Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Up-wind difference approximation and singularity formation for a slow erosion model

We consider a model for a granular flow in the slow erosion limit introduced in [31]. We propose an up-wind numerical scheme for this problem and show that the approximate solutions generated by the scheme converge to the unique entropy solution. Numerical examples are also presented showing the reliability of the scheme. We study also the finite time singularity formation for the model with the singularity tracking method, and we characterize the singularities as shocks in the solution.
Impactos del cambio climático sobre la flora acuática de las Lagunas Verdes, volcán Chiles, Ecuador

Evaluamos los impactos del cambio climático sobre la estructura y composición florística de las plantas acuáticas en cinco lagunas altoandinas (3900 m s. n. m.), al pie del volcán Chiles. Utilizamos transectos y cuadrantes de profundidad para evaluar riqueza y patrones de cobertura vegetal, y evaluamos la físicoquímica de agua con equipos electrónicos de medición in situ. Esta información fue comparada con la generada hace 17 años. Registramos 15 especies de plantas acuáticas, de las cuales se evidenció reducción en las poblaciones de Isoetes sp. , Crassula venezuelensis y Elatine ecuadoriensis. Al parecer, Lilaeopsis schaffneriana y Juncus stipulatus son remplazadas por Lachemilla nivalis, y una Poaceae del género Agrostis como colonizadora. Las características abióticas de las lagunas evidencian cambios en el pH y la conductividad de sus aguas, generando condiciones particulares para un posible establecimiento de especies distintas a los registros históricos. Evidenciamos perjuicios sobre la naturaleza del ecosistema acuático, por la pérdida o reemplazo de especies hidrófitas por helófitas, como indicadoras de un potencial proceso de transformación de ambientes naturales, y un inminente riesgo de la permanencia y la funcionalidad ecológica de los ecosistemas acuáticos del lugar.
Criptococosis diseminada en un paciente inmunocompetente. Reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura

Cryptococcosis is an opportunist mycosis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans; that can occurs in health people and with exposure to pigeons also with a higher frequency in the immunocompromised host. We present a female 43 years old, with a subacute onset with neurologic and pulmonary compliances. Clinical and radiological data, showed a tumor located in the left side of the thorax diagnosed as cryptococoma wich was disseminated to central nervous system. The patient was not immunocompromised. She received treatment by 10 weeks with anphotericin B, fluconazole and fluocitocin; without response; with persistent tumor in thorax and positive Cryptococcus culture. Continues with antimicotic drugs with adequate response, and
The colloidal and release properties of cardamom oil encapsulated nanostructured lipid carrier

Abstract Cocoa butter and olive oil were used to produce cardamom essential oil (CEO) loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The developed NLC formulations had small size (<150 nm) and high entrapment efficiency (>90%). Scanning electron microscopy showed the round shape of NLC particles. During storage time, the particle size stayed under 150 nm, and zeta potential was almost unchanged (P > 0.05). FTIR analysis revealed no new significant chemical interaction between CEO and the NLC components. According to the in vitro release study, a large amount of CEO was encapsulated inside NLC particles (40 to 55% release in 40 days). Also, results confirmed that encapsulation of CEO by NLC was able to protect its antioxidant activity as compared to CEO emulsion (5.7 and 12.32% reduction after 30 days, respectively). CEO release from NLCs was fitted well with the Rigter–Peppas model (R2 > 93%). The results confirmed that CEO-loaded NLC could be used as a food supplement. Graphical Abstract
Water Treatment Using Metallic Iron: A Tutorial Review

Researchers and engineers using metallic iron (Fe0) for water treatment need a tutorial review on the operating mode of the Fe0/H2O system. There are few review articles attempting to present systematic information to guide proper material selection and application conditions. However, they are full of conflicting reports. This review seeks to: (i) Summarize the state-of-the-art knowledge on the remediation Fe0/H2O system, (ii) discuss relevant contaminant removal mechanisms, and (iii) provide solutions for practical engineering application of Fe0-based systems for water treatment. Specifically, the following aspects are summarized and discussed in detail: (i) Fe0 intrinsic reactivity and material selection, (ii) main abiotic contaminant removal mechanisms, and (iii) relevance of biological and bio-chemical processes in the Fe0/H2O system. In addition, challenges for the design of the next generation Fe0/H2O systems are discussed. This paper serves as a handout to enable better practical engineering applications for environmental remediation using Fe0.
Dermatological And Transdermal Formulations

The structure and function of the skin common skin disorders and their topical treatment basic mathematical principles in skin permeation skin transport methods for studying percutaneous absorption formulation strategies for modulating skinpermeation formulation and development of dermatological dosage forms bioequivalence of dermal and transdermal formulations scale-up of dermatological dosage forms a case for multivariate optimization and product homogeneity transdermal drug deliverysystems safety considerations for dermal and transdermal products transdermal delivery and cutaneous reactions.
Decoction as an Alternative to Producing Indigo Tarum Areuy (Marsdenia tinctoria) Dyes and Its Role on Fiber Coloration from Cellulose

Indigo natural dyes are generally made by maceration-fermentation for 24 - 72 hours impacting on productivity. A faster extraction method is needed by decoction methods. The faster production of indigo tarum areuy dyes is done by decoction at temperatures of 60ºC, 70ºC and 80ºC for 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. The extract was adjusted to reach pH 11. Aeration was carried out 30 minutes and then deposited for 24 hours. Indigo dyes are determined yield, purity of indigo, and evaluation of the quality of the staining results using spectrophotometric methods and color fastness testing of washing. Increased yield of indigo dyes occurs at temperatures of 60ºC and 70ºC. At 80ºC, the yield decreases with increasing decoction time. The best temperature and decoction time for pure indigo yield and the quality of the dyeing results in cotton were at 70ºC for 15 minutes with a yield of 3.625 grams per 500 grams of leaves. The dyeing color of the cotton fabric has increased along with the increase in yield and the purity of the dye. The highest color determination is achieved by a cloth dyed by indigo dyes from the decoction process at 70ºC for 15 minutes, with a K / S value of 3.8754. The extraction time and temperature did not affect the washing fastness.
Efficient Gradient-Based Algorithm with Numerical Derivatives for Expedited Optimization of Multi-Parameter Miniaturized Impedance Matching Transformers

Full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools have become ubiquitous in the design of microwave components. In some cases, e.g., miniaturized microstrip components, EM analysis is mandatory due to considerable cross-coupling effects that cannot be accounted for otherwise (e.g., by means of equivalent circuits). These effects are particularly pronounced in the structures involving slow-wave compact cells and their numerical optimization is challenging due to expensive simulations and large number of parameters. In this paper, a novel gradient-based procedure with numerical derivatives is proposed for expedited optimization of compact microstrip impedance matching transformers. The method restricts the use of finite differentiation which is replaced for selected parameters by a rank-one Broyden updating formula. The usage of the formula is governed by an acceptance parameter which is made dependent on the parameter space dimensionality. This facilitates handling circuits of various complexities. The proposed approach is validated using three impedance matching transformer circuits with the number of parameters varying from ten to twenty. A significant speedup of up to 50 percent is demonstrated with respect to the reference algorithm.
Stress-Related Responses to Alternations between Repetitive Physical Work and Cognitive Tasks of Different Difficulties

Alternating between physical and cognitive tasks has been proposed as an alternative in job rotation, allowing workers to recover from the physical work while still being productive. However, effects of such alternations on stress have not been investigated. This controlled experiment aimed at determining the extent to which stress-related responses develop during alternating physical and cognitive work, and to determine the extent to which cognitive task (CT) difficulty influences these responses. Fifteen women performed three sessions of 10 consecutive work bouts each including a seven-minute repetitive physical task (pipetting) and a three-minute CT (n-back) at one of three difficulty levels. Stress was assessed in terms of changes in heart rate variability, blood pressure, salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, perceived stress, and cognitive performance. The work session did not result in any marked stress response, and CT difficulty did not significantly influence stress, apart from alpha-amylase being higher at the easiest CT (F = 5.34, p = 0.02). Thus, according to our results, alternating between repetitive physical tasks and cognitive tasks may be a feasible alternative to classic job rotation between physical tasks only, even if the cognitive task is quite difficult. Future studies should address possible effects of the temporal pattern of alternations, and combine even other occupationally relevant tasks, preferably for extended periods of time.
Performance Improvement of a Grid-Connected Inverter under Distorted Grid Voltage Using a Harmonic Extractor

This paper introduces an improved current control strategy for a grid-connected inverter system operating under distorted grid voltage conditions. Although existing current controllers for grid-connected inverters have proportional integral gains with suitable bandwidth, low-order harmonic components can be generated by distorted grid voltages. The proposed improved current controller is established in a synchronous reference frame that rotates at harmonic frequency. The input signals for the harmonic current controller should contain only the specific harmonic components requiring suppression. Therefore, the proposed current controller uses a harmonic extractor to distinguish current signals from fundamental and specific harmonic components. The harmonic extractor retains only the relevant harmonic components for individual current controllers with high harmonic signal ratios. This paper introduces two different strategies to extract specific harmonic components for the current controller. The proposed control strategy does not require any additional hardware filter circuits and can be implemented easily by designing a suitable digital filter. When using the proposed method, grid current quality is significantly improved compared to conventional methods that do not include harmonic extractors. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through simulations and practical experiments.
Dimensionality Reduction and Its F-Transform Representation

The aim of this contribution is to connect two techniques: the F-transform on a space with a fuzzy partition and dimensionality reduction. We show how a space with a fuzzy partition can be characterized in terms of the graph Laplacian. After making the spectral analysis of the corresponding Laplacian matrix we compute its eigenvectors and show their relevance to the F-transform basic functions.
Modelagem do comportamento estrutural de uma mandíbula edêntula com implantes vertical e angulado

Neste trabalho avaliou-se o comportamento de duas geometrias de implantes dentais do sistema BIOFORM®, os implantes vertical e angulado frontal, fabricados pela MAXTRON (Juiz de Fora, MG). Tais implantes foram analisados por meio das tensoes determinadas atraves do Metodo dos Elementos Finitos, realizando simulacoescomputacionais em modelos geometricos dos implantes inseridos em uma mandibula edentula. O modelo geometrico da mandibula foi obtido atraves de uma tomografia computadorizada e os modelos geometricos dos implantes foram obtidos por meio de desenhos tecnicos fornecidos pelo fabricante. Utilizando as ferramentas de operacoes booleanas no programa ANSYS®, conseguiu-se obter modelos geometricos para cada um dos implantes com as devidas intersecoes entre os volumes do osso mandibular e do implante posicionado na regiao do primeiro molar esquerdo, podendo-se entao construir os modelos de elementos finitos. Os implantes foram analisados segundo a variacao das condicoes derestricao de deslocamentos nos condilos considerados como pontos de apoio, variacao do dominio comparando-se o modelo mandibular completo com um modelo considerando apenas uma fatia limitada da regiao onde o implante foi posicionado, variacao do contorno osseo doimplante simulando uma situacao de carregamento quando da implantacao e outra com o implante ja consolidado, avaliacao das duas geometrias segundo carregamentos vertical e horizontal. Como em outros estudos, em todas as variacoes analisadas, os implantesapresentaram concentracoes de tensoes na regiao cervical, sendo que, em relacao aos niveis de tensao, o implante angulado apresentou tanta eficiencia quanto o implante vertical, resultado importante em se tratando de uma geometria pouco difundida.
Application of Hygienic Standards and Health Protection in Hotel Wellness Centers in the Republic of Croatia

During the course of the last few years wellness has appeared on tourist markets worldwide as one of the most significant hotel products. Strong competition imposes the achievement and maintenance of certain quality of hotel Stranica 49-60 49 S. Vitner Markoviæ, D. Birikiæ: PRIMJENA HIGIJENSKIH STANDARDA I ZDRAVSTVENA SIGURNOST U. 1 Veleuèilište u Karlovcu, svitner@vuka.hr 2 Top terme Topusko, drazenka@topterme.hr wellness centers. The existence and competitiveness of hotel wellness centers on global tourist markets depend not only upon their quality and specific distinctive features of their offer but also upon reached hygienic standards. Notable numbers of hotel wellness centers in the Republic of Croatia do not comply with demands of global standards that foreign tourists have been used to. The aim of this work is to point at the need for making and applying hygienic standards in Croatian hotel wellness centers. The hypothesis of this work is as follows: hygienic standards in Croatian hotel wellness centers have not been clearly defined although there are Regulations regarding safety and health protection in hotel wellness centers in the Republic of Croatia. Such a policy consequently endangers competitiveness of Croatian hotel wellness centers on an international level. Clear definition and the application of hygienic standards improve the quality of hotel wellness centers and positively influence safety and health protection of customers thus enhancing competitiveness on an international level and increasing total hotel revenue.
Doctors in Management: A Study of Fundholding GPs

Fundholding enabled General Practitioners (GPs) to have financial responsibility for practice budgets to purchase health services for their patients. This thesis examines that significant episode in the history of the UK‟s NHS (Chapter 2) when independent contractors chose to be accountable as part of the creation of the internal market within the ethos of New Public Management (NPM). The reasons for practices electing to go fundholding are investigated, followed by examination of the implications of, and potential for, accounting in the management of fundholding at practice level through an empirical study of twelve fundholding practices in one region in England (Chapter 4). Accounting per se did not loom large, but in addition to significant findings on why practices went fundholding, the role of the lead partner for fundholding and why they took on that role emerged as a significant issue. Several years after the completion of the fundholding episode in the NHS, the GPs concerned were asked to reflect on its implications for their careers, in particular the relationship between their work as doctors and managers (Chapter 7). This brings a longitudinal element to the research. This thesis is based on two major and one minor previously published refereed journal articles, together with further interpretation and more empirical work. The thesis structure reflects the emergent character of the overall research project (Chapter 3). After presenting the already published research on why practices volunteered to go fundholding and how those practices selected their „lead‟ partner (Chapter 4) and attitudes of GPs who took the management role(Chapter 6), a second analysis of the first phase of data is presented for the first time, finding different levels of engagement in management once fundholding was „live‟ and evidence of doctors in primary care taking hybrid manager roles (Chapter 6). GPs are found to adopt different levels of engagement in management. The factors that contribute to doctors‟ engagement in management are identified. Accounting is found to enable doctors in management and assist them in securing notions of professionalism. The study contributes to knowledge on a number of levels: it presents the case of an application of a NPM „experiment‟ in an institutional setting recognising the context of general practice and financial responsibility as important in engaging doctors in management; it contributes to an emerging „doctors in management literature‟, complementing the majority of that literature by focusing on primary care rather than secondary care. The study recommends that as doctors are increasingly being asked to get involved in the management of the finite NHS resource that fundholding was a significant episode to guide the design of policy and structures that will engage doctors in management. Future studies should investigate doctors in management, using case studies to examine the schemes in order to capture the „lived experience‟, identifying the different levels of engagement, what they do and how they do it.
Experimental Design for Optimal Removal of PAH from Crude Oil Waste using Aerobic Bioreactor

Crude oil waste contains recalcitrant pollutants and bioreactors offer a significant mechanism for the removal of these pollutants. The present work is concerned with the finding of the optimum conditions for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using bioreactors from crude oil sludge. The Box-Wilson method of experimental design was adopted to establish relationships between three operating variables (dosage of oxygen, PAHs concentration and pH) that affect the treatment process. The experimental data were successfully fitted to a second-order polynomial mathematical model which was used to optimize the treatment process in discontinuous mode at laboratory scale. The most favorable operating condition for the treatment include; oxygen dosage (0.4g), PAHs concentration (20mg/L) and pH (6). On using the optimum conditions, a mathematical model simulating the treatment process was obtained. The results show that the bioreactor is very effective in removing PAH from crude oil sludge.
Iterative algorithm for the Q-weighted nonnegative matrix factorization

Nonnegative matrix factorization, which decomposes a target matrix into the product of two matrices with nonnegative elements, has been widely used in various fields of science, engineering and technology. In this paper, we consider the more general Q-weighted nonnegative matrix factorization (QWNMF) problem. By using the additive representation of the Q-weighted norm, the QWNMF problem is transformed into an unconstraint optimization problem, and then a new iterative algorithm is designed to solve it. The numerical analysis of this algorithm is also given. Numerical examples show that the new method is feasible and effective.
Short-wave near infrared spectroscopy for the quality control of milk

The present study aims to demonstrate the potential use of short-wave near infrared spectroscopy for the quality control of raw cow milk samples, collected from high mountain areas. The sampling plan comprised three farms, all located within the same Alpine region (South Tyrol, Italy), but located at different altitudes (1900 m, 1050 m and 950 m a.s.l). Each farm used a similar extensive grassland-based farming system. For comparison, raw milk samples were also collected from a farm located in the valley (Milan, Italy), at 200 m a.s. l. and subjected to an intensive farming system. From each location, the samples were collected 10 times within one month of production. All the milk samples were analysed by diffuse trans-reflectance in the wavelength range from 850 to 1350 nm. Principal component analysis of the spectra revealed that the short-wave near infrared bands, respectively, 847, 1084, and 1095 nm, were the most important to distinguish milk between farms. The signal intensities of these wavelengths were used to build a multivariate control chart based on the Hotelling T2 statistic. The results showed that short-wave near infrared spectroscopy can be successfully used to monitor milk products in a fast, simple and on-line way.
Practice With Highly Vulnerable Clients: Case Management and Community-Based Service

This text focuses on professional practice involving various severely impeded population groups which require comprehensive service, such as: persistently mentally ill, frail elderly, physically disabled, developmentally disabled and dependent children. This book discusses new service concepts and approaches to these clients and outlines an empirical model of pratice for 15 specific professional functions.
Monfortinho Thermal Water-Based Creams: Effects on Skin Hydration, Psoriasis, and Eczema in Adults

The use of mineral water for therapeutic purposes has varied from century to century and from country to country. Its effectiveness depends on the individual experiences of the population and their cultural traditions. Usually, the waters recommended for dermatological treatment are hot springs that contain sulfur or more recently, silicon. The mechanisms by which mineral waters actuate in dermatological disorders are still not clear but it is believed that they involve thermal, mechanical, chemical, immunologic, and anti-oxidant reactions and enzymatic activity. The aim of this study is to characterize the thermal waters of Monfortinho, one of the oldest Portuguese spas, their potential use for the preparation of dermatological formulations (creams), and their effectiveness on the treatment of skin disorders (psoriasis and eczema). To accomplish this, cream formulations with different contents of thermal water were developed. The formulations were characterized in terms of thermal water analysis and physicochemical properties and their effects were studied by skin biometrics in adults (mean age of 54.3 years old) through skin hydration evaluation and evaluated in clinical studies on 22 patients with psoriasis and eczema. The results showed that all the formulations improved the skin hydration and have beneficial effects in relieving the symptoms of psoriasis and other disorders, but no significant differences were observed when thermal water was used (compared to laboratory ultra-pure water).