Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustic, kinematic and aerodynamic aspects of word- initial and word-final vowels in pre-boundary context in French

Four speakers repeated 8 times 15 sentences containing ‘pVp' syllables (V being /a/, /i/ and /u/). The ‘pVp' syllables were located in final, penultimate and antepenultimate position relatively to the Intonational Phrase (IP) boundary. They were embedded in lexical words of 1-3 syllables and were either word-initial or word-final. Results show that the closer the vowel in word-final position is to the IP boundary, the longer the duration and the higher the fundamental frequency of the vowel; it is also characterised by larger lip opening gestures. The potential reduction or coarticulation of vowels in wordinitial position compared to their counterparts in word-final position is discussed.
Effects of geometric andelectronic factors onORRactivity of carbon supportedPt – Coelectrocatalysts inPEM fuel cells

The effects of both geometric (Pt–Pt bond distance) and electronic (Pt d-band vacancy) factors on the electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of carbon supported Pt and Pt–Co alloy catalysts were investigated by Xray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopies in conjunction with electrochemical measurements in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. In the presence of cobalt, a decrease in the Pt–Pt bond distance and an increase in the metal particle size were observed. In PEM fuel cells the ORR activity on all the Pt–Co/C catalysts was higher than that on Pt/C. A poor fit between the ORR activity and the Pt–Pt bond distance was found. Conversely, the ORR activity presented a linear relationship with the integrated intensity of the Pt L 3 edge at 1.1V, related to the Pt d-band vacancy. This is because this parameter takes into account both alloying (Pt–Pt bond distance) and particle size effects. 2005 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluation Results of the Earth Gravitational Model EGM08 over the Baltic Countries

Earth’s geopotential model (EGM) in conjunction with regional terrestrial gravity data are often used in regional geoid determination. Thus, significant enhancements are expected due to release of the new high resolution Earth Gravitational Model EGM08. Accordingly, this study evaluates the performance of the EGM08 model over the Baltic Sea region with emphasis to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Several different sets of the “ground truth” data are used in the comparisons. First, the EGM08-derived height anomalies are compared with an existing regional geoid model. The detected discrepancies range within ± 0.3 m with a mean of 0.02 m, whereas the standard deviation (STD) of the discrepancies amounts to 0.08 m. The largest discrepancies occur in the areas where only a few data points were available either for the regional geoid modeling or at the EGM08 compilation, or both. Second, the free-air gravity anomalies at the terrestrial data-points are compared with the EGM08-derived anomalies. The STD of the anomaly discrepancies is 2.6 mGal. Finally, the EGM08 model is validated with respect to GPSlevelling data. The STD of detected discrepancies is 0.06 m, with a mean of 0.49 m. Thus, the EGM08 based quantities agree reasonably well with the tested datasets. Evidently, most of the available gravity data in the Baltic Sea region appear to be utilised at the EGM08 construction.
Preparation of nanosized Fluticasone Propionate nasal spray with improved stability and uniformity

Transmucosal nasal delivery has been recognized as up-and-coming option for delivery of therapeutic compounds. However, the short residence time of the formulation within the nasal cavity coupled to its low permeability is regarded as the barrier to good bioavailability. To overcome those limitations, we developed a new formulation - nanosized Fluticasone Propionate (FP) nasal spray. High pressure homogenization (HPH) was employed to achieve effective particle size reduction. Latin square experimental design (LSED) was implemented for high pressure homogenization process. With optimized process conditions, the resulting particles were less than 250 nm in size. The aging effect in FP nanosuspensions after 30-day refrigerated storage was not considerable. However, for long-term storage, a combination of homogenization and lyophilization (HL) was required to acquire stable FP nanocystals. The crystallinity of FP was examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and no alternation was observed before or after homogenization and lyophilization process. The finished nasal spray offered a more uniform drug content compared to marketed formulation, which ensure the consistency and reproducibility of dose delivery. The study confirmed the effectiveness of homogenization, the usefulness of Latin square design and the feasibility of nano nasal spray.
Follicular Fluid Concentrations of Metabolic Stressors in Normal, Obese, Metabolic Stressed and Emaciated Ewes

Somatic cell quality and oocyte quality may be influence by follicular fluid composition. The changes in metabolic composition in follicular fluid reflect the changes in biochemical composition of follicular fluid. The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic stressors composition of follicular fluid of sheep (obese, normal, metabolic stressed and emaciated). Follicular fluid samples were assayed for cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, ammonia, non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutryic acids. Metabolic stressors like total NEFA, urea and beta-hydroxy butyrate concentrations were significantly higher and cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were significantly lowered in follicular fluid of metabolic stressed and emaciated ewes.
Assessing Exchange Rate Competitiveness in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union

This paper uses three methods to assess movements of real exchange rates in the ECCU over time. First, the purchasing power parity hypothesis is tested and then used to provide a benchmark for equilibrium real exchange rates in the region. Second, a fundamentals-based equilibrium real exchange rate approach is used to explore sources of real exchange rate fluctuations in ECCU countries. And third, a macroeconomic balance approach is used to estimate equilibrium current account or current account "norms". The main finding of these analyses is that there is little evidence of overvaluation of the EC dollar. Furthermore, this paper contributes to the literature by analyzing the distinctive impact of tourism in determining real exchange rates through the wealth effect induced by tourism-driven increases in terms of trade and productivity.
I cristalli sonici come barriere antirumore - Sonic crystals as tunable noise barriers

Il presente contributo riporta un'introduzione al tema della propagazione del suono nei cristalli sonici e un excursus sulla letteratura scientifica piu recente. Si discutono i risultati di alcune indagini sperimentali condotte presso l’Universita di Bologna inerenti misure di Insertion Loss, misure effettuate all’interno del reticolo e misure di intensimetria. Infine i valori di Sound Insulation misurati per un cristallo sonico sono confrontati con valori misurati su barriere tradizionali, evidenziando come il cristallo sonico permetta di raggiungere un isolamento confrontabile con il valore soglia di Insertion Loss raggiungibile a causa della diffrazione del bordo superiore della barriera. ------ This work reports an introduction to the topic of wave propagation in sonic crystals and a review of the recent scientific literature. The paper presents the results of some experimental investigations carried out at the University of Bologna by discussing Insertion Loss measurements, measurements performed inside the lattice and sound intensity measurements. Finally, the Sound Insulation Index measured for a sonic crystal is compared to the values measured for common noise barriers, pointing out that sonic crystals reach insulation values comparable to the maximum Insertion Loss achievable due to the top edge diffraction.
AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT OF WIDE-BASE GOOGLE STREET VIEW PANORAMAS

Abstract. This paper focuses on the issue of sparse matching in cases of extremely wide-base panoramic images such as those acquired by Google Street View in narrow urban streets. In order to effectively use affine point operators for bundle adjustment, panoramas must be suitably rectified to simulate affinity. To this end, a custom piecewise planar projection (triangular prism projection) is applied. On the assumption that the image baselines run parallel to the street facades, the estimated locations of the vanishing lines of the facade plane allow effectively removing projectivity and applying the ASIFT point operator on panorama pairs. Results from comparisons with multi-panorama adjustment, based on manually measured image points, and ground truth indicate that such an approach, if further elaborated, may well provide a realistic answer to the matching problem in the case of demanding panorama configurations.
Estimation of endotracheal tube cuff pressure among anaesthesia providers does experience matter

The endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure is usually estimated and assumed to be within the appropriate range. However, the estimation of cuff pressure may be influenced by the various estimation techniques used by anaesthesia providers and their different experience level. The main aim of this study was to observe the correlation between the experience of the anaesthesia providers and their ability to estimate endotracheal cuff pressure in a correct manner. One hundred anaesthesia providers were classified into three different groups based on their months of anaesthetic experience: Group I (< 36 months), Group II (36 to 59 months) and Group III (≥ 60 months). Following intubation, the ETT cuff was inflated by the anaesthetic nurse and ETT placement verified by the anaesthesia provider. Using the pilot balloon palpation technique (PBPT), the cuff pressure was estimated to be within the appropriate pressure range, over or under-inflated. The necessary adjustments were made if needed after measurement with a VBM™ Manometer Pressure Gauge. More number of months of anaesthesia experience was not associated with a greater ability to correctly estimate the ETT cuff pressure. However, this correlation was poor (r = - 0.177). The pilot balloon palpation technique was found to be only moderately sensitive (76.5%) but poorly specific (42.9%) for correct estimation of the ETT cuff pressure, whereby PPV and NPV were 58.2% and 63.6%, respectively. The technique was 50% (95% CI 24.04 - 75.95) sensitive while correctly estimating the under-inflated cuff and 60% (95%CI 13.25-37.81) sensitive to correctly estimating the over-inflated cuff. The results depict that the experience of anaesthesia providers did not correlate with the ability to correctly estimate the ETT cuff pressure.
A review of Pinaceae resistance mechanisms against needle and shoot pathogens with a focus on the Dothistroma–Pinus interaction

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by Dothistroma septosporum and Dothistroma pini, is a highly damaging disease of pine. DNB was originally considered a problem on exotic Pinus radiata plantations in the Southern Hemisphere and on both exotic and native pines in parts of North America in the 1960s. Since the mid-1990s, however, DNB has increased in importance in various parts of the world, including Europe. On susceptible species, DNB causes premature needle drop, a loss of yield and, in some circumstances, mortality. In some areas, DNB is controlled by the application of copper-based fungicides and silvicultural techniques, such as thinning and pruning. In New Zealand, there has also been a long history of selection of more resistant P. radiata for use in breeding programmes. A richer understanding of the resistance mechanisms involved in the Dothistroma–Pinus interaction will play a critical role in helping the development of sustainable integrated DNB management strategies. This review therefore summarizes current knowledge of defence mechanisms involved in the defence of Pinaceae against needle and shoot pathogens and identifies research gaps. Collaborative research efforts from countries directly or indirectly affected by DNB are rapidly generating new knowledge to address these gaps.
Clinicopathologic correlation of endometrial stromal sarcomas: a retrospective study of 42 cases

Background: To evaluate clinicopathologic features and molecular markers associated with prognosis and diagnosis of endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS) and analyze prognostic values. Methods: We analyzed the clinic and pathologic records of 42 patients who were diagnosed with ESS from the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between January 2012 and August 2017 retrospectively, and further explored the correlation between pathological features and prognosis. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 20 to 74 years (mean: 45.5 years). There were 24 low-grade ESS (LGESS), 16 high-grade ESS (HGESS) and 2 undifferentiated uterine sarcoma (UUS) respectively, of which included 6 recurrent cases involving extra-uterine organs. The tumors of most patients usually showed positive for CD10, Vimentin, ER, PR, CyclinD1, and negative for SMA and S-100 with immunohistochemical staining. Tumor classification, depth of invasion, and tumor stage showed correlation with the recurrence rate (P Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that CyclinD1 positivity may contribute to tumor recurrence and malignancy associated with ESS. Tumor classification, depth of invasion, and tumor stage show significant association with the recurrences.
An inquiry into the impact of globalization on the potential for 'sustainable consumption' in households

This paper aims to determine whether and how globalization affects the sustainability of household consumption in industrialized countries. Our focus of inquiry arises from the existence of a tremendous gap between references to the influence of globalization on sustainable consumption in political and academic discussions on the one side and empirical evidence on the reality and strength of such an influence on the other. In order to prepare the ground for filling this gap, our paper inquires into the possibilities of a respective empirical study. Our specific focus of inquiry is on the three consumption clusters food, mobility, and energy.
Even ‘ Clouds ’ Can Burn Fire engineering simulation for a safe , innovative and high-performance architectural design-a case study

Architecture, nowadays, is an even more demanding activity in which complexity is the keyword: complex forms, complex functions and complex structures require sophisticated facilities and components, for example, ‘The Cloud’ of D. and M. Fuksas in Rome. These complexities can give rise to numerous risks, among which fire is frequently a central problem. The fire safety norms do not involve an approach integrated with other instruments or building model (BIM), but provide a list of information and constraints. These codes are now shifting away from a prescriptive-based towards a performance-based method due to recent progress in fire safety engineering. Following this approach, a case study simulation of a multi-purpose centre was carried out in Tivoli, near Rome. This simulation allowed greater freedom in architectural composition, a lower risk to people, a larger number of material and building components used and higher safety standards to be achieved. The model is based on the FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator) language, a simulation code for low-speed flows, focused on smoke, particle and heat transport by fire.
Research on the Pairwise Test Case Generation of Two-Dimensional Expansion

The recently widely-spreading usage of combinatorial interaction testing is dramatically improving the effectiveness of highly-configurable software. Conventional techniques based on greedy or heuristic algorithms can lead to suboptimal result in the size of the built test suite with unstability. In this paper, a strategy for the construction of pairwise covering test cases is presented on the basis of research on previous 2-dimensional expansion algorithm to eliminate randomness and optimize efficiency that caused by itself. The proposed approach IPO_S_R is supported by symmetry property and lower bound theory. In addition, experimental assessment is also presented.
A case study: SMED contributor using Shapley value

Single Minute Exchange Die (SMED) is one of lean tools to reduce setup time. Throughout the application of SMED, the effectiveness of this tool is unknown because there is no method to calculate its performance measurement. As long as time reduction takes place, the implementation of SMED achieves its target and goal. However, throughout the implementation of SMED most companies pay more attention on reducing time in their activity, but do not take into consideration the performance during the time reduction process . Therefore, the Shapley value method is applied to identify the performance of SMED during the time reduction process occur. In this method, a game theory concept is used to calculate the testing factors that need to be measured: time, machines, activities etc. where testing factors can represent as player and contributor. From the calculation, a fair coalition among testing factors can be identified and elimination of the unnecessary activities during the time reduction process is measured.
PII: S0140-3664(99)00189-9

In this paper we propose a new untraceable electronic cash scheme which makes it possible for a payer to attach the desired date to his electronic cash during a transaction. With the aid of the date attachability property, the date on which an electronic cash is deposited in the bank cannot be forged in an electronic cash scheme. It is conducive to the unforgeability of the number of days for which the cash has been stored in the bank for some necessary purposes such as interest calculation. Our scheme not only keeps the attached date from being forged but also avoids two or more different dates being attached to the same electronic cash. Furthermore, the date attachment does not affect the untraceability property of electronic cash. Comparing with typical electronic cash schemes, the extra computation required for date attachment is just hashing. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Elution of Monomers from Provisional Composite Materials

The aim of this study was to evaluate the elution of substances from different materials used for the manufacturing of temporary indirect restorations, after storage in saliva and ethanol 75%. 10 samples of three chemically cured materials (Protemp 3 Garant, Systemp.c&b, and Trim) and one light-cured material (Clip F) were stored in saliva and ethanol 75% for 24 h, 7, and days 28 days. From the storage media at each time period, samples were prepared and analysed by LC-MS/MS, in order to access the elution of monomers. The results differed among the materials ( ≤ 0.05). No monomers were detected in the samples of Protemp 3 Garant and Clip F. Substances were detected only in ethanol samples of Systemp.c&b and Trim. The amount of BisGMA, TEGDMA, and UDMA 2 released from Systemp.c&b was higher compared to Trim. Storage time affected the release of substances ( ≤ 0.05). The highest release was observed within the first 24 h. It can be concluded that provisional resin composite materials do not show high release of monomers and this release is material dependent. However, the detection of additional peaks during the analysis, suggesting the formation of by-products of the eluted substances, may not be in favour of these materials with respect to their toxicity.
Anaphora Resolution Using Named Entity and Ontology

Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Anaphora Resolution (WAR II). Editor: Christer Johansson. NEALT Proceedings Series, Vol. 2 (2008), 91-96. © 2008 The editors and contributors. Published by Northern European Association for Language Technology (NEALT) http://omilia.uio. no/nealt . Electronically published at Tartu University Library (Estonia) http://hdl.handle. net/10062/7129 .
Analyses of the Effect of Inserting Border Lines between Adjacent Color Regions on Detecting Boundaries

This paper presents the analyses of the effect of inserting border lines between different color regions on edge detection in color codes, and is not intended to present any new algorithm for color-code recognition. With its role to complement the RFID (radio frequency identification) and the wide and fast spread of digital cameras, an interest on color codes is fast increasing. However, the severe distortion of colors in obtained images prohibits color codes from expanding their applications. To reduce the effect of color distortion it is desirable to process the whole pixels in each color region statistically, instead of relying on some pixels sampled from the region. This requires segmentation, and the segmentation usually requires edge detection. To help detect edges not disconnected, we inserted border lines of the width of two pixels between adjacent color regions. Two colors were used for the border lines: one consisting of white pixels, and the other black pixels. The edge detection was performed on images with either of the two kinds of border lines inserted, and the results were compared to results without inserted border lines. We found that inserting black border lines degraded edge detection by causing zipper effect while inserting white border lines improved it compared to the cases without inserted border lines.
Using a linkage mapping approach to identify QTL for day‐neutrality in the octoploid strawberry

A linkage mapping approach was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with day-neutrality in the commercial strawberry, Fragaria · ananassa (Duch ex Rozier). Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to build a genetic map with a population of 127 lines developed by crossing the dayneutral (DN) Tribute with the short-day (SD) Honeoye. The population was genotyped with AFLP markers and 429 single dose restriction fragments (SDRF) were placed on a consensus map of 1541 cM with 43 linkage groups. Individuals from the mapping population were observed for their flowering habit throughout the growing season in Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Maryland (MD), Oregon (OR) and California (CA). Eight QTL were found that were either location specific or shared among locations. None of these QTL explained >36% of the phenotypic variation, indicating that the inheritance of day-neutrality is likely a polygenic trait.
Effects of interactions on the relaxation processes in magnetic nanostructures

Controlling the relaxation of magnetization in magnetic nanostructures is key to optimizing magnetic storage device performance. This relaxation is governed by both intrinsic and extrinsic relaxation mechanisms and with the latter strongly dependent on the interactions between the nanostructures. In the present work we investigate laser induced magnetization dynamics in a broadband optical resonance type experiment revealing the role of interactions between nanostructures on the relaxation processes of granular magnetic structures. The results are corroborated by constructing a temperature dependent numerical micromagnetic model of magnetization dynamics based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Bloch equation. The model predicts a strong dependence of damping on the key material properties of coupled granular nanostructures in good agreement with the experimental data. We show that the intergranular, magnetostatic and exchange interactions provide a large extrinsic contribution to the damping. Finally we show that the mechanism can be attributed to an increase in spin-wave degeneracy with the ferromagnetic resonance mode as revealed by semianalytical spin-wave calculations.