Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current management of gallstone disease

In asymptomatic gallstone patients, the risk of developing symptoms or complications requiring surgery is small in the range of 1~4% per year. Thus a recommendation for cholecystectomy in a patient with gallstones should probably be based on assessment of three factors: (1) the symptoms that are frequent enough or severe enough to interfere with the patient`s general routine; (2) the presence of a prior complication of gallstone disease or (3) the presence of an underlying condition predisposing the patient to increased risk of gallstone complications (e.g., calcified or porcelain gallbladder and/or a previous attack of acute cholecystitis). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the procedure of choice for most patients with gallbladder stones. Its advantages include a markedly shortened hospital stay, minimal disability, as well as decreased cost. In carefully selected patients with a functioning gallbladder and with radiolucent stones <5 mm in diameter, complete dissolution can be achieved in ~50% of patients with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Early cholecystectomy is considered the treatment of choice of acute cholecystitis. In the small minority of patients with severe acute cholecystitis or who are poor candidates for surgery, initial conservative management with antibiotics is recommended with percutanous cholecystostomy. (Korean J Med 75:624-632, 2008)
An investigation of destination attributes and service quality of tourism in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

The general objective of this study was to examine tourist evaluation of the destination attributes and how these associate with tourists’ satisfaction in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. This study employed a crosssectional research design utilizing a quantitative research method to pursue the research objectives. The target population consisted of 152 international tourists who visited the four tourist destinations in Amhara Region namely: Gondar, Debark, Bahir Dar, and Lalibela. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure tourists’ perceptions of the eight destination attributes. Descriptive analysis revealed that the potential tourists visiting the major tourist destinations in Amhara Region are females, aged between 5059, single, and highly educated. In terms of travel behavior characteristics, the majority of the respondents arrived to the major tourist destinations by air, got information from word-of-mouth, came primarily for culture experience followed by leisure. Descriptive analysis also revealed that tourists rated the eight destination attributes at a high level, and they were generally satisfied with the major tourist attraction areas of Amhara Region. The regression analysis showed that destination attractiveness, hospitality, and cost had positive relationship with tourist satisfaction, while infrastructural, accessibility, and destination cleanliness had negative relationship with tourist satisfaction. Accommodation and safety and security did not make a significant contribution to the prediction of tourists’ satisfaction. Based on the results of this, the research makes recommendations for the various parties like culture and tourism offices, service providers, NGO’s, local administers, should involved for increasing the satisfaction of foreign tourists.
“What is the alternative? Not trying to mix? Nah.” A case study on housing and social mix policies within physical planning in Malmö, Sweden

Residential segregation is seen as a growing problem within many urban areas today. Segregation is assumed to hamper social integration and the life-chances of disadvantaged as well as creating instability in society. One policy measure to deal with residential segregation is to increase the variation in the housing structure. This is assumed to create a social mix, that in turn will generate positive neighbourhood effects. This is a prevailing policy discourse, even if the research field is inconclusive, and some scholars claim that social mix policies can increase segregation by promoting processes of gentrification. This thesis conducts a case study on the housing and social mix policies in Malmo, Sweden. Through an analysis of official planning documents and interviews with officials, policymakers and other professionals, the aim of the study is to problematise housing and social mix policies by focusing on strategies, challenges and potential risks. Three main strategies are found which are a mix of tenure forms, breaking barriers and a mix of functions. Furthermore, the thesis finds that there are many challenges with the implementation of the strategies which relates to the logic within neoliberal urbanism where the municipality has to plan in relation to the market. Another challenge is the vagueness and self-evident role of the ideal within physical planning, which means that the content can vary. Some potential risks of the strategies are displacement and increased rent-levels, which lead to less affordable housing. (Less)
Utility of a Standardized, Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Program for Chronic Low Back Pain

The relative effectiveness of a multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation program, designed for patients with chronic lumbar disorders, was assessed. Patient outcome data over two years were collected and associative changes in outcome measurements were analyzed. For 6,340 patients enrolled in this prototype program, satisfaction ratings were 90% at both follow-up evaluations at one and two months. In general, female patients profited more from the intervention as compared to men. Of the patients with return to work data, 90.2% resumed work by four months. After two years, patient usage of prescription and non-prescription medications declined by 47.1% and 33.9%, respectively. Eighty percent of the patients included in the program with the main aim to avoid surgery were successfully treated by conservative measures alone. In conclusion, following the initiation of a multidisciplinary outpatient program, chronic low back pain patients showed improvements in function, reduced pain, and reduced healthcare utilization.
Surface Constraints on the Depth of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Southern Ocean versus North Atlantic

Paleoclimate proxy evidence suggests that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) was about 1000 m shallower at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to the present. Yet it remains unresolved what caused this glacial shoaling of the AMOC, and many climate models instead simulate a deeper AMOC under LGM forcing. While some studies suggest that Southern Ocean surface buoyancy forcing controls the AMOC depth, others have suggested alternatively that North Atlantic surface forcing or interior diabatic mixing plays the dominant role. To investigate the key processes that set the AMOC depth, here we carry out a number of MITgcm ocean-only simulations with surface forcing fields specified from the simulation results of three coupled climate models that span much of the range of glacial AMOC depth changes in phase 3 of the Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP3). We find that the MITgcm simulations successfully reproduce the changes in AMOC depth between glacial and modern conditions simulated in these three PMIP3 models. By varying the restoring time scale in the surface forcing, we show that the AMOC depth is more strongly constrained by the surface density field than the surface buoyancy flux field. Based on these results, we propose a mechanism by which the surface density fields in the high latitudes of both hemispheres are connected to the AMOC depth. We illustrate the mechanism using MITgcm simulations with idealized surface forcing perturbations as well as an idealized conceptual geometric model. These results suggest that the AMOC depth is largely determined by the surface density fields in both the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean.
Simulation and Optimization Design of SiC-Based PN Betavoltaic Microbattery Using Tritium Source

In this paper, the Monte Carlo method and numerical model are used to build the electrical model of a SiC-based betavoltaic microbattery using a 3H source, and the influences of structural parameters and the surface recombination effect on the output characteristics of the SiC PN battery are simulated. According to Monte Carlo calculations based on the energy spectrum of the 3H source, the ionization energy deposition approaches the exponential distribution along the depth direction, and most of the 22rs are concentrated near the material surface. The ionization energy deposition data is converted into non-equilibrium carrier information for the numerical simulation of the battery’s output characteristics. The simulation results show that the conversion efficiency of the battery rises first, and then decreases with the increase of the doping concentration of the N region. This is because the N region-doping affects the depletion region width and the built-in electrical potential at the same time. After considering the surface recombination effect, the conversion efficiency decreased significantly. Thinning the thickness of or moderately reducing the doping concentration of the P region will weaken the surface recombination effect.
3. Effectiveness of the risk prediction tool

Objective: This research is aimed to promote the use of robotic agent among older people by providing analysis of robotic agent in various acceptance factors. Background: Due to the increase of older adult population, having the ability to independently participate in social activities for older people has been recognized as a solution to problems arising in the aged society. Since it is not required to utilize an input device to use a robotic agent, the control method is intuitive, allowing older people to interact easily without prior experiences with ICT. Method: In this experiment, with the use of text-to-speech program, eight topics of conversations were pre-recorded. Conversational interaction was allowed by voice transmission through computer from speaker by experimenter. Seven-point Likert scale was used to measure the acceptability of robotic agent and the ICT ability of the subjects. Results: From the research, in order for the older people to perceive robotic agent as a social presence, an improved design of the robotic agent that can increase the trust must be developed. Furthermore, it is also essential for older people to realize the usefulness and sociability of robotic agent. Conclusion: With the use of robotic agent, various acceptance factors were analyzed among older people in this research. Robotic agent would provide various opportunities in conversations in certain situations when one is having difficulty controlling devices and for people with disabilities.
Assessing the marketability of cultural resources as a tourism product: A case of cultural tourism resources in Sidama, Ethiopia

Cultural resources are any cultural features, tangible or intangible available within a country, region or area, that could give tourists an incentive to undertake cultural tourism activities. To be consumed by tourists, cultural endowments of a certain area need to be turned to a developed and marketed commodity. Though Sidama, a zone in Southern Ethiopia, possesses ample cultural tourism resources, their marketability as a product has not been studied via academic enquiry. This study was conducted to fill the gap apparent in this regard. Its objectives were to assess the market-readiness of cultural tourism resources of Sidama; and to identify the profiles of cultural tourists consuming the resources. Regarding methodology, a descriptive study design involving survey-based quantitative research approach has been employed for empirical investigation. Data were collected from 302 international tourists through a survey questionnaire using convenient sampling. Findings from the study uncovered that, except for fiche cambala, Hanafa cultural tourist village, and enset brushing, the majority of cultural tourism products of Sidama are at lower market readiness stage. Furthermore, cultural tourist inflow to the area is largely characterised by holidaymakers to whom cultural tourism plays no role in their visitation decision making. The study provides significant theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, it offers analysis of cultural tourism assets and their marketability as a tourism commodity in a developing destination context; in a practical context, it puts forward helpful inputs to governments and destination marketing practitioners in Sidama to make the nation’s cultural tourism resources market-ready and assess profiles of tourists consuming them.
In vivo facile fabricated hypertrophic scars model through continuous gradient elastic tension driven

Complete List of Authors: Cheng, Liying; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Sun, Xiaoming; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Yu, Jia; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Department of Orthopedics Guo, Qianping; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Department of Orthopedics Jin, Rong; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Sun, Baoshan; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Shi, Yaoming; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Cui, Wenguo; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Department of Orthopedics Zhang, Yuguang; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of medicine
POSITION-BASED ATTENUATION AND AMPLIFICATION FOR STEREO MIXES

This paper presents a position-based attenuation and amplification method suitable for source separation and enhancement. Our novel sigmoidal time-frequency mask allows us to directly control the level within a target azimuth range and to exploit a trade-off between the production of musical noise artifacts and separation quality. The algorithm is fully describable in a closed and compact analytical form. The method was evaluated on a multitrack dataset and compared to another position-based source separation algorithm. The results show that although the sigmoidal mask leads to a lower source-to-interference ratio, the overall sound quality measured by the source-to-distortion ratio and the source-to-artifacts ratio is improved.
MECHANICAL ACTIVATION OF FLY ASH: PHYSICAL, MINERALOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GROUND FLY ASHES

In this study, physical, mineralogical and morphological characteristics of mechanically treated fly ashes are investigated. The compositional analysis of the raw fly ash was determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique. The XRD patterns reveal that the main phase quartz along with mullite and anhydrite. The raw fly ash was also wet ground using a laboratory mill, for several different times (from 2 to 16 hours) in order to examine how the grinding increases the activity of the fly ash. The ground fly ash was characterized for (i) particle size distribution: laser diffraction method, (ii) specific surface area: BET-method, (iii) crystalline structure: X-ray diffractometer, and (iv) morphology of particles: scanning electron microscope. According to physical characterization, fineness increasing of samples with grinding time was observed, but loss of effectiveness occurred for grinding time longer than 12 hours. In addition, the unmilled fly ash showed lower specific surface area, due to the presence of cenospheres in the original fly ash. Only a little change in crystalline structure of fly ashes was observed when grinding and there were changes in the area and height of each diffraction peak.
Phenolic Compounds, Fatty Acid Compositions and Antioxidant Activity of Commercial Cold-Pressed Grape Seed (Vitis vinifera) Oils From Turkey

Grapes (Vitis vinifera) are one of the largest fruit crops in the world and its consumed both as fresh fruits or processed products such as wine, jam, juice, grape seed extract, oil, vinegar. Grape seed oil is one of the most important by-product of grape juice and wine processes due to its beneficial health effects, flavor and special characteristics for food applications. Different samples of cold pressed grape seed oil from Turkey have been evaluated for fatty acid compositions and the samples found rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Phenolic components determined with LC-QTOF-MS have identified with Metlin_Metabolomic database and 26-77 different components were defined for five different samples. DPPH scavenging activities were determined as 31.00-45.31%.
Estimating Economic Development with Mobile Phone Data

Big Data allow us to understand and describe the individual and collective behavior at an unprecedented speed, scale and detail. An intriguing open question is whether measurements made on large datasets recording human activities, such as mobile phone data, can yield us high-fidelity proxies of socio-economic development. Can we monitor and predict the socio-economic development of a territory just by observing the behavior of its inhabitants? In this paper, we design a data-driven analytical framework that uses mobile phone data to extract measures of mobility and social behavior to estimate indicators for socioeconomic development. We discover that the diversity of mobility, defined in terms of entropy of the individual users’ trajectories, exhibits (i) significant correlation with two different socio-economic indicators and (ii) the highest importance in predictive models built to predict the socioeconomic indicators. Our analytical framework opens an interesting perspective to study human behavior through the lens of Big Data by means of new statistical indicators that quantify and possibly “nowcast” the well-being and the socio-economic development of a territory.
Vitamin Analysis, Trace Elements Content, and Their Extractabilities in Tetrapleura tetraptera

Tetrapleura tetraptera is widely cherished in African traditional homes because of its alleged therapeutic and nutritional properties. This present study aimed at determining the levels of vitamin A, C, E, and beta-carotene and trace element (Fe, Cu, Mn, Co, Se, and Zn) concentrations and their extractabilities in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit (mixture of pulp and seeds) of T. tetraptera. The total trace element concentration of Fe, Cu, Co, Mn, and Zn and their extractabilities (%) were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS), whereas UV-VIS spectrophotometer was used to determine selenium concentration. The trace element content (mg/kg) based on dry weight in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit was Fe (162.00 ± 7.14, 115.00 ± 12.00, and 154.00 ± 25.20, respectively), Zn (31.60 ± 4.77, 43.40 ± 5.29, and 41.50 ± 8.97, respectively), Cu (16.10 ± 4.98, 11.90 ± 8.40, and 17.20 ± 14.50, respectively), Mn (55.30 ± 2.41, 156.00 ± 10.20, and 122.00 ± 5.29, respectively), Co (38.10 ± 6.40, 21.10 ± 7.15, and 44.00 ± 14.90, respectively), and Se (1.49 ± 0.17, 2.43 ± 0.28, and 2.97 ± 0.27 μg/g, respectively). The mineral extractabilities (%) in the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit of T. tetraptera were established to be in the order Co > Zn > Fe > Cu > Se > Mn. Also, the chromatographic method (HPLC) was used to evaluate vitamin E concentration, and vitamin C and concentration of beta-carotene were calculated from the obtained concentration of vitamin A using a conversion factor by the titrimetric method. From the results of vitamin analysis, a significant difference ( ) was observed among the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit for vitamin C and E. However, no significant difference ( ) was perceived among these plant parts for vitamin A and beta-carotene. This study has therefore revealed that the pulp, seeds, and whole fruit of T. tetraptera contain varying concentrations of vitamins and trace elements and has given many vital insights on which part of T. tetraptera to consume, as concentrations of these nutrients differ in the discrete parts of the fruit.
Technology Development of Electric Vehicles: A Review

To reduce the dependence on oil and environmental pollution, the development of electric vehicles has been accelerated in many countries. The implementation of EVs, especially battery electric vehicles, is considered a solution to the energy crisis and environmental issues. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the technical development of EVs and emerging technologies for their future application. Key technologies regarding batteries, charging technology, electric motors and control, and charging infrastructure of EVs are summarized. This paper also highlights the technical challenges and emerging technologies for the improvement of efficiency, reliability, and safety of EVs in the coming stages as another contribution.
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Theoretical analyses of international environmental agreements (IEAs) have typically employed the concept of self-enforcing agreements to predict the number of parties to such an agreement. The term self-enforcing, however, is a bit misleading. The concept refers to the stability of cooperative agreements, not to enforcing these agreements once they are in place. Most analyses of IEAs simply ignore the issue of enforcing compliance by parties to the terms of an agreement. In this paper we analyze an IEA game in which parties to an agreement finance an independent enforcement body with the power to monitor the parties’ compliance to the terms of the IEA and impose penalties in cases of noncompliance. This approach is broadly consistent with the enforcement mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol under the Marrakesh Accords. We find that costly enforcement limits the circumstances under which international cooperation to protect the environment is worthwhile, but when IEAs do form they will involve greater participation than IEAs that do not require costly enforcement. Consequently, costly enforcement of IEAs is associated with higher international environmental quality. Moreover, under certain conditions, aggregate welfare is higher when IEAs require costly enforcement. These conclusions are accentuated when monitoring for compliance to IEAs is inaccurate.
Rectangular Patch Antenna to Operate in Flame Retardant 4 Using Coaxial Feeding Technique

There are various types of microstrip antenna that can be used for many applications in communication systems. This paper presents the design of a rectangular microstrip patch antenna to operate at frequency range of 2 GHz to 2.8 GHz. This antenna, based on a thickness of 1.6mm Flame Retardant 4 (FR-4) substrate with a dielectric constant of approximately 5.4, is a probe feed and has a partial ground plane. After simulation, the antenna performance characteristics such as antenna input impedance, VSWR, Return Loss and current density are obtained.
An information-theoretical approach to unsupervized learning over real-world data streams

This paper proposes a new approach to the problem of inference and unsupervized learning in large, noisy data streams, based on the mapping of correlations between stream variables and leveraging the tools of Information Theory. Our approach was designed specifically for the needs of cognitive developmental robotics, such as online concept extraction from a video feed or other real-world sensor streams. We present experimental results demonstrating one-shot unsupervized sequencing and recognition of hand gestures videos displaying two timescales.