Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Product Design Strategy with Commonality by Considering Customer-Choice Behavior in Supply Chain

Product design decisions have significant impact on a firm's competitive edge. This paper investigates the condition under which component commonality is a profitable product design strategy for a firm by considering customer-choice behavior in the supply chain environment. The design configuration with commonality can lower manufacturing cost, but it also reduces product differentiation and revenue. While the customer-choice behavior with utility maximization will impact the retailer's product pricing, we analyze a stylized model of the manufacturer who designs a product family consisting of two products for two market segments with different valuations of quality. By explicitly considering the interrelationship between customer's utility and retail price, we find that commonality strategy is conditionally profitable. Theoretical research reveals that the optimal product design strategy depends on the marginal valuations of customer-choice behavior and the cost-coefficient of the common component determined by the supplier. An example is used to illustrate how some supply chain parameters impact the optimal product design strategy.
Maximum Power Point Tracking of Partially Shaded Photovoltaic Arrays using Particle Swarm Optimization aKenneth

This paper presents the particle swarm optimization based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) approach for maximizing output power of photovoltaic (PV) array under partially shaded conditions (PSC). During PSC, the P-V characteristic becomes more complex with multiple maximum power points (MPP). Most of the conventional MPPT approaches will be trapped at the local MPP and hence limiting the maximum power generation. As such, the investigation on particle swarm optimization (PSO) based MPPT is carried out to maximize the PV generated power principally under PSC operation. The performances of conventional MPPT approach and the proposed PSO-MPPT are investigated particularly on the transient and steady state responses under various shaded conditions. The simulation results show that the PSO-MPPT is able to facilitate the PV array to reach the global MPP as well as to assist the PV array to produce more stable output power compared to the conventional perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm.
Fifty key figures in Islam

The perfect resource for those wishing to learn more about the Muslim culture, its people and its teachings, Fifty Key Figures in Islam explores the lives and thoughts of fifty influential individuals in Islam and surveys a heritage that spans 1,500 years. Covering key figures such as the Prophet Muhammad, Suleiman 'the Magnificent' and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), the entry for each figure includes: •biographical details •a presentation and analysis of their main ideas •an account of their impact and influence within and, if appropriate, beyond the Islamic tradition •list of major works and additional reading. Fully cross-referenced for ease of use, this clearly presented work is ideal for those interested in or studying the area, and could not have come at a more fascinating time in history for Islam.
A Token-Based Scheme for Coordinating Decisions in Large-Scale Autonomic Systems

Coordinating decisions in large-scale systems is acknowledged as one of the most challenging aspects of autonomic computing. If control theory is already pushed to its limits by the inevitable decentralised nature of such systems, going large-scale makes things even harder. In this paper, we propose a decentralised token-based scheme for coordinating shared resources allocation in large-scale autonomic systems. In this scheme, each token represents an exclusive access to a share of the resource. Tokens are used and exchanged among autonomic managers to limit their decisions to the resource capacity the tokens they hold at this moment represent. Our token based protocol is meant to provide statistical guarantees on the average total resource usage and the average lateness of node actions due to the coordination. It exposes a set of parameters which we have explored to characterise its fairness and global resource usage on a use case in geotracking. Experiments with the coordination of 10.000 autonomic managers have shown very good results for large spectrum of parameter values and system's regimes.
Innovation Analytics Using Mined Semantic Analysis

In this paper we describe our work on cognitive assistance (Cog) technology in the innovation analytics domain. We pro-pose a framework for innovation analytics and management using Mined Semantic Analysis ( MSA ). Our goal is to build a semantic driven visual interactive analytics engine that provides insights on innovation data using conceptual knowledge derived from huge unstructured textual knowledge corpora (e.g., Wikipedia ). Throughout the paper we demonstrate a case study utilizing our framework for providing computational assists on competitive intelligence by automatically deﬁning the innovation portfolio of an organization, and us-ing that information to identify other key players with similar portfolios which could be candidates for acquisition.
Small intestinal development in growth-retarded fetal sheep.

The functional maturity of the gastrointestinal system is essential for the survival of the neonate. The effects of reducing placental size and the ensuing fetal growth retardation on the development of the small intestine (SI) of the sheep fetus were investigated. At 140 days of gestation (term is 147 days), fetal body weight, gastrointestinal weight (from the abomasum to the rectum, i.e., the gut), SI weight, and SI length in the growth-retarded fetuses (n = 6) were significantly reduced (p less than 0.05) when compared with age- and breed-matched control fetuses. The SI weight was disproportionately reduced as a fraction of the gut weight or SI length (p less than 0.01). The proximal SI showed marked reductions in the thickness of the wall, muscularis externa, mucosa, villus height, and crypt depth (p less than 0.003). Densities of villi and crypts were also reduced (p less than 0.02). The crypt-to-villus ratio was maintained. Glycogen was accumulated basally in the villus epithelial cells, and their nuclei were located apically. These characteristics are comparable to those of much younger fetuses. In the distal SI, interanimal variation was large; however, the mean thickness of the wall, the muscularis externa, the mucosa, and the villus height were all reduced (p less than 0.05). In this region, the density of villi and crypts, the pattern of glycogen accumulation, and the position of the nuclei did not markedly differ between growth-retarded and control fetuses. Villus cell density was increased (p less than 0.01). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Association of ICP0 but not ICP27 with purified virions of herpes simplex virus type 1

Recent studies have shown that ICP4, one of the major immediate-early proteins of herpes simplex virus type 1 is present within the tegument region of the virion (F. Yao and R. J. Courtney, J. Virol. 63:3338-3344, 1989). With monoclonal antibodies to two additional immediate-early proteins, ICP0 and ICP27, and Western blot (immunoblot) analysis, ICP0, but not ICP27, was also found to be associated with purified virus particles. In an effort to localize the ICP0 within the virion, purified virions were treated with trypsin in the presence and absence of detergent. The data suggest that ICP0 is located within the tegument region of the virion and is not localized in the envelope or within the nucleocapsid. The number of molecules of ICP0 per virion was estimated to be approximately 150.
Effect of the Fiber Orientation Relatively to the Plasma Flow Direction in the Ablation Process of a Carbon-Phenolic Composite

Composite materials are vastly employed in rocket nozzle extensions and as thermal protection shields in aerospace industry. In both cases, ablative and thermal properties play an important role for material choice and equipment sizing. These properties are strongly dependent on the way the pieces are manufactured. For the case of nozzle extensions, wrapping is the most common technique employed, which can be done by diverse ways. In this work, samples of the carbon reinforced carbon fiber (CRCF) were extracted from pre-forms obtained by biased and parallel tape wrapping processes with a resol-type phenolic resin used as polymer matrix, in order to study the influence of the fiber angle in the ablative behavior and thermal conductivity. Experimental results for both manufacturing techniques were obtained through ablation tests carried out in a plasma torch, were compared and had the different behaviors discussed. A computational simulation based in a two-front ablation model was also performed, in order to explain the influence of thermal conductivity on the different behaviors presented for biased fiber samples. Results show that the angle of the fibers relative to the heat flux direction is an important parameter to determine the ablative properties and the thermal performance of composite wrapped structures.
Point primitives for interactive modeling and processing of 3D-geometry

3D geometry has beeome increasingly popular as a new form of digital media. Similar to other types of media data, i.e., sound, images, and video, this requires tools to aequire, store, process, edit, and transmit 3D geometry. With inereasing eomplexity of 3D geometrie models and growing demand for advaneed modeling funetionality, significant effort is being devoted to the design of efficient, reliable, and sealable algorithms for digital geometry processing. This thesis investigates the use ofpoint primitives for 3D geometry proeessing and interactive modeling. Representing surfaees by point clouds aUows direet processing of 3D scanner data, which avoids the need for surface reeonstruetion methods. The struetural simplieity of point-based representations supports effieient re-sampling for extreme geometrie defonnations and topology changes. It also leads to coneise algorithms that are weU suited for hardware implementation. The main focus of this thesis is on algorithms for shape and appearanee modeling ofsurfaees represented by point clouds. This requires methods for loeal surfaee analysis and reconstruetion, filtering, re-sampling, and estimation of the signed distanee funetion. Local surfaee analysis is based on a statistical operator applied to local neighborhoods of point samples, This enables effieient estirnation of the tangent space of the underlying surfaee, as well as providing different approximations for surfaee eurvature. To compute loeal approximations of a surfaee represented by point samples, an extension of the moving least squares surfaee model is presented that adapts to the local sampling density. An important geometrie proeessing tool is surfaee sirnplification. To reduce the eomplexity of point-sampled surfaees, various simplifieation methods are presented, inc1uding c1ustering, iterative point-pair eontraetion, and partic1e simulation. These methods are used to build hierarchies of surfaee approximations for efficient multilevel eomputations. A multi-seale surface representation is introduced that enables sophisticated editing funetionality at different approximation levels. Representing a point-sampled surface at different levels of geometrie detail supports advanced filtering methods sueh as enhaneement filters. Multi-scale methods are also applied to implement a feature extraetion pipeline for point-sampled surfaces with particular emphasis on robustness and effieiency. The above methods are integrated into a unified framework for point-based shape and appearanee modeling. Shape modeling funetionality inc1udes boolean operations and freeform defonnation, appearanee editing comprises painting, texturing, seulpting, and filtering methods. Based on adynamie sampling paradigm, this system defines a complete and versatile modeling environment for 3D content ereation.
Autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase and phenotypic features associated with early insulin treatment in individuals with adult‐onset diabetes mellitus

We investigated the association of serum antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADab) with early start of insulin treatment (≤ 1 year from diagnosis, or ≤ 2 years from diagnosis) using data from a representative sample of 374 adult‐onset insulin‐treated individuals from the Tasmanian Diabetes Register. Furthermore, we examined whether this association was stronger than the phenotypic characteristics (age at diagnosis, sex, family history of diabetes, level of obesity, duration of diabetes) often used for diabetes classification. In this cohort, 35.9 % of males and 38.5 % of females were GADab positive. Within the first year from diagnosis, 78.4 % of GADab positive people compared to 44.0 % of GADab negative people (p < 0.001) had started insulin treatment. Univariate associations with insulin treatment ≤ 1 year from diagnosis included GADab positivity, no family history of diabetes, lower BMI for men, and GADab positivity and lower BMI for women. In multivariate models, significant associations with insulin treatment ≤ 1 year from diagnosis included a family history of diabetes (OR = 0.47, 95 % CI = 0.23–0.95) and GADab positivity (OR = 2.19, 95 % CI = 1.01–4.73) for men, but only GADab positivity (OR = 7.53, 95 % CI = 3.09–18.30) for women. Age at diagnosis was not associated with insulin treatment ≤ 1 year or ≤ 2 years from diagnosis for either sex. These findings indicate that a positive GADab test result is strongly associated with start of insulin treatment within 1 or 2 years from diagnosis, more so than characteristics such as level of obesity and age at diagnosis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combining Prehension and Propulsion: The Foot of Ardipithecus ramidus

Several elements of the Ardipithecus ramidus foot are preserved, primarily in the ARA-VP-6/500 partial skeleton. The foot has a widely abducent hallux, which was not propulsive during terrestrial bipedality. However, it lacks the highly derived tarsometatarsal laxity and inversion in extant African apes that provide maximum conformity to substrates during vertical climbing. Instead, it exhibits primitive characters that maintain plantar rigidity from foot-flat through toe-off, reminiscent of some Miocene apes and Old World monkeys. Moreover, the action of the fibularis longus muscle was more like its homolog in Old World monkeys than in African apes. Phalangeal lengths were most similar to those of Gorilla. The Ardipithecus gait pattern would thus have been unique among known primates. The last common ancestor of hominids and chimpanzees was therefore a careful climber that retained adaptations to above-branch plantigrady.
A New ZVT Power Factor Corrected Three-Phase AC-AC Converter with Single-Phase HF Link

This paper presents a new zero-voltage transition, power factor corrected three-phase AC-AC converter with single-phase high frequency link. It is a two-stage converter; the first stage is a boost-integrated bridge converter operated at fixed frequency and operates in two modes at ZVT for all switches and establishes a 1-ph square wave HF link. The second stage is a bi-directional PWM 3-ph bridge that converts the 1-ph HF link to a 3-ph voltage using a novel switching strategy. The converter modes of operation, and key equations are outlined. Simulation of the overall system is carried out using Simulink. The switching strategy and its corresponding control circuit are clearly described. Experimental verification of the simulation is carried out for a prototype of 500 W at 10 kHz link frequency
Usefulness of panoramic radiography in the diagnosis of postmenopausal osteoporosis in women. Width and morphology of inferior cortex of the mandible.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the usefulness of width and morphology of the inferior cortex of the mandible on panoramic radiographs in the diagnosis of postmenopausal osteoporosis. METHODS The width and morphology of the mandibular inferior cortex on panoramic radiographs were compared with trabecular bone mineral density (TBMD) of the 3rd lumbar vertebrae (L3) measured by dual energy quantitative computed tomography in 29 premenopausal and 95 postmenopausal women. RESULTS There was a significant negative correlation between the width (Kendall's tau = -0.36, p < 0.001) and morphology (Kendall's tau = -0.49, p < 0.001) of the mandibular inferior cortex and the L3 TBMD. Regression analysis showed that significant linear relationships were observed between the L3 TBMD and age (p < 0.001), cortical width (p < 0.05), morphology (p < 0.05), controlling body mass index, number of teeth present and menopausal status (R2 = 0.42). CONCLUSION Our results suggest that panoramic radiography could be reliable in screening for osteoporosis.
A systematic review of controlled trials of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of brief psychological treatments for depression.

Searching A wide range of electronic databases were searched using a comprehensive strategy, which was detailed in the report. In addition, 11 psychiatry/psychology journals and three health economics journals were handsearched. The reviewers searched the bibliographies of relevant trials and reviews, grey literature and dissertations. They also contacted leading researchers, stakeholders and experts in the field. Both published and unpublished material was acceptable for inclusion in the review.
Predicting Employee Interaction in Large Enterprise Heterogeneous Information Network

Large enterprises find success through the collaboration among the members of the enterprise. It thus becomes a specific business goal to increase collaboration. By thinking of the enterprise as a network one can model interactions over time, and characterize interactions, frequency, and type and marry this to a set of outcomes. Beyond descriptive analytics, one can engage in predictive and prescriptive analytics. In terms of the enterprise social network of a specific company, one prediction task is to identify new interactions between two employees where no interaction has happened previously. We set out to extend the previous work of predicting links in heterogeneous networks to enterprise networks. This paper introduces a modified version of PathPredict by leveraging the hierarchical features of enterprise social networks for predicting future employee interactions. A data set from a company enterprise network called tSpace was extracted and analyzed. We show that the novel measure on hierarchical enterprise paths provides great precision of a co-worker prediction task.
Effect of delayed activation of light-cured resin composites on bonding of all-in-one adhesives.

PURPOSE This study examined the effect of delayed activation of light-cured resin composites on the microtensile bond strengths of two all-in-one adhesives to sound dentin. MATERIALS AND METHODS Flat dentin surfaces prepared from caries-free third molars were bonded with either Prompt L-Pop (ESPE) or One-Up Bond F (Tokuyama). Each adhesive was divided into 6 subgroups containing three teeth each. A hybrid composite was left to contact the cured adhesive surfaces for 0, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 min before light activation. In the 6th subgroup, the cured adhesive was covered with a layer of nonacidic bonding resin before contacting the composite for 20 min. Composite-dentin beams, with average cross-sectional areas of 0.85 mm2 were prepared for microtensile bond testing. Representative fractured beams from the 0, 10- and 20-min delay subgroups were prepared for SEM examination. Additional specimens were prepared in the 0- and 20-min delay subgroups by replacing the hybrid composite with either a flowable composite or a composite liner to facilitate TEM preparation and examination. RESULTS Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Dunn's multiple comparison tests showed that significant differences existed among the subgroups of each adhesive. Regression analyses showed that for each adhesive, there was an exponential decline in mean bond strength with increasing delay in light activation, and the correlation was highly significant (r = -0.99, p < 0.005 for Prompt L-Pop; r = -0.96, p < 0.01 for One-Up Bond F). SEM examination of fractured interfaces in the immediately light-cured subgroups revealed the absence of voids within the fractured composite. However, voids were consistently observed in the 10 min- and 20 min-delay subgroups. They corresponded to soapsuds-like blisters that were observed with TEM in the 20 min-delay subgroups. CONCLUSION Adverse interactions between acidic adhesive resin monomers and tertiary amines in light-cured composites normally do not occur because of the fast rate of free-radical generation in photochemical redox reactions. However, such interactions can occur in all-in-one adhesives on prolonged contact of light-cured composites with the cured adhesive layer.
Spontaneous viral clearance, viral load, and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV-infected patients with anti-HCV antibodies in Europe.

BACKGROUND Variables influencing serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels and genotype distribution in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are not well known, nor are factors determining spontaneous clearance after exposure to HCV in this population. METHODS All HCV antibody (Ab)-positive patients with HIV infection in the EuroSIDA cohort who had stored samples were tested for serum HCV RNA, and HCV genotyping was done for subjects with viremia. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with spontaneous HCV clearance and HCV genotype 1. RESULTS Of 1940 HCV Ab-positive patients, 1496 (77%) were serum HCV RNA positive. Injection drug users (IDUs) were less likely to have spontaneously cleared HCV than were homosexual men (20% vs. 39%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.36 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.24-0.53]), whereas patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were more likely to have spontaneously cleared HCV than were those negative for HBsAg (43% vs. 21%; aOR, 2.91 [95% CI, 1.94-4.38]). Of patients with HCV viremia, 786 (53%) carried HCV genotype 1, and 53 (4%), 440 (29%), and 217 (15%) carried HCV genotype 2, 3, and 4, respectively. A greater HCV RNA level was associated with a greater chance of being infected with HCV genotype 1 (aOR, 1.60 per 1 log higher [95% CI, 1.36-1.88]). CONCLUSIONS More than three-quarters of the HIV- and HCV Ab-positive patients in EuroSIDA showed active HCV replication. Viremia was more frequent in IDUs and, conversely, was less common in HBsAg-positive patients. Of the patients with HCV viremia analyzed, 53% were found to carry HCV genotype 1, and this genotype was associated with greater serum HCV RNA levels.
Dental Bulge Restoration and Gingival Collar Expansion after Endodontic Treatment of a Complicated Maxillary Fourth Premolar Crown-Root Fracture in a Dog

This case report describes endodontic, restorative, and periodontal treatment of a complicated crown-root fracture of the right maxillary fourth premolar tooth in a dog. A buccal portion (‘slab’) had separated from the tooth, which extended subgingivally into root structure. Following completion of standard root canal therapy, a periodontal flap was elevated. Alveolectomy and alveoloplasty were performed, and inflamed soft tissues were debrided. The fracture site was prepared, restored, and shaped to receive a dental bulge contour. A gingival collar expansion technique was utilized to allow for apical positioning of gingiva at the distobuccal crown-root segment. Clinical and radiographic examination 15-months following treatment showed no evidence of endodontic failure. The restorations were intact, and periodontal probing depths were slightly increased probably due to gingival enlargement from concurrent cyclosporine therapy. The importance of biologic width maintenance in periodontal surgery and need for owner compliance with home oral hygiene are discussed.