected clinical characteristics and risk factors of CMBs. The location of CMBs on T2*-weighted angiography was assessed by the Microbleed Anatomical Rating Scale. The number of lacunar infarcts and the severity of white matter hyperintensities were also recorded. The association between the location of CMBs and lacunar infarcts parameters was examined. CMBs were present in 77 (46.4%) patients. The presence [odds ratios (OR), 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–4.48], number (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02–1.36 per lesion), severity (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.07–2.42) of lacunar infarcts, and hypertension (OR, 5.76; 95% CI, 2.01–16.55) were independent risk factors for CMBs. Stratified by the location of CMBs, lobar CMBs and infratentorial CMBs did not show significant association with lacunar infarcts. Deep CMBs were significantly associated with the number (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.03–1.36) and severity (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.11–2.63) of lacunar infarcts. Moreover, the percentage of deep CMBs increased with the increased severity of lacunar infarcts (P = .003). Deep CMBs rather than lobar and infratentorial CMBs are associated with lacunar infarcts.
Severe energy deficit at high altitude inhibits skeletal muscle mTORC1‐mediated anabolic signaling without increased ubiquitin proteasome activity

Muscle loss at high altitude (HA) is attributable to energy deficit and a potential dysregulation of anabolic signaling. Exercise and protein ingestion can attenuate the effects of energy deficit on muscle at sea level (SL). Whether these effects are observed when energy deficit occurs at HA is unknown. To address this, muscle obtained from lowlanders (n = 8 males) at SL, acute HA (3 h, 4300 m), and chronic HA (21 d, ‐1766 kcal/d energy balance) before [baseline (Base)] and after 80 min of aerobic exercise followed by a 2‐mile time trial [postexercise (Post)] and 3 h into recovery (Rec) after ingesting whey protein (25 g) were analyzed using standard molecular techniques. At SL, Post, and REC, p‐mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)Ser2448, p‐p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K)Ser424/421, and p‐ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6)Ser235/236 were similar and higher (P < 0.05) than Base. At acute HA, Post p‐mTORSer2448 and Post and REC p‐p70S6KSer424/421 were not different from Base and lower than SL (P < 0.05). At chronic HA, Post and Rec p‐mTORSer2448 and p‐p70S6KSer424/421 were not different from Base and lower than SL, and, independent of time, p‐rpS6Ser235/236 was lower than SL (P < 0.05). Post proteasome activity was lower (P < 0.05) than Base and Rec, independent of phase. Our findings suggest that HA exposure induces muscle anabolic resistance that is exacerbated by energy deficit during acclimatization, with no change in proteolysis. —Margolis, L. M. , Carbone, J. W. , Berryman, C. E. , Carrigan, C. T. , Murphy, N. E. , Ferrando, A. A. , Young, A. J., Pasiakos, S. M. Severe energy deficit at high altitude inhibits skeletal muscle mTORC1‐mediated anabolic signaling without increased ubiquitin proteasome activity. FASEB J. 32, 5955–5966 (2018). www.fasebj. org
Bias in Point Estimates and Standard Errors of Mokken’s Scalability Coefficients

Mokken scale analysis uses three types of scalability coefficients to assess the quality of (a) pairs of items, (b) individual items, and (c) an entire scale. Both the point estimates and the standard errors of the scalability coefficients assume that the sample ordering of the item steps is identical to the population ordering, but due to sampling error, the sample ordering may be incorrect and, consequently, the estimates and the standard errors may be biased. Two simulation studies were used to investigate the bias of the estimates and the standard errors of the scalability coefficients, as well as the coverage of the 95% confidence intervals. Distance between item steps was the most important design factor. In addition, sample size, number of items, number of answer categories, and item discrimination were included in the design. Bias of the standard errors was negligible. Bias of the estimates was largest when all item steps were identical in the population, especially for small sample sizes. Furthermore, bias of the estimates decreased as number of answer categories increased and as item discrimination decreased. Coverage of the 95% confidence intervals was close to . 950, but for small sample size coverage deteriorated. Coverage also became poorer as number of items increased, in particular for dichotomous items.
An Educational Initiative for Dubai School Nurses and Physical Education Teachers on the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of school nurses and physical education teachers (SN and PE teachers) about the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in schools and to measure the impact of education on their knowledge. A longitudinal prospective study based on a questionnaire survey completed by 68 SN and PE teachers at three time periods (prior to, immediately after, and 3 months-post-educational intervention). Pre- and post t-test and repeated measures (analysis of variance) were used to compare the three group means for the same participants (p < .05 was considered significant). Significant improvement in the knowledge score among participants was observed between the initial survey to immediately after the educational session and to 3 months after (p = .047). Significant improvement in the choice of immediately seeking attention after tooth avulsion was observed (p = .001). The initial knowledge deficiency about the emergency management of TDIs among SN and PE teachers was improved and sustained.
Comparison between Different Types of Sensors Used in the Real Operational Environment Based on Optical Scanning System

The present paper describes the experimentation in a controlled environment and a real environment using different photosensors, such as infrared light emitting diode (IRLED-as receiver), photodiode, light dependent resistor (LDR), and blue LED for the purpose of selecting those devices, which can be employed in adverse conditions, such as sunlight or artificial sources. The experiments that are described in this paper confirmed that the blue LED and phototransistor could be used as a photosensor of an Optical Scanning System (OSS), because they were less sensitive to sunlight radiation. Moreover, they are appropriate as reference sources that are selected for the experiment (blue LED flashlight and light bulb). The best experimental results that were obtained contained a digital filter that was applied to the output of the photosensor, which reduced the standard deviation for the best case for the phototransistor LED from 100.26 to 0.15. For the best case, using the blue LED, the standard deviation was reduced from 86.08 to 0.11. Using these types of devices the cost of the Optical Scanning System can be reduced and a considerable increase in resolution and accuracy.
Regeneration and characterization of Spent Bleaching Clay

The spent bleaching clay (SBC), a solid waste generated from palm oil refinery, may be recycled rather than simply disposed off in landfill. The aim of this study is to investigate the heat regeneration of SBC and to evaluate the performance of the heat-treated SBC on the bleaching of crude oil. The quality of oil is first studied. The quality of the oil extracted from spent bleaching clay from palm oil refinery (SBC-PO) and spent bleaching clay from palm kernel oil refinery (SBC-PKO) much inferior compared to that of crude oil. De-oiling efficiency for both SBC increases as the solid to solvent ratio is decreased. Two type of SBC are studied such as acid-activated clay (XMP, WAC) and natural clay (AH). Two types of regeneration processes are performed, such as (a) solvent extraction followed by heat treatment and (b) regeneration carried out by direct heat treatment. Heat treatment is conducted in a box furnace at temperatures ranging from 400 to 1000°C. Red color indices of oils are used to determine the regeneration efficiency. Spent bleaching clay produced by direct heat treatment (HRSBC), yields a higher regeneration efficiency than the deoil-heat-regenerated spent bleaching clay (DHRSBC), produced by solvent extraction and heat treatment. The specific surface area, total pore volume and average pore size of SBC are measured using nitrogen adsorption-desorption method. The proximate analysis is also performed to clarify the mechanism of regeneration process. The data shows that the HRSBC at 500°C possess the highest specific surface area and total pore volume and give better bleaching efficiency than that of HRSBC at 400 and 800°C. All the regenerated SBC samples are mesoporous material. Adsorption isotherm is useful for determining the efficiency of the HRSBC in removing pigments. The Henry’s Law equation is found to be more applicable than the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms in the adsorption of pigments from degummed palm oil on HRSBC. The adsorptive efficiency of the HRSBC is optimum at regeneration temperature of 500°C.
Letter-Level Writer Identification

Writer Identification aims to identify a certain writer from a given group of candidates by their handwriting. Although it is very significant in security systems like bank account verification systems, existing works focus on document-level or text-level writer identification. This limits their scalabilities and flexibilities in realistic scenarios as they require complete document or text. To facilitate the realistic applications of writer identification, we propose a novel technology, letter-level writer identification, which requires only a few letters as the identification cue. It is challenging due to large intra-class discrepancy and implicit identifiable writing cues. Considering these challenges, we propose a novel deep model called Multi-Branch Encoding net (Mul-BEnc). To evaluate our model and provide a benchmark for this problem, we have collected a large Letter-stroke sequence Writer identification DataBase (LetWriterDB). The experimental results validate the effectiveness of our model.
New Dual-/Tri-Band Bandpass Filters and Diplexer With Large Frequency Ratio

To satisfy the simultaneous requirements of future wireless communication systems on short-range high-speed data transmission and long-distance basic coverage, the coexistence of the millimeter-wave and microwave technologies becomes the inexorable trend. However, it is difficult for the existing dual-/ tri-band filter configurations to achieve a frequency ratio larger than three. In this paper, the new use of aperture coupling mechanism is proposed to combine two bandpass elements for dual-/tri-band operation with large frequency ratio but comparable sizes. For this purpose, a microwave BPF with wide stopband up to millimeter-waveband is implemented based on the complementary frequency response characteristics of the stepped-impedance resonator bandpass filter and low-pass filter. The millimeter-wave BPF can be simply designed using the air-filled substrate-integrated waveguide circular cavities, which exhibit the natural low-frequency cutoff characteristics. Based on the proposed design concept and two BPF elements, the dual-/ tri-band bandpass filters with frequency ratio up to 12.59 and 12.7 were designed, fabricated, and measured. Owing to the independence of the two elements, a diplexer with large frequency ratio can be simply implemented based on the previous dual-band filter. All the simulation and measured results are in good agreement, validating the proposed structures.
Hijab in Twitter: Advocates and Critics: A Content Analysis of Hijab-Related Tweets

One of the disputed topics in Islamic countries is the hijab, a veil that covers the head and chest, which is sometimes worn by some Muslim women. This study reports how Twitter users regard the hijab. As part of our investigation we collected hijab-related tweets from between August 28 and September 3, 2015, using NodeXL. We programmatically detected tweet languages using Language Detection API and categorized contents into eleven topics. Ninety percent of all tweets were in Arabic, seven percent in Persian and three percent in Urdu. Anti-extremism and hijab advocates were the most frequently identified topics. Topics related to hijab and corresponding business goals, were infrequent, and rarely retweeted. We also calculated the impression to identify the most influential users, such as religious leaders, news agencies, and journalists.
Title Relationship of treatment satisfaction to medication adherence : findings from a cross-sectional survey among hypertensive patients in Palestine Permalink

Background: The concepts of medication adherence and Treatment satisfactions are commonly used in clinical research for assessing pharmaceutical care and improving treatment outcomes. Generally, one would expect a positive relationship between the two concepts. The objectives of this study were to investigate the factors associated with adherence to antihypertensive therapy among hypertensive patients and to assess the relationship between antihypertensive medication adherence and treatment satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, adopting the Morisky eight-item Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) for the assessment of medication adherence and using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM 1.4) for the assessment of treatment satisfaction. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to describe sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics of the patients. All analyses were performed using SPSS v 15.0. Results: Four hundred and ten hypertensive patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of participants was 58.38 ± 10.65 years; 52% were female and 36.8% had low antihypertensive medication adherence. There was a significant difference in the mean scores in the Effectiveness (p < 0.001), Convenience (p < 0.001), and Global Satisfaction (p < 0.001) domains, but not in the Side Effects (p = 0.466) domain among patients with different levels of adherence. After adjustment for covariates using multiple linear regression, global treatment satisfaction was still statistically significantly (p = 0.001) associated with medication adherence. Conclusions: Low treatment satisfaction may be an important barrier for achieving high rates of adherence to treatment. These study findings could be helpful in clinical practice, mainly in the early treatment of hypertensive patients, at a point where improving treatment satisfaction is still possible.