Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agile Thermal Management STT-RX. Towards High Energy Density, High Conductivity Thermal Energy Storage Composites (PREPRINT)

Abstract : Thermal energy storage (TES) materials absorb transient pulses of heat, allowing for rapid storage of low-quality thermal energy for later use, and effective temperature regulation as part of a thermal management system. This paper describes recent development of salt hydrate-based TES composites at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Salt hydrates are known to be susceptible to undercooling and chemical segregation, and their bulk thermal conductivities remain too low for rapid heat transfer. Here, we discuss recent progress towards solving these challenges in the composite system lithium nitrate trihydrate/graphitic foam. This system takes advantage of both the high volumetric thermal energy storage density of lithium nitrate trihydrate and the high thermal conductivity of graphitic foams. We demonstrate a new stable nucleation agent specific to lithium nitrate trihydrate which decreases undercooling by up to 70% relative to previously described nucleation agents. Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility of lithium nitrate trihydrate and graphitic foam with the addition of a commercial nonionic silicone polyether surfactant. Finally, we show that thermal conductivity across water-graphite interfaces is optimized by tuning the surfactant concentration. These advances demonstrate a promising route to synthesizing high energy density, high thermal conductivity TES composites.
ResearchClinician acquisition and retention of Motivational Interviewing skills : a two-anda-half-year exploratory study

Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, client-centred counselling style aimed at eliciting and strengthening clients' intrinsic motivation to change. There is strong research evidence supporting the efficacy of MI, notably in its application among alcohol and drug abuse populations. MI interventions in smoking cessation may yield modest but significant increases in quitting. The present study sought to assess the acquisition and retention of MI skills in counsellors at the Swedish National Tobacco Quitline. Methods: Three audio-recorded sessions from each of three counsellors were assessed using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) Code Version 3.0 over 11 assessment periods at fixed intervals in a two-and-ahalf year period during which counsellors received ongoing supervision. Results: The mean skill for all counsellors improved throughout the study period in most MITI variables. However, great variations in MI skill between counsellors were observed, as well as fluctuations in performance in counsellors over
CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy using an ipsilateral dependent position.

OBJECTIVE We postulated that the pneumothorax rate of transthoracic needle biopsy might improve with an ipsilateral dependent position of the affected side. We tried to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of CT-guided biopsy with the patient in this position. SUBJECTS AND METHODS CT-guided needle biopsy with the patient in an ipsilateral dependent position was performed in 23 patients with 17 lung lesions (15 posterior and two anterior) and six mediastinal lesions. Fine-needle aspiration was used in all patients, and core biopsy was also used in six patients. The technical difficulty of the procedure was classified into three grades compared with a routine transthoracic needle biopsy as follows: grade I, no more difficult; grade II, somewhat more difficult; and grade III, much more difficult. RESULTS Adequate samples were obtained in 22 (96%) of 23 patients. A small asymptomatic pneumothorax occurred in two patients (8.7%). Difficulty was rated grades I, II, and III in 18 (78%), two (9%), and three (13%) procedures, respectively. Four of the five grades II and III procedures were biopsies of anterior lesions. Traversing the pleura was avoided in three of six mediastinal masses. CONCLUSION Transthoracic needle biopsy of selected lung and mediastinal lesions using an ipsilateral dependent position is feasible, effective, and safe. The role of this technique for reducing the rate of pneumothorax as a result of the biopsy requires further investigation.
Design of fuzzy based iterative learning controllers for induction motor drives

This paper investigates the feasibility and performance of applying fuzzy based iterative learning control algorithms in special control applications of induction motors. Based on different motor operating conditions, two control schemes are studied, i.e., proportional plus various iterative learning control algorithms (P+ILC) and proportional-integral plus various iterative learning control algorithms (PI+ILC) with the aid of on-line parameters tuning using a fuzzy controller. The performances of the proposed control schemes are compared with the conventional P- and PI-type controllers in terms of speed tracking errors and robustness when a periodic disturbance is encountered. In hardware implementations, several complex computational and signal processing tasks are accomplished using the TI DSP2812 chip. The simulation tasks and hardware implementation of controllers with various test examples are carried out via a personal computer, DSP and the VisSim software environment. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed control scheme.
Determinants of Sharing Travel Experiences in Social Media

ABSTRACT The advent of Internet-based social media technologies has enabled travelers to quickly and conveniently share their travel experiences. Shared information on social media sites is recognized as an important information source which may influence travel decision making for potential travelers. This study tests a conceptual framework which examines why travelers share their travel experiences on social media based on the social influence theory and its three conceptual foundations—identification, internalization, and compliance. Data were collected using an online survey and the research model was tested with 543 respondents who were social media users. Results showed that identification and internalization are critical determinants that positively increase actual travel-experience sharing on social media as mediated by perceived enjoyment. Our research extends prior literature on social media by identifying specific determinants that can impact travel-experience sharing. Suggestions are provided for academics, the travel industry, and those working with social media.
A two‐component regulatory system playing a critical role in plant pathogens and endosymbionts is present in Brucella abortus and controls cell invasion and virulence

Two mutants showing increased sensitivity to polycations and surfactants were obtained by transposon mutagenesis of virulent Brucella abortus 2308 Nalr. These mutants showed no obvious in vitro growth defects and produced smooth‐type lipopolysaccharides. However, they hardly multiplied or persisted in mouse spleens, displayed reduced invasiveness in macrophages and HeLa cells, lost the ability to inhibit lysosome fusion and were unable to replicate intracellularly. Subsequent DNA analyses identified a two‐component regulatory system [Brucella virulence related (Bvr)] with a regulatory (BvrR) and sensory (BvrS) protein. Cloning of bvrR in the BvrR‐deficient mutant restored the resistance to polycations and, in part, the invasiveness and the ability to multiply intracellularly. BvrR and BvrS were highly similar (87–89% and 70–80% respectively) to the regulatory and sensory proteins of the chromosomally encoded Rhizobium meliloti ChvI–ExoS and Agrobacterium tumefaciens ChvI–ChvG systems previously shown to be critical for endosymbiosis and pathogenicity in plants. Divergence among the three sensory proteins was located mostly within a periplasmic domain probably involved in stimulus sensing. As B. abortus, R. meliloti and A. tumefaciens are phylogenetically related, these observations suggest that these systems have a common ancestor that has evolved to sense stimuli in plant and animal microbial environments.
(Tris{2-[2-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-iodophenoxy)ethoxy]ethyl}amine)potassium iodide

The title adduct, [K(C30H24F12I3NO6)]I, gives an extended tape of cations linked through I⋯I− halogen bonds (XBs), two of them being quite short and one quite long. In the structure, the cation is hosted in a cavity formed by the arms of the podand which presents a closed conformation wherein two tetrafluoroiodobenzene rings are near parallel [dihedral angle = 15.8 (4)°; centroid–centroid distance = 3.908 (5) Å] and the third ring is closer to orthogonal [dihedral angles = 66.28 (14) and 75.20 (19)°] to the other two rings. The coordination sphere of the K+ cation is composed of the six O atoms, the N atom and an F atom in the ortho position of one of the rings.
Multimodal Mobile Visual Search Using Region-based Matching Algorithm

Searching is becoming pervasive and one of the most popular applications on mobile devices. The image search is based on the input query. Based on the query images is retrieval from database through mobile devices. Text, voice, sketches are used as query to search images on mobile devices. Search performance is the main constraint for any kind of search techniques. To improve the searching performance we need to create new technique. For that purpose, some of the searching techniques were studied below. From all that techniques, we decide to develop a new multimodal interactive image search on mobile device to visual search.
Introduction: the reform of public management in France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain

Purpose – This paper aims to outline the contents of the special issue on public management reform in countries in the Napoleonic administrative tradition, discussing alternative explanatory frameworks, and proposing paths for future research.Design/methodology/approach – This article provides reviews of the papers in the special issue.Findings – Some broad sets of factor affecting implementation of public management reform in Napoleonic countries are outlined, schematised in a specific table, and discussed in the light of potential alternative frameworks, like cultural analysis.Research limitations/implications – Research limitations include the availability of empirical evidence given the width of the phenomenon under investigation (public management reform in five countries). Implications for the development of a broader comparative research agenda on countries in the Napoleonic administrative tradition (and others) are proposed.Originality/value – The special issue, of which this paper provides an ove.
Quality of care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease in East China.

AIM To investigate the quality of care for a hospital based-cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from East China according to the current practice guidelines. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted, involving 177 patients with IBD admitted to Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University between June 2000 and June 2006. Data regarding demographic and clinical characteristics as well as medical therapy including use of oral aminosalisylates, topical therapy, corticosteroid agents, immunomodulatory agents (such as azathioprine) at admission and outpatient clinic visit were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 177 eligible patients were evaluated in this study, including 71 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 106 with ulcerative colitis (UC). All were the Han nationality Chinese with active disease at baseline. All the 106 patients with ulcerative colitis received optimal doses of aminosalisylate while 27 of 68 (39.7%) patients with ileal or colonic CD received the suboptimal doses of aminosalisylate. The incidence of suboptimal dose of aminosalisylate was significantly higher in CD patients with small intestine involvement only (52.8% vs 25.0%, P=0.019). Thirty-one (54.4%) patients with active distal or left-sided ulcerative colitis received topical therapy, and 27.8% of patients suffering from severe inflammatory bowel disease did not receive oral or intravenous steroid therapy. Among the 51 patients for whom thiopurine was indicated, only 10 (19.6%) received immunomodulatory agents, and more than half of the 8 patients received a suboptimal dose of azathiopurine with no attempt to increase its dosage. CONCLUSION The quality of care for IBD patients can be further improved. A suboptimal dose of aminosalicylate is used in treatment of patients with CD, especially in those with small intestine involved only. Topical mesalazine is inadequately used in patients with distal or left-sided colitis. Oral or intravenous steroid therapy is not used in some patients with severe IBD. Use of immunomodulatory medication is limited. Larger prospective studies are needed to investigate the quality of care for patients with IBD to establish our own evidence-based guidelines.
Prevalence of PD and other types of parkinsonism in three elderly populations of central Spain

The prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other types of parkinsonism in three elderly populations of central Spain was investigated using a door‐to‐door, two‐phase approach. This design called for the administration of a brief questionnaire to subjects 65 years of age or older taken from the census of one urban municipality of Greater Madrid (Margaritas, Getafe), one rural site (Arévalo County, Ávila), and one urban district of Madrid (Lista) in Spain (N = 5,278). Study neurologists extensively investigated those subjects who screened positively. The diagnoses, based on specified criteria, were reviewed to increase reliability across neurologists. We found 118 subjects with parkinsonism: 81 affected by PD (68.6%), 26 drug‐induced parkinsonism (22.0%), 6 parkinsonism in dementia (5.1%), 3 vascular parkinsonism (2.5%), and 2 unspecified parkinsonism (1.7%). The prevalence was 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8–2.6) for all types of parkinsonism and 1.5% (95% CI, 1.2–1.8) for PD. The prevalence estimates of parkinsonism and PD increased with age, declining at 85 years and over. Age prevalence ratios were higher for men. Twenty‐three subjects (28.4%) of the subjects with PD were detected through the screening and had not been diagnosed previously. Overall prevalence estimates of PD and other types of parkinsonism in central Spain rank at levels similar to those recently reported for other European and non‐European elderly populations. Despite improvement in access to health services, an important proportion of PD patients may never seek neurological attention. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society
Mapping of B-cell epitopes on the polypeptide chain of the Epstein-Barr virus major envelope glycoprotein and candidate vaccine molecule gp340

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) major envelope glycoprotein gp340 is the subject of current efforts to develop an EBV subunit vaccine. The importance of gp340-specific humoral immunity has been highlighted by studies of natural infection in humans and gp340 immunization of experimental animals. The former studies have demonstrated the presence of gp340-specific serum antibodies which mediate EBV neutralization, complement fixation, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The latter studies have often shown a correlation between the induction of gp340-specific EBV-neutralizing antibodies and protection from virus challenge. We have used a series of bacterial beta-galactosidase-gp340 fusion proteins and overlapping synthetic peptides from the gp340 open reading frame to map the positions of B-cell epitopes within the gp340 primary amino acid sequence. The data reported here indicate the presence of B-cell epitopes within the carboxy-terminal third of the gp340 polypeptide chain. These epitopes could not be detected with a peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, thereby suggesting that they are discontinuous. Affinity purification of antibodies with a gp340 fusion protein from the carboxy terminus of the gp340 polypeptide chain has been used to show that these antibodies are not EBV neutralizing in vitro. The consequences of these findings for future EBV vaccine development are considered.
Digital current mode control architecture with improved performance for DC-DC converters

Designing a low cost, high performance digital controller is still a challenging work in the power electronics field. One of the keys to address this issue is to select the suitable digital control architecture. At present, voltage mode control architecture is widely used in the digital controller IC. But the unpredicted limit cycle due to the nonlinearity of ADC and DPWM is one of major issues in this architecture. This paper introduces a digital current mode control architecture which can well limit the oscillation amplitude, so that it can greatly reduce the design challenge for the digital controller IC by getting rid of the high resolution DPWM. Moreover, proposed adaptive ramp design can further improve system performance. Simulation and experiment results are presented to verify proposed ideas.
Potentially inappropriate prescription of antidepressants in old people: characteristics, associated factors, and impact on mortality

ABSTRACT Background: The increasing use of antidepressants (ADs) has raised concerns about their inappropriate use in old people. Objective: To examine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) of ADs, their associated factors, and their impact on mortality in a sample of old people in France. Methods: The analysis used data from the SIPAF study, a cross-sectional study consisting of 2,350 people aged ≥ 70 years. Trained nurses interviewed participants at home between 2008 and 2010. Information was collected concerning socio-demographic and health characteristics, including medication use. The study population consisted of the 318 AD users from the SIPAF study (13.5%). PIP of ADs was defined according to national and international criteria. Factors associated with PIP of ADs were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression model. The influence of PIP of ADs on mortality was assessed using a Cox model (median follow-up 2.8 years). Results: Among the SIPAF study, 71% of AD users were female and the mean age was 84 ± 7 years. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed ADs (19.8%). We found PIP of ADs in 36.8% of the study population, mainly the co-prescription of diuretics with SSRIs (17.6%) and the prescription of tricyclics (12.9%). PIP of ADs was associated with polypharmacy (aOR5-9 drugs 2. 61, 95% CI 1.11–6.16 and aOR≥10 drugs 2.69, 95% CI 1.06–6.87) and comorbidity (aOR3-4 chronic diseases 2.59, 95%CI 1.04–6.44 and aOR≥5 chronic diseases 2.33, 95%CI 0.94–5.79), and increased the risk of mortality during follow-up (aHR 2.30, 95%CI 1.28–4.12). Conclusions: This study shows that more than one third of AD prescriptions may be inappropriate in old people. PIP of ADs was related to polypharmacy and comorbidity and increased mortality among AD users.
The Yield of Ten-Year T-Bonds: Stumbling Towards a 'Good' Forecast

Due to their status as "the" benchmark yield for the world's largest government bond market and its importance for US monetary policy, the interest in a "good" forecast of the constant maturity yield of the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond ("T-bond yields") is immense. This paper assesses three univariate time series models for forecasting the yield of T-bonds: It shows that a simple SETAR model proves to be superior to the random walk and an ARMA model. However, dividing the sample of bond yields, dating from 1962 to 2005, into a training sample and a test sample reveals the forecast to be biased. A new bias-corrected version is developed and forecasts for March 2005 to February 2006 are presented. In addition to point estimates forecast limits are also given.
Cointegration for the Applied Economist

Preface - The Contributors - Introduction - A Primer on Cointegration with an Application to Money and Income D.A. Dickey, D.W. JJansen & D.L. Thornton - Unit Roots and Cointegration: An Introduction D.Holden & R.Perman - Trend, Unit Root and Structural Change in Macroeconomic Time Series P.Perron - Wage Growth and the Inflation Process: An Empirical Approach Y.P.Mehra - Diagnostic Testing: An Application to the Demand for M1 G.Otto - Bibliography - Index
Towards an Evaluation Framework for Multilingual Supported Data Modeling Patterns

Nowadays, Internationalization is one of the most important aspects of Information Systems. Supporting multilingual features as a part of internationalization process, is being a competition in all Information Systems. There are many data modeling patterns to support multilingual features in development process of Information Systems with many quality attributes to evaluate them. In this article, an evaluation framework has been designed for all multilingual support data modeling patterns and their quality attributes. To obtain this aim, all data modeling patterns to support multilingual features have been collected. Then, all quality attributes related to patterns are collected and categorized as evaluation parameters. Afterwards, all quality attributes for each pattern been investigated. Finally, an evaluation framework has been tried to provide for all multilingual patterns and their quality attributes. General Terms Software Engineering, Data Modeling Patterns.
issues In Mounting Randomized Experiments In Educational Research and Evaluation

As the field of education becomes increasingly complex and demanding, researchers more than ever before need to work at the frontiers of knowledge in order to understand the current global issues and problems of education. This calls for rigorous research whose findings are to inform government decision and policy. Also, the effectiveness of any educational intervention needs to be evaluated to know what works and what does not work. The ultimate goal is to re-shape the system of education appropriately. In examining the use of randomized experiments in educational research and evaluation, this paper highlights its merits, methodological and ethical issues, and the problems involved in using randomized experiments in the school setting. It suggests the need for researchers to update their skills in the use of randomized experiments through capacity building to ensure that findings from educational research and evaluation are creditable and defensible. KEY WORDS: Randomized experiment; Educational research; Evaluation; Research ethics; Methodological issues.