Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of wireless physiological measurement systems for patients affected by COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disorder that affects many adults in Canada. Patients affected by such a condition tend to become less active and are at risk of losing functional capacity. Therefore, it is important for them to exercise regularly throughout the year. However, there are some restricting situations, such as cold weather, limited training space and long distance from training centers that may prevent the regular practice of exercise. In those cases, a rehabilitation exercise program at patients’ homes may be a good option. To help these patients remain active, researchers are developing a hardware/software infrastructure for training remote patients via the internet. Since COPD is a disease that can be deadly, 3 key physiological parameters need to be monitored to ensure the safety of the patients: respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and heart rate. The objective of this master’s project was to develop two wireless instruments to measure physiological parameters: a respiratory sensor belt and a pulse oximeter. A series of experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the designed instruments. The test results showed these instruments meet the design requirements and are able be used to monitor the COPD patients. This will help patients with COPD stay active all year and ultimately, help maintain their functional capacity and their quality of life. La maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique (MPOC) est un trouble respiratoire chronique qui affecte un grand nombre d’adultes au Canada. Les patients affectes par cette maladie tendent a etre moins actifs et risquent de perdre leur capacite fonctionnelle. Par consequent, il serait important pour eux de faire de l'activite physique regulierement. En raison de certaines contraintes, tels que le froid, l’espace d’entrainement limite et l'isolement geographique, la pratique d'activite physique n'est pas toujours possible. Dans ce cas, un programme d’exercices de rehabilitation effectue a domicile pourrait etre une bonne solution. Afin d’aider ces patients a demeurer actifs, des chercheurs mettent au point une infrastructure materielle et logicielle afin d’entrainer ces patients a distance par un lien internet. Puisque la MPOC est une maladie qui peut etre mortelle, trois parametres physiologiques principaux (frequence respiratoire, la saturation en oxygene et le rythme cardiaque) doivent etre surveilles en temps reel pendant l'entrainement pour assurer la securite des patients. L’objectif de ce projet de maitrise est de developper deux instruments sans fil pour mesurer ces parametres physiologiques : une ceinture de detection du rythme respiratoire et une oxymetre de pouls. Des essais ont ete effectues pour evaluer la performance de ces instruments. Les resultats des essais ont montre que ces instruments fonctionnent tel que prevu. A l’aide de ces instruments, les patients MPOC pourraient etre actifs pendant toute l’annee et ainsi maintenir leurs capacites fonctionnelles.
Programmed Cell Death in the Digestive Canal of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) during Prepupal Period1

In silkworms, like other holometabolus insects, larval digestive canal degenerates via programmed cell death (PCD) during larval-pupal metamorphosis. PCD plays a key role in developmental biology. It generally occurs with two major mechanisms; apoptosis and autophagic cell death. In this study, we aimed to determine the metamorphic events in the digestive canal of Bombyx mori during the prepupal period. The general morphological changes were studied by using histological techniques; the degenerative cells were determined using H&E (Hematoxylen&Eosin) and PAS (Periodic Acid Schiff) staining. We have used TUNEL (terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling) assay for determination of apoptotic cell nuclei. Also, the acid phosphatase activity was calculated to determine the autophagic cell death. In conclusion; our observations indicated a co-occurrence of apoptosis and autophagy observed during the cell death of the digestive canal.
Effect of Preparation Methods on Al2O3 Supported CuO-CeO2-ZrO2 Catalysts for CO Oxidation

To examine the effect of preparation methods, four catalyst samples having same composition (CuCe 5.17 Zr 3.83 O x /g-Al 2 O 3 (15wt%) were prepared by four different methods for CO oxidation. The catalysts were prepared by co-impregnation, citric acid sol-gel, urea nitrate combustion and urea gelation co-precipitation methods, and characterized by BET, XRD, TGA/DSC and SEM. The The air oxidation of CO was carried out in a tubular fixed bed reactor under the following operating conditions: catalyst weight - 100 mg, temperature - ambient to 250 o C, pressure - atmospheric, 2.5% CO in air, total feed rate - 60 ml/min. It was observed that the catalytic activity greatly influenced by the preparation methods. The highest activity of the catalyst prepared by the sol gel method appeared to be associated with its largest BET surface area. All the four catalysts were active for CO oxidation and did not show deactivation of catalytic activity for 50 hours of continuous runs. The ranking order of the preparation methods of the catalyst is as follows: sol-gel > co-impregnation > urea gelation > urea nitrate combustion. Copyright © 2012 by BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved Received: 14th June 2012, Revised: 8th September 2012, Accepted: 19th September 2012 [How to Cite : G. Rattan, R. Prasad, R.C. Katyal . (2012). Effect of Preparation Methods on Al2O3 Supported CuO-CeO2-ZrO2 Catalysts for CO Oxidation. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis , 7(2): 112-123. doi:10.9767/bcrec.7. 2.3646. 112-123] [How to Link / DOI : http://dx.doi. org/10.9767/bcrec.7. 2.3646. 112-123 ] | View in
Plastic slip distribution in two-phase laminate microstructures: Dislocation-based versus generalized-continuum approaches

The size-dependent mechanical response of a simple model microstructure is investigated using continuum dislocation-based, Cosserat and strain-gradient models of crystal plasticity. The governing equations and closed-form analytical solutions for plastic slip and lattice rotation are directly compared. The microstructure consists of a periodic succession of hard (elastic) and soft (elastoplastic single-crystal) layers, subjected to single glide perpendicular to the layers. In the dislocation-based approach, inhomogeneous plastic deformation and lattice rotation are shown to develop in the soft channels, either because of bowing of dislocations or owing to pile-up formation. The generalized continuum non-local models are found to be able to reproduce the plastic slip and lattice rotation distribution. In particular, a correspondence was found between the generalized-continuum results and line tension effects; the additional or higher- order balance equations introduced in the non-local models turn out to be the counterparts of the equilibrium equation for bowed dislocations. The relevance and possible physical interpretation of additional or higher-order interface conditions responsible for the inhomogeneous distribution of plastic slip and lattice rotations are discussed.
Detection of Amazon Forest Degradation Caused by Land Use Changes

Field and satellite optical methods for estimation of chlorophyll content were applied in three study sites of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. Those sites represent a wide range of land use disturbance in secondary and pristine lowland rainforest. The first field method is based on transmittance from the SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter index, the second field method is based on reflectance measurements collected by a spectroradi- ometer, and the third method estimates chlorophyll content from the PROSPECT radiative transfer model. For the first method, seven models that account for a wide range of vegetation species showed similar average leaf chlorophyll contents until 80 units of SPAD-502. An average of the results of these models was computed and used as ground truth from where a generalized second-order polynomial model was created. For the second method, five chlorophyll indices based on reflectance measurements provided similar chlorophyll content estimations for all SPAD range (15–95 units). The third method estimates chlorophyll content based on the inversion process of the PROSPECT model. The satellite methods estimate vegetation indices sensitive to chlorophyll content from space. All methods have shown to be an alternative approach to detect forest degradation at local and regional levels caused by forest disturbances and land use changes.
ANTECEDENTS OF RETAILER TRUST ON SUPPLIER TO CREATE LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP

This research aims to reveal the role of communication, satisfaction, and commitment as the antecedents of trust; also, this research observes the role of trust in the long-term relationship.Data collection is done through questionnaire distribution. The questionnaire is sent to 80 owners/managers of laptop retail stores in Malang city. The respondents are chosen using purposive sampling technique. Data analysis technique this research using path analysis. The result indicates that communication, satisfaction, and commitment influence trust; next, trust affects the long-term relationship. Communication has the most significant effect on trust compared to commitment and satisfaction. This finding is expected to be able to help the retailers in maintaining the long-term relationship with their supplier by considering the relationship between trust and communication as well as satisfaction and commitment with their supplier.
Resonating sea urchin skeletons create coastal choruses

Ambient sound intensity in coastal waters typically increases by as much as 2 to 3 orders of magnitude (20 to 30 dB) immediately after sunset and before sunrise in what is known as a dawn and evening chorus. The dominant feature of the chorus is most often a dramatic increase in spec- trum level usually in a narrow frequency range of around 400 to 4000 Hz. While the sources of some choruses have been identified, the sources of many choruses remain unidentified. Here we confirm that in New Zealand, the sound is the feeding noises of sea urchins for which frequencies in the range of 800 to 2800 Hz are amplified by the ovoid calcareous skeleton, or 'test', of urchins acting as a Helmholtz resonator. Furthermore, the timing of the dawn and dusk choruses is related to the crepus- cular feeding activity of sea urchins. Underwater sound recordings from individual sea urchins of a range of sizes confirm earlier speculation that the urchin test acts as a Helmholtz resonance chamber capable of generating sufficient acoustic power to create these choruses. These results indicate the potential importance of coastal urchin populations as a major contributor to the underwater choruses, which appear to be important in assisting the larvae of key reef species, such as fishes, crabs, and lobsters, to locate suitable settlement sites.
Structural Change of European Dairy Farms- A Cross-Regional Analysis

Previous analyses of dairy farm structural change focused on the variation over time in one or a small number of regions. Here we present an EU15-wide analysis of the change of the number of farms in different size classes. The purpose is (1) to identify the differences in regional development patterns and (2) to measure the explanatory relevance and effect of key factors suggested in the literature. Apart from the unprecedented scope, the underlying Markov chain analysis also contributes by combining observed transitions in micro data with macro data on farm numbers. Results show widely significant impacts of most explanatory variables, but also reveal the complexity of the underlying processes.
Field guide to Mount Baker volcanic deposits in the Baker River valley: Nineteenth century lahars, tephras, debris avalanches, and early Holocene subaqueous lava

Holocene volcanic deposits from Mount Baker are plentiful in the low-lying Baker River valley at the eastern foot of the volcano. Tephra set SC (8850 yr B.P.), erupted from the nearby Schreibers Meadow cinder cone, is sporadically present. Exposures of both subaerial and subaqueous facies of the associated Sulphur Creek basalt lava fl ow are easy to access; the lava, the most mafi c product known from the entire Mount Baker volcanic fi eld, entered Glacial Lake Baker, invaded lacustrine sediments, and formed peperites as well as subaqueous block-and-ash fl ows. A volcaniclastic delta was deposited in the lake above the lava. The peperite and delta can be seen in the walls of Sulphur Creek, and in the banks of Baker Lake when the reservoir is drawn down in winter and early spring. The best exposures of volcaniclastic fl ank assemblages from Mount Baker are found in the Baker River valley. The Boulder Creek assemblage formed a thick fan between the end of the Vashon glaciation and the deposition of the SC tephra. Now deeply trenched by Boulder Creek, lahar and block-and-ash diamicts can be seen with some effort by ascending the creek 2 km. A tiny vestige is exposed along the Baker Lake Road. Much younger deposits are also accessible. In 1843, tephra set YP, erupted from Sherman Crater, was deposited in the valley. In ca. 1845‐1847, the Morovitz Creek lahar swept down Boulder, Park, Morovitz, and Swift Creeks and inundated much of the current location of the Baker Lake reservoir. This lahar is an example of the most likely future hazard at Mount Baker as well as the most common type of lahar produced during the Holocene at the volcano—clay-rich or cohesive lahars initiated as slope failures from hydrothermally altered rock. They commonly increase in vol
EXTREMELY ENERGETIC OUTFLOW AND DECELERATED EXPANSION IN W49N

W49N is a mini-starburst in the Milky Way and is thus an ideal laboratory for high-mass star formation studies. Due to its large distance ( 11.1 − 0.7 + 0.9 ? > kpc), the kinematics inside and between the dense molecular clumps in W49N are far from well-understood. The Submillimeter Array observations resolved the continuum emission into two clumps. The molecular line observation of SO2 ( 28 4,24 ? > – 28 3,25 ? > ) suggests that the two clumps have a velocity difference of ∼7 km s−1. The eastern clump is very close to two radio sources “G1” and “G2,” and the western clump coincides with a radio source “B. ” The HCN (3–2) line reveals an extremely energetic outflow, which is among the most energetic molecular outflows in the Milky Way. This is the first report of high-velocity molecular outflow detection in W49N. The outflow jet might be in precession, which could account for the distribution, velocity, and rotation of water maser spots. Three absorption systems are identified in HCO + ? > (3–2) spectra. The absorption features are blueshifted with respect to the emission of SO2 ( 28 4,24 ? > – 28 3,25 ? > ) lines, indicating that a cold layer is expanding in front of the warm gas. Further analysis indicates that the expansion is decelerated from the geometric expansion centers.
Structural studies of aquporins in human kidney and plant

Membrane proteins are key players in our biology and are links between the inside and the outside of the cell, allowing for signal transduction and transport of molecules. Aquaporins are membrane protein channels that allow water to pass in and out of the cell. Since all life depend on water, their function is vital for any type of organism. Although aquaporins are very similar, they have small but important differences in their structure and function. Understanding these subtle dissimilarities helps us understand the fundamentals of our biology and is also essential if aquaporins are to be used as drug targets. This thesis has investigated the structure and function of two aquaporins from different species; human and spinach. The spinach aquaporin SoPIP2;1 has become the structural model for gated plant aquaporins. In this thesis, structural and functional data is presented that gives further insights into the gating mechanism controlled by the physiological signals phosphorylation, pH and divalent cations. In addition, the mechanism behind the activation of SoPIP2;1 by mercury, commonly regarded as an aquaporin blocker, has been studied. Human Aquaporin 2 is crucial for the kidneys ability to concentrate primary urine, and its malfunction leads to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. An X-ray crystallographic structure to 2. 95Å is presented, which show that AQP2 is markedly different also from its most closely related homologues. These differences are mainly focused on loop D and the Cterminus and can be related to binding of Cd in the structure. We present data that Cd could correspond to Ca in vivo, and discuss the role of the C-terminal helix as a protein interaction partner. In addition, mutations leading to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus are studied in the structural context.
The edge decision support framework - emergency management training and support to operations

Organizations need agile Command, Control and Coordination frameworks that support a rising real-time flow of information and visualization with embedded training features. Decision makers and their teams are increasingly likely to be geographically distributed and composed of members of different organizations. One inherent problem is the limitation on sharing and visualizing time-critical information due to current informational boundaries. The authors' research focuses on the design of an Edge Decision Support Framework (EDSF) and a Common Synthetic Environment Service (CSES) that provides shared awareness to a distributed group of users who operate as a team in a “synthetic” Command Center. It focuses on the concept, design and development of an integrated platform that can be used for training through operations and is suited to supporting Civil-Military Cooperation through its mechanisms for crowdsourced situational awareness and Command and Control supporting remote collaboration. This paper addresses various issues including security, bandwidth and network reliability challenges and illustrates the potential for an approach that enables civilian and defense services to be trained to cooperate through web and mobile applications via interoperable information exchange models.
A CLINICOPATHOLOGIC STUDY OF LUNG CANCER CASES IN IRAN

Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. In Iran, lung cancer is the fifth leading cancer and its prevalence rate has been increasing steadily. In this study, the clinicopathological aspects of lung cancer are discussed. Materials and Methods: Between October 2002 and November 2005, 242 (178 men, 64 women) patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer were interviewed according to a questionnaire. Results: Women developed the disease at an earlier age than men (55.9±14.2 versus 61.3±12.3 years; p=0.004); 66.5% of lung cancer patients (85.4% of men and 14.1% of women) were smokers (p<0.0001); 76.3% of participants, who had exposure to secondhand smoke, were females. Among the environmental carcinogens, the most exposures were to inorganic dusts (49.8%) and chemical compounds (34.9%). Most male and female patients suffered from adenocarcinoma (28.9%) and non small cell carcinoma (28.5%). The prevalence of adenocarcinoma was higher in the non-smoker group, whereas incidence of squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma was higher among smokers (p<0.0001). In this study, most patients (74.0%) presented with an advanced-stage tumor (IIIB or IV). Conclusion: Our results suggest that in addition to cigarette smoking, other environmental, occupational and socioeconomic factors may play a role in the development of lung cancer. (Tanaffos 2009; 8(3): 28-36)
In Situ Measurements of Hydrogen Peroxide, Nitric Acid and Reactive Nitrogen to Assess the Ozone Sensitivity in Pingtung County, Taiwan

This study was aimed to investigate the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric acid (HNO3) and reactive nitrogen (NOy) at three sites in Southern Taiwan during 2003–2004. The mean H2O2 concentrations were 1.0–2.7 ppbv, 1.6–2.8 ppbv and 1.0–2.6 ppbv at Pingtung, Chao-Chou and Kenting, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean HNO3 concentrations were 2.7–5.5 ppbv at Pingtung, 1.9–4.6 ppbv at Chao-Chou and 1.2–3.0 ppbv at Kenting. The NOy mean concentrations were 61.0–85.0 ppbv, 16.0–75.0 ppbv and 4.2–12.0 ppbv at Pingtung, Chao-Chou and Kenting, respectively. The hourly data of H2O2, HNO3, NOy and O3 were then used to determine the ratio of H2O2 to HNO3, O3 to HNO3, O3 to NOy and the extent of reaction (E) in Smog Production Model (SPM) to evaluate the NOx and VOC sensitivity of ozone formation in Southern Taiwan. The results show that Pingtung city was primarily VOC-sensitive regime in four seasons. At Chao-Chou, the percentages of VOC-sensitive regime exceed those in NOx-sensitive regime in H2O2/HNO3 and O3/NOy in four seasons; but O3/HNO3 indicates NOx-sensitive regime in autumn, winter and spring. Kenting was mainly dominated by NOx-sensitive by use of three indicators in four seasons. The SPM results are consistent with those determined by the photochemical indicator ratios although the percentages of dominance may vary among these analyses.
Proliferating Private-Label Portfolios: How Introducing Economy and Premium Private Labels Influences Brand Choice

Three-tiered private-label (PL) portfolio strategies (low-quality tier: economy PLs, mid-quality tier: standard PLs, and top-quality tier: premium PLs) are gaining interest around the world. Drawing on the context-effects literature, the authors postulate how the introduction of economy and premium PLs may affect the choice of mainstream-quality and premium-quality national brands (NBs) and the choice of the retailer's existing PL offering. The authors use the natural experiment offered by Asda's and Sainsbury's introduction of economy and premium PL tiers in the corn flakes and canned soup categories in the United Kingdom to test their framework. Using brand choice models that accommodate context (compromise, similarity, and attraction) effects, the authors find that both economy and premium PLs cannibalize incumbent PLs. Economy PL introductions benefit mainstream-quality NBs because these NBs become a compromise or middle option in terms of quality in the retailer's assortment. The effects of premium PL introductions on premium-quality NBs are mixed: Their share improves in two of four cases but decreases in the other two cases.
Role of Water Structure-Making/Breaking Ions in the Cationic Flotation of Kaolinite: Implications for Iron Ore Processing

Australia is the largest exporter of iron ore in the world. The high Al content in Australian hematite/goethite ores is detrimental to blast furnace and sinter plant operations. Of the Al containing minerals in iron ore, kaolinite is a common gangue mineral frequently found in iron ore deposits. In iron ore flotation pulp, various ions exist and may inter- fere with the flotation performance when their concentration is high enough. In this work, the role of a water struc- ture-making ion, i.e. Na + , and a water structure-breaking ion, i.e. K + , in the flotation of kaolinite under reverse cationic flo- tation conditions, the most widely used flotation route of iron ore in the world, was studied in a series of laboratory batch flotation tests. It was found that K + , a water structure breaker, can better reduce the zeta potential of kaolinite and thus causes higher flotation recovery of the clay mineral, in comparison to Na + , a water structure maker. The different effects of the alkali metal cations on kaolinite flotation are attributed to the different aggregation degree of kaolinite particles in the presence of these cations.