Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermo-Mechanical Model of Solidification Processes with Abaqus

A computational thermo-mechanical model has been developed to simulate the continuous casting of shaped sections, such as used for thin steel slabs. A general form of the transient heat equation including latent-heat from phase transformations such as solidification and other temperature-dependent properties is solved numerically for the temperature field history. The resulting thermal stresses are solved by integrating the highly nonlinear thermo-elastic-viscoplastic contitutive equations using a two-level method. The procedure has been implemented into Abaqus, (Abaqus Inc., 2005) using a user-defined subroutine (UMAT) to integrate the constitutive equations at the local level (Koric, 2006). The model is validated both with a semi-analytical solution from Weiner and Boley (Weiner, 1963) as well as with an in-house finite element code CON2D (Li, 2004, Zhu, 1993) specialized in thermo-mechanical modeling of continuous casting. The model is applied to simulate a 3D segment of the solidifying steel shell as it moves down through a thin slab caster with a funnel mold, known for its complex geometry, using realistic operating conditions and temperature-dependant properties. It has provided valuable new insights into the complex dynamic 3D mechanical state of stress experienced by the solidifying shell due to the funnel geometry.
Preconditioning of linear least-squares problems by identifying basic variables

The preconditioning of linear least-squares problems is a hard task. The linear model underpinning least-squares problems, that is the overdetermined matrix dening it, does not have the properties of dierential problems that make standard preconditioners eective. Incomplete Cholesky techniques applied to the normal equations do not produce a well conditioned problem. We attempt to remove the ill-conditioning by identifying a subset of rows and columns in the overdetermined matrix dening the linear model that identies the \best" conditioned basic variables matrix. We then compute a symmetric quasi-denite linear system having a condition number depending solely on the geometry of the non-basic variables and that is independent of the original condition number. We illustrate the performance of our approach on some standard test problems and show it is competitive with other approaches.
A Search For Creative Class Trail User Experiences Along The Katy Trail

A SEARCH FOR CREATIVE CLASS TRAIL USER EXPERIENCES ALONG THE KATY TRAIL Shirley Jane Mathews, MLA The University of Texas at Arlington, 2008 Supervising Professor: Pat D. Taylor, ASLA This research focused on preferred urban trail attributes and related these to restorative places and user experiences. Focused interviews were employed in the study. Restoration was shown in aspects of naturalness and excitement. Responses to the interviews indicated that a convergence of multiple physical features contributed significantly to a user’s restorative experience on the trail, especially where tree canopy was juxtaposed with distant views and there were connections to active urban villages. Where the trail did not enhance the user experience the trail was not seen as contributing to the community in a significant way. Themes emerged from the focused interviews regarding naturalness, sociability, distinctiveness, safety, and a fitness-driven lifestyle. The Katy Trail, a four-mile urban pedestrian and bicycle trail in Dallas, Texas,
Una mirada a la conciliación a través de las mujeres deportistas

A LOOK AT RECONCILIATION THROUGH SPORTSWOMEN KEyWORDS : Female athlete, Reconciliation, Psychological, Psychosocial, Academic and vocational levels. ABSTRACT : Generated by other research as well as everyday evidence in the media, the aim of this study was to see how athletes, on the whole, reconcile their sport careers with psychological, psychosocial, academic and vocational levels, by analysing the resources and barriers they share as en - couraging and limiting points of reconciliation. The study included 23 women athletes, coming from both individual and team sports, some of them looking forward, some looking back, some Olympic sports and others non-Olympic. For data collection we used a semi-structured interview and the content analysis was carried out by combining the inductive and deductive approaches. The results are presented in two sections: resources and barriers, which in turn are classified as internal or external, depending on the control the athlete may have on them. Through their stories, some constants emerge, such as the need for balance between their different arenas; similar social agents that serve to boost their career; and the lack of resources or access to resources at certain stages at which they are needed.
Title Structure and motion estimation from apparent contours undercircular motion

In this paper we address the problem of recovering structure and motion from the apparent contours of a smooth surface. Fixed image features under circular motion and their relationships with the intrinsic parameters of the camera are exploited to provide a simple parameterization of the fundamental matrix relating any pair of views in the sequence. Such a parameterization allows a trivial initialization of the motion parameters, which all bear physical meanings. It also greatly reduces the dimension of the search space for the optimization problem, which can now be solved using only 2 epipolar tangents. In contrast to previous methods, the motion estimation algorithm introduced here can cope with incomplete circular motion and more widely spaced images. Existing techniques for model reconstruction from apparent contours are then reviewed and compared. Experiment on real data has been carried out and the 3D model reconstructed from the estimated motion is presented.
Sensorimotor integration in a small motor circuit

Rhythmic motor patterns, which underlie behaviors such as mastication, respiration and locomotion, are generated by specialized neural circuits called central pattern generators (CPGs). Although CPGs can generate their rhythmic motor output in the absence of rhythmic input, these motor patterns are modified by rhythmic sensory feedback in vivo. Furthermore, although the importance of sensory feedback in shaping CPG output is well known, most systems lack the experimental access needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration at the cellular and synaptic level. I am therefore examining this issue using the gastric mill CPG, a circuit which generates the rhythmic retraction and protraction motor activity that drives chewing by the teeth in the gastric mill compartment of the crustacean stomach. The gastric mill CPG is well defined and very accessible at the cellular level. Specifically, I am examining the mechanism by which the gastropyloric receptor (GPR), a phasically active proprioceptor, selectively prolongs one phase (retraction) of the gastric mill rhythm in the isolated nervous system when it is activated in a pattern that mimics its in vivo activity. I first demonstrate that GPR regulation of the gastric mill rhythm relies on its presynaptic inhibition of modulatory commissural neuron 1 (MCN1), a projection neuron that activates and drives this rhythm. I also demonstrate that the GPR inhibition of MCN1 regulates the gastric mill rhythm by selectively regulating peptidergic cotransmission by MCN1. Lastly, I demonstrate that a peptide hormone (crustacean cardioactive peptide) that only modestly modifies the gastric mill rhythm, strongly gates the GPR regulation of this rhythm. Mechanistically, it acts not by influencing GPR or MCN1, but by activating the same excitatory current in the CPG neuron LG (lateral gastric) that is activated by MCN1-released peptide. This novel gating mechanism reduces GPR control over the amplitude of this excitatory current in LG. Thus, I have identified specific cellular mechanisms by which (a) phase-specific regulation of an ongoing motor pattern by a sensory input is accomplished, and (b) hormonal modulation gates that sensory input. These events are likely to reflect comparable ones occurring in the larger and less accessible vertebrate CNS. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Michael Nusbaum
Effect of Different Defuzzification methods in a Fuzzy Based Liquid Flow control in Semiconductor Based Anemometer

Most of the process control technique is suffered by the complex dynamic systems with nonlinear or timevariable thats why it is very difficult to describe the behaviour of the system. One way to deal with the uncertainty of the behaviour of the system is to use fuzzy logic.If Fuzzy logic was modelled on spontaneous human reasoning then it captures the impreciseness the most input data which are inherent. In a fuzzy logic controller the focus is the human operator's behaviour, whereas in conventional PID controller what is modeled is the system or process being controlled.FLC regulator has a very good result from complex nonlinear dynamic processes, uses the reasoning of the human mind which is not always in the form of a yes or no. In this work,it shows overall effective control and operation of the mechanical equipments applied for control of liquid flow, implemented the fuzzy liquid flow algorithm and compared the effect of using different defuzzification methods.Flow control system takes information about sensor output voltage, control valve opening & flows rate as parameters and controls in case of overflowing & wastage.In this design two input parameters: sensor output voltage and rate of change voltage and one output parameters: opening of the control valve .
Habilidades de enfrentamento antecipatório para abstinência de substâncias: construção de um novo instrumento de medida

Habilidades de enfrentamento antecipatorio sao importantes para a manutencao da abstinencia de alcool e outras drogas. Apesar disso, nao se dispoe de instrumentos para avalia-las em contexto brasileiro. Este artigo descreve as etapas iniciais da construcao de um instrumento de medida para a avaliacao desse repertorio, o que envolveu varias etapas. Inicialmente, com base na literatura, em instrumentos semelhantes e em entrevistas, foram redigidos 92 itens, que contemplavam 14 classes de habilidades, definidas e exemplificadas no texto. A qualidade semântica e de construto dos itens foi aferida por juizes resultando na eliminacao de 24 itens. A nova versao, passou por um pre-teste de funcionamento e estudo piloto com participantes em tratamento de abuso ou dependencia de alcool ou outras drogas. Novos ajustes foram realizados e o conjunto final, de 67 itens, recebeu o nome de Inventario de Habilidades de Enfrentamento Antecipatorio para Abstinencia de Alcool e Outras Drogas (IDHEA-AD). Discute-se cada uma das etapas e sao apresentadas propostas para estudos futuros.
Efficient collision detection for soft tissue simulation in a surgical planning system

In the field of cranio-maxillofacial surgery, there is a huge demand from surgeons to be able to automatically predict the post-operative face appearance in terms of a pre-specified bone-remodeling plan. Collision detection is a promising means to achieve this simulation. In this paper, therefore, an efficient collision detection method based on a new 3D signed distance field algorithm is proposed to accurately detect the contact positions and compute the penetration depth with the moving of the bones in the simulation, and thus the contact force between the bones and the soft tissues can be estimated using penalty methods. Thereafter, a nonlinear finite element model is employed to compute the deformation of the soft tissue model. The performance of the proposed collision detection algorithm has been improved in memory requirements and computational efficiency against the conventional methods. In addition, the proposed approach has the superior convergence characteristics against other methods. Therefore, the usage of the collision detection method can effectively assist surgeons in automatically predicting the pos-operative face outline.
Guidelines with Strategies for Enhancement of Resilience and Psycho-Social Well-Being in Professional Nurses

There are currently no guidelines available for enhancement of resilience in professional nurses. This study aims to provide broad guidelines with specific strategies that may enhance resilience and psycho-social well-being in professional nurses. These guidelines are based findings from previous qualitative research on resilience in professional nurses in the public and private sector in South Africa. We used Kumpfer's (1999) theoretical model of resilience to frame the guidelines. Resilience among professional nurses appears to vary in manifestation across settings of practice.
Get Moving and Keep Moving

Abstract Despite the information available about the benefits of physical activity, many older adults are not participating in sufficient physical activity to influence their quality of life positively. Activity professionals frequently intervene to change this behavior with less than optimal results. This paper provides a framework to approach changing activity levels by intervening with older adults according to their stage of readiness for change, rather than using a one-sizefitsall approach. The Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model is discussed followed by suggestions for interventions at each stage.
Memória a curto-prazo em idosos em lar e em centro de dia

Introdução O processo de envelhecimento caracteriza-se por alterações, incluindo a degradação em diferentes funções cognitivas entre elas a memória. Aliás, a centralidade do prejuízo/declínio da memória com o envelhecimento é rapidamente verificada se considerarmos que entre os défices cognitivos referidos num dos critérios de diagnóstico de demência do Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico das Perturbações Mentais (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994) é precisamente o défice/prejuízo da memória o primeiro a ser referenciado, “podendo ser acompanhado por pelo menos uma das seguintes perturbações cognitivas: afasia, apraxia, agnosia ou perturbação/prejuízo nas funções executivas” (DSM-IV-TR, p. 135). Segundo Craik (1994), apontando também para a centralidade da memória, os idosos referem sobretudo dificuldades em recordar-se de nomes em encontrar palavras (tarefas que faziam facilmente na sua adolescência e início da adultez) e esquecimentos (particularmente de tarefas que haviam planeado executar momentos antes). De facto, a idade está directamente relacionada com o declínio na memória (Craik, 1994; Mather e Carstensen, 2005). Uma das divisões conceptuais mais utilizadas da memória enquanto função cognitiva é a memória a curto-prazo versus memória a longo-prazo. A memória a curto-prazo diz respeito à retenção de pequenas quantidades de informação durante curtos períodos de tempo (Baddeley, 2000), possuindo uma capacidade limitada, e permitindo reter uma média de sete “itens” de informação durante um breve período de tempo (Butters, Delis e Lucas, 1995). A memória a longo prazo diz respeito à capacidade de recordar informação após um intervalo de tempo (mais do que breves segundos) em que a atenção não está focada na informação (Butters et al., 1995). Focando-nos em particular na memória a curto-prazo ou memória de trabalho (e.g., Baddeley, 2000), por ser o objecto de estudo principal do nosso trabalho (e aquele com o qual queremos explorar associações), esta pode ser avaliada através de diferentes baterias de testes e diversas tarefas. No entanto, neste domínio são de interesse duas provas de rastreio cognitivo, quer pela sua dimensão, quer pelo facto de estarem validadas para Portugal. Essas provas, o Mini Mental State Examination/(MMSE; Folstein, Folstein e McHugh, 1975) e o Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, Nasreddine et al., 2005) permitem detectar demência/declínio cognitivo através do recurso a diferentes pontos de corte, conforme o instrumento, e contêm subtestes que avaliam a memória, através das tarefas de evocação. No nosso trabalho iremos focar-nos nestes subtestes que avaliam a memória a curto-prazo. Não existem muitos estudos comparando o prejuízo das funções cognitivas de idosos, nomeadamente da memória, vivendo/residindo em Lares (ou que estejam institucionalizados) ou frequentando Centros de Dia (que não estejam institucionalizados). Contudo, de acordo com Plati, Covre, Lukasova e Macedo (2006) os idosos institucionalizados apresentam piores
Safety of telephone triage in general practitioner cooperatives: do triage nurses correctly estimate urgency?

Background: In recent years, there has been a growth in the use of triage nurses to decrease general practitioner (GP) workloads and increase the efficiency of telephone triage. The actual safety of decisions made by triage nurses has not yet been assessed. Objectives: To investigate whether triage nurses accurately estimate the urgency level of health complaints when using the national telephone guidelines, and to examine the relationship between the performance of triage nurses and their education and training. Method: A cross-sectional, multicentre, observational study employing five mystery (simulated) patients who telephoned triage nurses in four GP cooperatives. The mystery patients played standardised roles. Each role had one of four urgency levels as determined by experts. The triage nurses called were asked to estimate the level of urgency after the contact. This level of urgency was compared with a gold standard. Results: Triage nurses estimated the level of urgency of 69% of the 352 contacts correctly and underestimated the level of urgency of 19% of the contacts. The sensitivity and specificity of the urgency estimates provided by the triage nurses were found to be 0.76 and 0.95, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values of the urgency estimates were 0.83 and 0.93, respectively. A significant correlation was found between correct estimation of urgency and specific training on the use of the guidelines. The educational background (primary or secondary care) of the nurses had no significant relationship with the rate of underestimation. Conclusion: Telephone triage by triage nurses is efficient but possibly not safe, with potentially severe consequences for the patient. An educational programme for triage nurses is recommended. Also, a direct second safety check of all cases by a specially trained GP telephone doctor is advisable.
Choline and Choline Metabolite Patterns and Associations in Blood and Milk during Lactation in Dairy Cows

Milk and dairy products are an important source of choline, a nutrient essential for human health. Infant formula derived from bovine milk contains a number of metabolic forms of choline, all contribute to the growth and development of the newborn. At present, little is known about the factors that influence the concentrations of choline metabolites in milk. The objectives of this study were to characterize and then evaluate associations for choline and its metabolites in blood and milk through the first 37 weeks of lactation in the dairy cow. Milk and blood samples from twelve Holstein cows were collected in early, mid and late lactation and analyzed for acetylcholine, free choline, betaine, glycerophosphocholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphocholine and sphingomyelin using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and quantified using stable isotope-labeled internal standards. Total choline concentration in plasma, which was almost entirely phosphatidylcholine, increased 10-times from early to late lactation (1305 to 13,535 µmol/L). In milk, phosphocholine was the main metabolite in early lactation (492 µmol/L), which is a similar concentration to that found in human milk, however, phosphocholine concentration decreased exponentially through lactation to 43 µmol/L in late lactation. In contrast, phosphatidylcholine was the main metabolite in mid and late lactation (188 µmol/L and 659 µmol/L, respectively), with the increase through lactation positively correlated with phosphatidylcholine in plasma (R 2 = 0.78). Unlike previously reported with human milk we found no correlation between plasma free choline concentration and milk choline metabolites. The changes in pattern of phosphocholine and phosphatidylcholine in milk through lactation observed in the bovine suggests that it is possible to manufacture infant formula that more closely matches these metabolites profile in human milk.
Serial Analysis of Gene Expression Reveals Conserved Links between Protein Kinase A, Ribosome Biogenesis, and Phosphate Metabolism in Ustilago maydis

ABSTRACT The switch from budding to filamentous growth is a key aspect of invasive growth and virulence for the fungal phytopathogen Ustilago maydis. The cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway regulates dimorphism in U. maydis, as demonstrated by the phenotypes of mutants with defects in protein kinase A (PKA). Specifically, a mutant lacking the regulatory subunit of PKA encoded by the ubc1 gene displays a multiple-budded phenotype and fails to incite disease symptoms, although proliferation does occur in the plant host. A mutant with a defect in a catalytic subunit of PKA, encoded by adr1, has a constitutively filamentous phenotype and is nonpathogenic. We employed serial analysis of gene expression to examine the transcriptomes of a wild-type strain and the ubc1 and adr1 mutants to further define the role of PKA in U. maydis. The mutants displayed changes in the transcript levels for genes encoding ribosomal proteins, genes regulated by the b mating-type proteins, and genes for metabolic functions. Importantly, the ubc1 mutant displayed elevated transcript levels for genes involved in phosphate acquisition and storage, thus revealing a connection between cAMP and phosphate metabolism. Further experimentation indicated a phosphate storage defect and elevated acid phosphatase activity for the ubc1 mutant. Elevated phosphate levels in culture media also enhanced the filamentous growth of wild-type cells in response to lipids, a finding consistent with PKA regulation of morphogenesis in U. maydis. Overall, these findings extend our understanding of cAMP signaling in U. maydis and reveal a link between phosphate metabolism and morphogenesis.
Functional diversity of photobiological traits within the genus Symbiodinium appears to be governed by the interaction of cell size with cladal designation.

Dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium express broad diversity in both genetic identity (phylogeny) and photosynthetic function to presumably optimize ecological success across extreme light environments; however, whether differences in the primary photobiological characteristics that govern photosynthetic optimization are ultimately a function of phylogeny is entirely unresolved. We applied a novel fast repetition rate fluorometry approach to screen genetically distinct Symbiodinium types (n = 18) spanning five clades (A-D, F) for potential phylogenetic trends in factors modulating light absorption (effective cross-section, reaction center content) and utilization (photochemical vs dynamic nonphotochemical quenching; [1 - C] vs [1 - Q]) by photosystem II (PSII). The variability of PSII light absorption was independent of phylogenetic designation, but closely correlated with cell size across types, whereas PSII light utilization intriguingly followed one of three characteristic patterns: (1) similar reliance on [1 - C] and [1 - Q] or (2) preferential reliance on [1 - C] (mostly A, B types) vs (3) preferential reliance on [1 - Q] (mostly C, D, F types), and thus generally consistent with cladal designation. Our functional trait-based approach shows, for the first time, how Symbiodinium photosynthetic function is governed by the interplay between phylogenetically dependent and independent traits, and is potentially a means to reconcile complex biogeographic patterns of Symbiodinium phylogenetic diversity in nature.