Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Does Leasing Affect Green Product Design?

Leasing has been increasingly seen as a viable alternative to traditional business models. In this paper, we consider a manufacturer making decisions on green product design by accounting for the trade-off between traditional and environmental qualities under three business models, including a pure selling, a pure leasing, and a hybrid model with both selling and leasing. Under leasing, there exists the pooling effect that allows a manufacturer to meet consumer needs with fewer products. Since the pooling effect decreases the marginal cost of production, leasing produces positive incentives to increase product quality. However, the cannibalization effect within the product line distorts the incentives so that the pooling effect only increases the traditional quality rather than the environmental quality. As a result, leasing may have a negative impact on the average environmental quality of products. The manufacturer should make business model choices depending on some factors, including the types of markets, the usage cost, and the pooling effect. In general, when the pooling effect is strong, the manufacturer prefers a leasing or hybrid model to selling but designs products with lower environmental quality than selling. When the pooling effect is weak, the optimal decision should be made depending on the types of markets and the usage cost: in the high-end (low-end) market, the manufacturer should adopt a leasing or hybrid model only when the usage cost is high (low); the adoption of leasing or hybrid model can improve the average environmental quality.
PALIVIZUMAB PROPHYLAXIS: PRACTICES AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN INFANTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

Introduction: Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) are at higher risk of developing severe RSV Bronchiolitis requiring hospitalisation. Palivizumab Immunoprophylaxis (PIP) was shown to reduce the severity of illness and hence the need for hospitalisation. Currently PIP is recommended for all infants with BPD, but there is little evidence on which infants with BPD would most benefit from PIP. Aim: This study aims to identify the clinical benefit of administering PIP to infants with BPD of different severities and to determine which infants would benefit most from PIP. In order to achieve this, the study also identifies the incidence of BPD, categorised into mild, moderate and severe in infants, in the Greater Manchester Region (GMR). Methods: This is a multi-centre, prospective, observational cohort study, involving 11 hospitals across GMR. Patients were recruited over 2 years, from 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2011. The infants with BPD were recruited and further categorised in various severities, based on Jobe? s BPD classification [Jobe et al 2001]. Patients were followed up for a minimum of one year. Results: The incidence of BPD in the GMR was 5.9 infants per 1000 live births. On categorisation by level of severity, the study found 31% of these to have mild BPD, 39% moderate and 30% severe BPD. Around 60% of infants received PIP in our cohort: one third of mild group, two thirds of moderate and three quarters of severe BPD. The overall proportion of hospitalisation for all the respiratory illnesses in infants with BPD was 44%. The overall incidence of hospitalization secondary to RSV infection was 7.6% of the cohort, and 14.8% due to other respiratory viruses. PIP was most beneficial in infants with moderate BPD (p = 0.016). Infants hospitalised with RSV infection required more admissions to HDU, required a longer duration of supplemental oxygen as well as a longer hospital stay compared to infants hospitalised due to other respiratory viruses and all other respiratory illnesses. Conclusion: This is the first study identifying the incidence of BPD in the GMR, which was lower than expected based on estimates from the JCVI. Both, the distribution of BPD into the various severity categories, as well as the requirement of hospital admission secondary to respiratory illness, were in keeping with published evidence from the USA and UK. PIP practices across North West of England were varied and not compliant with JCVI guidelines. Infants with moderate BPD showed the largest benefit from receiving PIP. This is a novel finding that highlights the need for further research, to determine whether a subgroup of infants might benefit from PIP.
Broadband Passive Two-Feed-Per-Beam Pillbox Architecture for High Beam Crossover Level

Multi-beam antennas based on quasi-optical systems feeding a single radiating aperture generate orthogonal beams with a low crossover level between adjacent beams (around −13 dB at most). To circumvent this limitation, we present a circuit architecture allowing the excitation of a quasi-optical system (pillbox system) with two feeds per beam to reach much higher beam crossover levels. To this end, a specific eight-beam passive circuit is designed to cover the 76–86 GHz frequency band. It is based on a single-layer substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) coupler followed by equiphase SIW lines. The maximum phase and amplitude imbalance between the sources are only 35° (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda _{g} / {1g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda _{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> the wavelength in the SIW lines at the design frequency) and 1.3 dB, respectively, and the isolation is better than −19 dB. The measured beam crossover level of the corresponding antenna is better than −3.2 dB, corresponding to an improvement of 16 dB with respect to single-feed-per-beam pillbox systems. The proposed passive architecture offers beam crossover levels suitable for low-cost electronically controlled multi-beam applications, as for next-generation 5G backhauling systems.
Added Value of Coherent Copolar Polarimetry at X-Band for Crop-Type Mapping

A set of six spotlight TerraSAR-X images acquired at HH and VV polarizations in 2009 over an agricultural site in Germany are employed to evaluate the potential contribution of polarimetric features derived from this copolar mode to crop-type mapping. Results show that the inclusion of the correlation between copolar channels in the set of input features of the classifier consistently improves the classification performance with respect to the use of only backscattering coefficients. An increase around 8%–10% in overall accuracy, depending on the experiment setup, is achieved. Both user and producer accuracies are improved for all crop types, being the most noticeable contribution for barley, oat, and sugar beet. Different sets of input features, as well as classification and evaluation strategies, are tested in order to assess the robustness of this contribution.
Description of electric field-dependent dielectric permittivity in PMN ceramics

Abstract The temperature dependences of the linear and nonlinear components of the dielectric permittivity of PMN ceramics were determined as a function of bias electric fields. The influence of the applied bias electrical field, superimposed to the small signal oscillating electrical field, is investigated. A decrease in the real dielectric permittivity with increasing the applied bias electrical field was obtained for the investigated temperature range. The temperature dependence of the nonlinear dielectric response reveals an anomalous behavior, indicating a phase transition induced by the bias electric field. The present investigation revealed the influence of the bias electric field on the freezing temperature and activation energy. The results were discussed according to a spherical random bond–random field glassy model for relaxors.
Minoxidil to Treat Androgenetic Alopecia in Men and Women: What is It & How does It Work?

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is hereditary, progressive hair loss which advances with age and affect mostly Caucasians. AGA is androgen-dependent for both genders but can also occur without involving androgen in women. This condition also can be inherited. Androgen-dependent processes are predominantly due to the binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to the androgen receptor (AR). The predisposed scalp exhibits high levels of DHT, and increased expression of the AR. Conversion of testosterone to DHT within the dermal papilla plays a central role, while androgen-regulated factors deriving from dermal papilla cells are believed to influence growth of other components of the hair follicle. Minoxidil, an anti-hypertensive agent is being the mainstay of the AGA treatment for over 30 years now. Yet, the understanding of the exact mechanism of action of this drug is still unclear. There are few hypotheses on how does this drug works to promote hair growth. The hypotheses are based on the response of hair follicles and cellular response. The inconsistencies in the results shown for hair follicle response to minoxidil mediated by its sulphate form which acts as potassium channel opener, question the evidences. Cell cultures describe a variety of response to minoxidil and some of these could promote hair growth.
Influence of nano-Sb2O3 particles on mechanical properties of PBT flame retardant composites

Abstract In order to improve the comprehensive properties of PBT flame retardant composites. Nano-Sb2O3/BPS/PBT composites were prepared by a melt blending method. Mechanical properties of neat PBT and its composites were analyzed by XRD, DSC, SEM, tensile and impact test. The results showed that nano-Sb2O3 particles played the role of nucleating agent and induced formation of nucleation. With the addition of nano-Sb2O3 particles, tensile and impact properties of PBT composites increased at first and then decreased. When nano-Sb2O3 content was 1.5 wt%, mechanical properties of composites were optimal. The soft agglomeration occurred and mechanical properties tended to decline when nano-Sb2O3 content exceeded 1.5 wt%. Fracture mechanism was further analyzed by tensile and impact fracture morphology.
Analysis of Keypoint Detection Algorithms for Mass Candidates Selection in Mammography Images

Breast cancer has been a growing problem for women around the world. The correct interpretation of mammographic images is important for the diagnosis of breast cancer. However, this is a difficult task even for a specialist. Image processing is used to make the diagnosis less susceptible to errors. Thus, the present work proposes a new method for the search of lesion candidates in mammographic images. To verify the efficiency of the approach, the behavior of the SURF, SIFT, BRISK and ORB algorithms were analyzed, as well as the Selective Search algorithm for candidate selection. A total of 1210 mammography images were used, from the CBIS-DDSM database. Results show that the SURF algorithm presented better performance, generating on average, for each image, 4.11 candidates considered in the internal area of the lesion, reducing exploratory space by 72%, whereas the ORB generated on average 1.6 candidates with a reduction rate of 96.30%.
The foundations of spectral computations via the Solvability Complexity Index hierarchy

The problem of computing spectra of operators is arguably one of the most investigated areas of computational mathematics. Recent progress and the current paper reveal that, unlike the finite-dimensional case, infinite-dimensional problems yield a highly intricate infinite classification theory determining which spectral problems can be solved and with which type of algorithms. Classifying spectral problems and providing optimal algorithms is uncharted territory in the foundations of computational mathematics. This paper is the first of a two-part series establishing the foundations of computational spectral theory through the Solvability Complexity Index (SCI) hierarchy and has three purposes. First, we establish answers to many longstanding open questions on the existence of algorithms. We show that for large classes of partial differential operators on unbounded domains, spectra can be computed with error control from point sampling operator coefficients. Further results include computing spectra of operators on graphs with error control, the spectral gap problem, spectral classifications, and discrete spectra, multiplicities and eigenspaces. Second, these classifications determine which types of problems can be used in computer-assisted proofs. The theory for this is virtually non-existent, and we provide some of the first results in this infinite classification theory. Third, our proofs are constructive, yielding a library of new algorithms and techniques that handle problems that before were out of reach. We show several examples on contemporary problems in the physical sciences. Our approach is closely related to Smale's program on the foundations of computational mathematics initiated in the 1980s, as many spectral problems can only be computed via several limits, a phenomenon shared with the foundations of polynomial root finding with rational maps, as proved by McMullen.
Embedding Stochastic Correlation into the Pricing of FX Quanto Options under Stochastic Volatility Models

The aim of the paper is to incorporate a stochastic correlation structure when pricing quanto options under the assumption that both the underlying asset and the foreign exchange (FX) rate follow a stochastic volatility model. This is reached not only assuming that the correlation between the underlying asset and its variance process is stochastic (and the same between the exchange rate and its variance process), but also assuming a stochastic correlation between the underlying asset and the exchange rate. Under different stochastic correlation processes specifications, by approximating non-affine terms, we derive a closed-form approximation for the characteristic function of the underlying asset. Numerical experiments and comparison with Monte Carlo simulations are discussed. The analytical tractability of the formulas allows for fast pricing and calibration purposes.
Análise aerodinâmica da turbina eólica NTK 500/41 via CFD

O presente trabalho realizou um estudo da turbina eolica modelo Nordtank 500/41 atraves da dinâmica dos fluidos computacional (CFD). Para o desenvolvimento do trabalho foram abordados os conceitos de turbinas eolicas, aerodinâmica de rotores eolicos e os fundamentos de dinâmica dos fluidos computacional. Para a execucao da simulacao CFD, inicialmente foi feito um levantamento das especificacoes tecnicas da turbina e em seguida a modelagem 3D da pa atraves do software SolidWorks. Para simulacao numerica foi utilizado o software ANSYS Fluent. Foi realizado um estudo de convergencia de malha, a fim de analisar a qualidade. Como resultados, foram obtidos os dados de desempenho da turbina que incluem a potencia mecânica, torque e empuxo gerado pelo rotor. Tambem foram analisadas as caracteristicas do escoamento no rotor, atraves dos campos de pressao e velocidade; e da esteira aerodinâmica. Os resultados obtidos na simulacao apresentaram erros relativos menores que 4% quando comparados aos resultados do modelo experimental, indicando uma precisao satisfatoria. Atraves do trabalho desenvolvido, concluiu-se que a simulacao fluidodinâmica e uma ferramenta eficiente e versatil para o estudo de turbinas eolicas
Aircraft noise and child blood pressure.

xxi GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS . xxiii CHAPTER 1 -INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Setting . 2 1.2 Review of studies of aircraft noise and non-aural health effects . 6 1.2.1 Blood Pressure: historical antecedents, definitions . 6 1.2.1.1 Brief historical sketch of blood circulation, pulse and blood pressure . 6 1.2.2 Meaning and definitions of blood pressure and blood pressure variability . 13 1.2.2.1 Blood pressure regulation . 13 1.2.2. 2 Haemodynamicity/BP variability . 20 1.2.2.3 A candidate mechanism from human studies for noise stimulus to affect resting blood pressure . 23 1.2.2.4 Issues of measurement of blood pressure . 24 1.3 Determinants of child resting blood pressure . 32 1.3.1 Activity and fitness levels . 32 1.3.2 Diet and eating habits . 33 1.3. 3 Ambient temperature . 33 1.3. 4 Childhood conditioning factors . 34 1.3. 4.1 Age . 34 1.3. 4.2 Sex . 34 1.3. 4.3 Race/Ethnicity . 34 1.3. 4.4 Body mass, height, adiposity and growth stage . 35 1.3. 4.5 Hormonal/metabolic factors . 36 1.3. 4.6 ‘Tracking’ of BP levels . 36 1.3. 4.7 Pulse rate . 37 1.3. 5 Effect modifiers . 37 1.3. 5.1 BP and sodium (Na) intake/excretion/sensitivity . 37 1.4 Noise . 38 1.4.1 Definitions of noise . 38 1.4.2 Human perception of, and reaction to, noise . 40 1.4.3 Mechanical measurement of noise . 41 1.4.3.1 Development of the dB(A) scale . 41 1.4.3.2 The Effective Perceived Noise Level (EPNL) . 43
The Ubuffer Spatial Analysis on Economic Growth of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomerations Based on UGIS

This paper takes the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration as a whole from macroscopic angle by breaking the administrative boundary, based on related theories on urban ubuffer area analysis of UGIS and GIS, as well as analysis on 30 km ubuffer areas of the entity line form and surface form on its inner core and axes zone (development axis and expanded surface) from promoting economic growth aspect, reaching the adjacent spatial visual effect between certain distance. The results show that (1) the ubuffer area scope of the expanding surface based on Guangzhou city includes the main city area of Dongguan, Foshan, Zhongshan and part of city area of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. (2) The ubuffer area scope of the development axis based on Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway includes nearly the whole administrative sphere of Dongguan and Shenzhen; the ubuffer area scope of development axis based on Guangzhou -Zhuhai highway includes the city area of Foshan, the whole Zhongshan city and Macao Special Administrative Region, part of Zhuhai administrative area, spreading to minor part of administrative area of Jiangmen and Dongguan. According to the regional scope which is eradiated and influenced by the ubuffer spatial sphere of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations core and axes region, this paper indicates from the viewpoint of geo-economics that as the future economic agglomerations, only by achieving the spatial combination of advantages and harmonious development can the Pearl River Delta achieve the conversion from unbalanced to relative balanced of regional economy in spatial distribution. Finally, the issues such as use of technology, choice of ubuffer distance and the further investigative direction are brought forward.
Novel Developments in ERCP and EUS

This thesis focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in benign and malignant pancreaticobiliary disease. Since the first practical applications of ERCP and EUS were developed in the first half of the nineteen-seventies and nineteen-eighties, respectively, both techniques have evolved in concurrence with the general trend in endoscopy from being merely diagnostic tools to full-fledged therapeutic procedures during which complex diseases can be treated and invasive surgical procedures can be avoided. In a way the pancreas and, to a lesser extent, the biliary system are orphan organs. Due to their relative inaccessibility both for physicians and surgeons and the poor prognosis of malignant pancreaticobiliary disease, the quantity and quality of research in this field traditionally has not been up to par compared with standards in some other areas of research in the medical field. Fortunately times have changed and the pancreas, bile ducts and its associated diseases are now one of the most actively researched topics in basic, translational and clinical research. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of EUS in the diagnosis of benign, premalignant and malignant pancreatic disease, to evaluate a novel method of tissue acquisition through EUS and summarize the latest developments of therapeutic endosonography. Furthermore the role of the endoscopic treatment of chronic pancreatitis and benign biliary strictures are evaluated.
Lipid emulsion therapy of local anesthetic systemic toxicity due to dental anesthesia

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) refers to the complication affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular system (CVS) due to the overdose of local anesthesia. Its reported prevalence is 0.27/1000, and the representative symptoms range from dizziness to unconsciousness in the CNS and from arrhythmias to cardiac arrest in the CVS. Predisposing factors of LAST include extremes of age, pregnancy, renal disease, cardiac disease, hepatic dysfunction, and drug-associated factors. To prevent the LAST, it is necessary to recognize the risk factors for each patient, choose a safe drug and dose of local anesthesia, use vasoconstrictor , confirm aspiration and use incremental injection techniques. According to the treatment guidelines for LAST, immediate application of lipid emulsion plays an important role. Although lipid emulsion is commonly used for parenteral nutrition, it has recently been widely used as a non-specific antidote for various types of drug toxicity, such as LAST treatment. According to the recently published guidelines, 20% lipid emulsion is to be intravenously injected at 1.5 mL/kg. After bolus injection, 15 mL/kg/h of lipid emulsion is to be continuously injected for LAST. However, caution must be observed for >1000 mL of injection, which is the maximum dose. We reviewed the incidence, mechanism, prevention, and treatment guidelines, and a serious complication of LAST occurring due to dental anesthesia. Furthermore, we introduced lipid emulsion that has recently been in the spotlight as the therapeutic strategy for LAST.
Serum zinc levels of hospitalized children with acute diarrhea differ by the isolated viruses

Background: Acute diarrhea constitutes a major global burden to morbidity and mortality in under-five children. Research has shown that micronutrient zinc plays a pivotal role in childhood diarrhea; however, there are contradictory reports of its therapeutic benefit across the various causative enteropathogens. Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of viral etiology (rotavirus, adenovirus, and norovirus) and compare the serum zinc levels of children with acute diarrhea. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study in which 100 hospitalized children with acute diarrhea aged one–59 months and 100 controls were recruited. Viruses were investigated from stool specimens using the immunochromatographic technique, while serum zinc was determined through the colorimetric method. Data analysis was with SPSS 20 software package. Results: The prevalence of viruses in the subjects was 62.0% with rotavirus isolated in 30 (30.0%) of the patients, while adenovirus and norovirus were detected in 21 (21.0%) and 11 (11.0%) patients, respectively. Rotavirus was the only virus detected in 2 (2.0%) of the controls. The mean serum zinc level of 65.3 ± 7.4 µg/dl in the subjects was significantly lower than 69.0 ± 6. 5µg/dl in the controls (P < 0.001). The prevalence of zinc deficiency in the subjects (47.0%) was significantly higher than 32.0% in the controls (P = 0.030). The mean serum zinc levels differed significantly among the viruses isolated in the subjects (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Viruses contribute largely to etiology of acute diarrhea in Nigerian under-five children. Zinc deficiency was also highly prevalent in the study population. The serum zinc levels varied significantly across the different viruses isolated.