Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perioperative outcomes of laparoendoscopic single-site extracorporeal versus intracorporeal cystectomy for benign ovarian cysts: a retrospective cohort study based on propensity score matching

Background Ovarian cysts are the most common gynecological disease, and laparo-endoscopic single-site (LESS) cystectomy is a popular surgical procedure. A new laparoscopic technique combining the advantages of LESS surgery and open surgery has been introduced to treat large ovarian cysts. To our knowledge, no previous research has compared LESS-extracorporeal (LESS-E) cystectomy to LESS-intracorporeal (LESS-I) cystectomy. This study compared the perioperative results of LESS-E cystectomy and LESS-I cystectomy in the treatment of benign ovarian cysts. Methods Two hundred eighty-eight cases of cystectomy from our institutional database were retrospectively reviewed. 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to minimize bias due to any imbalanced baseline features between the 2 groups, which were matched in terms of age, body mass index, and the largest diameter of ovarian cysts. Seventy-nine cases were then selected from each group, and the perioperative outcomes of the 2 cohorts were analyzed. Results The mean (standard deviation) largest diameter of ovarian cysts was 8.30 (3.56) cm in the LESS-I group and 9.14 (3.15) cm in the LESS-E group (P=0.118). No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups in terms of estimated blood loss, postoperative hemoglobin decline, postoperative pain in 24 hours, postoperative hospital stay, and total hospital costs (P>0.05). However, the mean operation time of the LESS-E group was shorter than that of the LESS-I group (85.01 vs. 104.25 minutes; P=0.001). Additionally, the spillage rate of the LESS-I group was significantly greater than that of the LESS-E group (46.8% vs. 17.7%; P<0.001). The mean pain scores at 6 postoperative hours as measured by a visual analogue scale were significantly greater in the LESS-I group than the LESS-E group (3.85 vs. 3.37; P=0.016). Conclusions LESS-E cystectomy is a safe and feasible approach with a shorter operation time and lower spillage rate than LESS-I cystectomy.
The bullwhip effect in hybrid supply chain

As the service is becoming the strategic preference in the manufacturing industry, more and more manufacturing companies provide customers with total solutions by integrating services into their core product offerings, which is usually implemented in so-called hybrid supply chain (HSC). The HSC is formed as a chain by a group of manufacturers and service providers who work together to offer total solutions to customers. In HSC, customers’ responses to variable service levels and the interaction between inventory strategy and service capacity strategy have a great impact on supply chain instability, which represents an important concern in supply chain research. To tackle this problem, we establish a system dynamics model, by taking the HSC for an elevator company in China as an example. Firstly, we analyzed the oscillation characteristics of service flow and product flow. Then, we proposed the performance metrics of bullwhip effect in HSC. Finally, based on the model, we find that the bullwhip effect of HSC could be smoothened by incorporating service capacity adjustment strategy into the inventory replenishment policy.
More Parental Guan, More Academic Engagement? Examining the Moderating Roles of Adolescents’ Gender and Reciprocal Filial Piety

Abstract In the field of child development, although prior research has extensively documented the association between parenting styles and academic engagement, little is known from the perspective of the culture-specific parenting style in Eastern countries such as China, guan (i.e., intensively rear and strictly discipline). Moreover, individual differences, such as gender-specific patterns and the role of reciprocal filial piety, of this association are less explored. Guided by the socioecological framework, the present study examines the associations of parental guan with academic engagement, and the moderating roles of adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety. A total of 1808 Chinese adolescents (M age = 12.64 years, SD = 1.51; 51.4% girls) completed self-report questionnaires. Results showed that paternal guan and maternal guan were each positively associated with academic engagement. Moderation analyses showed that high reciprocal filial piety significantly enhanced the positive association between paternal guan and academic engagement for boys, but not for girls; however, the association between maternal guan and academic engagement has not been altered by reciprocal filial piety or gender. In conclusion, both paternal and maternal guan significantly contribute to adolescents’ academic engagement, and such an association between paternal guan and academic engagement is differentiated by adolescents’ gender and reciprocal filial piety.
The Effect of Stator-Rotor Hub Sealing Flow on the Mainstream Aerodynamics of a Turbine

An investigation into the effect of stator-rotor hub gap sealing flow on turbine performance is presented. Efficiency measurements and rotor exit area traverse data from a low speed research turbine are reported. Tests carried out over a range of sealing flow conditions show that the turbine efficiency decreases with increasing sealant flow rate but that this penalty is reduced by swirling the sealant flow. Results from time-accurate and steady-state simulations using a three-dimensional multi-block RANS solver are presented with particular emphasis paid to the mechanisms of loss production. The contributions toward entropy generation of the mixing of the sealant fluid with the mainstream flow and of the perturbed rotor secondary flows are assessed. The importance of unsteady stator wake/sealant flow interactions is also highlighted.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Altered hippocampal morphometry in infants born very preterm

Preliminary evidence suggests individuals born very-premature have smaller hippocampi on MRI when compared to term-born controls. Moreover, these volumetric reductions have been associated with various cognitive deficits. The hippocampus undergoes an intense period of postnatal volumetric growth during the first year of life. However, this period of development has only been characterized in post-mortem studies. Although volume gain has been previously delineated, changes in hippocampal shape remain undescribed during this unique period. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare morphometric development between very-preterm born infant and healthy controls throughout the first year of life using multivariate tensor-based morphometry (mTBM). We segmented left and right hippocampi from 133 T1-weighted images acquired from 20 very-preterm infants and 67 term-born controls between atbirth or term-equivalent age and 12 months of age. MRI were performed on a 3 Tesla scanner at 3-month intervals (i.e., term-equivalence, 3, 6, 9, 12 months). We used mTBM to compare shape between groups at each time-point. We found that subregions of the hippocampus including the dentate gyrus, CA2, CA3 and subiculum were morphometrically different, especially at term-equivalence age. Morphometric differences were less prominent at 3 and 6 months but reappeared at 9 and 12 months, particularly in the left hippocampus. Although hippocampal shape differences between very-preterm and healthy term-born infants seem to decrease during the first 6 months of life, atypical shape development reappeared at 9-12 months which likely highlights altered periods of morphologic development. Future long-term studies will inform if these developmental differences continue to increase or disappear in subsequent years.
Fault Current Analysis Considering Frequency Response of Feeding Circuits

Although there are many studies of steady-state analysis of railway feeding circuits, more transient analysis of feeding circuits that takes into account frequency response is needed. This paper proposes a transient analysis simulation model of overhead lines and rails with approximated frequency response. The model is designed to be applicable to all types of feeding circuits, suited to frequencies ranging from direct current to several kilohertz, and independent of the simulator’s specific functions. The results of transient analysis on a simplified direct current feeding circuit indicate that transient analysis can be performed with greater precision that previously thought. The findings from this study can be used in the development of protection relay systems and measurement systems.
Physicochemical basis of resistance in certain green gram genotypes to pulse bruchid, Calloso bruchus chinensis (L.)

A study was conducted to know the influence of physical and biochemical parameters on development of the pulse bruchid in green gram at RARS, Lam during 2017-18. The physical parameters of seed viz., colour, shape, surface texture, seed length and width, seed coat hardness and 100 seed weight and biochemical parameters such as protein content, phenol content and total sugars were evaluated for twelve genotypes of greengram. The greengram genotypes with smooth texture, oblong or globose shape and light coloured seed might be less preferred by the pulse bruchid for egg laying. The data showed that genotypes having low sugar and protein contents and high phenol content were resistant to pulse bruchid. The correlation studies showed that biological parameters i.e., number of eggs, adult emergence and growth index had significant positive association with protein content, sugar content, moisture content and electrical conductivity and negative correlation phenol content, 100 seed weight and seed coat hardness. In contrast, mean development period had negative association with protein content, sugar content, electrical conductivity and moisture content and positive correlation with phenol content, 100 seed weight and seed coat hardness. Multiple linear regression studies revealed that all the physical and biochemical properties of seed together were contributing to a large and significant variation (65 to 87 %) in growth parameters of pulse bruchid.
Effects of Conceptual Training and Procedural Training for Teaching Aviation Instrument Holding Patterns

Twenty private pilots without instrument ratings trained how to fly instrument holding patterns. Holding patterns are advanced aviation maneuvers learned during instrument training where pilots maintain a particular “race-track” figure that keeps the airplane essentially stationary. Participants were randomly assigned to a procedural training group or a conceptual training group. The step-by-step sequence of actions to fly instrument holds was emphasized in the procedural training group. The reasons for flying instruments holds and the interrelationship of elements in a dynamic environment were emphasized in the conceptual training group. Training stimuli included reading text and watching videos. Participants who were conceptually trained showed no difference in situation awareness when flying a typical instrument hold in a flight simulator compared to when flying a more difficult, atypical instrument hold in a flight simulator. However, the procedurally trained participants showed significantly less situation awareness when flying the atypical instrument hold compared to when flying the typical instrument hold. It was found that participants who required more attempts to answer questions correctly during training showed better situation awareness when flying atypical holding patterns. Finally it was found that participants required more attempts to answer questions correctly during the training delivered via video than they did during the training delivered via text.
Identifying Resiliency Performance Measures for Megaregional Planning

Transportation corridors in megaregions present a unique challenge for planners because of the high concentration of development, complex interjurisdictional issues, and history of independent development of core urban centers. The concept of resilience, as applied to megaregions, can be used to understand better the performance of these corridors. Resiliency is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to change. Resiliency performance measures can be expanded on for application to megaregions throughout the United States. When applied to transportation corridors in megaregions and represented by performance measures such as redundancy, continuity, connectivity, and travel time reliability, the concept of resiliency captures the spatial and temporal relationships between the attributes of a corridor, a network, and neighboring facilities over time at the regional and local levels. This paper focuses on the development of performance measurements for evaluating corridor resiliency as well as a plan for implementing analysis methods at the jurisdictional level. The transportation corridor between Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., is used as a case study to represent the applicability of these measures to megaregions throughout the country.
When Does F(α d ) = F(α)?

Abstract Suppose that α is algebraic over a field . A standard exercise in a first course in field theory is to show that if the degree of the minimal polynomial of α over is odd, then . In this note, we generalize the sufficient conditions on the minimal polynomial for α so that for any particular integer . Then, given any finite set of integers , this generalization allows us to construct irreducible polynomials f, with , such that for all .
TVET engineering students’ perceptions of the value of their qualification and the prospects of employment

The study described in this article explored the ways in which selected technical and vocational education and training (TVET) engineering students perceived their qualifications and employment prospects, given the youth unemployment rate in general and, in particular, that among TVET graduates. While the unemployment rate among South Africans with a tertiary qualification stood at 7%, it appeared to be a staggering 33% among TVET graduates in 2017. In order to gather data from a sample of TVET engineering students, a self-administered qualitative questionnaire was used to collect data from two colleges. A total of 113 TVET engineering students at the two colleges completed the questionnaire. The gender profile of the participants was 64 females and 49 males, who were all between the ages of 18 and 29 years. The findings showed that the TVET engineering qualification does not guarantee employment because of the lack of jobs in the South African economy. Moreover, the participants perceived unemployment as a function of job scarcity rather than of a lack of skills. However, some participants perceived a TVET engineering qualification to be in demand, and this demand is attributed to the electricity crisis/load-shedding in South Africa. The majority of the 79 participants, who perceived unemployment to be an economic crisis, recommended that a solution to unemployment should be to make voluntary service compulsory in both the public and the private sector. To this end, the government should make available funding for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and also encourage and fund students to study beyond their undergraduate qualification. As an entry-level requirement for employment, experience is seen as an unfair practice and a barrier to entry for graduates.
Animal Welfare, Health and the Fight against Climate Change: One Solution for Global Objectives

Climate change is internationally recognized as a source of concern by governments, scientists and public opinion. In this context, the need to find concrete solutions becomes increasingly urgent. Numerous economic sectors contribute to alteration of climate, especially livestock and, more generally, food production-related activities. For this reason, animal welfare policies, the complex of norms and regulations adopted by single Member States and the European Union in the field of meat production, could be a useful instrument in the climate transition invoked by policy makers and scientists. The aim of this paper was to analyze the current system of animal welfare from a legal and veterinary perspective, and to demonstrate how important and useful, it could be in the fight against climate change; at least if correctly implemented and applied.
The criminalization of indigenous people in Roraima state, Brazil: indigenous strategies to bring their rights into effect in the face of injustices and inequalities

Abstract The criminalization of indigenous people in the prisons of Roraima state, Brazil, is examined, in which the justice system, as throughout Brazil, has no mechanisms to identify indigenous people and recognize their differentiated constitutional rights, reinforcing the inequalities and injustices for indigenous people, the most oppressed and discriminated since colonial times. Over the past decade, indigenous organizations in the state capital have drawn attention to this problem and taken protagonist measures to try to change it. The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR), through their lawyer, Joênia Wapichana, elected, in 2018 the first Indigenous woman to be a federal deputy, set up a project to write down indigenous oral law so that it could be used locally to deal with criminal cases, encouraging indigenous communities to resolve accusations of crimes through councils of local leaders and thereby avoid them being handed over to the mainstream criminal justice system.
Tools Interoperability in Engineering Design Using Model-Based Engineering

Computer-aided engineering is widely used in various areas including manufacturing, requirement planning and product design. These specific CAE tools, here called expert tools, manipulate large amounts of data. Some of those data also need to be processed by other expert tools to allow a flexible collaboration between various experts. This article proposes an approach to exchange data of various formats manipulated by different expert tools through model-based technologies. The presented approach is validated by its implementation on an academic use case involving commercial industrial tools.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
A review of grid code technical requirements for wind farms

This paper provides an overview of grid code technical requirements regarding the connection of large wind farms to the electric power systems. The grid codes examined are generally compiled by transmission system operators (TSOs) of countries or regions with high wind penetration and therefore incorporate the accumulated experience after several years of system operation at significant wind penetration levels. The paper focuses on the most important technical requirements for wind farms, included in most grid codes, such as active and reactive power regulation, voltage and frequency operating limits and wind farm behaviour during grid disturbances. The paper also includes a review of modern wind turbine technologies, regarding their capability of satisfying the requirements set by the codes, demonstrating that recent developments in wind turbine technology provide wind farms with stability and regulation capabilities directly comparable to those of conventional generating plants.
CLASSROOM TO CUBICLE: HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING IN THE REAL WORLD OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Computer science classes help students become good programmers. But, does it take more to be successful when starting your first job after graduating? There are other areas that computer science undergraduates need to be familiar with before entering the technical work force. This is intended to provide graduates with an edge: an inside look at the roles, processes, and project workflow to enable students to adjust to the workplace and become productive quickly. 1 Motivation
Indicating impact: The design of an environmental impact labeling system for consumer goods

Indicating Impact: The Design of an Environmental Impact Labeling System for Consumer Goods Jerrod Larson Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor David K. Farkas Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering This dissertation describes the design of a point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling system for durable and semi-durable consumer goods: the Environmental Life-Cycle Rating Label (ELCRL). As part of this effort it presents a conceptualization of environmental impact offered by Life-Cycle Assessment as a means of representing impact data on the label. This dissertation also presents economic theory relevant to environmental labeling, it provides a review of existing environmental labeling efforts highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and it describes the prototype label design including a history of key design decisions that were made in its creation. Lastly, this dissertation describes an empirical study related to a phenomenon observed while designing the ELCRL: descriptor-rating symbol dissonance, a phenomenon that arises when a title phrase with a certain connotation is combined with a rating symbol set with a different connotation impeding audience interpretation. As part of this project, the study investigated consumer interpretations of various combinations of environmental phrases (e.g., ―environmental impact,‖ ―environmental friendliness‖) and rating symbols (e.g., stars, bar graphs) to determine which were interpreted most consistently and most quickly. This study was used to better characterize descriptor-rating symbol dissonance as well as refine the ELCRL‘s design with an effective phrase and rating symbol combination. The study also gathered feedback on the ELCRL. Additionally, the study gathered qualitative data regarding what people associate with commonplace environmental phrases and what they believe those phrases to mean. Thus, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of how people interpret various rating systems, environmental phrases and consumer labels, and based on this work, the dissertation advances, evaluates, and refines an environmental impact label meant for durable and semi-durable consumer goods.
Correlation of Level of Physical Activity with Weight Perception, Body Mass Index and Body Image Dissatisfaction among Physiotherapy Students of Government Tertiary Care Hospital

Background - Obesity has been increasing steadily and is one of the major cause of many non-communicable diseases among young population. Physiotherapy profession revolves around health and fitness and thus physiotherapy students were chosen for the study. The aim of the study is to find correlation of levels of physical activity with weight perception, body mass index and body image dissatisfaction among physiotherapy students of government tertiary care hospital. Method- It was an observational, cross sectional study of 68 physiotherapy students of either gender between the age of 18-25 years. Perceived weight was documented, body mass index calculated and questionnaires were used to score body image dissatisfaction and physical activity. Conclusion- We found no correlation between level of physical activity and weight perception(p>0.05) and between level of physical activity and Body Image Dissatisfaction (p>0.05). However, there was a correlation between level of physical activity and Body Mass Index with p≤0.05, ρ=0.281. The result highlights the importance of increasing awareness towards self-acceptance of body image and focus on physical activity.
Evaluating Construction Workers’ Understanding of Safety Signs

It has been suggested that many construction workers are never properly educated on the meaning of safety signs. In particular, considering that any safety accident can lead directly to a serious disaster, understanding safety signs is a critical part of safety management. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze construction workers’ awareness of and understanding of safety signs. The research found that most construction workers perceived that safety signs play an important role in preventing safety accidents. However, almost half of construction workers did not understand what construction safety signs convey, which indicates an urgent need for education on safety signs at construction sites.